She went through her short meeting with the deputy one more time, and - after drumming her fingers on the man’s chipboard desk and fidgeting around in her seat - she shot up and made for the door determined to track the man down. She did not have to go far, as soon as she opened the door she revealed the very person she was looking for.
“Ah, Amanda,” said the deputy. “I’m sorry to have kept you waiting.”
“That man in town!” said Amanda who was thoroughly fed up from the long day, the events in the town and from having had to wait around for the man before her.
“Sorry?”
“That man in Caldborough! Was he one of yours?”
“Amanda, please,” replied the deputy while slipping into the room and closing the door behind him. “Look, it seems as if there’s been a little misunderstanding.”
“A misunderstanding? What are you talking about? Is it, or is it not the case that the man who tried to pull Brenden out of a shop back in town is working for you?”
“Now, Amanda, look. There’s no need to get hysterical.”
Amanda drew in a sharp breath to take in the air she needed to tell the deputy, most probably with the aid of a number of expletives, that he was most definitely in the wrong. However, some part of her was just about strong enough to be able to hold the rest of her back by making it clear that she would regret getting on the deputy’s wrong side. Instead, she gave herself a moment to rein in her temper, even though she felt that she was justified in her feelings, before resuming the conversation with a different approach.
“You say there’s been a misunderstanding,” she said with a controlled, firm voice. “What do you mean?”
“You were quite right, Amanda, to suspect that the man in town was working for me. He was one of two people, other than yourself, that I sent out today to see if they could track down the boy. The thing is, the misunderstanding, that is… Perhaps my friend Tobias got the wrong end of the stick and was a little overzealous in his attempt to apprehend our boy. But I’m not sure what all the fuss is about, really. I accept that perhaps he could have gone about things a little differently – though sometimes an approach like Tobias’ is for the best as we can’t have our students out and about, letting their bloodlust get the better of them and endangering the townsfolk. If anything were to have happened, just consider what the consequences would have been for the school? But, you must see that all things considered, the boy’s back, safe and all is generally well.”
“Look, I’ll admit that I’m exhausted from the day, but I assure you that I’m not just making fuss for nothing. As you said on the phone, many people here at the school don’t know about the world out there…”
“Of course, that’s one of the reasons I sent you after the boy,” interrupted the deputy in an attempt to regain control of the conversation.
“And I would say that if you think that all is generally well with the way that Tobias handled things,” continued Amanda without paying attention to the deputy’s interjection, “then I think you were right. Do you know what would have happened if that man had dragged the boy away? People could have called the police; they might have even tried to intervene to save the boy. Think of the consequences of that! He could have put the whole school in jeopardy.
“But that’s not the only thing. Haven’t you thought about Brenden’s wellbeing in all this? What do you think this Tobias’ actions will have done to Brenden? I mean, the whole way back here he was in a state of shock. How long ago was it that the poor guy was attacked? And to have to go through something like that so soon. If you think that sort of treatment is acceptable, it’s no wonder he ran away.”
“Fine, fine,” replied the deputy in a way that made Amanda believe he was not really engaging with what she was saying. “I’ll try to take on board what you’re telling me, but old dogs and all; and this man Tobias nearly always gets his man.”
Though she felt that she should say more, Amanda was certain that it would be fruitless to continue on about the foolishness of the approach the deputy had adopted to find the boy. The dismissive tone in his voice and the referral to the positive qualities of Tobias made his true feelings clear: for him, Amanda’s concerns were needless. There was also something else behind her firm words, a degree of annoyance resulting from her realisation that the deputy had manipulated her. It was clear to her now why the man had not informed her about the others who had been engaged in the search for Brenden. If she had been privy to their approach from the start, she would have complained and caused a fuss. So, it had
