“Do your worst, Mariah,” he said calmly. “Now say what’s on your mind. And keep it to facts you can substantiate. I won’t tolerate character assassination of these two fine people.”
Mariah blinked at his words. “So much for impartiality,” she grumbled. “Obviously I’m wasting my breath talking to the likes of you.”
“I told you that you could have your say. Now don’t make me lose patience and change my mind.”
It was obvious to Laura that the crowd was getting restless as the exchange dragged on with no real evidence being laid out for the board to consider. Instead, Mariah was on a rant about adults picking on her sweet little girl who’d never squashed a bug, much less attacked another human being.
“It must be totally obvious to everyone in this town that Annabelle would never do the sort of mean-spirited things she’s been accused of,” Mariah summed up. “She’s a good girl, and her reputation’s being ruined by these two petty people. I’ve a good mind to file a lawsuit for slander once we get through these proceedings.” Despite Ham’s earlier warning, she turned back to the crowd. “I ask you now, are these really the sort of people you want educating your children?”
A loud chorus of “yes” exploded throughout the auditorium, leaving Mariah clearly stunned. She was about to flounce off the stage, when Helen rose and walked up to join her.
“Not just yet, Mariah,” she said quietly. “Since you’ve been up here doing a bit of slandering of your own, let’s make sure we get the facts on record.”
Mariah blinked and turned to Ham. “Can she do this?”
“I believe she can,” he said, then glanced at the other board members who nodded in assent.
“Mariah, I know you’ve always taken an active interest in Annabelle’s singing, is that right?” Helen asked. It was more statement of fact, since it was something no one in town was likely to question.
“Well, of course. She has an amazing voice. Everyone knows that.”
“Agreed,” Helen said. “But what about her school work? Do you monitor that, make sure her grades are up?”
“Of course,” Mariah said. “Not that she’ll need a college education with the career that’s ahead for her, but she wants to go, so, yes, we pay close attention to her grades.”
“I thought so,” Helen said, smiling. “All reports say she’s always been a good student.” She glanced down at some notes, though Laura had a hunch Helen already knew exactly what was written there. “Now, how closely do you keep an eye on her online activities? Do you have access to her social-networking account, for instance?”
“Of course not,” Mariah said indignantly. “Children deserve to have privacy just like the rest of us. It’s in the Constitution, for heaven’s sake.”
Again, Helen smiled. “Then you can’t say with a hundred percent certainty that Annabelle never posted the bullying taunts that appeared on her personal page and then circulated to all of her friends, can you?”
“I’m telling you she wouldn’t do that kind of thing,” Mariah said.
“And while your faith in your daughter is admirable, I have here pages and pages of posts that say otherwise. I also have statements from the police, the prosecutor and the website administrators confirming that this is Annabelle’s site and that her screen name and password were used for these posts. I can read them one by one, if you’d like. We can let the board decide if the posts rise to the level of bullying that is justification for immediate expulsion in this school district.”
Mariah seemed to deflate before their eyes. She’d obviously been counting on her counteroffensive to take the heat off her daughter and turn it onto Betty and Laura. Now that the strategy had failed so miserably, she looked a little lost.
“She’s a good girl,” she whispered, though it lacked her earlier conviction.
“I think up until this incident she probably was,” Helen said more gently. “This was a wake-up call, Mariah. Rather than viewing this as an unjust punishment, view it as an opportunity for Annabelle to have a second chance. There’s already a lot of national attention on this case, mostly thanks to you. Let’s resolve this quietly so your daughter and Misty Dawson can move on with their lives.”
By now there were tears on Mariah’s cheeks, and she was shaking uncontrollably. Helen put an arm around her and walked with her off the stage. It was so quiet in the auditorium, Laura was pretty sure they could have heard a pin drop.
Hamilton Reynolds cleared his throat. “Okay, then, first things first. Does anyone up here see any need to discipline Betty Donovan or Laura Reed for the actions they took to protect Misty Dawson?”
“I vote for a commendation,” Bernice Walker said fiercely. At a look from Ham, she grinned. “Oh, I know, it’s supposed to be a motion. Well, I’m making it.”
“Second,” Trent Ayers said.
Ham gave a nod of satisfaction. “Any discussion?” He looked around but the other board members were merely nodding acquiescence. “Okay, then, all in favor?”
The commendation was approved unanimously.
“Now to the expulsion,” he said. “Do I have a motion for that?”
It, too, was quickly approved by a unanimous vote.
Laura finally let out the breath she’d been holding. J.C. gave her hand a squeeze. “I told you it was going to be all right.”
“You told me, but anything could have happened in here,” she said.
“Not with Helen on the case,” he said, then stepped aside as well-wishers came to surround her.
The Sweet Magnolias were first in line. Laura was enveloped in hugs from Sarah, Raylene and Annie, then from Maddie, Jeanette, Dana Sue and Karen Cruz.
“I think a celebratory margarita night’s in order,” Annie declared.
Sarah immediately shook her head and nodded toward J.C. “This is an occasion for a coed gathering, if ever there was one.”
“My house, then,” Raylene said. “I baked lasagna this morning just in case.”
“I can bring salad,” Dana Sue said. “And some killer guacamole, since it wouldn’t be a true Sweet Magnolias gathering without that.”
Helen joined them just then. “I just got off the phone with Erik. The dessert’s covered.”
Laura looked around at them, feeling oddly choked up at yet another display of such loyalty. “Are you sure?”
“Of course we’re sure,” Sarah said. “You’re one of us, aren’t you? And this is what we do to celebrate.”
“I’ll round up all
