He spoke timidly. 'Is there anything we can do for Emma?'
The room went completely silent. The fear started to creep back in. 'As I said…' She had to stop to clear her throat. 'As I said before, any information you can think of that might help us would be appreciated. Suspicious characters around school. Unusual things Emma or Kayla might have said-or even usual things, something that maybe you are now thinking might be connected to what happened to them. All of that, no matter how trivial it may seem, is very valuable to us.' She cleared her throat, wishing she had some water. 'As for anything you can personally do, I would ask again that you remember safety. Make sure that your parents know where you are at all times. Make sure that you take basic precautions. The fact is, we have no idea how this connects to your school, or even if it connects at all. I think vigilance is the key word here.' She felt slightly idiotic saying the words, thinking she sounded like a bad rip-off of Olivia McFaden, but the nods from both parents and students in the audience made Faith think that she had actually done some good here.
She scanned the crowd. No more hands were up that she could see. With a nod toward the principal, Faith walked back across the stage and took her place in the wings.
'Thank you, Detective Mitchell.' McFaden was back at the podium. She told the students, 'In a few minutes, Coach Bob is going to do a ten-minute presentation, followed by an instructional film on personal safety.'
Faith suppressed a groan, only to hear it echo around the auditorium.
McFaden continued, 'After Coach Bob, Dr. Madison, who is, as you know, our school counselor, will have some remarks to make about dealing with tragedy. He will also be taking questions, so please remember, any questions you have should be saved up until Dr. Madison is finished speaking. Now, if we could all just take a moment to quietly reflect on our fellow students-those among us and those who are gone.' She waited a few seconds, then, when no one reacted, she said, 'Bow your heads, please.'
Faith had never been a fan of the moment of silence, especially when it required head bowing. She liked it almost as much as public speaking, which took a close second to eating live cockroaches.
Faith scanned the crowd, looking past the bowed heads to Mary Clark, who was staring blankly at the stage. As quietly as possible, Faith made her way down the stage stairs. She could almost feel Olivia McFaden's disapproval as she sneaked down the side aisle, but Faith wasn't one of the woman's students and, frankly, she had more important things to do than stand in the wings listening to Coach Bob drill students about their safety for the next ten minutes.
Mary Clark stood straighter as she realized Faith was heading her way. If the teacher was surprised to find herself singled out, she didn't show it. As a matter of fact, she seemed relieved when Faith nodded toward the door.
Mary didn't stop in the hallway, but pushed on through the exit before Faith could stop her. She went outside and stood on the concrete pad, hands on her hips as she took deep breaths of fresh air.
She told Faith, 'I saw McFaden pointing me out before you started and I was sure she was telling you that she was going to fire me.'
Faith thought this was a strange way to open up a conversation, but it seemed like the sort of inappropriate remark she was capable of making herself. 'Why would she fire you?'
'My class is too noisy. I'm not strict enough. I don't adhere to the curriculum.' Mary Clark gave a forced laugh. 'We have very different educational philosophies.'
'I need to talk to you about Kayla Alexander.'
She looked over her shoulder. 'Not Emma?' Her face fell. 'Oh, no. Is she-'
'No,' Faith assured her. 'We haven't found her yet.'
Her hands covered her mouth. 'I thought…' She wiped away her tears. They both knew what she had thought, and Faith felt like an ass for not being more clear to begin with.
She said, 'I'm sorry.'
Mary pulled a tissue out of her jacket pocket and blew her nose. 'God, I thought I was finished crying.'
'Did you know Emma?'
'Not really, but she's a student here. They all feel like they're your responsibility.' She blew her nose. 'You were terrified up there, weren't you?'
'Yes,' Faith admitted, because lying about something so simple would make it harder to lie about bigger things later on. 'I hate public speaking.'
'I do, too.' Mary amended, 'Well, not in front of kids-they don't really matter-but in faculty meetings, parent- teacher conferences…' She shook her head. 'God, what does any of that matter to you, right? Why don't I say something about the weather?'
Faith leaned against the steel door but thought better of it when her flesh started to blister. 'Why weren't you in the meeting this morning?'
She tucked the tissue back into her pocket. 'My opinion isn't exactly valued around here.'
Teaching was a profession famous for producing burnout. Faith could well imagine the old guard did not appreciate an idealistic young kid coming in to change the world.
Mary Clark said as much. 'They all think it's just a matter of time before I run screaming out the door.'
'You had Kayla Alexander in your class last year.'
The younger woman turned around, arms crossed over her chest, and studied Faith. There was something hostile about the stance.
Faith asked, 'Can you tell me what happened?'
Mary was dubious. 'They didn't tell you?'
'No.'
She gave another laugh. 'Typical.'
Faith was silent, giving the other woman space.
Mary asked, 'Did they tell you that last year, Kayla was so mean to one of the other girls that she ended up leaving school?'
'No.'
'Ruth Donner. She transferred to Marist in the middle of last year.'
'Daniella Park said that Kayla split the school in two.'
'That's a fair statement. There was the Kayla camp and the Ruth camp. It took a while, but pretty soon more and more people went over to Ruth's side. Transferring out was the smartest thing she did, really. It put Kayla center stage, and suddenly, the cracks started to show. I think it's fair to say that by the beginning of the school year, Kayla was universally reviled.'
'Except for Emma.'
'Except for Emma.'
'I'm hardly an expert, but don't girls usually outgrow that kind of behavior in middle school?'
'Usually,' the teacher confirmed. 'But some of them hang on to it. The really mean ones can't stop circling once they smell blood in the water.'
Faith thought the shark analogy was a good one. 'Where is Ruth Donner now?'
'College, I suppose. She was a senior.'
Finding her would certainly be a priority. 'Kayla would have been a junior last year. What was she doing going after a senior?'
'Ruth was the most popular girl in school.' She shrugged, as if that explained everything. 'Of course, there weren't any ramifications for Kayla. She gets away with everything.'
Faith tried to tread carefully. There was something else to this story. Mary Clark was giving off the distinct impression that she felt as if she was being asked questions that Faith already knew the answers to. 'I understand that what happened with the other girl was horrible, but this feels very personal for you.'
Mary's hostility seemed to ratchet up a notch. 'I tried to fail Kayla Alexander last year.'
Faith could guess what she meant by 'tried.' Parents paid a lot of money for their kids to go to Westfield. They expected them to excel in their classes, even if their work did not warrant good grades. 'What happened?'
'We don't fail children here at Westfield Academy. I had to tutor the little bitch after school.'
The characterization was startling considering the circumstances. 'I have to admit, Mrs. Clark, that I find it strange you would talk that way about a seventeen-year-old girl who's been raped and murdered.'
'Please, call me Mary.'
Faith was at a loss for words.
