clamped his other hand on Ryan’s neck and hustled him out of the building. Once outside, he shoved Ryan away.
As he struggled to gain traction, Ryan lost his footing and stumbled. He fell to the pavement, ripping his pants leg as he landed. He leapt back up and made a move toward the guard.
Then he heard the sound of sirens in the distance. He stopped and listened as they drew closer.
He wheeled around and walked quickly to his Prius. He jumped in and swung it out of the parking lot, moments before a police cruiser pulled in.
17
Molly wandered into Jesse’s office. He was seated behind his desk, staring out the window. He turned around when he heard her come in.
“There’s good news and bad news,” she said.
“Okay,” Jesse said.
“Do you want to know which is which?”
“Have I a choice?”
“The bad news is Carter Hansen wants to see you.”
“And the good news?”
“I’m having an excellent hair day.”
—
I’ve already had two calls from Portia Cassidy,” Carter Hansen said. “She appears to be out for blood.”
“How so,” Jesse said.
“She thinks you’re terrorizing her daughter.”
They were sitting in Hansen’s office. He had reluctantly provided Jesse with some coffee.
“Courtney Cassidy is an unrepentant, obnoxious adolescent who seems to take a perverse pleasure in breaking the law.”
“What were you doing in front of her house this morning?”
“Sightseeing,” Jesse said.
“I wish I found your attempts at humor amusing. Were you stalking the girl?”
“I was surveilling.”
“Stop being obtuse. What were you doing in front of her house?”
“I suspected that Ms. Cassidy was a chronic abuser of the law, and I was right. She was talking on a cell phone when she drove past me.”
“So what? People drive and talk on cell phones all the time.”
“It’s against the law.”
“Everyone knows it’s a dumb law.”
“But it’s state law nonetheless. You could look it up.”
“So you ticketed her?”
“I did. Her driver’s license can now be revoked for a period of six months. She’s a two-time offender.”
“And you believe that a judge will actually revoke her license?”
“An honest one will.”
“Oh, please,” Hansen said. “I want you to stop harassing her. It’s bad for business.”
“‘Harassing her’?”
“Yes.”
“Are you instructing me to look the other way when a crime is being committed?”
Hansen didn’t say anything.
“This girl has already been the cause of an accident that seriously injured someone, to which she responded in an arrogant and willful manner. I will continue to challenge her until the authorities can no longer afford to ignore her.”
“Don’t,” Hansen said.
“Excuse me?”
“Don’t keep challenging her.”
Jesse stood.
“We’re done here,” Jesse said. “As we have previously discussed, your position enables you to fire me but not to tell me what to do.”
Hansen looked away.
“Unless you’re firing me, I’m going back to work.”
Hansen didn’t say anything.
“Stay out of it, Carter,” Jesse said. “You don’t need any part of this fur ball.”
Hansen watched as Jesse left his office.
18
Jesse pulled into the driveway of the Wilburforce School, where Courtney Cassidy was a student.
After waiting in his outer office for several minutes, Jesse was ushered into the office of the principal, Dr. Rodger Pike.
Pike was a portly, fiftyish man, a pipe smoker who was still fretting over the school policy that prevented him from lighting up indoors. To compensate, he picked up his pipe and placed it in the corner of his mouth.
“What can I do for you, Chief Stone,” he said, sucking on the pipe.
“I’m sorry to disturb you on such short notice, Dr. Pike, but I have a couple of questions regarding one of your students.”
“Of course,” Pike said. “Which student?”
“Courtney Cassidy.”
“Just so you understand, Chief Stone, our student information is confidential.”
“I’ve recently had a couple of run-ins with Ms. Cassidy, and I’m curious about her.”
“‘Run-ins’?”
“Yesterday she was the cause of a rather serious traffic accident. She was driving and texting. Today I cited her for driving while talking on a cell phone. I’m concerned that she might be a danger to herself, as well as to the community.”
“What is it you want from me,” Dr. Pike said.
“Answers to some questions.”
“I’ll try.”
“What kind of student is she?”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning are her grades good? Is she well behaved? Does she obey the rules? Is she in any way difficult?”
Dr. Pike removed the pipe from his mouth and returned it to his desk. He carefully wiped his mouth with a handkerchief. He stood up, walked to his office door, and softly closed it. He then returned to the desk.
“Your reputation precedes you, Chief Stone. My understanding is that you have a noble track record when it comes to dealing with delinquent juveniles. For that reason, and not for attribution, I will tell you that the Wilburforce School has had its share of difficulties with Courtney Cassidy. She is resistant to authority. She has issues with her peers. She is frequently sullen and uncooperative.”
“Why do you keep her?”
“Her father is the school’s largest contributor.”
“Aaah,” Jesse said.
“Aaah, indeed,” Dr. Pike said.
