Page 60
"How could this happen here?" Daddy cried, his arms out.
"Austin,'" Mommy said, her eyes big with reprimand.
He shook his head and stood by the window as if he was looking directly at the scene of the crime.
"Okay, Mommy," I said. "I'm ready."
"You want to get something to eat first. honey?"
"No," I said. "Let's just do what we have to do."
She nodded and Daddy pushed her wheelchair with me walking beside them. We got Mommy into the van and drove over to the administration building. One look at Mrs. Whittaker, Dr. Greenleafs secretary, told me she knew the sordid details. She leaped up from her chair and told us she would tell Dr. Greenleaf we were there. Not a half-dozen seconds later, she was ushering us into his office. Mrs. Mariot was there as well as a short, plump, balding man. Mrs. Mariot was a tall, distinguished-looking woman in her early fifties with light brown hair. The plump man had a round face with watery dull brown eyes and a thick nose over thin lips, now stretched into a disgusted smirk.
Two chairs had been provided for us. Daddy wheeled Mommy up beside one of them, which put her between the man and us. Mrs. Mariot was on the other side, both of them now like bookends. Dr. Greenleaf leaned forward to place his elbows on his desk and put his hands together with the fingers in a cathedral.
"Mr. and Mrs. Clarke," he said. "this is Margaret Mariot, president of the board of trustees, and this is Stanley Haskins, the school's attorney."
Daddy nodded suspiciously at the two of them. and Mommy gave them a very small, quick smile.
"Well, now," Dr Greenleaf began, "we've got a very difficult situation here, which we must handle delicately and carefully so little or no more damage can be done to anyone concerned," he began.
"Handle?" Daddy said quickly. "There's only one person who's been damaged here, my daughter. I don't think handle is the right word."
"We realize that profoundly," Dr. Greenleaf said quickly, his eyes swinging from Mrs. Mariot to Mr. Haskins and back to Daddy.
"Has the animal been put in jail?" Daddy demanded.
"He's been taken to the police station for questioning, but the district attorney hasn't had him officially charged and arrested yet. Mr. Clarke." Mr. Haskin
s said.
"Why not?"
"It's a favor to us and to you."
"What?"
"Let's try to be as calm as we can under these difficult circumstances,' Dr. Greenleaf pleaded.
"Calm. This is my daughter!" Daddy screamed at him.
Mommy. who had been watching Dr. Greenleaf squirm in his chair while he spoke, put her hand over Daddy's and looked at him.
"Let's let Dr. Greenleaf talk first, Austin."
"Thank you. Mrs. Clarke. I assure you. Summer's welfare is our primary concern here." He looked at Mrs. Mariot. "I think I speak for the entire board of trustees when I say that."
"He does," Mrs. Mariot said. "I'm here to confirm that."
Daddy sat back but didn't relax. Dr. Greenleaf glanced at Mr. Haskins.
"Mr. Haskins has had some experience in these matters. I think it's best we listen to what he has to tell us."
Stanley Haskins smiled, his face softening like putty as his lips stretched and contracted when he leaned forward toward us.
"What we have here is something popularly known as date rape." he began.
"She was hardly on a date," Daddy snapped.
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60 (Reading here)
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 110
- Page 111
- Page 112
- Page 113
- Page 114
- Page 115
- Page 116
- Page 117
- Page 118
- Page 119
- Page 120
- Page 121
- Page 122
- Page 123
- Page 124
- Page 125
- Page 126
- Page 127
- Page 128
- Page 129
- Page 130
- Page 131
- Page 132
- Page 133
- Page 134
- Page 135
- Page 136
- Page 137
- Page 138
- Page 139
- Page 140
- Page 141
- Page 142
- Page 143
- Page 144