Page 85 of Poison Wood

“Mr. Adair has nothing further to say.”

“Has the state apologized?” another reporter says.

They’re getting braver.

“Will you receive reparations?” another yells. “If so, how much? How much is seventeen years worth, Johnny?”

Idiots. They’re all after the wrong thing. I want to know if he changed his mind about what he planned to say today. And if so, why?

“Why did you insist on making this statement here, at the school?” Erin yells.

I look from her back to Johnny, who has started to walk off.

“This school,” Johnny says, and he spits on the ground. Grant’s hand touches Johnny’s elbow. His client is going off script. “Renovations aren’t going to cover up the past here. You’ll see. This place should have been burned to the ground.” People start murmuring again. Grant smiles and guides Johnny away from the podium. I search for Kat and Summer, but they’re gone.

I grab my phone and text Katrina.

We need to meet again.

Grant stands behind the microphones now, and the reporters start yelling questions at him. He holds up both hands. “We are running late. These questions and more will all be answered in due time. For now, please give Johnny and his sister, Rosalie, the privacy they deserve.” With that, he walks off, and Johnny follows him. The reporters trail them, yelling questions even after both men are inside the Escalade. Their SUV pulls away as cameras flash.

What the hell just happened here?

“Okay, folks,” Chief Duplantis says. “We still have a bit more to discuss. Hello? Can I get your attention please.”

The reporters make their way back, most on their cell phones.

The chief starts talking again after everyone is back in their places. “We have time for a few questions.”

I spot Rosalie Adair peeling away from the crowd and heading for a car parked off by itself. A white sedan.

I glance at the chief and weigh what I’ll gain staying here versus what I’ll gain if I follow Rosalie, and when nurse Grace starts walking my way, I know the answer. Nothing. Erin is focused on the chief. The other reporters are as well. And I’ve learned over the years always go with the bird in the hand.

Three minutes later, I’m back in my father’s truck following Rosalie’s white sedan out of the forest.

Poison Wood Therapeutic Academy for Girls

Kisatchie National Forest

November 20, 2002

Meadow

Dear Diary,

Something odd happened tonight. Heather came in our room after we were asleep. I heard the door creak open and then I felt someone in the room. I know it was her because I could smell her perfume. And she climbed into my bed and I froze. I didn’t know what to do. I could feel her breath on the back of my neck. And she just laid there and I pretended to be asleep but my heart was beating so hard. And then I felt her hand snake under my t-shirt and she put it on my back. It was so cold. But I didn’t move an inch.

Then she whispered, “I know everything.”

Then she fell asleep. I could tell by her breathing. And when I was sure she wouldn’t wake up, I snuck out of my bed and went to the rec room and sat up on the sofa all night until dawn.

Tonight I will make sure our door is locked.

Chapter Twenty-One

Riverbend, Louisiana

Saturday, February 16, 2019