viewed the end result as reneging on a deal already in place. Even though nothing had been signed, Herman had shook hand with Michael. They had a verbal agreement; and to Herman King a man's word was his bond, the actual signing of documents a mere formality, something to keep the high priced attorneys fat and happy. But when those over-paid bastards informed him that he was in a gray area at best, King went ballistic, firing his entire legal staff.
Appeals directly to Michael at first seemed to bear fruit. But as weeks rolled by Michael became more distant, ending with him refusing to return any of Herman's calls. Only Michael's heart attack and relocation finally convinced him that the battle was truly lost. That left him George, now his sworn enemy.
The battles with the Schonefield school system were memorable. When it became oblivious that the Board was determined to march lock step into any catch-as-catch-can socialized agenda he resigned. Some locals called his creation of Harrison Traditional, made possible by generations of Morgan profitable business dealings, a military academy. The Reserve Officer Training Corps classes were considered by some too martial for young children. When Morgan bought two-dozen antiquated M-1's from the Fort Sheridan arsenal, the grumbling became uproar. An investigation by local, state and finally Federal authorities praising the security measures that George had instituted regarding the storage of the arms and ammunition quieted all but the most vocal of his detractors. With victory on that front, each spring and summer the Tippecanoe Rifles, as the cadets came to be called, honed their shooting skills on a Morgan owned range. George procured the out-dated ammunition at his own expense.
In addition to the normal curriculum, classes in military history, strategy and tactics, as well as four years of required civics inculcated a higher level of patriotism in HTS students. Few locals bothered to send their children to such an institution where demerits and infractions could add up to expulsion. For that reason, better than 80% of HTS's student body were from out of state. These lived in dormitory facilities off campus. Fourteen graduating classes had produced sixty-one graduates, 100% of which attended college, 98 % on full scholarship.
With George Morgan at the helm, The Harrison Traditional School ranked among the top ten private schools in the United States.
All of which was to come to an end the moment Larry Parker's smoking cruiser died at the front entrance.
Lauren - Lockdown
"Attention in the building. Sorry for the interruption, but just a quick announcement. Tomorrow's lunch will feature a special treat: pork chops. Pork chops!"
"What in the world," Lauren thought. Headmaster Morgan had never announced a lunch schedule before and what was up with pork chops? Suddenly lunch fare became a moot point as both Mrs. Glass and Mr. Morgan rushed to the front desk.
"Lauren! Are Braden and Lloyd still here?" Mr. Morgan asked barely pausing to here the answer.
"Y-Yes! I think so. The pond… I think," she replied.
Mr. Morgan gave her a curt nod and headed for the front door. "Lauren!" Mrs. Glass abruptly smacked her hand on the reception desk top causing Lauren to start. She had been watching the Headmaster rushing toward the entrance. Now she saw Mrs. Glass face for the first time since she had almost ran from the outside trying to get a signal on her vide phone.
"What's going on Mrs. Glass?" she asked, the slight edge of panic now entering her voice.
"Sorry, dear," Mrs. Glass apologized. "We have a situation Lauren. A bad situation, I'm afraid. I need you to stay calm and go to Mr. Haynes's Geometry class and get Rebecca Morgan and James Hack and bring them here in a hurry."
Lauren was around the desk before Mrs. Glass was finished. As she was about to pass Mrs. Glass placed a hand on her shoulder. Her face betrayed a composure barely held in check.
"Listen Lauren, keep your head in front of the others. The kids I mean. Don't show concern," she raised her hand, "I know you have questions, believe me you'll know soon enough. As least what we know. It looks bad, God! Bad, it's bad! Danny," She began babbling her grandson's name over and over. A second grader in the school, then her small frame seemed on the verge of sinking to the floor like a blow-up doll that had sprung a leak.
Her segue from calm to borderline hysterics took Lauren completely aback. Her rising voice cracked as Lauren reacted the only way she could think to do. She grabbed her shoulders and shook her firmly.
"Mrs. Glass, Mrs. Glass, Veronica!" Lauren said keeping her voice low as possible.
"I don't know Mr. Moss," Lauren said, breaking her reverie and addressing Jim directly.
"Maybe it was I shaking the bee geez out of her, or calling her by her Christian name, but she did calm down. All I knew before she went loopy, was that I had to get 'Becca Morgan and Jimmy Hack."
"You want to take a break?" Jim asked.
Lauren thought a moment and shook her head.
"May I have some water please?" she asked.
It seemed like the words were no sooner out of her mouth then plastic water bottles, icy cold and wet with condensation, magically appeared courtesy of the sound crew. They were professional in their demeanor, but Jim had noticed that when Lauren was reciting her story they were as transfixed by her tale as he was.
Lauren thanked each in turn, slightly embarrassed at their obsequious manner. The head producer, for the life of her Lauren couldn't remember his name, was scowling at his crew. "Christ sakes," he said in a failed attempt to keep his voice low, having it come out as more of a growl. "She wants a drink of water, not a pool to swim in! I hope you all remember you're here to work the story, not listen to it! If we miss so much as one syllable LA's unemployment line will grow a few new feet of tail!
The crew gave no hint of having heard him but reset their head- phones and resumed monitor watching.
The water was cold and cut through the heat that Lauren could feel building inside her. She drank half a bottle before she felt ready to continue. She squeezed her eyes shut trying to pick up the thread, feeling the heat of that moment starting to rebuild. She looked at Jim, "Mrs. Glass calmed down," she said haltingly, and Jim nodded. She brought her fingertips to her forehead and lightly massaged.
Mrs. Glass did calm down long enough for Lauren slip past her. Before she was out the admin door Mrs. Glass softly called her.
"Lauren. Danny's only seven years old. Promise me." The rest was said with silent pleading eyes. "Promise me, you'll watch over him. He's just a little boy."
Having no idea what was going on, Lauren was confused and more than a little scared. But six years of seeing a normally stoic Mrs. Glass, suddenly transform into a human wreck in a matter of seconds sent a shock through her like a live wire.
"Sure, Mrs. Glass. No problem," Lauren stared at her wide- eyed feeling her pulse racing.
"What is going on?" she thought as she walked at a quick pace down the hall. She glanced at the double- wide glass entrance doors and wished she hadn't.
Coming through the doors was Headmaster Morgan supporting Officer Larry Harper under his right arm. Lauren recognized the officer from the annual safety briefing the Schonefield P.D. concerning the dangerous area fauna and abandoned mines that seemed to be a natural lure for the young. He was wearing his white motorcycle helmet and, here Lauren searched for the word- flack vest. Yes, flack vest was what Braden had called it when they had seen one in a movie once. And on his left arm, "Oh! My God! Was that blood?"
Lauren knocked on Mr. Haynes door and immediately went to open it. Locked! "What the devil is going on," Her thoughts, already a jumbled stew of fear and wonder now factored in a locked classroom door. Teachers had for years locked their doors for a variety of reasons, not the least of which was to snag those students that were always making it in just after the bell rang. But for two years this had been discontinued, thanks to the intervention of the local Fire Marshal who declared the practice a safety hazard. Mr. Morgan suspected the Fire Marshal's order as just another administrative spitball on the part of his detractors; a sniping, fleabite of harassment
for their failure to shut the school down, or at least curb the more martial aspects of the ROTC program.
The owlish looking Mr. Haynes looked out and upon seeing Lauren opened the door
"I'm sorry for the interruption Mr. Haynes but the Headmaster would like to see Mr. Hack and Miss Morgan immediately."
Mr. Haynes called the students forward. Turning back to Lauren he quickly asked sotto voce, "What's going on Ms. Ortiz?"
Already too stunned by events to properly register the oddity of a teacher asking why certain students were being summoned, especially when office workers routinely did that very thing perhaps two dozen times on a particularly busy day, Lauren answered quietly,"There's something Mr. Haynes; but honestly, I don't know."
Scanning her face for a moment longer, he accepted that Lauren was as much in the dark as he was. He made room for the two students to pass and then quickly closed and relocked the door.
Juniors Rebecca Morgan and James Hack were the freshly minted Major and Captain of Harrison's ROTC. Still in uniform from the morning's ceremony, they reminded Lauren of this time last year when Braden and Lloyd were promoted.
Both had strutted around like peacocks, well… in Laurens's mind at least. Lloyd had approached Rhoda, who wasn't his girlfriend at the time and had made some comment about how women were crazy about a man in
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