“I truly understand,” Missus Davenhill says. Her tone is understanding, sympathetic. “I thank you in advance for anything that you can do to continue your sponsorship at least until summer break. What else is on your mind, David? Kimberly mentioned that you wanted to discuss two items.”
Mister Cheaply’s brow furrows and his eyes begin to twitch. Missus Davenhill immediately knows that whatever he has to say probably will upset her. She has seen that look many times before. She hopes that whatever is on Mister Cheaply’s mind will not result in a shouting match like it has many times before today. Mister Cheaply has a bad reputation of getting into verbal spats at the drop of a dime – usually his dime.
Mister Cheaply says, “It is about that disturbing investigation you have going on in school. It is the one involving the escaped criminal, Puppet. It is the investigation that your students are conducting.”
Playacting a surprised look, Missus Davenhill says, “I am not aware of an ongoing investigation involving the escaped criminal Puppet. I only know of two ongoing investigations that I have authorized. One has to do with petty theft of chemistry supplies from the lab. At the direction of the vice principal, our school resource officer, Officer Bartholomew Bennett, is heading up that investigation.
“The other investigation encompasses six students that are investigating a cafeteria food fight that resulted in a serious fistfight. We have already suspended four students that were involved in the fistfight. I anticipate more suspensions and a slew of detentions as well. The students investigating the food fight had no part in those disciplinary actions.
“I never involve students when it comes to disciplinary actions, nor do I ask for their input.” She taps her forefinger on her desk a few times. “The buck stops here.” She eyes Mister Cheaply suspiciously. “Anyway, there is no ongoing investigation by my students that involves a criminal, especially that extraordinary man, Puppet. I have never met him personally. I do not care to as well.”
“I see,” Mister Cheaply says. “It is my understanding, and the opinion of those of us in business, that your six students investigating the food fight are saying Puppet caused the ruckus.”
Missus Davenhill says with a laugh, “Is that a fact? This is the first I have heard that my investigative students are blaming Puppet for causing a cafeteria food fight. How absurd is that? It is preposterous, I tell you. As far as I know, Puppet has never set foot inside our school. The police arrested him outside of our school for solicitation and harassment, so I seriously doubt he will ever again venture anywhere near Claymore High.”
“Even if the students are not investigating Puppet,” Mister Cheaply says, “they need to stop spreading gossip around town that he caused the school food fight. I have proof that they are blaming him. He may be a criminal, but I honestly doubt he was involved in a food fight involving high school students.” He glares at Missus Davenhill. “You just said so yourself, Marie.”
Missus Davenhill says, “Let’s say, hypothetically speaking, that the students are investigating Puppet, although I seriously doubt that they are. What is the harm in that? After all, I gave them full latitude to pursue all leads as long as they do not endanger themselves or others. To my recollection, David, Puppet is a criminal. He was soliciting on my school grounds. I will not tolerate anyone harassing my students. As their principal, the safety and wellbeing of my students are first and foremost in my mind. As a father of a daughter who attends this school, I am certain you can relate.”
“Their spreading unproven rumors is bad for business,” Mister Cheaply says. “Do you know how many tourists come from outlying towns, even adjacent states, to get a glimpse of Puppet and with the hope of grabbing one of his famous coils of twine?”
With a wry smile, Missus Davenhill replies, “I have no idea. I am in the business of teaching students. I am not in the business of entertaining tourists who want to be entertained by a man who ridiculously claims he is a puppet.”
Mister Cheaply says, “I was thinking, if your students could lay off accusing Puppet of meddling in your school affairs, I might just find more money to subsidize your extracurricular activities.”
“Now, that sounds both very enticing as well as very suspicious,” Missus Davenhill says with a laugh. “Are you trying to bribe me, David? It certainly sounds like you are trying to bribe me.”
She thinks to herself, Why is it, David, that you are so interested in Puppet? Could it be? Nah! There’s no way you are involved in the weirdness surrounding the cafeteria food fight, the disappearing boy from the video, and the videotape someone stole from my desk. Then again, your name is Cheaply. In fact—
Mister Cheaply interrupts Missus Davenhill’s train of thought.
“Let me be frank with you, Marie. Puppet, whether he is in jail or standing outside our shops handing out his stupid coils of twine, is good for business. My good friend, John Sneider, made a killing last year selling puppet lookalikes. I even have a bunch of them in my store. They sell like hotcakes. Did you know that?”
“No, I did not,” Missus Davenhill says. “As I said, David, my primary focus as a school principal is teaching students and ensuring they have the best education possible. Tourism and business ventures are not my forte. I hope you understand.”
“I do understand, and I respect you for that,” Mister Cheaply says. “Claudia adores you and all of her teachers. She says your policies as a principal are reasonable, and all of her teachers are fair-minded as well. She especially likes her French teacher.” He laughs. “Claudia says that her French teacher seldom gives the kids homework.”
Missus Davenhill replies in a happy tone, “Flattery will get you everywhere, David. Thank you. As far as your daughter’s French teacher rarely assigning homework is concerned, I will have to look into that. I think homework, at least homework applied as prudently as possible, is good.” Mister Cheaply nods his head.
“David, what do you want me to do regarding my food fight investigative team? Should I tell them to leave Puppet’s name out of it? I will do just about anything to have you continue your sponsorship of the school’s extracurricular programs, at least as many as you can without causing you and your family financial hardship.”
With a forced smile, Mister Cheaply says, “My fellow businessmen and women, particularly John Sneider, would be very pleased if you could lay off Puppet. Just the fact that Puppet escaped from jail has brought more business into John’s store than he could ever imagine. When John is happy, I am happy in return. You probably do not know this, but John buys all of his products and beverages from me. Certainly, he could get them wholesale and save money. Then again, as the saying goes, ‘he who greases one’s palm gets his palm greased in return.’”
“I’ve never heard of that saying,” Missus Davenhill says. “I guess if you are in the business of making money the saying makes perfect sense.” She folds her arms across her chest and leans back in her chair.
“David, where are we with all of this? What do you propose?”
Mister Cheaply answers, “I would like you to tell your students to stop spreading gossip around town that Puppet was somehow involved in your food fight and other nefarious actions. As a result, I will talk to my fellow businessmen and women about seeing if they can assist me with my sponsorship obligations. Maybe they will agree to sponsor some of your programs next year as well.”
Missus Davenhill does not agree to what Mister Cheaply has said, and she never will. She would never agree to such a proposal for three reasons. First, she will never allow anyone outside of the school system to tell her what she must do. Two, she will not succumb to bribes. Three, she is both suspicious and concerned about Mister Cheaply’s interest in Puppet, particularly as it relates to her investigative team. She will use a tactic to knock Mister Cheaply’s train of thought off track. She also likes the idea of having additional sponsors for her school’s extracurricular programs.
Missus Davenhill says, “Oh, David, I would not want you to h
ave to ask them for loans or anything. Then again, maybe some of your friends could sponsor a few of the programs to take the heat off of you, metaphorically speaking. That will get you off the hook financially as well.” She smiles. “Naturally, I would still like you to sponsor the programs that are ongoing if you can, at least until the end of the school year.”
Mister Cheaply reaches across the desk and offers his hand. Missus Davenhill shakes it.
Mister Cheaply says, “Consider it done, Marie. Not only will I continue sponsorship of the ongoing programs, but I will also help you find sponsors for the other programs as well. If you would like, I will purchase new jerseys and shorts for your volleyball team. I think it will be a nice touch when they play in the championships.”
“That would be great,” Missus Davenhill says. “I thank you. Besides, the more I think about it, having different sponsors is probably a good thing.” She looks Mister Cheaply squarely in the eye. “After all, David, as the saying goes, not putting all of one’s eggs in one basket can be a good thing. Agreed?”
“Agreed,” Mister Cheaply replies as he stands. “I thank you for your time, Marie. I will be in touch as soon as possible. In the interim, bearing in mind our agreement, please consider my sponsorship of the ongoing programs a done deal for the remainder of the school year. You have my word.”
Once Mister Cheaply is gone, Missus Davenhill says to her secretary, “Kim, please find out what period Chloe Brown and her other team members are in right now. Then ask their teachers to have the students report to my conference room during their lunch period. Also, please ask the teachers to tell the students that today’s lunch is on me. Thank you, and oh, I almost forgot. Please give me the telephone number to Tony’s Pizzeria. I am in the mood for some of their delicious wings.” She winks at Missus Bell. “I bet you could eat at least eight wings as well. Am I right, Kim?”
Missus Bell replies in a lighthearted tone, “Goodness, Marie! You know me all too well. You won’t need the number. I will get right on it.” She glances at her watch. “I am about to go on break. Besides, you have another appointment in three minutes. As it concerns Tony’s, they should have plenty of advance notice to prepare the food and deliver it in time for lunch. Do you want me to request eight orders of wings?”
“No, make it nine,” Missus Davenhill says. “We will invite Bartholomew. Something tells me that we will need his expert legal and police investigative opinion. Have Tony deliver a couple of pepperoni pizzas too. Please order a round of milkshakes as well. I know that Chloe Brown’s favorite flavor is peppermint, and if my memory serves me correctly, Brenae Woodbine’s favorite flavor is strawberry. Therefore, please have them include one each of strawberry and peppermint shakes.
“Please tell them to charge the order to my husband’s account to include a healthy tip for the delivery person. I do not want anyone thinking that I am favoring six students out of hundreds in the school by paying for their lunch.” She smiles. “Nevertheless, I will have some explaining to do to my husband when he sees the bill. Thanks, Kim. You are the greatest!”
Missus Davenhill reenters her office and closes the door behind her. She immediately reopens the door and calls out, “Kim, who’s my next appointment? I didn’t see it on my calendar.”
Missus Bell replies, “Mister and Missus Marvella. It is a last minute appointment. I knew you wouldn’t mind. They are coming for a copy of Anthony’s school records. They wanted to thank you for everything you and the faculty have done to promote Anthony’s football dreams.”
Missus Davenhill exclaims, “Oh, goodness! One horrible meeting goes right into another that is unbelievably tragic. Has there been any progress on scheduling Anthony’s memorial assembly?”
Missus Bell says, “It is still in the final planning stages, but the coach thinks it will be on Wednesday. That is another reason the Marvella’s are coming. They want to discuss with the coach how the assembly should proceed. It is important for us to get their input.”
Missus Davenhill says, “Okay, Kim, thank you. Please keep me informed as always.” She reenters her office and quietly closes her door.
*****
Part II: The Inquest
“There you have it,” Brenae says, “lock, stock, and barrel. I thought I was immune to Puppet’s magic. I was wrong.”
Missus Davenhill reaches across the conference table and takes Brenae’s hands in hers. Brenae’s hands are cold. Her principal cannot help but notice that Brenae, naturally a calm and collected, self-assured, confident young lady, is trembling ever so slightly.
“When I finally woke up I was lying in my bed,” Brenae says in a barely audible whisper. She looks at Diana Jane and bursts into tears.
“I was in my bed shaking all over. I could hardly breathe. All I could think about was Diana Jane and how the Loser, or whoever he was, had threatened her. He even knew that my favorite nickname for her was Di!” She glances at James. “He knew that Jay was in the emergency room too! He told me that Jay had died!”
Diana Jane quickly stands. She drags her chair next to Brenae’s. She sits back down in her chair and places her arm around Brenae’s shoulder. She looks over at Missus Davenhill hesitantly. Her principal is smiling, and she nods her head slightly. Straight away, Diana Jane knows she is not going to get into trouble for consoling Brenae.
Diana Jane says in a gentle tone, “Bre, was that the reason you were balling your eyes out when you called me that afternoon?”
Brenae replies, “Yes, Di, I called to make sure you were okay. I was afraid for you! I thought you were dead or at least you would be dead fairly soon. The Loser, or whoever it was, said he was going to eliminate you. I didn’t want to alarm you when I called, so I didn’t say anything about my vision. Furthermore, Di, the cries for help, in a tone of voice that sounded exactly like yours, seemed so real!”
Diana Jane smiles slightly, her lovely blue-grey eyes misting with tears. She says, “But here I am, Bre, safe and sound. That happened over four days ago, so I seriously doubt anything nasty is going to happen to me.”
Brenae glances around the table. Her gaze rests on Missus Davenhill. She says in a straightforward tone, “What we are experiencing is out-and-out mind manipulation.” She stares with a blank expression at the tabletop. “Just like those poor runaways, innocent boys and girls, that are manipulated by evil men and women.” She looks up once more. “It is mind manipulation, pure and simple. I should know. I do the same thing before I prime the audience for my act, innocently enough.”
Chloe says, “I sincerely doubt anything will happen to you, Diana Jane.” She glances around the table. “I also hope that none of you experience weird visions from this day going forward as well.” Her gaze focuses on James momentarily. She says in an uncertain tone, “Then again, it is both bizarre, and a coincidence that Jay was in the emergency room like the voice in Brenae’s vision had said. Also, Jay saw Anthony Marvella lying on the gurney. I didn’t know Anthony personally, but I spoke to him in the cafeteria the day the food fight began. I can still remember his words as if he said them to me this morning.
“I had screamed at him not to retaliate after Samuel Smith chucked his plate of spaghetti at me. I had ducked, so the mess hit Anthony square in the chest. I told Anthony not to get angry, that whatever he did would make things even worse. He replied, ‘Sorry, Chloe. I gotta do this. Move aside or be knocked aside!’ How he knew my name, me being a freshman and all, I do not know. Now, since he is gone, I will never know for sure.’” Chloe reaches for a tissue to wipe the corners of her eyes.
James says, “Missus Davenhill, do you know when we will have Anthony’s memorial? I understand his funeral is this coming Friday, so I assume we are doing his memorial before that.”
“James, we are planning to have a memorial assembly this Wednesday,” Missus Davenhill replies. “It will include a brief tribute with pictures presented on the screen. The pictures will highlight Anthony’s noteworthy accomplishments at Claymore High both o
n and off the field.”
Missus Davenhill does not like to address students by their first names when other grownups are present. The exception, of course, is when her secretary is alone with her and the students. She trusts her secretary’s discretion unequivocally. However, even though Officer Bennett is present during today’s conference, she decides to dispense with the rules. Her students are too upset to do otherwise.
She looks at Diana Jane and then at Colette. She winks at both of them, and then she smiles.
“Thankfully, Diana Jane, as an eloquent speaker and actress, has volunteered to present the eulogy as she narrates the slide presentation highlighting Anthony’s life here at Claymore High. Colette will be offstage playing a beautiful requiem on her hammered dulcimer while Diana Jane speaks. After Diana Jane gives the eulogy, the choir will sing “Over the Rainbow.” It was Anthony’s favorite song. Immediately afterward the entire football squad and cheerleaders will take the stage. They will lead the audience in singing the Claymore High Fight Song. Our cafeteria staff will serve donuts and beverages in the cafeteria after the ceremony. Mister Cheaply is providing the donuts and beverages.”
“Mister Cheaply is a jerk,” Chloe groans. When she notices that Missus Davenhill is giving her a stern look, she says, “Oh, I am very sorry, ma’am. That is very nice of him to serve up snacks after the ceremony.”
“There is no need for you to apologize,” Missus Davenhill says. “Then again, why the sorry face and the groan and calling Mister Cheaply a jerk when I mentioned his name?”
Chloe replies, “I do not like to say offensive things about grownups. In spite of this, I have to make an exception when it comes to Mister Cheaply.” She pulls out the one-hundred-dollar bill from her wallet that Mister Cheaply gave to her a few weeks ago. She slaps it onto the table with disgust.
Chloe says in a heated tone, “Mister Cheaply gave this to me as part of a threat, or maybe it was a bribe. I am not certain, and I do not care. All I know is he said some very hurtful things to me. I do not want his cheap money no matter what. Ugh!” She looks at her principal. “Can we use the money for something worthwhile here at school? Maybe we can use it for flowers or something else during Anthony’s tribute.”
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