Schooled in Deception: A Michael Bishop Mystery

by Anthony J. Pucci

  As soon as she put the receiver down, the phone rang again. Her frustration building, she exhaled deeply before answering. Bishop considered catching up with her later, but before he could decide, she was free again.

  She glanced around again and motioned him closer so that she wouldn’t be overheard. “A few of the girls told Sarah all about it. Apparently, Ed had his eye on her during her gym class. Started chatting her up as the kids went back to their lockers. When she caught up with the other girls, she told them that this creep had hit on her. She thought it was funny that this guy that came to work on a bus and cleaned toilets for a living was trying to make a date with her.” Bishop nodded his understanding. He had once again benefitted from the gossip pipeline between Sarah in guidance and Terry.

  A very pale student came up to Terry’s desk and announced that she felt sick. As Terry bounced up and escorted the girl to the nurse’s office, Bishop headed over to Ron’s office.

  He could hear Charlie Mitchell before he saw him. “I want that scoundrel expelled!” Bishop knew exactly who that “scoundrel” was. He peeked in through the open door, pretending that he didn’t know who was in the office with Ron.

  “Sorry for interrupting. I’ll stop back later,” he said as he turned to leave.

  “Wait!” Ron called out. He looked to Charlie to see if he would object. “Come in. You’re in on this anyway.”

  Charlie was seated at one of the straight-backed wooden chairs facing Ron’s desk. Bishop sat at the other. Charlie’s face was flushed, and there was a slight tremor in his hands. “I spent hours and hours writing a new exam all because of that kid.”

  “Charlie, I can understand why you are so upset. I would be just as outraged if a student had stolen one of my exams. From talking with him on Friday night, I think it’s safe to say that he is genuinely sorry for what he did, and he is willing to accept his punishment.”

  “Well, he should be,” Charlie said decisively.

  “The question is,” as Bishop looked from Charlie to Ron, “what punishment is most appropriate? Do we really want to expel a senior just days before graduation? Do we really want to derail his college plans for the fall?”

  “Yes and yes!” answered Charlie.

  “What about the National Honor Society?” asked Ron, knowing that Bishop had already mentioned this as a possible avenue to pursue.

  “I think that the NHS is the proper path here.”

  “They’ll just slap him on the wrist,” countered Charlie. He deserves a harsher punishment than that. If not expulsion, at least a suspension.”

  “Then Clare Mooney should receive the same.”

  Charlie looked puzzled. “What does Clare Mooney have to do with this?”

  It was Bishop’s turn to look puzzled. “Didn’t Billy mention Clare?”

  “No, he did not. What did she do?”

  “Apparently, she knew that Billy had taken the test…”

  Charlie interrupted to say, “Stolen the test.”

  “Okay, stolen. However, instead of reporting that to you or to Ron, she pressured Billy to give her a copy of the test.”

  “Are you kidding me?”

  “No, Charlie. Billy showed me the texts in which she threatened him if he didn’t comply. Billy’s theft of the exam was an impulsive act that he regretted almost immediately. Clare’s behavior was premeditated and just as wrong if not more so. If Billy is suspended, Clare should be suspended also.” He sat back in his chair having made his position clear.

  It took a moment for Charlie to process this new information. Bishop knew that Clare’s father was one of Charlie’s closest golfing buddies. If Charlie’s response resulted in a suspension for Clare, how would that play out when he met her father on the links?

  Ron turned to Bishop who sensed that Charlie’s outrage had cooled considerably once Clare’s name was brought into the discussion. “What did you say about the NHS?”

  “I think both students should be brought before the faculty council. In fact, I’ve already contacted Diane about putting that process in motion.” He turned to Charlie. “Let’s let the council decide what punishment is most appropriate for these two young people.”

  Charlie was noticeably calmer as he shook hands with both Bishop and Ron. “I hope the council takes this case seriously,” he said as he got up to leave.

  “You know Diane as well as I do, Charlie. She’ll conduct a thorough investigation.”

  After Charlie left, Ron breathed a deep sigh of relief. “Man, he came in here on fire. I’m glad you stopped in when you did. You must have known that mentioning Clare’s name would tip the scales.”

  Bishop just smiled.

  ***

  “I’ve got to get to the bank during this period. Do you want to come along for the ride?”

  Ron jumped at the chance to get out of the office, grabbed his keys, and announced, “I’m driving.” Bishop had a fairly good guess as to why. As they walked by the main office, Ron told Terry that he would be back in fifteen minutes.

  As they buckled in, Ron asked, “Where to?”

  “Groveland Savings. I had planned on switching some funds online over the weekend, but I was distracted, and then I forgot all about it.” The fact that he had completely forgotten irritated Bishop. He wondered if his memory issues were normal for his age. Perhaps he should discuss it with his doctor during his next appointment. He thought of Elwin Crimins. He certainly hoped that he wasn’t going to end up like him. He also had the nagging feeling that he had forgotten something else.

  The bank was located only a couple of miles from the school, but before they reached that destination, Ron pulled into the drive-thru lane of a fast food establishment. Bishop’s hunch about why Ron offered to drive had been confirmed.

  “Want anything?”

  “No, thanks.”

  “Sure?”

  “Very sure.”

  Ron ordered an egg and sausage sandwich and a vanilla shake. By the time he arrived at the pick-up window, his order was ready.

  As soon as he squeezed his Nissan into a parking space between two SUVs, he grabbed the bag containing his sandwich and popped a straw into his shake. Bishop carefully opened the door so as not to hit the vehicle next to him and got out. He closed the door and leaned in through the open window.

  “Do you think $600 is enough to cover what the girls lost?”

  Ron had taken a big bite of his sandwich and simply nodded his agreement.

  Bishop made the withdrawal and returned to the car within a couple of minutes. All that was left of Ron’s snack was the crumpled bag that it had come in. Ron was humming along to Willie Nelson’s “On the Road Again” when Bishop handed him a thick envelope.

  “I got small bills because I thought it would make it easier to distribute.”

  Ron turned the radio off and looked at his friend. “You know, you really don’t have to do this.”

  “I know that.”

  “Well, I sure hope that Jack appreciates what you’ve done for him.”

  “I’m sure that he does.”

  “Mike, the way you’ve dealt with Billy and Jack in the last couple of days, and Charlie just now, I wish you were on the administrative team instead of on …” He stopped before completing the thought so Bishop did it for him.

  “…on the chopping block.”

  Somewhat embarrassed that he had brought the topic up, Ron said sheepishly, “…on that list. Can you imagine how Sister Pat would have handled those situations?”

  “I’d rather not.”

  As the car approached the school’s driveway, Bishop said, “Listen, Ron. I appreciate the sentiment, but I never would have traded the classroom for administration.” He paused for a moment, and then continued. “If I am out at the end of the year, I’ll have only one regret.”

  Ron looked at his friend. “What’s that?”

  “That I wasn’t able to figure out who killed Ed Cooper.”

  “You’ve still got a few days left,�
�� Ron remarked as both men laughed and reentered the building.

  ***

  He rushed upstairs without checking his mailbox. The students were crowded around the door waiting for him. He apologized for his tardiness and quickly launched into the day’s work.

  At lunchtime, he picked up his lunch bag and headed down to the faculty lounge. As he walked by the kitchen, he thought of Debbie. It suddenly occurred to him that she had called him on Saturday but hadn’t left a message. Perhaps she had called his number by mistake. He had intended on returning her call. Distracted by his unexpected luck in gaining access to the school’s files, he had completely forgotten. He assumed that her call couldn’t have been that important, or she would have called again. That assumption turned out to be very wrong.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  He walked through the kitchen area but did not see Debbie. He asked Lee Davidson where Debbie was. She simply shrugged and turned her attention to a large tray of tater tots that she had just pulled out of the oven. He didn’t know how to interpret her shrug, but she clearly didn’t want to be bothered. He hoped that Debbie wasn’t slipping back into the bad habits that had almost gotten her fired last week. He decided that he would leave lunch a few minutes early so that he could check on her then.

  He sat across from Sister Annunciata at lunch. Bishop thought that suspending Frank Wilcox for the rest of the school year was too harsh a punishment. It did, however, result in the return of his old friend.

  She greeted him with a warm smile. “Michael, how was your weekend?”

  “Too short,” he replied with a grin. He couldn’t very well tell her about Billy’s admission of guilt at the senior prom or about Jack’s admission of guilt on Saturday morning or about his accessing the school’s confidential databases. “I did some grocery shopping, and I mowed the lawn. Nothing too exciting. How about you?”

  She pushed some tater tots back and forth on her tray. “These seem a bit undercooked,” she said quietly.

  “Lee was just pulling a fresh batch out of the oven. Do you want me to get you some?”

  She dismissed the idea with a wave of her hand. “Thanks anyway. I’m fine.” She took a sip of coffee and glanced around the room before she spoke again. “You know, I’m staying at the convent while I’m subbing, and I heard them talking about letting some teachers go.”

  “It’s awfully late in the school year for that.” He couldn’t hide his frustration when he thought of those impending cuts.

  “I think that they’re planning to wait until Friday, the last day of classes before exams.”

  “Well, that gives me five days to figure out how to change their…”

  Before he could finish that thought, there was a loud uproar from the students in the cafeteria. Bishop jumped up as did a few other teachers. “The natives seem a bit restless. I better see what’s going on.” He left his half-eaten lunch on the table as he rushed across the hall. The noise was exponentially louder as he opened the door.

  Some of the students had discovered that the undercooked tater tots made excellent projectiles. One table of seniors and one table of juniors were engaged in an old-fashioned food fight. With exams only days away, the possibility of something like this occurring was rather high. Ron Jennings had followed Bishop into the cafeteria and pushed his way through some onlookers to put a halt to the battle between the classes.

  Bishop looked around to see which teacher had cafeteria duty for that period. Other than a couple of teachers who came in to see what was going on, the teacher assigned was nowhere to be found. That explained why the students had chosen that moment for their antics. There really was no harm done. There were dozens of tater tots on the floor, but those could easily be cleaned up. Unfortunately, many of the taters that were launched were covered in ketchup. That added to the mess as there were streaks of red on the floor, on the walls, and on the uniforms of a number of the combatants. Most of the other students were on their feet laughing and cheering until Ron arrived and took control. That might have been the end of it had Sister Pat not entered the cafeteria from the far side. When the commotion began, she must have rushed to her office to grab her megaphone.

  “Attention! Attention!” she barked. “No one leaves until I find out who started this!”

  Ron had succeeded in getting everything under control until the appearance of Sister Meany with her megaphone and her threats of punishment. Some students laughed, others booed, and a few took out their cell phones to capture Sister at her worst. Ron signaled to her that everything was under control, but she ignored him and continued screaming through the megaphone.

  Suddenly, she dropped the megaphone, grabbed at a nearby table, and slumped down. The cafeteria became eerily quiet as the students watched her collapse. Bishop rushed over to her. She was quite pale, breathing hard, and sweating. He instructed one of the students to call 911 and asked another to get the nurse. Sister Pat was so heavy that Bishop knew he wouldn’t be able to move her, but he did his best to see that she didn’t fall to the floor.

  She looked at him with panicked eyes. “I think I’m having a heart attack!”

  “Just try to relax. Help is on the way.”

  Margaret Foster, the school’s nurse rushed in, followed closely by Sister Ann. While they tended to her, Ron and Bishop asked all of the students to leave the area. The aftermath of the food fight had been quickly cleaned up, and Ron had the names of the instigators. He would deal with them later.

  An ambulance arrived within minutes, and two EMTs wheeled in a stretcher. They checked her vital signs and asked a few questions. Sister Pat had not lost consciousness which was an encouraging sign. It took the two responders with an assist from the nurse and the principal to move the overweight victim onto the stretcher. Interspersed with her cries of pain were a few rude comments directed at the very people who were trying to save her life.

  Sister Ann told Ron that she was going to ride in the ambulance with Sister Pat.

  “Let me know as soon as you get any information,” Ron said. “Good luck!” he added as they wheeled the stretcher out of the cafeteria.

  ***

  Not surprisingly, the mood in the building was quite subdued. The students seemed more worried about the ramifications of the food fight. Teachers who passed one another in the halls asked if there was any news from the hospital. Without a doubt, most of the faculty wanted Sister Pat out of the building, but no one wanted it to happen this way.

  It wasn’t until nearly dismissal time that Sister Ann called Terry in the main office. Sister Pat hadn’t suffered a heart attack at all. She had had a severe gall bladder attack that required immediate surgery. When Bishop heard the news, he realized that she certainly fit the profile. She was a middle-aged, overweight woman who liked to eat rich foods. If the doctors decided on laparoscopic surgery, she would be back to normal in a couple of weeks. She would have to avoid some of her favorite foods, and that was bound to sour her mood more than normal.

  Sister Ann told Terry to have a large bouquet of flowers sent to Sister Pat at the hospital and to place a get-well card in the main office. Apparently, she ended the conversation by adding, “Make sure that everyone signs it.” When Bishop heard this, he thought that it might be fun to have a shadow card available for the faculty to write what they really wanted to say to Sister Pat along with the card for the usual chorus of well wishes. It could be fun and therapeutic … as long as Terry was careful to deliver the right card. He decided not to share his idea with the others.

  When he saw Terry later in the day, she stopped him to ask a question. She had a devilish grin on her face. “Guess what I did right after they wheeled Sister Pat out of here.”

  “I give up.”

  “I turned on that damn air conditioner … full blast!”

  ***

  With all of the commotion occurring at lunchtime, Bishop breathed a sigh of relief as the dismissal bell rang. From the noise in the halls, he concluded that things were returnin
g to normal. Spring sports were over, but kids had busses to catch, afterschool jobs to get to, or finals to study for. A few of them were undoubtedly nervously waiting outside of the office of Mr. Jennings to tell their version of the food fight. He found himself just gazing out the window trying to dispel the uncomfortable feeling that he had forgotten something important.

  Just then, there was a knock on his opened door. He turned around expecting to see one of his students with a last-minute question. He was more than mildly surprised to see Samantha Graham standing there.

  “Mr. Bishop, do you have a minute?”

  “Of course, of course. Come in and sit down.” He pointed to one of the student desks as he sat down at his own desk. Samantha was wearing the school uniform with her skirt falling about one inch above the knee in keeping with the Trinity dress code. Because it was such a warm afternoon, she had tied her sweatshirt around her waist. She had a large handbag looped over her left shoulder, but no backpack full of books.

  Before she sat down, she asked if she should close the door. Bishop told her that he didn’t think that would be necessary. One of the golden rules for a male teacher was to keep the door open when there was only one student in the room. It was obvious that she was a stunningly beautiful young woman. She had wavy blonde hair and big blue eyes. He thought that she used a bit too much makeup around the eyes. He could understand why people said that she turned heads when she walked by. Once they were both settled, he asked, “What can I do for you, Samantha?”

  “Well, I heard from a friend of mine that you were asking about me and Ed Cooper.”

  Bishop hadn’t expected that. How could she have known about the conversation he had with Terry? He doubted that Terry would have said anything to her. She might, however, have mentioned it to Sarah who then might have said something to one of the girls. Sometimes the gossip pipeline worked in his favor; this time it obviously had not.