Reunion Mission

“Six o’clock in the auditorium. I’d like for all teachers to be present.” He glanced at Matt. “It would be good if you could come, too.”

Matt nodded but turned his gaze back to Claire. “If Claire is going, I’ll be there, too.”

“Wonderful. Well, I’ll leave you two to get back to...whatever it is you were doing.” He quickly walked out.

“Well, I guess we know what we’re doing tonight,” Matt said. “What do you say we get an early supper before the meeting?”

She nodded. “That would be good.”

“Well, then I guess I’d better let you finish what you’re doing. And I have a stack of background checks to dig through.”

She watched him leave, then turned back to her prep work. She was glad Matt was nearby, but she had to remember not to let him get too close. Her heart simply couldn’t stand another of his rejections.

* * *

The school auditorium was packed that night. Claire caught the stares of her students’ parents. All she saw were angry glances and worried expressions. Claire was glad Matt was here with her as they walked together to the front of the auditorium and took a seat.

Daryl Brown, another chemistry teacher, came and took the seat beside her. “These parents look ready to riot,” he said, and Claire agreed.

“They’re worried about their children. I suppose it’s natural.”

Daryl shook his head. “They’re looking for someone to blame. In the absence of a suspect, they’ll blame the most convenient person.”

She realized where he was heading with his logic. “You mean me, don’t you?”

He shrugged. “A female teacher meeting with a male student after school hours? You have to admit, it looks suspicious, Claire. If I were a parent, I would demand answers.”

His blunt assertion surprised her, but she realized he was probably right. She glanced around again and suddenly felt the angry stares of hundreds of pairs of eyes boring into her back. She moved closer to Matt, and he stretched his arm across the back of her chair, not touching her but still giving her a sense of comfort and protection from the mass of people who might be looking to her for answers she didn’t have.

Principal Spencer called the meeting to order and tried to maintain it as several of the parents jumped to their feet to express their outrage over the state of the school where they’d placed their kids’ futures.

“How can we be assured our kids are safe when we send them to school?” one parent demanded.

“Who is watching out for our kids?” another asked.

Principal Spencer attempted to be heard over the outbursts. “We are working with the police to bring whoever committed this terrible crime to justice, but as you know the school was closed and the victim was on school property alone. I assure you we do everything we can to ensure the safety of our students while they are on campus. We’ve even gotten some help to overhaul our security measures.” He scanned the crowd, then pointed at Matt. “Agent Ross, would you come up here please and recount some of the security changes you’re implementing?”

Matt glanced at her and she could see he wasn’t pleased about being put on the spot by Principal Spencer. But he stood and walked onto the stage. Principal Spencer handed him the microphone, then stepped away, giving him the floor.

“I heard he was murdered,” someone shouted. “A murder in our school. And what have the police done to find the one responsible?”