Save Me

Chapter Thirty

Rose tucked Melly in, checked on John, changed into jeans and a T-shirt, then went downstairs. She padded into the kitchen and hit a button on her laptop, and while it woke up, placed a decaf pod in the coffeemaker, got a mug from the cabinet, and hit BREW. Hot coffee spurted into the mug, and she thought of Leo. He hadn’t called her back yet, and she knew he must be busy, so she texted him.

Love you. Canton quit. Call anytime.

She grabbed the mug of coffee, took it to the laptop, and sat down. She logged onto Facebook and looked at the first three messages on her wall. She didn’t know the people who had posted, but she recognized the names from class, and the messages were familiar:

I think you are a terrible person…

You should leave and go back…

I saw you at Fiore’s and you must be crazy if you think…

Rose didn’t read any further. She logged onto Account Settings, then Deactivate Account, and clicked Yes, ending her Facebook account. She sipped her coffee, strong and bitter, then logged into her email account and read the list of senders. She didn’t know any of them, and their email wasn’t friendly:

You are so fake…

I will not let my son…

If I am unlucky enough to see you at school…

Rose was about to delete them but spotted an email from Principal Lucas Rodriguez to the Reesburgh School Community, and she opened it:

We all mourn the loss of Marylou Battle, Serena Perez, and Ellen Conze, and we will have an assembly in the gym to honor them, on Monday morning (students only). We’ll also hold a meeting for parents (parents only) in the auditorium, at 9:00 a.m., and administrators and dignitaries will be there to answer any questions you may have. Please drive your child to school and try to calm any emotional reactions. It’s time to put the past behind us and move on…

Rose read between the lines. Mr. Rodriguez wanted peace at school tomorrow, and so did she. She went into her email account and navigated around until she figured out how to deactivate it, then did. It left her with one thing to do. She logged onto the website for the TV station, which burst into the screen with PHILADELPHIA’S BIGGEST NEWS at the top. She skipped the SCHOOL FIRE EXPLODES IN CONTROVERSY and scrolled down until she found Tanya’s one-on-one interview with Eileen Gigot. She wanted to know what was going on to prepare Melly, if she had to. She plugged in the earphones she used when John was sleeping, and clicked the play arrow on the video.

“I’m Tanya Robertson,” the anchorwoman said. She was sitting across from Eileen at a dining room table, in front of family photographs and a breakfront. “Tonight, I’m with Eileen Gigot, the mother of young Amanda, who remains in Intensive Care, as a result of being trapped in the school fire at Reesburgh Elementary.” Tanya turned to Eileen. “Thanks for agreeing to meet with me. I know this is a difficult time for you, and I will keep this short. First, how is Amanda?”

“She’s still in a coma, and we’re praying for her.” Eileen looked exhausted, and smiled wanly. She wore little makeup, and her short blond hair was pulled into a ponytail. She looked like an adult version of her daughter, except for the dark circles under her bloodshot blue eyes and the despair that formed deep wrinkles at the corners of her mouth.

“I understand that you’re a single mother, a widow, and in addition to Amanda, you have two sons at home, Jason, thirteen, and Joe, ten. Can you tell our viewers how they’re coping with this terrible accident involving their sister?”

“The boys always help, because I work. I’m a secretary in an accountant’s office, in Reesburgh. They pull their own weight and then some. Amanda’s the youngest, and they act like she’s a mascot, or their pet.”

Rose felt her gut clench. Eileen had been going through hell. And now this, with Amanda.

Tanya continued, “Now, you’ve made certain allegations regarding alleged negligence by the school district, the general contractor, and the subcontractors.”

“Yes, but I can’t elaborate on that. My lawyer has said we shouldn’t discuss it, and we’ll do our talking in court.” Eileen stiffened. “We’re not going to let this happen to another family, is all I’ll say.”

“Of course.” Tanya shifted closer. “When we were talking earlier, you told me that you’re upset with the way the school handled evacuating the children to safety. Can you elaborate on that?”

“Again, I can’t go into detail, on my lawyer’s advice. But I don’t think they had enough safety procedures in place. They only held one fire drill.” Eileen held up an index finger. “Also, when the fire started, the school left it to certain volunteers to get the children out. Those volunteers did not follow correct procedures. That’s why Amanda was trapped in the fire.”

Rose gasped.

“What do you mean?” Tanya asked.

“Again, all I can say is that these volunteers are other mothers, and I have been advised not to name names. But one of these mothers made sure her child was brought to safety, and Amanda and the others were left on their own.” Eileen faltered, pursing her lips. “I just wish I had been there, like the moms who don’t work. I keep thinking, if I had, Amanda would be healthy and happy today.”

“I understand.” Tanya leaned over. “You also told me that this mother called you and complained that Amanda was bullying her child.”

“Yes, she did call me to complain.” Eileen scowled, deeply. “But Amanda is not a bully. She’d never tease or raise a hand to another child, ever. She’s just a little girl, a wonderful child, and everybody knows it. If she occasionally acts up, all kids do, especially one who’s lost her daddy. Kids work this stuff out, and moms who interfere are the worst.”

Rose’s mouth dropped open.

Tanya said, “But to return to your point, do you think this mother intentionally left Amanda behind?”

“I’m not allowed to say more. I have turned this matter over to the District Attorney and asked him to press criminal charges.”

Rose felt her heart stop. She remembered Mr. Rodriguez talking about criminal charges against the school district. But could there be criminal charges against her, too?

Tanya asked, “Are you saying that you have filed a criminal complaint against this volunteer, for intentionally failing to help Amanda?”

“The District Attorney said-” Eileen caught herself, then stopped talking. “Well, I was instructed not to speak about it. I won’t, any further.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Gigot.” Tanya turned to the camera with a satisfied smile. “Back to you, Tim.”

Rose yanked out the earphone, jumped up, and got her phone.