Chapter 20
IT TOOK ME a couple of days of hanging around outside the Dowling School, feeling like a pederast, to find where the kids congregated after class. It was a place called Coffee Nut, where they could sit in booths and drink coffee and eat doughnuts and smoke and impress one another. The owners of Coffee Nut had obviously written off the adult market they might have originally planned on, and decided to commit themselves to adolescence. There was music I didn't recognize playing loudly when I came in. The place was half full, and everyone turned to look at me, as if I had violated a segregation law. Except that I was, of course, poised and debonair. Otherwise, I might have felt ill at ease.
There were booths along one side and in the back. A counter ran along the other side. I sat at the counter next to a couple of schoolgirls who were giggling and whispering, maybe about me. Oh, Spenser, you dashing rogue, you've still got it. The girls were wearing what I would eventually discover most Dowling schoolgirls wore: short, pleated skirts and sleeveless tops. One was blonde with a pink top. One was brunette with a white top. I ordered coffee, which took a while, because I had to reject a half a dozen special coffee drinks, which I also didn't recognize. There were two highschool girls in tan uniforms working the counter and an older guy wearing a tan overseas cap that said COFFEE NUT on it, who was making the coffee.
I turned and leaned my back against the counter. "You girls go to Dowling School?" I said.
"Yeah," Pink Top said and giggled. "You?"
"Couldn't pass the entrance exam," I said. "Everybody in here from Dowling?"
"Sure," Pink Top said. "'Cept them."
She nodded at the people working the counter. "You here last year when the shooting happened?"
"I guess so," the girl said.
They had thought it sort of fun to get into conversation with a large older man, especially because they were surrounded by friends. But now they were uncomfortable.
"My name's Spenser," I said.
White Top poked Pink Top with her elbow. "See," she said. "I told you it was him."
Pink Top said, "We had an assembly about you."
"Hot dog," I said.
"Mr. Garner said we weren't supposed to talk with you."
"Why not?" I said.
"Mr. Garner said you were trying to ruin the Dowling School's reputation, and if you succeeded, we'd never get into a good college."
"Do you believe Mr. Garner?" I said.
They giggled again.
"Royce the Voice," White Top said. "The People's Choice."
"May I take that as a `no, we don't believe him'?" I said.
"Royce is gross," Pink Top said.
"Or Groyce," White Top said, and they both giggled some more.
"What would happen," I said, "if he were right, and you didn't get into a good college?"
"My mother would kill herself," Pink Top said.
"My mother would call me a slut," White Top said.
"For not getting into a good school?" I said.
"She calls me a slut whenever she's mad," White Top said.
"You are a slut," Pink Top said.
"Takes one to know one," White Top said.
They both giggled some more.
"Did either of you know the guys involved."
"You know, casually. Say hi in the hall."
"Any thoughts on why they did what they did?"
The girls looked at each other for a moment. They were being asked to think.
"You know," White Top said, "what's amazing is it doesn't happen more often. You know? I mean, do you remember school?"
"I do," I said.
"Did you like school?"
"No."
"Good. It's all bullshit, you know. It's all the official pious crap."
"That's my memory of it," I said.
"So I don't know why they did it. But everyone's walking around, barely able to stand it, and"- she shrugged-"these guys went kaboom, I guess."
"Anything set them off?"
"I don't know," White Top said.
"You, Janey."
"No clue," Pink Top said.
"Anyone in here knew them well?"
"Guys at that table played football with Dell," White Shirt said.
"Grant," I said.
"Yeah."
Pink Top swung her stool all the way around, which, given the shortness of her skirt, was pretty daring, and said, "Hey, Carly."
She was too young to interest me, but she got Carly's attention.
"This is the guy old man Garner warned us about."
"No shit," Carly said.
She was not too young for him. He admired her legs visibly as he walked over.
"This is Carly Simon," Pink Top said. "This here is ... I forgot your name."
"Spenser," I said.
I took some cards from my top pocket and gave one to each of them.
"Name's Carl Simone," he said. "Everybody calls me Carly."
Carly was a prototype prep-school football player. He might even play small college ball, but would never beyond that. He was short and muscular with a thick neck. He probably weighed 160 pounds.
"Carly's the football captain," Pink Top said.
"Running back?" I said.
"Yeah. Deep back out of a pro set. We went seven and two last year."
"And Wendell Grant was an offensive lineman," I said.
"Left tackle."
"Know him well?"
"On the field," Carly said.
"And off?"
"Off," Carly said, "he was a creepy fucker."
He said fucker sort of aggressively, to see if I would react. I maintained my composure.
"How so," I said.
"He hung with all townies," Carly said.
"Dowling's a day school, isn't it?" I said. "Aren't you all townies?"
"We're all from around here. But there's the kids go to Dowling. And the kids go to the Regional."
"Which is?" I said.
"High Meadow Regional," White Top said. "It's in Mclwood."
"And you don't mix?" I said.
"Not much," Carly said.
"How about Jared Clark?" I said.
"Nobody knew him," Carly said. "That I know."
"He wasn't an asshole," Pink Top said. "He was just, like, not there, you know?"
"He didn't seem interested in anything the rest of us were interested in," White Top said.
"Anyone know him better?"
"Nobody I know," Carly said.
He looked at the two girls. They shook their heads.
"So where do the townies hang out?" I said.
"Place called the Rocks," Carly said. "Down back of the park, by the lake. They go over there, smoke some weed, drink beer."
"You ever been over there?" Pink Top said.
"Yeah, couple times. Bunch of assholes."
"Weren't you scared?"
"I go where I want to," Carly said.
"Did you witness the shootings?" I said.
All three shook their heads.
"We were on the second floor," White Top said, "Janey and me. They never got there."
"I Was in American history," Curly said. "We jammed the teacher's chair under the door handle to the classroom and everybody got down. They never came in."
"Thanks for your help," I said.
"Pleasure," Pink Top said. "Dork Garner isn't going to tell me who I can talk to."
"Me either," White Top said.
"I'm glad he tried," I said. "Worked out well for me."
"Bet your ass," Carly said. "We were so ready to talk to you if we got the chance."
"Okay, let's really sock it to him," I said. "Ask around. Anybody knows anything, you have my card."
"You're an actual private eye," Pink Top said.
"I've begun to have doubts," I said.
"You must be," Pink Top said. "Says so right on the card."
"Oh, thank God," I said.