The Devil's Elixir

34

Tess felt uneasy as the color drained from the principal’s face.

The woman, Marlene Cohen, hadn’t heard the news about Michelle’s death, and Tess hadn’t relished being the one to break it to her, but she didn’t have much of a choice. What she did, though, was avoid going into too much detail about what had happened, limiting herself to telling her that there had been a break-in at Michelle’s house, and that the intruders had shot her, fatally.

They were in the principal’s office at Merrimac Elementary, a smart and cheerful preschool-to-grade-six school that sat at the end of a cul-de-sac by San Clemente Park, close to where Michelle lived. Tess had checked out the website of the school before heading out there, and the first thing she’d noticed was how glowing its reviews were. Clearly, Michelle had done her homework and had chosen a highly regarded school for Alex. It made Tess think of the exercise she’d soon need to do herself on that front—school selection, admissions, and everything that went along with being the parent of a young child in today’s manic, highly competitive world. It had been years since her daughter, Kim, had been in grade school, and the thought of going through it all again was daunting. Surfing through the website of Alex’s school had made her stop and think, in more gritty detail, about how very different her life was going to be from now on.

The website informed her that the school ran some summer camps, which meant there’d be staff there for Tess to talk to. It also had a list of faculty members, but there were no Deans on it. Tess hadn’t been able to get anything more out of Alex about who he was talking about. In fact, most of the faculty were women. So she’d taken a cab out to the school and asked to see the principal.

Cohen, a tall, elegant, gray-haired woman who reminded Tess of a figure from a Modigliani painting, took a moment to collect herself before inquiring about Alex, how he was doing, what would happen to him. She told Tess she didn’t know the boy personally, but she thought she remembered seeing him and Michelle at school events.

“What can I do to help you?” she finally asked.

“I found a drawing that Alex had done that I was curious about, and when I asked him about it, he said his mom took him to see someone called Dean. I’m thinking maybe it’s some kind of counselor. Does that name mean anything to you?”

Cohen pursed her lips and shook her head. “No, not really. We don’t have any Deans on staff here. What was the issue with the drawing?”

“I’m not really sure. It shows Alex and someone else, kind of an ominous-looking figure. And when I asked him about it, he didn’t want to talk about it. He seemed scared by it. What about his teachers? Maybe they know something.”

“Alex was in prekindergarten,” Cohen said as she checked her computer. “He was in room two. Miss Fowden’s group.”

“And she never mentioned anything to you about him?”

“Nothing.”

Tess frowned. “Is she around? I’d love to talk to her.”

Cohen’s nose crumpled apologetically. “She’s not working this summer.”

“I really need to talk to her. Can I call her? Do you know if she’s around?”

Cohen looked at her, uncertain.

“Please. It’s important.”

Cohen smiled. “Sure. Let me try her.”

She picked up her phone, glanced at the computer screen to get the teacher’s number, and dialed. Tess watched anxiously as the call seemed to go unanswered, then Cohen spoke up.

“Holly, it’s Marlene. I’ve got a woman here who needs to talk to you. It’s about Alex Martinez.”

Tess’s heart deflated. From the principal’s tone, she’d evidently reached the teacher’s voicemail.

Tess gave Cohen her cell phone number, which Cohen included in her message. Then she thanked her and left.

As she walked back to the waiting cab, she felt the midday sun weighing down on her, draining and oppressive. She relived her chat with Alex, and the fear she saw on his face was still there, like a wraith, stalking her through the heat haze.

It was still there as the cab drove off, and she pulled out her iPhone to let Jules know she was on her way back. Her hand stopped and she stared at the phone for a moment.

The edge of her mouth cracked with a small grin and she hit two on her speed dial. Reilly’s number.

“Everything okay?” he asked, picking up promptly, as he always did.

“Yeah. I’m at Alex’s school. I just had a chat with the principal. It’s a great little place. Nice people.” She didn’t really want to mention the drawing again. “Tell me something. You guys have Michelle’s phone, right?”

“We do.”

“Could you check and see if there’s a Dean in her contacts list or in her calendar?”

“Why?”

“Alex mentioned something about Michelle taking him to see someone by that name. I don’t know who he is, but . . . might be good to have a chat with him, don’t you think?”

Reilly went silent for a second, then said, “This is about the drawing, isn’t it?”

She cursed inwardly. He knew her way too well. “Yes. I asked him about it, okay? He was scared, Sean. He was definitely scared and he didn’t want to talk about it. All I could get out of him was that Michelle was also curious about it and took him to see this Dean to discuss it. That’s worth checking out, isn’t it? I mean, what if someone was threatening him? What if it’s related to what happened to Michelle?”

Reilly went quiet again. “Dean.”

“That’s it.”

“Okay,” he relented, clearly not convinced. “I’ve got to go.”

“Love ya, big guy.”

“Right back at ya.”

She put her phone away, stared out the window, and exhaled heavily, trying to ignore the prickles of impatience that were stabbing away at every pore of her body.