waved me to a chair. “What’s the news from the Command Center?” she asked.
I pointed to the principal’s closed door, but Jodi told me not to worry.
“Dempsey’s taking a long lunch.” She raised an eyebrow. “He deserves it after his forty-five years of sacrifice.”
I relaxed and pulled up the chair. “You don’t happen to know who Ms. Jilton was seeing?” I asked.
Jodi shook her head. “I wish I did. I’d like to help you.”
“I’m sure you can help,” I said and tried to think of a good question for the school’s administrative director. “Tell me about Doris Carver, the English teacher,” I asked. “She seems almost as hostile as Dr. Dempsey.”
“Doris hated Miriam.”
I asked why, and Jodi said petty jealousy. “Miriam was stellar, and Doris isn’t. You won’t believe it, but some of this involved you.”
“Let me guess. The Focus on Fiction contest?”
“Bingo. When you got fired, Dr. Yates told Dr. Dempsey to choose a replacement. He chose Miriam, Doris got mad.”
“Don’t tell me Doris wanted to judge the thing?”
“Oh, heck no. But she wanted to be asked, and she used any excuse to give Miriam a hard time.”
“I understand the contestants also gave her a hard time.”
“And their parents. You should thank Jimmy Beak for getting you out of it.”
“I’ll be sure to do so when pigs start flying,” I said. “But what about the Junior Cotillion? How did Ms. Jilton get picked for that?”
“Dr. Dempsey again.” Jodi explained how the principal assigned extra-curricular events. “He tries to be fair by rotating the faculty.” She started tapping at her computer keyboard. “Here’s the schedule,” she said, and I leaned over to glimpse an elaborate Excel spreadsheet.
“It goes back three years,” Jodi explained. “That way Dempsey can keep track from one year to the nex—Well now, that’s interesting.”
“What?” I tried to decipher the column she was pointing to.
“MJ.” She ran her finger across the screen. “And another MJ. Miriam Jilton chaperoned at last year’s cotillion, too.”
“But what about the rotation?” I asked.
“That’s just it. Dempsey would never assign her two years in a row.”
“So she volunteered?”
“Maybe. But no one ever volunteers for cotillion duty.” Jodi looked up at me. “Ever.”
Chapter 14
“Stellar,” Karen said as we drove home, and I agreed that was the general consensus.
“Miriam Jilton even volunteered for cotillion duty,” I said. “But she was also having an affair. Or at least I think she was. No one could tell me anything specific.”
Karen stopped at a red light and offered a sly smile.
My mouth dropped open. “Mr. MacAdoo knows something?”
“I have news for you, girlfriend. Janitors always know something.”
“What did he say?”
“Don’t get too carried away.” The light changed and Karen started moving again. “Jack couldn’t give me a name, but he did see the guy pick Miriam up one afternoon. I guess her car was in the shop.”
“And?” I asked impatiently as Karen made a left turn.
“She was seeing a parent.”
“Of one of her students? Who?”
“Jack doesn’t know,” Karen said. “But that’s his theory. He says the guy doesn’t work at the school since he didn’t recognize him. But he also knows there had to be a reason Miriam was so secretive.”
“The other faculty assume the guy was married.”
“Jack says no way.” Karen glanced over. “It goes back to that stellar thing.”
I thought about the implications of Miriam’s behavior. “I wonder if there are rules against a teacher seeing a parent?”
“Jack wasn’t sure. But he thinks Miriam would keep it to herself, either way.”
I considered my chauffeur. “For a reluctant sleuth, you’re pretty good at this stuff.”
“Yeah, and wait ’til you see this.” Karen reached over to my lap and tapped a compartment on her tool belt. “Look in there.”
I reached in and pulled
I pointed to the principal’s closed door, but Jodi told me not to worry.
“Dempsey’s taking a long lunch.” She raised an eyebrow. “He deserves it after his forty-five years of sacrifice.”
I relaxed and pulled up the chair. “You don’t happen to know who Ms. Jilton was seeing?” I asked.
Jodi shook her head. “I wish I did. I’d like to help you.”
“I’m sure you can help,” I said and tried to think of a good question for the school’s administrative director. “Tell me about Doris Carver, the English teacher,” I asked. “She seems almost as hostile as Dr. Dempsey.”
“Doris hated Miriam.”
I asked why, and Jodi said petty jealousy. “Miriam was stellar, and Doris isn’t. You won’t believe it, but some of this involved you.”
“Let me guess. The Focus on Fiction contest?”
“Bingo. When you got fired, Dr. Yates told Dr. Dempsey to choose a replacement. He chose Miriam, Doris got mad.”
“Don’t tell me Doris wanted to judge the thing?”
“Oh, heck no. But she wanted to be asked, and she used any excuse to give Miriam a hard time.”
“I understand the contestants also gave her a hard time.”
“And their parents. You should thank Jimmy Beak for getting you out of it.”
“I’ll be sure to do so when pigs start flying,” I said. “But what about the Junior Cotillion? How did Ms. Jilton get picked for that?”
“Dr. Dempsey again.” Jodi explained how the principal assigned extra-curricular events. “He tries to be fair by rotating the faculty.” She started tapping at her computer keyboard. “Here’s the schedule,” she said, and I leaned over to glimpse an elaborate Excel spreadsheet.
“It goes back three years,” Jodi explained. “That way Dempsey can keep track from one year to the nex—Well now, that’s interesting.”
“What?” I tried to decipher the column she was pointing to.
“MJ.” She ran her finger across the screen. “And another MJ. Miriam Jilton chaperoned at last year’s cotillion, too.”
“But what about the rotation?” I asked.
“That’s just it. Dempsey would never assign her two years in a row.”
“So she volunteered?”
“Maybe. But no one ever volunteers for cotillion duty.” Jodi looked up at me. “Ever.”
Chapter 14
“Stellar,” Karen said as we drove home, and I agreed that was the general consensus.
“Miriam Jilton even volunteered for cotillion duty,” I said. “But she was also having an affair. Or at least I think she was. No one could tell me anything specific.”
Karen stopped at a red light and offered a sly smile.
My mouth dropped open. “Mr. MacAdoo knows something?”
“I have news for you, girlfriend. Janitors always know something.”
“What did he say?”
“Don’t get too carried away.” The light changed and Karen started moving again. “Jack couldn’t give me a name, but he did see the guy pick Miriam up one afternoon. I guess her car was in the shop.”
“And?” I asked impatiently as Karen made a left turn.
“She was seeing a parent.”
“Of one of her students? Who?”
“Jack doesn’t know,” Karen said. “But that’s his theory. He says the guy doesn’t work at the school since he didn’t recognize him. But he also knows there had to be a reason Miriam was so secretive.”
“The other faculty assume the guy was married.”
“Jack says no way.” Karen glanced over. “It goes back to that stellar thing.”
I thought about the implications of Miriam’s behavior. “I wonder if there are rules against a teacher seeing a parent?”
“Jack wasn’t sure. But he thinks Miriam would keep it to herself, either way.”
I considered my chauffeur. “For a reluctant sleuth, you’re pretty good at this stuff.”
“Yeah, and wait ’til you see this.” Karen reached over to my lap and tapped a compartment on her tool belt. “Look in there.”
I reached in and pulled
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