Bones Omnibus by Mark Wheaton Page A

that we’ve all agreed to uphold. This includes excessive help from one’s parents or, in your case, guardians.”
    “I didn’t have any help from anybody!”
    Mrs. Cosmatos fixed a skeptical look on Becca.
    “Becca? I may need to have a word with your older brother. You haven’t seen these movies you mentioned, have you?”
    “I haven’t,” Becca admitted. “But I’ve read about them. And my old teacher, Mr. Newton, said
Shaft
was great.”
    “But all the rest of it?”
    “I read about it in books.”
    Someone snickered.
Books
.
    Mrs. Cosmatos gave a smile of incredulity.
    “It’s just, all of what you’re talking about here is just a little too advanced for someone your age. You really thought you’d get away with it?”
    Now everyone in the class sat staring daggers of bemused accusation at Becca. The little girl had no recourse but to fold her arms and stare back.
    “Really, Mrs. Cosmatos?” she began. “I mean, what the
fuck?
How are you gonna go and accuse me of that shit?”
    Ken had only just fallen asleep when the telephone rang.
    “Hello?” he mumbled, just catching it on the fifth ring.
    “Mr. Baldwin, this is Mrs. Drucker, the principal at Becca’s school. There’s been an issue with Becca today that we thought we should address with her guardian.”
    Ken knew who Mrs. Drucker was. He sat up straight, prepared for the worst. It was only then that he noticed Bones curled up on the floor by the foot of the bed. The dog was eyeing him expectantly as if thinking he might soon get fed.
    “Um…what’d she do?”
    “She used the f-word on a teacher after being accused of having help on her homework assignment from you.”
    Ken closed his eyes again, wishing he back asleep. “What was the homework about?”
    “Excuse me?”
    “What homework? And I’ll tell you if I helped her.”
    Mrs. Drucker paused as if unsure how to respond to his candor.
    “An essay on a person from history that she admired. She selected Gordon Parks.”
    “Mrs.
Drucker
, is it?” Ken began. “What you need to come around to understanding is just how much smarter Becca is than me or her other brother, Trey. I don’t mean a little smarter, either. I mean, she could come down to my job and tell the
foreman
what he’s doing wrong. The cursing? That’s all me and Trey. I will have another conversation with her about what to ignore from the ignorance she hears coming out of our mouths in this apartment. But second, I’ve never heard of Gordon Parks. You say that’s a name, I think that’s what they’re renaming the dog track down in Riverhead, feel me?”
    The other end of the line went silent. Ken wondered if he’d overdone it. Sure, he’d
heard
of Gordon Parks. Becca had told him all about the guy when she started working on the paper. But he wasn’t about to give this woman the satisfaction.
    Finally, Mrs. Drucker returned to the line as if having first consulted with others in the room about how to respond.
    “The shooting of the police officers last night, this was your neighborhood?”
    Ken had to resist the urge to challenge an educator about how she could form a sentence like that.
    “Neighborhood, building, and
floor
. Worse, Becca was here alone when it happened. I work nights and her brother was running an errand.”
    More silence. When Mrs. Drucker finally replied, her entire sentence a sigh.
    “Well, I guess we can agree that the stress of something that dramatic might have impacted her behavior today.”
    “That’s probably my fault,” Ken said. “I wanted to keep her home today, but she insisted. She was so excited to share her paper on Gordon Parks.”
    No such exchange had occurred, but Ken figured if he was in for a penny, he might as well be in for a pound. Besides, it was literally the least he could do to help Becca out of a tight spot.
    “I’ll let Mrs. Cosmatos know. Thank you for your help and your candor, Mr. Baldwin.”
    “No problem at all, Mrs. Drucker.” Ken set the