Poisonous: A Novel by Allison Brennan Page B

classrooms. Some stayed in a line headed by a teacher; others were being picked up by parents in a designated roundabout; and a third group was being escorted to the school buses. The special education kids were mixed—some were handicapped, either with Down’s or a serious physical problem. Some weren’t obviously handicapped. Max didn’t know how this particular school district ran their program, but the group appeared eclectic.
    A few of the kids—including Tommy—walked over to a bike rack and unlocked their bikes. Others walked off campus and presumably toward home. The high school appeared to have between fifty and sixty kids in the special ed program.
    Max watched as Tommy spoke to a couple of students, then walked his bike out of the yard and across the street. Odd—he wasn’t coming toward where Max was parked, which she’d picked because it was en route to his house. Instead, he was heading to the large, open block-long park that separated the high school from the middle school.
    Max got out of her car and briskly walked toward the boy. It wasn’t difficult to catch up because he moved along slowly, in no rush at all. Halfway through the park, Max caught up with him. “Tommy,” she called when she was still several feet away, not wanting to startle him.
    He stopped and turned, no worry on his face. He recognized her immediately and smiled. “You’re Maxine Revere.”
    “Yes. And you’re Tommy Wallace, right?”
    He nodded. “How did you know?”
    “I saw your picture in the newspaper when your dad got remarried.”
    “Oh. Is that what you meant when you said you had to do research before you came?”
    “Partly. Did you get my e-mail last night?”
    He bit his lip. “I should have hit reply. I’m sorry. I wanted to talk to Austin first because I always meet him after school. I want you to meet him.”
    “I would like to meet him.”
    “Great!” Tommy looked around, for a moment seeming confused. He looked at his watch. “Austin gets out of class in seven minutes. It takes him a couple more minutes to go to his locker and then to the bike rack.”
    “We can wait here.” Max motioned to a nearby bench. “It’s a nice day. I’d love to talk with you, Tommy. I just have a few questions,” she added.
    “Austin should be here.”
    “They’re easy questions.”
    He glanced at the middle school. “I don’t know.”
    “Did Austin tell you not to speak with me unless he was with you?”
    Tommy looked torn. His pale face was expressive, his blue eyes inquisitive and concerned. He spoke clearly, maybe too clearly, like he was being extra careful to make sure each word was the correct one.
    Max wanted this first meeting with Tommy to be without the influence of anyone else, especially an inquisitive young teenager who had made a point of going to her hotel yesterday.
    “Let’s sit, okay?” she said, trying to sound nonthreatening. Ben had told her that she intimidated people with her tone just as David intimidated them with his physical presence. She didn’t want to scare Tommy.
    He hesitated. “Can we go over there?” He pointed to a bench on the park’s far side, with a clear view of the middle school.
    “Of course. Anywhere you want.”
    He led the way. “I always sit on this bench to wait for Austin. Do you still want to get gelato? Or maybe you prefer ice cream? A very good ice cream place is right next to the bookstore. You write books, don’t you? Austin said you did.”
    “Austin is right.” It seemed Max wasn’t the only one doing research. “We can go anywhere you want,” she said.
    “Do you really like ice cream? Sometimes people say things they don’t mean.”
    That was an interesting observation from Tommy. “Tommy, I would not have told you I liked it if I didn’t. For me, it’s really important to be honest all the time, don’t you think so?”
    “Oh, yes.”
    They walked to the bench Tommy had indicated. Tommy put his kickstand down, balanced the bike, and