“More than Essex County?” Jesse said.
“More and better. Not everybody on staff in our office is a legal eagle like me.”
“Anybody in your office got a death wish?” Jesse said.
“No,” Holly said. “And if they did, Howard would fire them before they got a chance to en-act it.”
“The DA doesn’t want to start anything,” I said.
“The DA wants to get reelected next year,” Holly said.
“How about by being tough on crime?”
“When people say that, they mean tough on street crime. And tough on scary black kids with tats. They do not mean tough on annoying school administrators,” Holly said.
“These are thirteen-year-old girls,” Jesse said.
“Oh, please,” Holly said. “I’ve been a thirteen-year-old girl, Jesse. They aren’t adults, but they aren’t innocent babies, either. You know as well as I do that thirteen-year-old girls can be sexually active.”
“And why is that the school’s business,” Jesse said. “What happened to readin’ and writin’?”
“Parents dump it on the schools,” Holly said. “ ‘Where were you when my Melinda was bopping little Timmy behind the back stop?’ ”
“And the panty patrol is supposed to prevent that?”
“Of course it won’t,” Holly said. “But Mrs. Ingersoll is, after all, an educator.”
Jesse nodded.
“I never liked school,” he said. “But in fact this may not be a problem with schools. This may be a problem with Mrs. Ingersoll.”
“It may,” Holly said.
“She shouldn’t get away with it,” Jesse said.
“Shouldn’t?” Holly said. “You and I don’t live in a world of should and shouldn’t, Jesse.”
Jesse grinned at her.
“I know,” he said. “But we should.”
6
MOLLY BROUGHT Missy Clark into Jesse’s office. Missy was wearing running shorts and a cropped T-shirt and cowboy boots. There was dark makeup around her eyes, and a big gold hoop in her right ear. She was thirteen. Jesse gestured her to a chair. Molly lingered in the doorway.
“What can I do for you?” Jesse said.
Missy sat and looked at Jesse, then looked at Molly, and back at Jesse.
“I gotta talk to you alone,” Missy said finally.
Jesse nodded.
“Officer Crane normally stays when there’s a woman alone with me in the office. Prevents misunderstandings.”
“Misunder?? Oh,” Missy said. “No. You’re not like that.”
Jesse smiled.
“That’s right,” he said. “I’m not.”
He nodded at Molly and she went away. Missy looked at the open door.
“You may close the door if you’d like,” Jesse said.
Missy got up and looked out into the corridor to see that Molly wasn’t lurking there. Then she closed the door and went back to her chair. Jesse clasped his hands behind his head and leaned back in his chair.
“So,” he said. “What’s up.”
“I saw you at school the other day,” she said.
“Yes,” Jesse said. “I saw you, too. Second row, at the far end to my right. Wearing a yellow sundress with small blue flowers on it. You didn’t seem to be with your parents.”
“Mrs. Ingersoll won’t let us wear jeans or anything,” Missy said. “How come you noticed me.”
“I’m the chief of police,” Jesse said. “I notice everything.”
“You were nice to us,” Missy said. “You were nice to Bobbie Sorrentino, when she talked.”
“Why shouldn’t I be nice to you?”
“’Cause we’re kids and she’s the principal.”
Jesse nodded.
“You came along to that meeting even though your parents weren’t with you,” Jesse said.
“I didn’t like that she made me pull my dress up,” Missy said.
“Don’t blame you,” Jesse said.
Missy looked around the office. Jesse waited. Missy studied the picture of Jenn that sat on top of the file cabinet to Jesse’s left.
“That your wife?” she said.
“Ex-wife,” Jesse said.
“How come you got divorced?” Missy said.
Jesse smiled at her.
“None of your business,” he said.
Missy nodded.
“She fool around?” Missy said.
“Answer stands,” Jesse said.
“I was just wondering,” Missy said.
Jesse nodded. He smiled at her again.
He said, “The way this usually works, Missy, is the cop asks the questions.”
Missy nodded. Neither of them spoke for a time. Missy looked again at Jenn’s picture.
“Is she that reporter on Channel Three?” Missy said.
Jesse didn’t answer.
“She is. I seen her lots of times,” Missy said.
Jesse waited. Missy looked around the office some more.
“I gotta tell you something,” Missy said.
“Okay.”
“You can’t tell anybody,” Missy said.
“Okay.”
“You can’t tell anybody I even talked to you,” Missy said.
“Okay.”
“You gotta promise,” Missy said.
“Sure,” Jesse said. “I promise.”
“Even if I told you something like a murder or something, would you still not tell?”
Jesse shook his head.
“I’d tell,” he said.
“Well, it’s not a murder.”
“Good,” Jesse said.
“And I trust you,” Missy said.
“Thank you,” Jesse said.
They were quiet. Missy seemed to be gathering herself.
“I . . .” She stopped and took a breath and started again.
“You know what swinging is?” she said.
“As in the swinging lifestyle?” Jesse said.
“Yes . . . you know, wife-swapping.”
“I know what that is.”
Missy was silent. Jesse waited.
“My mom and dad do it,” she said.
“Swing?”
“Yes.”
“How do you know?” Jesse said.
“They have a swinger party about once a month at our house.”
“And you’ve seen them,” Jesse said.
“Me and my little brother are supposed to stay upstairs.”
“But you peek,” Jesse said.
“Yes.”
“How old’s your brother?”
“Eight,” Missy said.
“Your parents know you know?”
Missy shook her head. Jesse took in a deep breath.
“How do you feel about it?” Jesse said.
“How would you feel?” she said. She looked as if she might cry.
“Awful,” Jesse said.
Missy nodded.
“And my little brother,” she said. “I mean, he’s doesn’t even exactly know what having sex is.”
“It scare him?” Jesse said.
“Yes,” Missy said. “How did you know that.”
“Remember what I said about being chief of police,” Jesse said.
Missy smiled faintly.
“You know everything?” Missy said.
“Exactly.”
“That’s how you knew we peeked,” Missy said.
“Actually,” Jesse said, “I knew that because that’s what I woulda done.”
Missy nodded.
“Most adults aren’t like you,” Missy said.
“Is that good or bad,” Jesse said.
“Most grown-ups act like they were never a kid, you know?”
“Your parents like that?” Jesse said.
“Yeah. Do this. Do that. Be a lady. Blah, blah, and look at them. Look at what they’re doing.”
“Hard,” Jesse said.
“Can you make them stop?” Missy said.
“As far as I know, there is no law against swinging,” Jesse said.
“But it’s wrong,” Missy said. “You’re not supposed to be like that if you’re married, are you?”
“Probably not,” Jesse said.
“So can’t you tell them to stop it?”
“I can, but I can’t force them,” Jesse said. “And I assume you don’t want them to know you blew the whistle.”
“Oh, Jesus, no.”
“So I’m not sure what I can do,” Jesse said.
“So, okay, the hell with them. If they can live like that, so can I.”
“If you actually want to,” Jesse said, “I suppose you can. But revenge is a lousy reason for having sex.”