Holt nodded. “No surprise he went down the stairs,” he said.
“I hope they come back to school soon,” Anne DeWitt said. “James doesn’t need to miss any classes.”
In fact, the Toth kids returned to school the next day. Holt was not too surprised when Sarah came into his class. She seemed much as usual, though she walked with her head up.
In the teachers’ lounge that day, Coach Redding told them all how much happier James seemed. “Like the weight of the world had been taken off his shoulder,” the coach declared. “I guess it was true, the talk about what happened in that home.” He shook his head in a weighty, regretful way. “Them poor kids. Poor Lizzy, all by herself.” And Redding, a divorced man, looked suddenly thoughtful.
Sarah followed Holt Halsey into Christy’s office after the last bell rang. While he walked straight through into Anne’s inner sanctum, Christy stopped Sarah to ask her what she could do for her. Holt and Anne heard Sarah’s clear voice asking if Anne was available. Christy appeared in the doorway, barely giving Holt a glance. He’d gotten the impression that Christy did not think her boss should be dating a coach.
Christy whispered, “It’s Sarah, whose dad just died? She wants to talk?”
Anne nodded. “Tell her to come in,” she said. Christy, after checking to make sure there was a box of tissues available on Anne’s desk, went back out to tell Sarah that Anne was ready. Christy tactfully closed the door behind her.
“Sarah, how are you?” Anne asked. Her voice was carefully calibrated to convey a medium amount of warmth and concern. Holt smiled inwardly. “Do you mind if Coach Halsey is here?”
“Not at all,” Sarah said. “It’s really him I came to talk to.” She took a deep breath. “I’m good, better than I’ve ever been.”
Holt and Anne exchanged glances. He felt a little jolt – of anticipation? Curiosity? A little of both, he decided.
“Are you relieved the funeral is over?” Anne said.
Sarah gave her a Get real look, loaded with the scorn teenagers can pile on. “He’s gone, and he’s never going to slap me again, or mock me, or tell me I’m not his daughter,” she said. “He’s never going to tell James he’s dumb, he’s never going to talk ugly to Mom, and he can’t stop me going to the college I want.”
Holt could see Anne considering several responses before she said, “I assume he left your mother some source of income? Or will she need to go back to work?”
“Both,” Sarah said with some satisfaction. “Today she went for a job interview as a receptionist at the mayor’s office, and she’s got an appointment with an investment counselor to keep the insurance money working for us.” It was clear Sarah had been giving her mother some advice. Though the girl had said she wanted to talk to Holt, she seemed pleased to have a chance to tell Anne about her new condition too.
Holt reminded himself of how intelligent Sarah Toth was. And how young.
“Is James doing as well as you are?” he said.
“No, James is really troubled, but he’ll be okay in time,” Sarah said confidently.
“I’m sure what you made James do really bothered him,” Anne said.
Sarah’s face froze.
“What do you mean?” she said, in a much shakier voice.
“Making him hit you,” Anne said. “Much harder than your father ever did.”
“James doesn’t like to be violent,” Sarah said, dodging the allegation. “Like Dad was.”
“James doesn’t like to hit people?” Anne said. Holt watched her deconstruct Sarah, with admiration.
“Not people he loves,” Sarah said. She smiled.
“You told him to do it,” Anne said, with no emotion at all.
The little smile was still on Sarah’s face as she nodded.
Holt absorbed what he’d just learned. Anne was so sharp. She’d been the best interrogator at the training camp, he’d heard. Trainees would give up their deepest secrets when they’d met her eyes. “Your father didn’t beat you,” Holt said. “He really did just give you a little slap now and then.”
“Even a slap is an assault,” Sarah said righteously. “I just got James to improve on the situation.” A smile was still on her face. “Dad would never have let me go to Davidson. After I thought about Teddy Thorndike’s last-minute rescue, I realized there were a few other kids at Travis who’ve gotten their way paved, unexpectedly. There’s someone helping. I knew someone would help me too. If they thought I really needed it. If I was a victim.”
Holt took a deep breath, but decided not to speak. It was one of the few times in his life when he truly had no idea what to say.
“Who did you think this mysterious helper was?” Anne said, sounding mildly amused.
“I don’t know. That’s why I made sure everyone knew I was being beaten. I thought maybe it was you, Coach. Or maybe Mr. Mathis. Some man bigger and meaner than my dad.”
Holt glanced over at Anne, who was wearing a small smile.
“When you’re at Davidson, I hope you remember to speak well of Travis High,” Anne said, in a social voice.
Though Sarah looked disappointed – perhaps she thought she deserved more praise for figuring a way out of her dilemma—she said, “I will. I’ll tell everyone that at Travis, someone goes the extra mile for the students. I thought maybe it was Mr. Mathis, because he left the gym. But he really didn’t seem to understand what I was talking about, when I stopped in at his office today.”
Holt could see that Anne was not surprised to discover that Sarah had been watching that night at the gym. Sarah’d been waiting, hoping someone would pick up on the hints she had thrown out before the dance. Anne had shown a lot of foresight, getting Buddy out of sight.
“I like to think we do our best for our students here,” Anne said blandly. “I’m sorry about your father.”
“Someday I’ll figure it out.” Sarah had the cocky confidence of someone supremely sure of her own brain. “Who helped the other kids. Who helped me.”
It was time to squelch this bug. “You will, Sarah?” Holt said. He sounded mildly amused, as if Sarah was discussing a favorite fantasy. “And when you do?”
“Nothing,” Sarah said, surprised. “I keep my mouth shut.” For the first time, she looked a little uneasy.
“What if someone comes to you and says, ‘Oh, Sarah, my mom stole my boyfriend,’ or ‘My dad is selling drugs to my friends.’ Are you going to say, ‘Gosh, I might know someone who can handle that for you?’ Because they’ll be really disappointed.”
Sarah stood and shrugged into her backpack. “No sir. Because I’m not going to be here. I’ll be in college. At Davidson. And I’ll be away from this place forever.”
“You certainly have a lot of imagination,” Holt said. “And a lot of bravado. What if Mr. Mathis walked in now, and Principal DeWitt and I left? If I believed that someone might have thrown my father down some stairs, I wouldn’t risk being alone with such a dangerous person. I’d assume that person wouldn’t want to be suspected of murder. I’d know that person might silence me if they thought I’d talk.”
Sarah’s face drained of color.
Anne stood up too. “Study hard the rest of the year, and I’m sure Davidson will welcome you with open arms in the fall,” she said, in dismissal. “Thanks for coming in, Sarah.”
Now completely off balance, Sarah paused when her hand touched the doorknob. “By the way,” she said, and her voice had a distinct edge, “Darryn Seymour’s dad is screwing him.”
And then she was gone, closing the door behind her.
Anne and Holt exchanged glances, and Holt sighed. He hoped that wasn’t true. Darryn was not going to get any assistance from him or Anne. Darryn was not smart, or athletic, or outstanding in any way, so his attendance at Travis was not contributing anything to the glory of the school. Besides, all bad parents in Colleton County could not meet an untimely end. That would be conspicuous.