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"God, Jennifer, that is just so unfair," the second girl said

Jennifer was sobbing inconsolably "She is such a bitch I hate her fuckin’ guts…"

I tried to pictureto my aunt like that I’d have had to take out a loan for the ensuing dental work

I leafed through Jean’s Scholastic Aptitude Test scores, attendance records, the written comments her teachers had added froround, it was al on She certainly seeh school Tardiness, demerits, detention, parent-teacher conferences scheduled and then canceled when Mrs Timberlake failed to show There were repeated notes from sessions with first one and then another of the four school counselors, Ann Fowler being one Jean had spent a large part of her junior year consigned to Mr Shales’s office, sitting on the bench, perhaps sullenly, perhaps with the total self-possession she seeraphs I’d seen Maybe she’d sat there and recollected, in tranquillity, the lewd sexual experiments she’d conducted with the boys in the privacy of parked cars Or maybe she’d flirted with one of the senior honors studentsthe rade point aver-age had slid steadily doard despite the contradictory evidence of her IQ and past grades I could practically feel the heat of noxious hores, the drama, confusion, finally the secrecy Her confidences in the school nurse ceased abruptly Where Mrs Berringer had jotted down folksy notes about cra a consultation with the fairl’s o unnoticed or unreeneral alarm seemed to sound From the paper trail left behind, it looked as if every effort had beenher back from the brink Then, on Noveirl was deceased The as underlined once, and after that, the page was blank "Is that going to help?"

I jued froirl was gone, and I could hear the tramp of footsteps as the students passed between classes "You scaredot a conference scheduled at two, but we can talk till then Bring the file"

I gathered up Jean’s records and followed hied The easygoing uarded, careful of his words, all business-slightly curt, as if twenty years of dealing with unruly teenagers had soured him on everyone I suspected his ed with coe On the surface, he was attractive, but his good looks were posted arning signs His body was trie of a for under fire If he was a sports His games would be handball, poker, and chess If he ran, he’d feel compelled to lower his finish by a few seconds each time out Maybe once he’d been open, vulnerable or soft, but he was shut do, and the only evidence I’d seen of any wars with Joleen Apparently his wife’s death had ruptured the bounds of his self-control In , he could still reach out

I took a seat, placing the fat, dog-eared ma-nila folder on the desk in front of , but I’d made a few notes Her former address Birth date, social security nuless by her death "What did you think of her?" I asked hih little nut I’ll tell you that"

"So I gathered It looks like she spent half her ti-for me, at any rate, and you’re welcome to talk to some of the other teachers about this-is that she was a very appealing kid Smart, soft-spoken, friendly-with adults, at any rate I can’t say she ell liked a her classmates, but she was pleasant to the staff You’d sit her down to have a chat and you’d think you were getting through She’d nod and agree with you, make all the proper noises, and then she’d turn around and do exactly what she’d been repriiveyou name She’d ditch school, show up late, fail to turn in assignments, refuse to take tests She sainst the rules back then, kept booze in her locker Drove everybody up the wall It’s not like what she did orse than anybody else She simply had no conscience about it and no intention whatever of cleaning up her act How do you deal with soot her off the hook This girl was convincing She couldshe said, but then it would evaporate the minute she left the room"