Murder of a Royal Pain

“Please sit down, Mrs. Idell.” Skye felt a spark of fear. It was never good when parents started jumping around the meeting room like angry orangutans. Embarrassed by the slight tremor in her voice, Skye stated, “I’ll have to end this meeting right now if you don’t immediately return to your seat.”

Mrs. Idell drew in a deep breath and looked around. She seemed surprised to find herself standing and sank back into her chair. Her brows met in a petulant frown. “I always knew you thought we were bad parents.”

Skye ignored the woman’s accusation. What could she say? She could hardly admit Mrs. Idell was right. “Uh.” Skye cleared her throat. “By never admitting that Travis has done anything wrong and protecting him from the consequences of his behavior, you’ve shown him that he can get away with anything.”

“We’ve had to defend him from people like you who are determined to make him a scapegoat for whatever happens in this school. Look at this spurious accusation. You can’t prove he cheated.”

“We feel we can and we have.” Skye braced herself and added, “Thus we are suspending him for two weeks.”

“You can’t suspend him. He has a learning disability.”

“What?” Skye knew he had never been tested for special-education services. She’d offered, thinking he might have a behavior disorder, but the Idells had always refused.

“We had him privately assessed this past summer, and the psychiatrist said that’s why he acts out. He’s frustrated by his disability.”

“We’ll need to see those records, and you can pick up a referral from the office on the way out.” Skye kept her face expressionless. This parent had more surprises up her sleeve than Penn and Teller. “Meanwhile, I’ll review his file and schedule a meeting of the pupil personnel services team as soon as I receive your completed form and the doctor’s report.”

“I’ll drop both off this afternoon when I come back for the Promfest meeting.” Mrs. Idell stood. “I expect the matter of his suspension to be dismissed.”

“I’ll have to consult with the principal. We can’t make any decision until we evaluate all the information.”

“Now that we know he’s disabled,” Mrs. Idell said, ignoring Skye’s previous statement, “I want his entire disciplinary record expunged.”

“I’ll bring that to the principal’s attention.”

“You do that.” Mrs. Idell moved toward the door. “And remember, unfortunate things happen to despicable people. I’m guessing fate is about to pay you a visit.”

“Then he’d better bring chocolate,” Skye muttered under her breath as she escorted Mrs. Idell to the front office.

After making sure the woman received the correct paperwork, and watching as she exited the building, Skye left Homer a message. The principal would have a conniption fit when he heard about Mrs. Idell’s demands, but he needed to know ASAP. Mrs. Idell was probably already on the phone to the superintendent.

Skye asked Opal to make sure Homer got her note, then returned to her office. Shoot. What was Jackie doing there? They had agreed to a usage schedule, and the social worker was supposed to be at the junior high on Fridays.

Dang. Skye hadn’t had a chance to think how to tell Jackie that she was unhappy with her behavior without sounding like she was blowing the whole matter out of proportion. But the fact that Jackie had once again moved Skye’s chair behind her own desk and was sitting in it made Skye wonder if churlish wasn’t the way to go.

Skye counted to ten, then said as pleasantly as she could manage, “We need to talk.”

“Can it wait? I’m kind of busy right now.” Jackie didn’t look up from her computer screen—she had provided her own laptop, stating that she couldn’t work without it.

“No. Sorry, it can’t.” Skye moved closer to the other woman’s desk. “First of all, I’d like my chair back.”

“This is your chair?” Jackie’s brow puckered.

“Yes. That’s why it was behind my desk.” Skye folded her arms. “May I have it back, please?”

“Of course. I’m so sorry.” Jackie leapt up and halfheartedly shoved the chair in Skye’s direction. “I had no idea it was your personal property. It’s just that I’ve been having some back pain, and the folding chairs seem to make it worse.”

Skye opened her mouth to say that Jackie could keep the chair, but reconsidered. She didn’t quite buy the innocent act. Wheeling the chair back behind her desk, Skye said, “Thank you. Perhaps you could ask the custodian if there’s a more comfortable one in the storeroom. He’s got a lot of furniture back there.”

“That’s a great idea.” Jackie beamed. “But I’ll ask Gloria. She’s been such a sweetie.”

“I didn’t realize you’d met the night custodian.”

“I often work late. Mr. Knapik seems very pleased about that.”

“Oh.” Skye filed away that bit of knowledge. “I also wanted to ask you not to make changes without consulting me.”

“I don’t understand.” Jackie puckered her brow again. “What changes?”

“The new lock—which, by the way, you never gave me the key for—as well as rearranging the furniture, changing the table.”