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“You ever miss smoking?”
    “Tobacco?”
    “Yes, of course.”
    “Sometimes,” he responded.
    “Yeah, me too,” she said. “It’s almost an essential part of a good bitch session. Some smokes, some black coffee, some profanity—you feel so much better after. A real catharsis. And now I do my damnedest to make sure kids don’t touch the rotten stuff. It’s a different day.”
    “And the football game?”
    “Fronz and the AD at Sand River worked everything out with the league. We’re canceling the game and trying to send a message that there are things more important than football. Unfortunately, all the kids get penalized for the actions of a few.” Maggie paused for a long moment and took a sip of coffee. “What a mess. Maybe I’m getting too old for this.”
    “How have the parents and students reacted?”
    “For the kids, this has been a shocker. It’s sort of like when Pete Dekker ran his car off the road and hit the tree the night before graduation a few years back. This is real. A few of the ball players, especially the seniors, are very disappointed. And I appreciate their feelings, but almost everyone understands how this event is bigger than any game. Fronz has had a few angry calls, but most of the players, parents, and the community are very supportive. You were in education for many years, you know about teachable moments,” she paused briefly. “We’re having a staff meeting this afternoon to talk about how we can try to make something good come from this mess.”
    Maggie got up and gathered her newspaper, “Hey, gotta run.” She stopped for a moment in the doorway and looked back at Ray. “We do what we can, all of us. Sometimes it’s just not enough.”
    Ray nodded his agreement.

9
How’s Maggie?” said Sue Lawrence, entering the office a few seconds later.
    “Passionate, as always,” Ray responded. “And upset. And wanting to make something good come from something bad.”
    “She’s an amazing woman; that’s who I want to be when I grow up.” Sue paused, her tone changed. “Did you get some sleep?”
    “More than most nights. You?” he inquired.
    “I’ll catch up tonight.”
    “What did I miss?” asked Ray.
    “Lots,” Sue responded.
    “Are you going to tell me about it or just give me that Cheshire cat grin?”
    “First, the crime scene. We found two spent shells buried in the snow. Sure glad we bought that metal detector. They were tossed in the ditch at the side of the road. And Clay’s blood alcohol was 0.15, and his hands and arms were covered with gunpowder residue. You know,” Sue said, “he didn’t act too drunk; the kid can hold his alcohol.”
    “He’s got a lot of bulk to absorb it. And the other kids?”
    “Dirk got the names. And he gave them to me when I got back. I waited till 5:00 a.m. before I called the parents. They live in the village. Both sets of parents came in, each with a scared kid in tow.”
    “What did you learn?”
    “I had an informal interview with each boy, their mom and dad sitting at the table with them. The gravity of the situation really hit when I told them about the injured boy from Sand River. I questioned Drew Chappone first. He readily admitted to being at Clay’s. He says he drank too much and fell asleep. His buddy Zack drove him home, dropped him on the front porch, rang the bell, and took off. That’s how his parents found him. So he was already in a lot of trouble with them before he got here.”
    “Does he have any priors?”
    “None,” said Sue. “He seems like a nice kid with two very concerned parents. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time.” “Who’s the other kid?”
    “Zack Jacobik. He was a bit more edgy and defensive than Drew, and his parents looked like they were ready to kill him.”
    “What did you learn?”
    “He substantiated Drew’s story. They went over to Clay’s after football practice, both boys had told their parents they were studying for a chemistry test. They ate