Read Reilly 02 - Invasion of Privacy for Free Online Page B

relieved.
    "Boys start getting a little crazy, testing each other and all that. The end of the latency period, and look out, adolescence is just around the corner. I’m a marriage counselor, and I can tell you, unless it gets to be a habit, your son’s not turning into a delinquent. Tell you what—I’ll talk to Taylor about inviting Bob over. Make ’em smoke the peace pipe, figuratively of course."
    "You are really being nice about this."
    "Taylor says you’re new in Tahoe. We ought to get together, have coffee or something. Sometimes the mornings really drag. Are you working?"
    "I’m a lawyer in town. That sounds good."
    A short silence on the other end suggested Mrs. Nordholm had met with the likes of her before. Nina couldn’t blame her for being a little nervous. She had already been turning over arguments to make to the principal that centered on the dastardly attack on Bobby by Mrs. Nordholm’s son.
    "Well, good luck with Mrs. Polk," Mrs. Nordholm said, apparently deciding to forgive Nina for her profession. And to repay her kindness, Nina decided to rethink her approach to the principal.
    She took two minutes for a hot shower, clean hair, pants, and a green blazer. In the kitchen she fed Bobby soft-boiled eggs and lingered with the kids over a favorite comic.
    Outside she had to wear sunglasses to prevent being blinded by the bright, fresh snow. Sports utility vehicles loaded with skis crowded the streets, filled with the beaming faces of those who had not yet broken a limb.
    Starting at nine o’clock sharp, sitting on a very small chair at the John Muir Elementary School, Nina waited. Thirty minutes later she was invited into the principal’s office, feeling naked without her briefcase.
    Mrs. Polk, a large, dark-haired woman with expensively chic tortoiseshell glasses, pointed to a chair. She didn’t go around behind her desk, but sat down with Nina at a small table stacked with Central American artifacts and toys.
    "I talked to Bob’s teacher on Friday," said Mrs. Polk. "He’s a bright child."
    "Mrs. Nordholm said Taylor was not hurt badly."
    "Taylor’s back at school. It was just a scratch. I talked to him this morning. He and Bob came into my office and apologized to each other."
    "It’s the first time Bobby’s ever been involved in an incident like this. I don’t see a major problem."
    Mrs. Polk removed her glasses and set them on the table. She wore no makeup, but her eyes had a piercing, tell-the-truth quality that must have served her well. "Oh, but he does have a problem," she said. "He’s alternately depressed and angry. He’s been acting out in the classroom. He’s had three notes sent home in the past two months."
    "Three notes?"
    The principal walked over to her desk, picked up some papers, and handed them to Nina. "Haven’t you seen these?"
    Whistling in class, must stop disruptive behavior. Shouting on playground, got in a pushing match. Failure to make up homework after absences. She had seen none of the notes, though her initials had been scrawled boldly at the bottom.
    "Oh, sure, those notes," Nina said carefully.
    "And six absences since Christmas. Does he have any health problems we should know about, Mrs. Reilly?"
    "Ms," Nina corrected automatically. "No, just the normal stuff. Minor colds and so forth." Six absences! As far as she knew, Bobby hadn’t missed a day.
    "You did sign the absence slips?" It was just the same as twenty-five years ago, when Nina had been sent to the principal, who beneath her genteel manner was the executioner, and she’d better make up a story fast....
    "Naturally. What do you think, Bobby forged them?" she said, looking Mrs. Polk right in the eye.
    "You’ll forgive me for asking, Ms. Reilly. But are there any problems at home that could be upsetting your son? For example, marital problems. A child of eleven knows more than you might think, and does tend to hear things, sometimes misinterpret things—"
    "Bobby’s had his share of changes. I’ve