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Everything else can be scheduled during the week. I talked with Mrs. Wilson, and she suggested Tuesday and Thursday evenings at seven o’clock. That would avoid conflicts with most other school programs. You’ll meet in her classroom, so you can come and go as you please without having to come into the main building.”
    â€œThat sounds fine.”
    Dr. Lassiter picked up a thick packet of papers on his desk and handed it to Scott. “This is the information about the competition. With your experience I’m sure you won’t have any problems sorting through it, but if you need my help in any way, let me know.”
    The principal retrieved a copy of the school yearbook from a bookcase beside his desk. “Oh, let me show you Kay Wilson’s picture.” He flipped through several pages. “Here it is. Top row on the right.”
    Dr. Lassiter handed the book to Scott. On the opposite page from Delia Willston was a small color photograph of a young woman with long blond hair. Now that he knew her first name, it didn’t take Scott more than a second to make the leap back in time twelve years to another time and another place.
    â€œDo you remember her?” the principal asked.
    Scott nodded. “Yes, Kay Laramie. She was a couple of years younger than me.”
    He handed the volume back to the principal.
    â€œShe’s a good teacher, very creative,” Dr. Lassiter said. “I know she’ll be a big help.”
    â€œDoes she know I’m the lawyer who is volunteering to work with the mock trial program?” Scott asked.
    â€œNot yet. I’ll tell her later today and ask her to call you.”
    Scott handed one of his business cards to the principal. “Give her this. I’ll be in the office all afternoon.”
    In the hallway outside the administrative offices, Scott didn’t notice whether any of the students brushing past him had studs through their tongues or purple streaks in their hair. He didn’t glance at the trophy case. He was deep in the archives of his memory, recalling images in which Kay Laramie appeared.

    In the winter of Scott’s senior year in high school, a tall, slender, blue-eyed sophomore arrived at Catawba High School and walked through the door of Mr. Myer’s English class. Barely sixteen, Kay Laramie was a language whiz who wrote poetry. At first, Scott didn’t pay much attention to the new student, but that spring Kay made the magic leap from girl to young woman. And Scott Ellis was sitting next to her in class when the transformation took place.
    Everything between them happened fast. In his memory, it was like time-lapse photography. They did the typical high-school things: walking together in the halls, meals at fast-food restaurants, and going to the movies. Scott wasn’t much of a conversationalist, but they had phone calls that lasted for an hour, and he surprised his friends by asking Kay to go to the prom. He couldn’t remember what she wore, but the pictures from that night were still in a plastic box somewhere at his parents’ house.
    Kay’s father kept her on a short leash. Otherwise, things might have gone farther. Then, after a few weeks, Scott was caught up in the swirling activity of high-school graduation. Kay was there, but his focus shifted to his longtime friends who were about to scatter to the winds. After he marched down the aisle of the auditorium in his cap and gown, Kay’s family left for summer vacation. When she returned, Scott and his family were out of town at the beach. They were together for one week before Scott left for basic training. But their relationship was strained, and Scott questioned whether it wasn’t better to let it go so they could both move on. How could he expect to hold her affection and see it grow into something more when he could be stationed halfway around the world?
    So he was cool. And she thought he was cold. She came to see him on his