Judging Joey (19 page)

Chapter 18

Joey rapped hard on Roger’s door.

Sabrina was right on his heels, papers rustling in her hands.

“Come in,” Roger called.

Joey pushed the door open and they both rushed in. Roger sat at his desk and looked up from his paperwork.

“What’s happened? You both look quite serious. Please sit.” He folded his hands and gave them his attention.

Sabrina raced to a chair next to Joey and said, “Mr. Denby, Derrick told another child in my class that he saw his mother, Vanessa, take something out of Mrs. Gallo’s bag the day she was in Miss White’s class!” She sucked in a breath. “The other boy told
his
mom and several other friends in my class. This other boy’s mother called me to let me know that word has gotten around to other parents. Poor Derrick probably didn’t realize he had ratted on his own mother!”

Joey cut in. “Roger, it’s obvious that something strange is going on here. Vanessa Booth is targeting Maddie. She is completely innocent. You must get to the bottom of this or I
will
pursue a formal police investigation.”

Sabrina held up the papers in her hand. “I have a petition recommending Madeline’s rehire next year. All of the staff has agreed to sign it, including Mrs. Gallo after she heard what Derrick said. The parents in Madeline’s class say they will sign it as well as nearly all the members of the PTA.”

“What?
Mrs
.
Gallo
will sign it? How did you manage that? When did you do all this, Miss Perez?” Roger sat up tall, his eyes wide.

“I enlisted the help of Joey’s sister, Caitlin, who got the entire PTA Executive board involved. Between emails and cell phones we have reached a number of people who are all on board.
And
I think Mrs. Gallo realized she was a pawn in Vanessa Booth’s game. She said something about a scandal with another teacher and Vanessa years ago. Now we just have to figure out what Vanessa’s game is.”

Roger frowned. “Okay, I admit, there’s something very odd going on here. I will go to see Mr. Booth in person and, Officer O’Neill, if I don’t get satisfactory answers from him, then we will pursue this with the police.”

Roger picked up the phone. “We can’t stop the gossip, but for now, let’s keep this meeting to ourselves.” He punched in a number and asked to speak to Mr. Booth.

Several days later, near the end of the school day, Madeline sat in a rocking chair engrossed in reading her class a story, when the phone rang.

“Give me a moment, children.” Madeline went to the classroom phone on the wall and answered on the third ring.

“Mr. Denby wants you in his office as soon as the substitute on duty relieves you,” Elaine said.

“What’s happened?”

“I’m not sure, but I can tell you that Mr. and Mrs. Booth are in there with him as well as the union rep.” She hesitated, then added, “Um, Miss White . . . good luck.”

Madeline didn’t have a moment to think what she meant by that let alone prepare for a substitute to take over her class before one of the subs peeked her head in. Madeline could only assume the sub had been at the school that day covering for child study group meetings, and now Mr. Denby was pulling her in to cover Madeline’s class. That could only mean this meeting with the Booths couldn’t wait.

Madeline’s stomach twisted as she handed the sub the book she was reading. Then she pointed to centers the children could work on independently with some guidance from her. She apologized to her students for the unexpected change and raced from her room.

The whole way down the hall, she imagined all sorts of scenarios as to what this impromptu meeting was about. With the union rep there it must be serious. Madeline flew up the stairs, smoothed her hair down, and straightened out her skirt before knocking on her principal’s door, her heart beating fast.

She heard Mr. Denby’s authoritative voice shout out an order to enter. Her hand clasped the cold brass doorknob and turned it. The heavy wood door creaked open and she peeked inside.

“Miss White? Come in, please, and have a seat.” Roger waved her in and pointed to a chair next to the Booths and, Claire, the union rep at the table.

Madeline acknowledged all of them with a nod and took a seat. She leaned on the edge, folding her hands in her lap. “Mr. Denby?”

“The Booths have something to say to you, Miss White. The union rep is here to protect your interests,” Mr. Denby said.

“Miss White, from what I have heard from the staff and many of the parents whose children attend here, you seem to be a person of great integrity. So I ask that whatever we speak of here remains confidential,” Mr. Booth said.

Madeline crinkled her nose. Mr. Booth’s request was not part of the several scenarios that had just run through her head. She relaxed to a degree in her chair and turned toward the older gentleman. His hair was peppered with gray and he wore a sophisticated navy suit, white shirt, and crimson silk tie. Despite his elegant attire, a pained expression dressed his face as if he held the world’s problems upon his shoulders.

Vanessa Booth wore a tailored black pants suit and a pale bluish gray top underneath. An exquisite blue, black, and silver silk scarf wrapped around her shoulders and adorned her neckline. If her face weren’t so drawn, Madeline would have never imagined anything was wrong.

Madeline continued to study Vanessa while she admitted, “I guess that depends on what takes place here, Mr. Booth. I can’t make promises about something I don’t know.”

A light flickered deep within his kind eyes. “Fair enough, Miss White. Fair enough.” He squeezed his wife’s hand.

Vanessa had barely looked at Madeline and now avoided her gaze altogether. Mr. Booth turned to Mr. Denby for support.

“Miss White, as of this morning, Mrs. Booth has resigned her position on the school board citing personal issues. She will no longer be a member of the PTA. The Booths have also decided it best to transfer their son Derrick to a private school after a long-deserved family vacation to Australia,” Roger said.

Madeline mentally shook her head, thinking she’d heard wrong. “I don’t understand.”

“This is where the Booths would like your word that the rest of the conversation never leaves this room,” Mr. Denby said.

Madeline studied the Booths then looked to her union rep for advice. Claire nodded her approval.

“Okay, you have my word,” Madeline agreed.

“My wife suffers from an obsessive-compulsive disorder. We thought we had it under control until this past spring when Vanessa’s son, Scott, from her first marriage moved to Australia,” Mr. Booth said, his gravelly voice breaking up a bit.

“You see, they’ve always had a strained relationship, and since the divorce and him moving to Florida with his father, it got worse. My wife would try to mother him long-distance and she didn’t approve of his wife. They had a falling out about him moving so far away and now he’s not speaking to her at all. He said her constant attempts to control him were straining his marriage and when a job opportunity became available in Australia, he grabbed it. The more time that has passed without so much as a phone call or email message, the more Vanessa’s illness has manifested itself.

Mr. Booth stopped to clear his throat. “I didn’t realize how bad it had gotten until Roger approach me at a party we held. And again just the other day. I have spoken privately to each board member and assured them that any damage done will be undone. They have agreed to drop any charges. After our trip, my wife will be in extensive therapy again, I can assure you. All of you.”

Madeline suddenly felt as if she had been sucker-punched. So that was what this was all about. The Booths making amends for Vanessa’s illness. Madeline knew Mr. Booth’s reference to damage must include the things Vanessa had stolen.

Madeline sat back and studied Vanessa. Vanessa sat frozen as if she were listening about someone other than herself. Her eyes had glazed over. Unfortunately, Madeline knew all too well what mental illness meant and what havoc it could create for a family. Her own mother suffered from depression, was misdiagnosed, and had turned to other substances to mask her illness, and everyone close to her mother suffered because of it. Particularly
her
.

“The Booths have written a glowing recommendation letter about you, which I have placed in your file,” Mr. Denby said. “They also spoke with the board, and Vanessa has retracted her concerns about you. She explained she was under tremendous stress and fully apologized for any negative light she shed upon your reputation.”

“My wife owes you an apology. We’re so sorry for putting you through all this,” Mr. Booth added. “My son Derrick also owes an apology.” His expression fell as he slipped something from his pocket and put it on the table.

Christopher’s video game.

Madeline waited for Vanessa to say something, but she remained silent. Finally, Mr. Booth stood and shook Mr. Denby’s hand.

“Thank you, Roger. You’ve been a great friend.” He nodded to Madeline and the union rep, then led his wife out the door.

“Well, that all worked out for the best.” Mr. Denby grinned and clasped his hands together as if he had just polished off a satisfying meal.

It was not so simple for Madeline. She felt numb. Angry. In fact, the whole situation left a bad taste in her mouth. “Mr. Denby, the woman stole from me, from Mrs. Gallo, the school . . . and she pointed the finger at me! And back in high school her son did the same thing to me. I’ve been thinking that maybe she stole from the O’Neill’s after the party and Scott blamed me to cover for his mother.”

“I understand your frustration, Miss White, but Mr. Booth assures me his wife will get the help she needs and everything has been returned. No one wants this getting out. The press would have a field day. That’s the last thing the board would want.”

He stopped and fidgeted with a pen, then he glanced at the union rep before focusing on Madeline. “At this time, from my observations on your teaching style, I plan on recommending the board hire you back next year as long as you continue on the same track over the next few months. Of course, even though you agreed that the information gained at this meeting was confidential, you are free to change your mind and do what you wish with it.”

Madeline nodded, understanding fully the ruckus she could cause should she choose to go to the board. But what good would that serve? She may be vindicated, but probably not rehired. Everyone involved would be affected and perhaps harmed in some way, especially Derrick. It wasn’t his fault his mother had an illness. Just like it wasn’t Madeline’s fault about her own mother’s problems. No one could spare her, but she would do whatever she could to shield Derrick from that hurt.

“I think it’s best to let sleeping dogs lie or sweep it all under the rug, or one of those expressions, like my Uncle Mark would say.”

Mr. Denby rose and buttoned his jacket. “That’s that then. It’s almost dismissal time, and I need to take my post at the front entrance. You may head back to your class, Miss White.” He hesitated a moment. “I have to say, I applaud Sabrina for being such a good friend to you and rallying the PTA on your side. But if it wasn’t for Officer O’Neill, this meeting would never have taken place.”

Madeline looked up at him questionably. “What does Officer O’Neill have to do with this?”

“He and Miss Perez came to me and insisted I question Mr. Booth again about his wife. Joey defended your innocence and his instincts were that Vanessa was behind this in some way. I was completely against it, but he was adamant. He said he would open a police investigation if I didn’t get to the bottom of this. It wasn’t an easy task for me to nearly interrogate a friend I knew for so many years, but I did it, as discreetly as I could because I realized Joey would only persist and we all needed to know the truth. And despite my reservations, Joey was dead on.” He sighed, a look of disappointment crossing his face.

Madeline understood all too well her principal’s disillusionment in his friends. Madeline stood on wobbly legs, and nodded her gratitude before leaving the office. Relief began to wash over her. Still shaken from the whole meeting, she held the railing as she made her way down the stairs.

As the strength returned to her legs, her pace quickened. She thought about what Joey had done for her, even though she had told him there would never be anything between them. She had to admire his selflessness. He had nothing to gain by sticking his neck out for her. Maybe he
had
changed over the years.

Madeline reached her classroom in seconds only to find the sub on the phone.

“Oh, here she is,” the sub said, handing Madeline the phone.

“What happened at the meeting?” Sabrina’s voice squeaked at the other end.

“Hold on a sec.” Madeline quickly noticed the sub had gotten the children packed up, their jackets on and zipped, and their backpacks on the back of their chairs. Madeline mouthed a thank you to her and waved her on. After she left, Madeline kept a sharp eye on the children. “Let’s play the Quiet Game! The quietest one gets to be my special helper tomorrow.”

The children all closed their mouths and tried not to smile or giggle. Some pressed a finger to their lips. Madeline knew it would last only moments so she spoke fast to Sabrina. “How’d you know I had a meeting?” She rolled her eyes. “Never mind. I know news travels fast around here. Anyway can’t talk now, but why don’t you get Pepper after school, we’ll walk the dogs, and then you can stay for dinner? I was planning on making roasted chicken, potatoes, and gravy. It’s all prepared. I just have to pop it in the oven when I get home.”

“Okay, see you later. I’ll bring dessert. Oh wait, I promised George we’d see each other tonight.”

“Invite him, too. I have a feeling I’m going to be seeing a lot of him anyway. Might as well start now,” she said with a giggle before they both hung up.