Background
Miranda is back and in trouble again.
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So far, Miranda is raising her ex-lover's son, Waylon. When Dougie disappeared and no one heard from him, she filed for and was granted temporary custody. Now, Dougie is back and Miranda is afraid he's come back to get Waylon.
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Telling Waylon about the reward gives me mixed feelings. On the one hand, I'm glad to share it with him. On the other hand, I can see in his excitement that he is itching to share the news with someone.
"You can't tell anyone, Waylon. I know it's exciting but this has to stay between us. No Aaron, no kid on the bus, no," I pause and watch him. "No, Dougie."
"Why can't I tell my dad? He'd be happy for you. He still has a thing for you."
I try to regain control of my face, before I look like I smell something bad. "That so?"
"I wasn't supposed to tell you that." Waylon grins. "He said you were the perfect woman in his opinion. Feisty and smart."
If I'm not mistaken, I see a glimmer of hope in his eyes. I need to set the record straight immediately. "Waylon, you understand nothing is going to happen between your dad and me, right?"
He nods. "I know. He thinks he can win you back. I tried to tell him that you were with the sheriff now. He said something like, "temporarily". He seems to be trying, at least."
I nod and reach over to squeeze his hand. "And, I'm glad for that, for you. But, there isn't a snowball's chance in hell that I'm getting back together with your dad."
"What are you gonna do with the money?"
"Putting some in the bank, pay off the trailer, put some in an account for your college."
He looks at me in disbelief. "You're gonna give some of it to me?"
"For college. If you choose not to go to college, it will remain in a trust for you until you reach twenty-five. No car, no crazy vacations. This money is for something to help you."
He smiles and impulsively jumps up to hug me. "You're the best, Miranda."
"Speaking of college, will your grade for marine biology this year keep you out of the running for a scholarship?"
"I don't think so. Mr. Tomlin is too busy worrying about his car and the fact that his golden boy, Terrence was transferred out of his class."
"When did that happen?"
"I told you about his car. How could you forget?" He laughs and shakes his head. "Last week, someone wrote the F word on the side of his car."
"Yeah, yeah, I remember. I mean why was this Terrence kid, transferred out?"
He shrugs. "Who knows," he says.
My heart does this little flutter and I wonder if the boy came clean and told Elaine something incriminating. "Well, you watch yourself around him. Mr. Tomlin strikes me as someone who likes to start stuff."
Tomorrow, I'm going to ring up my ex-monster-in-law, and try to find out some information. But tonight, I can go to bed knowing one kid is safely away from this creep, and hope and pray that Tomlin doesn't set his sights on someone else.
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I can't let my curiosity go with just a phone call to Elaine. I will be able to tell much more by seeing her face. She always had a tell. If I was right about something, she would do this little impatient sniff and look away while she crossed her arms over her middle.
I'm going to do the nice thing and stop in the school, two fancy coffees in hand, and chat her up about donating something for the school. Then I will switch gears to find out about the Evanoff boy. If Tomlin is a predator, and I definitely think he is, he needs a spotlight on him all day.
I buzz the intercom, a bag of donuts and two coffees in my hands, then waltz into the office. "I'm here to see Elaine."
The troll of a security guard steps closer, either suspicious of my need for her or because he can smell the donuts. I set the bag on the counter and push it towards him. "Please, help yourself."
He peeks into the bag and a strange little smile comes to his face. "These aren't poisoned, are they?"
"If you're gonna die after eating one of these, it'll be the sugar that gets you."
Elaine comes out as if on cue. She hands the secretary a folder and tells her to call the counselor about a student. She looks up, sees me, can't conceal her unhappiness. "Miranda, what has brought you here?"
"Thought we could chat." I lift the coffee cup and offer it to her.
"I'm really busy today."
"You can spare me a few minutes, surely." I smile at her, letting her know I'll play nice but I'm not going anywhere.
"Five minutes," she says briskly. She casts a leveling glance at the security guard. "Shouldn't you be checking the bathrooms? The bell has already rung."
Sheepishly, he stuffs the rest of the donut into his mouth and leaves. She says nothing to me, just turns to go back to her office and I follow her.
Once inside she sits at her desk. "What do you want, Miranda?"
"I came bearing gifts, Elaine. Coffee from Patterson Deli. They buy directly from Peru. This is top of the line. Taste it." I slide the insulated cup over to her.
She lifts it to her lips and nods impatiently. "What?"
I'm having such fun getting her to act civil and jump through hoops I almost forget why I came. "Good, isn't it?"
"Delightful," she says flatly. "What do you want, Miranda?"
"Did you talk to the Evanoff kid?"
She draws in a deep breath and reaches for a paper on the desk top. "Is this any business of yours?"
"I think so. I think it's the business of every parent who has a child in this school. I'm going to guess that since the boy was transferred out of his class, he said something against Tomlin."
Elaine shakes her head. "I've got things to do. Thank you for the coffee and the donuts. Have a pleasant day, Miranda."
"Have you looked into Mr. Tomlin's background, Elaine?"
"He came highly recommended."
"If someone gets hurt by him, you better believe I will not only throw you under the bus, but I will be driving the bus and I will back up and run over you again. Am I making myself clear?"
Elaine smiles. "I have it all under control. Go home, Miranda."
I pick up my cup of coffee and head to the door. "Have a good day, Elaine. Look both ways before crossing the street. You just never know when a bus is coming."
I return to the office reception area and see the security guard standing there talking to the secretary.
"Has that poison kicked in yet?" I tease.
"Not yet. But I might need another one just in case."
I smile at him and hand over the bag. "Enjoy." I look over my shoulder to see Elaine watching from the doorway of her office. She sniffs, looks away quickly, then crosses her arms.
