Page 48 of Under the Lights
Jen’s eyes closed for a moment in sympathy. “That poor girl. It’s too bad it didn’t happen during the school year.”
The community was good about buying doubles of some things when they could and donating the extra to the school nurse. Everything from deodorant to toothpaste to pads could be found in her office, free of charge and with utmost discretion. The kids knew that, and it made a difference for a lot of them.
Kelly and Jen’s omelets didn’t take long since the restaurant wasn’t busy, and they talked while they ate. One by one they went through the list of names they’d been keeping tabs on over the summer. Some of them reached out to Jen for advice, and some ended up having to deal with Kelly when they got in trouble, but the two women worked closely on every incident to make sure it was handled as well as they could manage. This meeting didn’t seem to offer up any crises, which was a wonderful thing.
“I just don’t think there’s a lot going on right now,” Kelly said. “Since we really started gearing up toward Eagles Fest, the football players have settled down. The domestic calls are on a slight decline, too. I think things are settling a bit, albeit at a shitty level, and the initial panic stress is petering out. Now it’s a long grind.”
“I agree. There are still a few families I’m in contact with, but everybody’s doing okay.”
Kelly sighed. “It’s harder during the summer. When we don’t see them every day and need a reason to have contact, it’s hard to keep up with what’s going on in their heads. So, that’s it?”
Jen made a face and looked around before leaning forward to whisper. “Keep an eye on Spruce Street.”
“That’s all you can give me?”
“I wasn’t given information about anything specific or criminal, but concern was expressed to me about a young person on the street and whether or not the police monitored that neighborhood.”
Kelly sighed. “Hypothetically, if this were a TV show, would it star vice or the special victims unit?
“Vice.”
So drugs, not sexual abuse. Stewart Mills had managed to avoid a big drug problem, thanks to the overall lack of money and easy availability. But there were still individuals who knew where to get stuff and would make the trip to bring some back. Because it was small amounts and very few people, it was actually hard to pinpoint problems.
“I’ll make sure we’re patrolling that neighborhood,” Kelly assured Jen.
“Thanks. I guess that’s all I’ve got. And just in time, too. I’m off to see Chase.”
Lucky lady. “I’ll get the tab. I’m going to order another coffee and scroll through the news on my phone, I think. I’ve been so wrapped up in Eagles Fest, I’m losing touch.”
But once Jen was gone, it wasn’t news headlines she pulled up on her phone. She’d taken a picture of Alex’s photo of Chase, which had been in the paper, and she looked at it until she saw the waitress heading toward her.
Then she flipped to the news and, after fixing her coffee, settled in to scan the headlines. She’d see Chase at the spaghetti dinner, if she got a moment to herself. In the meantime, she needed to drink her coffee and then get to work.
—
Chase looked at the papers Jen had spread out on her desk, and nodded. “I think we can handle this.”
“Are you sure it’s not too much? Because you guys are the honored guests, so we really shouldn’t be putting you to work.”
“If you don’t put us to work, we don’t have a good excuse not to practice.”
She laughed and sorted the papers into three stacks, neatly clipping each one. “If only Coach could hear you now. Are you sure none of you will get lost? I know you’re all from here, but it’s been a long time.”
“We’re each taking a kid,” he said, and she looked surprised. “Deck has to work and Briscoe has to do a thing with his parents, so I’m taking a kid in my truck. Alex is taking one in his rental, and Philly has to work, but he’s lending Sam his car.”
“It’s really great that you guys are spending time with the boys. They really need it more than you can imagine, even if they don’t show it.”
He smiled at her. “We know more about that than you might think. And making them help is better than letting them watch others bust their asses to save their team. Keeps them out of trouble and us out of trouble, and hopefully nobody gets lost.”
“Before you go,” she said, clasping her hands together on her desk. “If any of you should want access to the school—to take a tour or see the trophy case, for example—just let me know and I can arrange access for you. We have keys.”
He would have thought she was simply being polite, except for the way the corners of her mouth twitched upward. She knew they’d broken into the high school, which made sense. She was one of Kelly’s best friends. But it made him wonder what else Kelly had told her.
“Thanks,” was all he said. “We’ll let you know.”
He walked back out to where the other guys were just pulling in to the lot and handed the sheets around. “Top one is the address of somebody who filled out the card, emailed or called to say they had a decoration up. We have to confirm we have a photo and take one if we don’t. There’s also several photos whose addresses got lost and addresses with no photos, and we need to match them up. If we see a decoration while driving around, check the address list and make sure it has a photograph number listed for it.”
Alex snorted. “This sounds like work. And somebody needs a new camera. Some of these aren’t focused clearly.”
