Page 118 of For Your Own Good
“I’m sure you do.”
That’s from the other agent, Pruitt. She looks no-nonsense and speaks the same way.
“I guess I should congratulate you,” Roland says. “Now that you’re the headmaster.”
Teddy nods a little. “I wish it wasn’t necessary, yet here we are.”
“Yes,” Pruitt says. “Here we are.”
No, Teddy doesn’t like her.
“I’d like to go all the way back to the day Ingrid Ross died,” Roland says. “What do you remember from that day?”
Teddy talks about Sonia’s anniversary party, describing how these events are always a cause for celebration. “Because we’re a family at Belmont. That’s how it works,” he says. “That’s also why this is so... unbelievable.”
He lists everyone he can remember from the party, including the headmaster, Ms.Marsha, Frank, Louella, Nari, a number of parents from the Collaborative, as well as several students. Agent Pruitt writes everything down.
“And what about the day Sonia Benjamin died?” Roland says. “Do you remember seeing her or speaking to her that day?”
“Of course. I saw her every day, even if it was just in the lounge,” Teddy says. “I’m sure we exchanged a hello or said good morning. But, no, I apologize for not remembering exactly what happened on that day.”
Agent Pruitt opens a file and flips through the pages. “In an earlier interview with the local police, you mentioned that she didn’t treat Joe very well. The custodian.”
“That’s right. Sonia could be... Well, I don’t like to speak ill of the dead, but Sonia could be rather elitist in that way.”
“How did the headmaster treat Joe?” Roland asks.
“You know, that’s a very good question. I wish I could answer it. But the truth is, I rarely spoke with the headmaster. As you may have heard, most communication went through Ms.Marsha.” Teddy pauses and looks down at his hands. “I really didn’t speak to the headmaster very often.”
“But he was in the lunchroom every day,” Pruitt says.
“Oh, yes, of course he was. But that was his time to speak with the students, not the faculty.”
She writes that down.
“And after Sonia was found by Frank Maxwell,” Roland says, “what do you remember?”
“It was just... shocking. At first, everyone was just worried about her. I’m not sure anyone started thinking about a connection between Sonia and Ingrid until after everything calmed down a little.”
“Let’s move on to what happened a few weeks ago,” Roland says. “I know we went through this at the hospital, but let’s go through it again. Sometimes people remember things later.”
“Of course.” Teddy recounts what he ate, where he ate it, and how he felt just before he collapsed. Not word for word the same story, but in general.
“Is there anything else you remember from that day? Anything different or strange?” Roland says.
“Actually, there is.” Teddy leans forward a bit. It’s the first time he has moved since sitting down. “It happened the week before, but it was definitely strange. My Teacher of the Year plaque hangs on the wall in my classroom. And one morning, it was gone.”
“Gone?” Pruitt says.
“Yes, gone. It just vanished overnight. Just like that.” Teddy snaps his fingers. “I asked Joe about it, because he cleans the rooms every night, but he said he didn’t notice one way or another. I also tried to speak to the headmaster, because technically it was a theft and should have been treated as such, but Ms.Marsha said he was all tied up with... well, with Sonia’s death and the new security system.”
“Is it still missing?” Roland asks.
“Yes. A replacement showed up on Friday. The last Friday we were in school, before the security cameras were due to be turned on. And right before... that Monday.”
Agent Pruitt writes that down. “Did you ever find out who did it?”
“No, although I have some theories,” Teddy says. “At first, I thought it could be a student playing a prank. And it might have been.” He takes a deep breath. “But it also could’ve been someone who wanted to win that award. Or someone who didn’t think I deserved it. Though I have no idea who that would be,” he says. “What I do know is that it had to be stolen outside of normal school hours. And other than the headmaster, only two people have basically unlimited access to the school. The first is Joe, who is always here late, and it wouldn’t be unusual for him to be in the building.”
