Page 41 of Go Home
Miracles did come along sometimes.The sixth name on Kate’s list was one Tibor Schulz.At twenty-eight, he was somewhat older than the other members of Whitman’s courses.Which might explain why he seemed somewhat less dazzled by the man.
“He was very fond of anecdotes, particularly about the year he spent as a cowboy in Salamanca.He had these like… I called them the Manson Girls.The whole front row of his lectures was like solid Whitman groupie-chicks, gazing at him.They even copied down his jokes, man.”
“Do you think Whitman ever crossed a line?”
“Actually, I don’t.Notthatline.”
“But others?”
“Well, totally.Like, what happened to Brandon?That was triple O.”
“Triple O?”
“Out of order.”
“And Brandon’s a student, I take it.”
“Was.I used to sit next to him.He was okay.Dude got dealt a shitty hand, if you get me.”
“I’m not sure I do.”
“Dude’s overweight, bucky teeth, a bit awkward.Veryawkward.And his mom used to drop him off on campus, every morning.I got the impression it’s just the two of them.Doesn’t drink.Very religious.”
“Did that cause problems in the class?”
“See, this is why I didn’t rate Whitman.I’m sorry for what happened to him, but there’s something ugly about a man like him making fun of a kid like Brandon.Maybe he should have taken a different course of study.Maybe he’s not an intellectual giant.But he had a right to be there.Whitman basically teased him out of the class.It was uncomfortable to watch.I saw Brandon, coupla weeks after he quit, working in Denny’s.I said he shoulda complained.He said – ‘he’s gonna suffer.’”
“Brandon said that?”
“Yeah.It was kind of chilling.Like to me, Brandon’s always been this big, teddy-bear of a guy.But I realized then, someone’s made him hate that much.And Whitman did that.Whitman was an a-hole to him, man.”
+++++
Brandon Montgomery lived with his mother about twenty minutes’ drive from the college.Sitting in the passenger seat, Kate noticed the subtle shift in the surroundings, as they moved from a region of tailored lawns and chic little bakeries into a sketchier part of town, where men gathered listlessly on street corners and the liquor stores had reinforced doors.
“Look at him,” Kate said – angling her phone so Marcus could see the photo on Brandon’s student ID.The camera had caught the young man smiling: it was a big, artless grin, at odds with the smart collar and tie.She was sure that not one single other Brantley student would have worn a collar and tie for their ID photo.
“He looks like the kid with the note,” Marcus said.
“What?”
“You know, in every class, there’s that kid with asthma or allergies.He gets picked on.And he’s always got a note from his mom.”
“Kids can be horrible to each other.But you don’t expect the teachers to join in.”
“True.But do we think a kid like him is capable of planning and carrying out a brutal murder?”
“Actually, I do.For exactly the reasons you’ve pointed out.Imagine it.Being that kid with the note.The kid who doesn’t get invited to the party.The jokes, the pranks, the mean little remarks.The teacher who joins in.And imagine it carrying on.You get through high school, and you think, ‘Thank God.’But then you discover that real life is more of the same.You’ll never fit in.Never be accepted.Always be a target for ridicule.And one day, you’ve just had enough.”
“Point taken,” Marcus said, quietly.
The Montgomery house was small and tired-looking; a gutter was shearing away from the building at a crazy angle, and the gate appeared to have been mended with a wire coat hanger.But the windows were clean, the garden boasted an array of flowering plants, and a cheery little handmade sign on the front door said, “God Bless This House.”
They rang the doorbell, but it only made a faint grinding sound, so they knocked and waited.Marcus knelt and peered through the small window.Kate was aware of curtains moving in the home next door, a skinny man in an undershirt watching from across the road.Their FBI jackets and ID cards were unnecessary; people knew who and what they were before they’d even parked their car.
There was a small garage-like structure to the side of the house, and Marcus tried the door.
“Excuse me, sir?”Kate called out to the neighbor in the undershirt.He darted, cat-like, back inside his house.
