Page 49 of Final Escape
“No.”
“Impatient to start guiding on the river? As soon as things get busier we’ll be sure to get you on the schedule.”
“I look forward to that, now that I’ve finished those certification classes. But that’s not it.”
He thought for a minute. “You have second thoughts about your afternoon job here?”
“No. The first two weeks have been fine. No complaints.” She turned and leaned against the wall. “I just had an encounter with a student’s family member after school today, and discovered that I’ve inadvertently made things a thousand times worse for that child.” Carrie sighed. “With the best intentions, but still...”
“I can’t believe that.”
“Do.”
“Can you tell me about it?”
She gave him a bleak glance. “Nope.”
“You look like you need cheering up. Want to go out on the river? We could take one of the two-man rafts. Or Penny could go, when she gets back.”
“That’s sweet of you to offer. But I’m sure it’s the last thing you two would want to do after being on the water all day.”
“Take a kayak or a canoe then, if you’d rather go solo. Sometimes things just look better when you can get out and do something.”
She stilled for a moment, then shook her head. “It’s already five o’clock, and I have papers to grade. But thanks—maybe another time.”
He smiled gently. “I know you’ve got an awful lot on your mind. But things will work out.”
“Easy for you to say.” She tried to dredge up an answering grin. “You didn’t just put your foot in your mouth.”
“I can’t imagine you ever doing that.” He surveyed the long row of life jackets on the wall, straightened one, then picked up a yellow kayak and settled it on a triple-stack kayak rack in the corner. He turned to face her. “Just so you know, Penny and I have been asking a lot of questions around town. And sooner or later, the man who killed Billywillbe found. I can promise you that.”
* * *
WEDNESDAY MORNING DAWNEDway too early, after yet another sleepless night, with heavy fog blanketing the lower half of the mountains and a chilly mist that jeweled the pines in diamonds. If the forecasters were right, rain would be moving into the area by midmorning and then linger for much of the day, meaning few customers would be signing up for rafting today and most of the reservations would be canceled.
Not that there’d been many in the first place, according to Penny.
At school, only half of the students showed up, so Carrie postponed her lesson on a comparison of Mayan and Native American art, and let them get started on a pottery project. She strolled back and forth between the tables, offering advice and praise, and keeping an eye on the Nelson boys, who lobbed missiles of clay at each other from either side of the room whenever her back was turned.
She smiled to herself at the consternation of the twins and the awe of the others, who were all apparently unaware of the lovely, reflective properties of the framed map of America to the left of the blackboard.
From the corner of her eye she aw Austin zing a piece of clay at Rachel, then played innocent when Carrie whirled around to glare at him.
Fifth graders.On the cusp of starting to notice the opposite sex, but most were nowhere close to understanding the subtleties of an actual relationship.
“Austin, that’s enough. If you can’t handle this project with the others, perhaps you need to sit way in the back, and face the windows.”
Austin slipped down in his seat, the tips of his ears bright red.
“Ms. Randall.” Ed Grover stood in the doorway, frowning. “Can you come here for a minute?”
If she’d been sitting, she might have wanted to slide down in her seat, too. “Keep at it, class.” She gave Austin a stern look. “I’ll be just outside the door.”
The principal ushered her out into the hallway and closed the door. “I just learned that Noah Colwell won’t be back in school for the rest of the summer.”
“That’s correct. He—”
“His aunt says he was uncomfortable in class, and didn’t want to return. Is that true?”
