Page 87 of A Simple Mistake
Gareth blinked.“Get rid of Fenton?He wouldn’t ever be my choice for head teacher, but I don’t think that will fly.Manville had passed all his checks.He worked in a dozen schools at least.Fenton didn’t break any rules when he hired him.”
“I know, but… this wasn’t the first time Manville took advantage of pupils.The girls were warned by the years above them, right?Shouldn’t the school have done something about it?Even something as mundane as putting a TA in the class, for example?”
Gareth heard the frustration in her tone and just knew what she was going to say next.
“Us parents weren’t any better.We teach our girls how to be safe, but then we expect the school to step in and do that for us.And Fenton’s an excellent teacher, but he doesn’t like to rock the boat and that’s a dangerous attitude for a Head to have.”
“Yes.When I saw him to discuss the dance class incident, he was very keen to label it all a misunderstanding.”
“Exactly.So… if I were to raise Fenton’s lack of leadership with the school governors, I’d have your support?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t think he’ll get the sack,” Pauline soothed as if she sensed his unease.“This is Fenton we’re talking about.He’ll resign as head, return to teaching rather than running the school, and be much happier for it.”
“You’re most likely correct.What’s the other reason?”
A surprised laugh sputtered down the line.“Memory.Elephant.And you’re going to laugh, but this whole mess is teaching me a lesson, too.Jess, Carol, and a few others have decided that it shouldn’t always be your two who make all the effort.They’ve been sitting around my house the last few days comparing notes and making plans.I don’t want to discourage them, but I also don’t know what to do.What will happen to them if they take their story to the police?Since you got the T-shirt for that one, I was wondering if you had any insights.”
Gareth thought while he threaded the car through the commuter traffic, and Pauline didn’t interrupt.Only the slight static in his ear reminded him she was still on the call.
“Sweeping the street isn’t pleasant,” Gareth said.“And yes, I’m quoting Jack here.I can’t tell you the best way to move this forward, but I can hook you up with a friend of ours.He’s a barrister, and he can walk you through the whole process and tell you if he thinks it’s a good idea or not.”
“He’s separate from the police?”
“In this case?Very much so.The girls can tell their stories, he’ll listen, and he’ll lay out your options for you.”
Pauline digested that.“Is he good?”she asked a moment later.
“He’s excellent.I do jobs for him now and then if he needs help, and so does Jack.”
Pauline’s exhale was audible even over the static, and Gareth realised that his last words had helped her decide.Jack’s reputation as a protector and a crusader had swayed Pauline.Jack wouldn’t understand why that mattered, but Gareth hugged the knowledge to himself like a secret treat as he promised to forward Aidan’s details, made his goodbyes, and turned his mind back to the traffic and his lists.
Even six weeks after the break-in, and with all players in custody, Jack found switching his den for his desk at Nancarrow’s Strand office a wrench, the muted dread of another attack like a nest of ants in the back of his mind.Muffling the noise took work, but Jack owed Janet and Frazer a long lunch and that—more than any other tasks and considerations—drew him from the house.
Since Julian had commandeered the lunch slot with a security review, he dragged the two next door to the Savoy for afternoon tea.
“And here I thought Simpson’s was posh.”Janet took in the Art Deco splendour.“This is posh in a different vein.”
“They make fabulous scones,” Jack offered.
“I’ll eat all the sugar they care to give me.”Frazer settled into his chair with a sigh.“I’ve been skipping far too many meals lately.”
“Any particular reason?”
Frazer shrugged.“Does rampant curiosity count?Janet keeps throwing me names, most of which I don’t recognise.I thought I had a much better handle on the industry.”
“Mining isn’t the same as investment, I keep telling you.”Janet took a champagne flute off a server’s tray and held it up.
They clinked glasses, and Jack picked up the conversation.
“Janet’s right.You don’t have to learn the phonebook by heart.And you’d better not let Gareth catch you picking up my bad habits.He’ll force feed you three square meals a day.”
“Is that supposed to be a hardship?”
“It is when you have to put in extra hours in the gym.”
“Yeah, I suppose so.”Two servers arrived with sandwiches, cakes, pastries, and petits fours on tiered stands.
