Page 11 of Destiny

“Brendan, Donny. What can I help you with today?” Darrell asks.

Donny closes the door behind him, and we both remain standing while Darrell sits at his desk.

“We have some questions for you, Darrell,” Donny says. “About a club here at the school.”

“I’m afraid I don’t understand.” Darrell furrows his brow. “The two of you no longer go to the school, and you don’t have any children in the school. In fact, we have no Steels on our roster at all this year.”

“I am still the city attorney,” Donny says.

“Yes, which is why I allowed you to come in without an appointment. But I have to tell you, Don, I don’t see how our extracurricular activities are any of your business.”

“It’s certainly my business if there are illegal activities going on.”

Darrell frowns. “Now you wait just a min—”

Donny holds up his hand. “No accusations. We’re just curious about a club.”

Darrell clears his throat, his eyes narrowed. “If there were anything illegal going on at my school, I’d contact the proper authorities. Eventually it would be your business, but the first order of business would be for the police to investigate.”

“Are you saying there may be some illegal activities going on?” Donny pushes.

“Don’t twist my words, Steel. Tell me what you want. What club are you concerned about?”

Darrell’s etiquette seems to have vanished. Is he hiding something?

“The future lawmakers club,” Donny says.

“What about them?”

“So they do still exist,” I say.

“They do. The club was here when I took over as principal a couple of years ago.”

“Our concern is that it may have some relationship to a club with the same name at Tejon Prep about fifty years ago.”

“Fifty years ago? At a private school in the city?” He lets out a scoffing laugh. “Why in the world would that be a concern?”

“Because…” Donny clears his throat. “The club in question was into some nefarious activities.”

“But it was a different school. Why would it have any relation to the club here?”

“Darrell, we don’t know that it does,” Donny says. “But we want to take a look at it. My fiancée, Callie Pike, says it was around when she was a student here and that it had nothing to do with future lawmakers. That it was a club by invitation only, and when she went to a meeting, they didn’t talk about the law at all. All they talked about were ways to stick it to the man. Apparently, during those years, the club took credit for some bad stuff that went on.”

“Can you elaborate?”

“Pranks. Things like spiking punch at dances, stuff like that.”

“Things like that happen at every school, I’m afraid.” Darrell sighs.

“We understand that, Darrell,” I say. “But here’s the issue. The future lawmakers club at Tejon Prep all those years ago turned out to be involved in some illegal activity.”

“Again, I’m just not sure what—”

Donny holds up his hand. “We’re not accusing you of anything, Darrell. We’re not accusing your students of anything. We just want some information. Could you tell us who on faculty is the advisor to the club?”

“That would be me,” he says.

I stop my jaw from dropping.

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