“I can understand that.” I turned to Paul. “Is this true?”

He shrugged. “Sometimes I’m coming from gym, and we have to get changed, or have a shower, so I don’t always get here on time.”

Time, I thought. How much time did I have? How long before this stranger found his way to our house? And what did he plan to do when he got there? He could have the purse, the $20,000, it didn’t matter to me. Just take it and get out of our lives. As long as I handed it over, there was no reason for him to hurt me or any member of my family. He didn’t know that I knew he was a killer, so it wasn’t like he had to eliminate me as a witness. I’d tell him pretty much the truth. I found the purse at the grocery store, just wanted to return it, you must be her husband, nice to meet you, here it is, have a nice day, don’t slam the door on your way out.

“Paul also has some difficulties in staying focused,” Ms. Wilton said. “The material we’re covering is fairly complicated, so if you’re not paying attention, you’re going to have a lot of trouble when it comes to tests and assignments. Mr. Walker?”

“Yes?”

“You follow what I’m saying?”

“Of course. He has to be on time. I’m in total agreement there.”

“No, I was talking about how Paul needs to pay more attention.”

“To what?”

Ms. Wilton seemed to be the kind of person who got irritated very easily. There was a tone in her voice when she said, “To what goes on in class. To what I’m saying.”

“Oh, again, I agree.” To Paul, I said, “Aren’t you paying attention in class?”

He shrugged. “I try. But I’m just not very interested in science. I mean, what’s the point? What am I going to do with this stuff?”

I looked back at Ms. Wilton. “Over to you.”

Ms. Wilton’s eyes narrowed. “Mr. Walker, you’re an author of science fiction novels, are you not?”

Again, this tone. This was not the way a fan usually brought up my work. “That’s true, yes. I’ve done a few novels.”

“Wouldn’t you agree that even if you don’t intend to become a rocket scientist, or an epidemiologist with the Atlanta Centers for Disease Control, that a general background in science is valuable? Even though your focus is fiction and good storytelling, haven’t you benefitted from a general understanding of scientific principles in your line of work?”

Slowly, I nodded. “That’s an excellent point.” I turned to Paul. “That’s a good point.”