“Well?” Kim said, in the officious tone of voice that she used as PTA president when she was strong-arming an unsuspecting mother into making a donation or volunteering for field day.

Linda felt her own face growing red. She fought off a surge of anger, and she gripped her cart tightly, trying to maintain her calm. “What do you want, Kim?” she asked, her voice strained.

“I want to know if your son is going to come forward and admit to organizing this party,” Kim said, her eyes bright. “Or if he’s going to let the police continue harassing innocent children. You had a lot to say about responsibility at the school board meeting, but I haven’t seen much action from your family.”

“You’re talking about Trip?” Linda asked. “What makes you think he organized it?” She was angry, but she was also honestly curious. Did Kim know something that she didn’t?

Kim put her hands on her hips. “Where exactly do you think the kids around here get all their alcohol?” she asked. “Your son. Supplying alcohol to minors is a crime, you know.” As she spoke, her tone grew louder, and the other shoppers were starting to pay attention.

“Yes, I know,” Linda said, keeping her voice quiet. “But I seriously doubt that my son is supplying alcohol to all the teenagers in New Falls. Your daughter, for instance, seems bright enough to manage to get into her own trouble.” She gave a dry laugh, which seemed to enrage Kim.

“My daughter has nothing to do with this,” she hissed, her eyes bright.

A nearby shopper had stopped to listen, pretending to squeeze avocados for ripeness as she tilted her head to listen. A couple standing near the bananas was watching them, and Linda recognized them as customers at the orchard. The woman gave her a little wave. “Everything okay?” she asked, and Linda smiled tightly and nodded, hoping that they would move on.

She tried to keep her voice steady as she spoke. It was one thing for Kim to cause a scene in the grocery store, but Linda was a local business owner. She couldn’t afford to do anything to damage her reputation in town, especially in a store that carried her produce. “If your daughter had nothing to do with the party,” Linda said, “then how do you seem to know so much about it?”

Kim took a sharp breath. “I hear things,” she said. “My husband golfs with the police chief once a month.” She stated this fact like it was a threat.

“Kim, this is getting out of hand. June and Will have been friends for years. Our family is not the enemy here. If the kids got themselves into trouble, we can deal with it. Kids make mistakes. It’s not the first time, and it won’t be the last.”