“You busy?” he asked when Jake picked up.

“No, I’m just having a drink at the country club,” Jake replied.

“With Hal?” Murray asked, surprised.

“No, I’m joking. I’m at the office,” Jake said. “What’s up?”

“There’s a student at the high school who has something to report. The principal just called into the station. Want to head over with me to check it out?”

“See you there,” Jake said.

They met in the parking lot. “This could be it,” Murray said. “We just need one kid to talk and then they’ll all start coming forward. No one wants to be the last kid left holding the bag.”

Inside the high school, Jake noticed the plush carpeting and the slight smell of chlorine from the indoor pool. In the lobby there were groups of lounge chairs where kids sat typing on slick-looking laptops. Jake could imagine the well-stocked chemistry labs, the state-of-the-art gymnasium—all of the bells and whistles that the steep local real estate taxes could buy. Kids around here didn’t need to go to private school. This practically was a private school.

Down the hall, the secretary ushered them into the principal’s office. It was large, with shelves holding trophies and plaques lining the walls. The principal was a tall man, about fifty years old, with thinning hair and wire rim glasses. He sat behind the desk, his chin resting on his pressed-together fingers.

In front of him, a girl sat hunched over in her chair. She had a long ponytail and was wearing a T-shirt from a local 5K. She looked like she’d been crying, but now her eyes were dry and she was staring at her hands in her lap. Jake noted a woman sitting slightly apart from the others, against the wall, with a notebook in her hand and a concerned look on her face.

The principal shook hands with Jake and Murray. “Dr. Johnson,” he introduced himself, and Jake glanced back down at the nameplate on the desk with a flicker of amusement: stephen johnson, phd. That kind of doctor.

“Thanks for coming right away,” he said. “I’ve heard some concerning reports today. Nothing to do with the school,” he added quickly. “But concerning nonetheless. Olivia? Do you want to tell these gentlemen what you told me?”