Carey said, “There’s gonna be trouble!”

“Of course. But that shouldn’t matter to you, Bart; because you’re in trouble already, right up to your behind. And the jigs are still in school. Now if you want them out, you’ll play along with me.”

The big man ran his tongue along his lower lip nervously. “Jesus, that son of a bitch McDaniel’s gonna talk, I know it!” he said.

“Probably so.” Adam Cramer reached into his pocket and found a dime. “But maybe Mr. Shipman and I will be able to find a lawyer. If we’re sure of you. You understand?”

Carey said that he understood.

“Now get out of here and round up some people. Fast.” Adam Cramer walked toward the back room.

He put the dime into the coin slot of the telephone and dialed Verne Shipman’s number.

28

28

The room was divided into a reception area, with a counter and four desks behind the counter, and the principal’s private office. All doors were locked. Joey Green sat in the reception area, flanked by Mr. Crandall and Mr. Spivak. Inside the principal’s office was Ella McDaniel.

She sat facing Harley Paton, although she did not look at him. She looked at the floor.

“Calmly, Ella,” the principal said, “tell us once again exactly what happened. I know it’s hard for you to talk, but this is a very serious charge you’ve made and we’ve got to get our facts straight. You understand that, don’t you?”

Ella kept her fist at her mouth and continued to stare at the floor.

“Please,” the principal said.

“I told you,” Ella said. “I went down to get some pads for Miss Seifried and when I started back, I saw him standing there. That’s all. He must have seen me go downstairs, or something. I don’t know.”

“Did he say anything?”

“Yes. He said—he talked about having a ball.”

“That was the expression he used?”

“Yes. I didn’t know what he meant. But I was scared, so I asked him to move so I could get back upstairs, only he wouldn’t. When I tried to run, he grabbed me—”

“He grabbed you?”

Ella spoke in a mechanical, lifeless voice. “He ripped my blouse.”

“Is that the truth?” Miss Angoff asked levelly.

“Yes,” Ella said.

The English teacher turned to Miss Seifried, who looked terribly frightened, and said, “Did you ask Ella to get you the pads?”

“Yes. That is, she said she was going to, and I said that would be fine.”

Harley Paton glanced at her. “But you didn’t ask her specifically?”

“Not exactly,” Miss Seifried said.

“Ella, why did you want to get those pads at that particular time?”

“Because we were out.”

“Yes, I understand; but why didn’t you have Miss Seifried ask one of the boys to do it?”

“I don’t know.”