Most of the grades sent home on Billy’s report cards were C s, D’s and F’s. In all his school years he got an A only once: the third quarter in tenth-grade biology. Arthur, who had developed an interest in the subject, started paying attention in class and doing the homework.

Knowing people would laugh if he spoke, he had Allen answer for him. He amazed the teacher by his sudden change, his brilliance. Though Arthur never lost his interest in biology, things at home got so bad that the spot kept changing. Much to the regret of the biology teacher, the flame died out and the last two quarters were failures. Arthur drifted off to study on his own, and the final report card registered a D.

Arthur was having his hands full with the others coming and going on and off the spot more and more frequently. He diagnosed this period of mental instability as “a mix-up time.”

When the school had to be evacuated because of a bomb scare, everyone suspected it was Billy Milligan, though no one could prove it. Tommy denied making the bomb. It wasn’t a real one anyway, though it might have been if the liquid in the flask had been nitro instead of water. Tommy hadn’t lied about not making it. He would never have lied. Though he had taught one of the other boys how to do it, even drew the diagram, he had never touched it himself. He wasn’t that stupid.

Tommy enjoyed the excitement and the chagrin on the principals face. Principal Moore looked like a man with a lot of problems, like someone who couldn’t solve all the things that were bothering him.

He solved one of them by expelling Milligan, the troublemaker.

So, five weeks after Billy Milligan turned seventeen—a week before Jim was to leave for the Air Force— Tommy and Allen joined the Navy.

Chapter Eleven

(1)

On March 23, 1972, Allen went with Dorothy to the recruiting office, and he and Tommy signed the enlistment papers. Dorothy had mixed feelings about letting her younger son join the Navy, but she knew it was important to get him out of the house, away from Chalmer. The expulsion from school had made things worse.

The recruiting officer moved quickly through the paperwork and the questions. Dorothy did most of the answering.

“Have you ever been in a mental institution or been diagnosed as mentally ill?”

“No,” Tommy said. “Not me.”

“Wait just a minute,” Dorothy said. “You did spend three months in Columbus State Hospital. Dr. Brown said it was hysterical neurosis.”

The recruiter looked up, pen poised. “Ah, we don’t have to put that down,” he said. “Everybody’s a little neurotic.” Tommy gave Dorothy a triumphant look.

When the time came to take the General Education and Development Test, Tommy and Allen both looked it over. Seeing that it had nothing to do with any of Tommy’s abilities or knowledge, Allen decided to take the test himself. But then Danny came and looked at the paper, not knowing what to do.