“It’s so sad. Want to leave him a message?”

“Oh, yes. My condolences. Thanks, Denise.”

Emma left, forcing herself to keep calm, to think things through. She gave her head a little shake and started for her office when her phone rang with a blocked number.

“Is this Emma, Emma Grant?” a woman asked when she answered.

“Yes.”

“Hi, Maggie Shen from KTKT.”

The reporter from the book sale? Why would she be calling?

“Emma, are you there?”

“Yes, hi.”

“Thought I lost you.” Maggie sounded hurried, calling from a moving vehicle. “We should be there by eleven thirty this morning, okay?”

“Excuse me? I’m sorry, what’re you talking about? Be where for what?”

“At your school to interview you for the story.”

Emma stopped in her tracks.

“What story—the book sale?”

“No, your story. Listen, I gotta wrap something else up right now. I’m sorry—I assumed your principal told you what’s happening.”

“No one told me. I’m not in my office yet. What’s going on?”

“This just came up. We’re doing a story on you.”

“On me?” Emma’s heart skipped into a gallop. “What? Why?”

“Oh—there—pull over there!” Maggie said to someone else, then to Emma, “Sorry, gotta go. See you soon.”

The call ended with Emma fearful for what might be coming.

Emma’s mind raced with a million fears when she caught up with Glenda Heywood in the hall.

Demanding to know what the story concerned and why she’d been blindsided, Emma followed Glenda into her office, where the principal deposited a stack of binders on the corner of her desk.

“Shut the door and have a seat,” Glenda said, reaching for the tepid mug of coffee on her credenza.

The door almost slammed. “I don’t want to sit. I demand to know—is this something personal?”

“Yes. And no.”

“What?”

“First—” Glenda sipped her coffee “—I apologize that Maggie Shen got to you before I did. The issue came up late yesterday. I’d planned to alert you, but I got tied up with meetings last night and follow-up calls this morning. Your situation is somewhat complicated.”

“It’s not. I don’t want to be interviewed about anything. It’s that simple.”

“Emma, please. Sit down.”

“Glenda, I have rights. I could take this to the CTA.”

“You could. But before you make this a union matter, hear me out. And, understand that what I’m going to tell you is extremely confidential.”

Emma took a moment, nodded, but remained standing.

Heywood then confided how a district board member with connections in Sacramento had recently been tipped to potential cuts in education funding in next month’s state budget.

“She was privy to some chilling figures, which could mean a serious budget drop for the district, which could mean slashing programs and jobs. School counselors will be on the chopping block. Are you with me so far?”

Emma was listening.