Schooled in Murder by Mark Richard Zubro Page B

department and were openly supporting them.”
    “That is absolutely not true.”
    I said, “It was just a rumor.” Which I had from an impeccable source.
    Graniento said, “I let my department heads have a free rein. They make the choices.”
    Scott and I sat on the tops of school desks that were next to each other. He watched each of them intently. Occasionally, one of them would glance at him, but none addressed themselves to him. I took great comfort from his presence.
    Towne said, “The police seem very impatient.”
    I said, “Cops often are.”
    Towne said, “We want to seem cooperative.”
    Graniento said, “They were talking about fights among the faculty. What they said about today’s meeting was a disgrace. Adults shouting at each other? In a school?”
    I said, “You encouraged it.”
    “I beg your pardon,” he said.
    I said, “At the meeting with the new teachers this year, on the opening day of school, you told them to speak up, to challenge the way things have been done.”
    “You were there?” Towne said.
    I said, “The union building rep talks to the new teachers on the first day every year. We give them contracts and some dos and don’ts. One of them told us what you’d said. The others confirmed it.”
    “Who told?” Graniento asked.
    I said, “I’m not going to tell you.”
    “That’s insubordination,” Graniento said.
    “No, actually, it’s not. I’ve heard you use that term to attempt to frighten, bully, demean, and silence those who oppose or disagree with you, but insubordination is very clearly delineated in the school code. I suggest you peruse it.”
    “You encourage rudeness?” Towne asked Graniento. Graniento said, “I didn’t mean for them to be rude at meetings.”
    I said, “You’ve encouraged them to come to you. I’ve gotten rumors all year that they run to you with departmental problems. That you encourage them. That you’ve been undercutting the heads of one, some, or all of the departments since the day you showed up.”
    Graniento said, “Mrs. Spandrel and I speak every day. I have no problems with her.”
    “She’ll be glad to hear that,” I said. “So will the rest of the heads of the departments.”
    Graniento said, “I have most certainly not encouraged dissent.”
    “I’m just telling you the rumors,” I said. “You know the truth of them. Who knows how many of them will get into the media?”
    Bochka said, “That’s one thing we’re concerned about, the media.”
    “And the Internet,” Towne added.
    Bochka said, “You’re the union person in the building. Reporters might call you.”
    This was getting down to it. Police. Media. Containment. Cover your ass. Control publicity.
    I said, “Are you asking me to lie? And nobody’s going to be able to control the Internet.”
    Bochka said, “I’m not stupid. I know I can’t control what someone puts on the Internet, but nobody believes what’s on the Internet, do they? No, it’s the regular media.”
    “Or the police,” Graniento said. “Couldn’t you get them to not say things to the media?”
    Towne said, “Nobody wants you to lie, but maybe if we all said the same thing.”
    I said, “I don’t have the power to stop what the cops say to the press. I doubt reporters are going to call me. If they do, I will handle them as I always do.”
    “How’s that?” Bochka said.
    “With professionalism and respect.”
    Bochka said, “I guess I may have heard rumors about the English department. That the teachers are out of control.”
    I said, “How is that a concern of the school board?”
    “Everything that happens in this school district is a concern of mine.”
    “It is and it isn’t,” I said. “If you’re micromanaging the place, it might be. My understanding is that school board members are supposed to take care of the budget and set policy.”
    Bochka said, “Any parent can be concerned.”
    I said, “And parents can be out of control.”
    Towne said, “Mr.