Bayview Heights Trilogy (36 page)

Tension, thick and ugly, filled the room. “I
intend to give the high school exactly what it deserves, Captain,”
Lacey said. She looked at Taylor. “Like I always do.”

o0o

“DAMN! That woman’s determined not to cut us
any slack.” Seth spoke as he threw his folder down on his
desk—after he closed the conference-room door tightly. One side of
the room opened to the library, the other to his office: a large
window afforded him a perfect view of Lacey Cartwright and Cassie
settling down in one of the couch groupings.

Mitch took a seat at the long, oval table but
said nothing. Seth jammed his hands in his pockets and silently
counted to ten as he stared at the women. When he was more under
control, he turned to Mitch. “Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize to me. I’d be ticked off at
her, too.”

“Want some coffee?” Seth asked. Mostly for
something to do, he drew himself a cup.

“No thanks. Since Cassie’s got to stay off
caffeine, I’m staying off it, too.” He smiled indulgently. “Another
good reason to wish the kid would get here soon.” Mitch glanced out
the window. “Ms. Cartwright hasn’t given the high school what it
deserves, Seth.”

“No, she hasn’t.”

“I suspect she knows it, too.”

“Really? Why?”

“She got the same look on her face that
Cassie gets when she’s not sure of what she’s arguing about with
me.”

“You’re pretty good at reading people.”

“Comes from years on the police force.” Mitch
scowled. “It’s hard to believe Cassie and Ms. Cartwright were
friends. They seem so different.”

“Lacey Cartwright stuck by Cassie when none
of the other kids at school would give her a chance to get her act
together.”

“So you’d think she’d know how important it
is to give people a chance.”

“She does. That’s why she hates me so much.
You know the story of her brother?”

Mitch shook his head.

Seth had just finished filling him in on the
Kevin Cartwright story when a discreet knock on the door put the
discussion to an end.

His secretary poked her head in. “Seth, it’s
State Ed. again. Mike Thomas called twice while you were at the
meeting.”

He nodded apologetically at Mitch; picking up
the receiver of the phone on the table, Taylor said, “Hi,
Mike.”

“Seth. I just wanted to tell you that if
you’re going to apply for the Regents’ job, you’d better do it
right away. It’s been posted and they intend to have it filled by
the first of the year. You’d have to come to Albany for a couple of
interviews, so you should get on it.”

“Sure. Can you send me the...application?”
Seth asked, hesitating in front of Mitch.

“It’s on its way. Don’t put your decision
off, Seth. I’d really like you on board.”

“I won’t. Thanks for calling.”

After he hung up, he met Mitch’s gaze. “Shall
we talk about the task force?”

Mitch didn’t answer at first. Then he asked,
“Like you said, I’m pretty good at reading people. What’s going
on?”

Seth considered lying, but Mitch’s direct,
honest gaze forestalled an untruth. “A lot of things, I guess.”

“Like?”

“For one, some empty nest syndrome.” Seth
smiled sadly. “It’s hell having Joey gone.”

“That’s pretty normal. Is that all?”

Seth toyed with the coffee mug that sat in
front of him. “Mitch, when you left the New York City Police
Department, was it hard to do something else?”

“No. Mother Nature made the transition easy
for me. I was getting too old to be involved in big-city law
enforcement.” At forty-seven, Mitch was a year older than Seth.
“Coming to Bayview Heights was a good move for me.” He waited.
“Why?”

“Sometimes I wonder if I’m not too old to
keep up with the kids at Bayview.”

Mitch nodded to the phone. “You thinking of
leaving?”

“I’m thinking about it.”

“Why?”

Staring out the conference-room window, Seth
could see Cassie and Lacey sitting close, smiling. He wondered what
they were talking about. “I’ve been in some sort of funk lately.
I’m considering other options.”

Mitch was silent.

“Sometimes I wonder just what I’ve
accomplished as an educator,” Seth confessed. “I know I’ve made
some mistakes. Big ones.”

“Cassie says you were Bayview’s savior.”

Seth snorted. “Cassie’s biased.”

“Maybe. But then, so are you. Sometimes it’s
hard to see whole picture when you’re inside the frame.”

A chuckle escaped him. “That sounds like one
of Cassie’s classroom posters.”

Mitch laughed. “It is. That doesn’t make the
sentiment any less true.” He angled his head toward the window.
“Look at Cassie. She’s living proof of what you’ve done, Seth.”

“My greatest triumph.”

“Along with several others. Like Johnny
Battaglia.”

“Cassie turned Johnny around.”

“Yeah, but you gave her the tools to do it.
Twice.”

“What do you mean?”

“First, when she was sixteen, you helped her
out of the mess her life had turned into. For which, by the way,
I’m eternally grateful. Then you spearheaded a program at Bayview
where she could do the same for other kids.” Mitch shook his head.
“You know, I’ve always envied teachers. You have a domino effect on
the world—you help one kid, that kid goes on to do good things for
other people. The positive impact of a teacher’s actions is
unlimited.”

Seth watched Lacey Cartwright and remembered
her eyes, so like her brother’s. “The reverse is true, too.”

“Well, I suppose you could view it like that.
If you were looking for a reason to leave here.”

“Don’t tell Cassie just yet. It will only
upset her.”

“I don’t like keeping things from her.”
Mitch, too, glanced out the window and smiled as he watched his
wife. “But I’ll keep the confidence for a while. Until you decide.
She’ll go ballistic when she finds out you’re thinking about
resigning.”

“Yeah, well, her old buddy there would throw
a party to celebrate the event.”

“Maybe.” Mitch studied the two. “But I’m not
so sure. Let’s see what happens with this Christmas project.”

o0o

“IT’S SO GOOD to see you,” Cassie repeated
after she’d settled onto the couch with Lacey across from her.

Lacey nodded to Cassie’s pregnant belly.
“Looks like you’ve been busy.”

Cassie’s throaty laugh and vibrant glow
warmed Lacey. “I have.” She glanced toward the office. “He’s
wonderful.” She placed her hand on her stomach. “And I never
thought this would happen to me.”

“I know. You said you never wanted kids.”

“And you wanted a dozen.”

“I still do.” The confession slipped out and
Lacey could feel herself blush.

“Any serious relationships in California?”
Cassie asked.

“One or two. They didn’t work out.”

“Are you going back there?”

“I’m not sure.”

“How’s your grandfather?”

Lacey filled her in on Philip’s health. “The
prognosis is good if he doesn’t overtax himself. He’s seventy-six,
so he should have been slowing down anyway.”

“I always loved him. He was so interested in
you and Kevin. It was hard to believe he was that much older than
most parents of teenagers.”

“He said we kept him young.”

“For what it’s worth, Lace, I think it was
really unselfish of you to come back here for him.”

“After all he did for us, how could I
not?”

“A lot of people wouldn’t have.”

“I believe in loyalty.”

Cassie drew in a deep breath. “What about
loyalty to your alma mater?”

God, Lacey was getting tired of this
conflict. “You mean the editorials in the
Herald
?”

Cassie nodded.

Laying her head back on the upholstery, Lacey
stared up at the ceiling. “When I took over the paper, it seemed
like a good idea to pick up where Grandpa left off. I read all his
back stuff, and took the same tack. I didn’t think I’d be in
Bayview Heights that long, and I didn’t want to upset him.”

“Did you believe what you wrote?”

“Of course I did.”

“But?”

“But I may have presented only one side.” She
scanned the room. “There are some good things going on here.”
Glancing toward the office, she said, “Despite Seth Taylor.”

“
Because
of Seth Taylor. None of
this would be happening without him.”

Lacey smiled. “You haven’t changed a bit. You
always loved the guy, defended him.”

“He helped save my life.”

“Well, he ruined mine.”

“Did he?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that he’s not responsible for what
happened to Kevin.” When Lacey started to object, Cassie held up
her hand. “No, let me finish. We’re each responsible for our own
actions, Lacey. Even if Seth made a mistake with Kevin—which I’m
not sure he did—
he
didn’t send your brother to
prison.”

“Maybe.” Lacey could feel her eyes mist.
“It’s just that seeing Kevin in that place is so hard.”

Reaching over, Cassie grabbed her hand. “Of
course it is. But Seth didn’t put him there, honey. I think it’s
time you let go of that idea.”

Lacey didn’t answer. Suddenly, she wanted to
let go of it. She was tired of the grudge. Looking at Cassie’s
belly, Lacey wished with all her heart she had a normal life
without all the responsibility and resentment she felt. At one
time, her life had looked charmed and Cassie’s had been on the
skids. Now it was reversed. Though Lacey couldn’t be happier for
her friend, she wondered what it would be like to have a man like
Mitch Lansing so crazy about you that he couldn’t keep his hands
off you. What would it be like to carry the child of the man you
loved?

Would Lacey ever have that?

o0o

LACEY STARED at the two men headed toward
them. Mitch Lansing was taller than Taylor and built like a
football player. But despite his height and girth, Mitch didn’t
overwhelm the principal. Taylor had removed his suit coat and his
muscles were well- defined in the silly superhero jersey. It gave
him an aura of strength and dependability.

Mitch clapped him on the shoulder and said
something a moment before they reached Lacey. Cassie stretched her
legs and yawned as she peered up at them.

“Looks like someone’s ready for a nap,”
Taylor said to Cassie. The warmth and affection on his face stirred
something inside Lacey. For one crazy moment she wondered what it
would be like to have him turn that look on her.

“Naturally,” Cassie said, disgust lacing her
voice. “I can’t even make it to dinner anymore.”

“Better take care of my godson.” Taylor
stretched out a hand, helped her up from the couch, then patted her
belly as she stood. “Right, buddy?”

“Stop. We’re having a girl. That’s all there
is to.”

Mitch dragged Cassie close. “I wish it was
twins,” he said.

“Oh, God. You’re a glutton for punishment.”
Cassie turned to Lacey, who had also risen. “I’ll call you about
dinner next week.”

“I’d like that.”

Mitch said coolly, “Ms. Cartwright. Enjoy the
rest of the day.”

A little taken aback by the curtness in his
tone, Lacey simply nodded in response.

After they’d left, Taylor pointed to the
couches. “Let’s talk here. It’s more comfortable.”

She sat back down and he took a plush chair
across from her.

“These furniture groupings are a good idea.”
Lacey ran her hand over the nubby fabric. “We never had anything
like this twenty years ago.”

“School’s changed in the last two decades.
But then, you’re well aware of that, aren’t you?”

Her eyes narrowed. Right back into it, she
thought. All right, then... “Speaking of which,” she said quickly,
“what’s this task force Cassie mentioned?”

Taylor eased back in his chair, crossed his
ankle over his knee and linked his hands behind his head. The
S
on the jersey stretched across his chest. “Some of
us—despite what you think—
are
worried about the increase
in the number of fights at the high school. Personally, student
violence has always been of special concern to me. We also know
that around the upcoming holidays, students cause more difficulties
in school.”

“Really? Why?”

“Not everyone comes from a functional home.
Their
dys
function is more pronounced during the holidays.
We want to nip this in the bud, so I’ve formed a committee of
teachers, community members, students, the school psychologist and
a guidance counselor to brainstorm what we can do to prevent the
outbreaks.”

“Sounds like a solid idea. Why didn’t you
tell me that when we met about the editorial on violence?”

“Would it have made any difference?”

“Yes, of course it would.”

“I wonder.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re pretty bent on burying us. The
Herald
rarely prints anything good about the schools.”

“We put in almost everything the district PR
guy sends us on the schools.”

“I stand corrected. You do okay with the
middle school and the elementary buildings.”

“How could I mention the task force if I
didn’t know about it?” As she spoke, an idea jelled. “As a matter
of fact, how can I report on it if I don’t know how it works?”

Seth watched the color suffuse her fair skin.
It highlighted her cheeks prettily—and warned him right away that
she was up to something. “What are you getting at?”

“Let me be on the committee.”

“You’re kidding.”

“Afraid?”

That got his hackles up. “Of what?”

“You invite me here to parade out the good
stuff. Afraid to let me watch how you tackle a problem?”

Seth knew he shouldn’t do it. But there was
challenge in that sultry voice and in those sparkling eyes. “You
really want to be part of the task force?”

“Yes.”

He stared at her, a notion curling inside
him. Maybe he could beat her at her own game. “You know, we’re
short a few adults for the Christmas project.”