My father was having a good day and had managed to bring himself to his office where, having heard of his presence in the building, staff members and various officials stopped by in droves. Although exhausting, the infusion of energy was infectious and it cheered him considerably.
He carved out time enough for Marsha, Johnny, and me to confer about the Henry Carson murder case.
He looked at me. “How do you plan to proceed?”
“As you would.”
“Tell me.”
I sat silently for several minutes. I wanted my thinking to be precise. I wanted him to approve of my plan. “I’ll seek confirmation from Julia Peterson of what I believe happened.”
“Which is?”
“As was the case with almost all of the women he came in contact with, I believe Ms. Julia fell under Henry Carson’s thrall.”
“Meaning?”
“He ratcheted up the charm and she succumbed to it.”
“You mean they were having an affair?”
“I mean she, like most all of the others, was mesmerized by him. Whatever it was he did, however he did it, it always seemed to work. His widow told me she had never been romanced in the manner she had been by him. So much so that she jumped into a marriage which, ironically, might have taken place at the exact same time he was on the make for Julia Peterson.”
“How could that be?”
“He was working in New Jersey and appeared to be settling into a career track that would keep him there. He met Kimber and they married. But no sooner had they done that, than he learned about and interviewed for the Freedom High School job.”
“Interviewed with Julia Peterson?” Marsha asked.
I nodded. “Turns out he really wanted the job. The idea of living in Southern California was a whole lot more appealing to him than living in Maplewood, New Jersey.”
“So you’re suggesting he put the bum’s rush on Julia,” my father asked.
“He made three trips to California. Alone. It’s anyone’s guess what happened. But Julia was a single woman and she was the Decider in Charge of hiring the Vice Principal. Who do you think got the job? And why do you think he got it?”
“You believe Julia was in collusion with him?”
“I’d guess she was an unwilling participant who, by the time she realized his con, was too far gone to do anything about it.”
“Meaning?”
“Were anyone to find out she had in any way condoned Carson’s conduct with the students, her career and her life would be ruined.”
“Did she condone what he was doing?”
“According to sixteen-year-old Becky Nyman, she did. And I’ll bet some of the other kids knew about her connection to Carson, too.”
“So what comes next?” the Sheriff queried.
“That’s what we want you to tell us.”
He was silent for several moments. Then he said, “First I’d verify.”
“And then?”
“If things are as you suspect, I’d hang her ass out to dry.”