Ashe picked at his dinner, Jeremy’s famous oven fried chicken and mashed potatoes barely touched. Griffin and Lorraine exchanged knowing glances, each eating in silence. The penthouse was quiet, the other rooms empty, Jeremy out for the evening.

Lorraine asked Griffin, “Any progress on the law suit? News from the PI?”

Griffin shook his head. “Lawyer wants me to settle, buy him off for a couple mil. Problem is, once we make that offer, he could nail us pretty solid.”

“How solid?” She asked.

“Rock solid. The worst of it is what it’s going to do to the company’s rep.”

Lorraine washed down a mouthful of mashed potatoes with a sip of chardonnay. “The PEEC project was a big hit.”

“And a big expense. Our partners know that, especially overseas.” Another long, sad silence twisted around the table like a ghost of something not yet born. “How’s it going at the department?”

“It’s pretty terrible, I gotta admit. They just don’t like me, they haven’t from the start.”

“You think they’re jealous?”

“Jealous, threatened, you name it.”

Ashe interjected, “Then all the sudden my play gets cancelled?”

Both Lorraine and Griffin turned to Ashe, neither with a very amused expression. Griffin said, “What’s on your mind, son?”

“She has trouble at work and then my play got cancelled.”

Lorraine knew why Ashe was drawing this conclusion, but it was a hard thing to admit and impossible to know for sure. “Montego Prep is a private school, Ashe. The Education Department wouldn't have anything to do with it.” She tried to reason.

Ashe slumped, not any more convinced by the line than Lorraine was, but neither one could do or say anything about it and both of them realized it.

Griffin said sternly, “I think you owe your mother an apology.”

Ashe looked up from his slouched posture, pushing out a disgruntled, begrudging, “Sorry.”

“It’s okay, Ashe. I’m sorry about your play. You know I’d do anything I could to help.”

“Yeah,” Ashe said, “I guess.”

Griffin looked on as Kayla shrieked and shook her head, bits of chicken going flying. It was a burst of comedy relief, but it didn’t last and a sombre mood overtook the Phoenix family dining room once more.

* * *

Lorraine stormed into Casper Newkirk’s office, an angry finger pointing. “What have you done?”

He was sitting behind his desk and simply leaned back. He glanced at the little chair on the other side of his desk, his wordless invitation to sit, but Lorraine just as wordlessly declined. The office smelled of his body odor and fading cologne. It wasn’t fading fast enough. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, Mrs. Phoenix.”

“My kid’s school play, it was just abruptly and mysterious cancelled.” Casper just looked up with a little shake of his head, jowls wobbling. “From out of nowhere? Please!”

“Doesn’t your son attend a private school?” He scoffed.

“That’s right.” She said with her hands on her hips, trying to maintain her cool.

“And what possible influence could the Education Department … public education, mind you, have on your son’s private school?”

“You know damn well how it works, Casper. Favors, influence, one hand washing the other. It was the same when I was working for the library system; everybody scrambling to keep their jobs, no matter what it takes.” She snorted, fuming.

“Pity for such a young and pretty woman to be so jaded,” Casper chastised. “Still, they say it’s an occupational hazard.” He stressed the word hazard and glared at Lorraine from under his brow, letting the moment and the unspoken threat land effectively.

“What was it, Casper? A friend of yours at the IRS hit them with a tax audit? Do you have some information you’re holding over somebody’s head?” She said disgruntled.

“Really, Mrs. Phoenix, if there isn’t anything else — ”

Lorraine stood stunned and stumped. She was stymied, with little in the way of any alternatives.

Only one thing occurred that would make any sense at all to either of them.

“What if I resigned?”

At least Lorraine wasn’t the only stunned individual in the room. “I beg your pardon?”

“I’m clearly not welcome here, and I don’t think I can accomplish the kinds of things I want to accomplish. Maybe this just isn’t as good fit as I thought it might be when I took the job.” She pursed her lips and folded her arms over her chest.

Casper leaned back, the springs of his chair squeaking beneath his round girth as he folded his hands over his belly. “As I said, Mrs. Phoenix, I don’t have anything to do with your son’s school — ”

“Then perhaps you could reach out to the private sector, one hand washing the other and all that.” Casper was clearly considering it, and after the lull Lorraine made her offer clear. “That play goes on as scheduled, I’ll turn in my resignation.” With that, Lorraine walked out of the office, out of the Education Department, out of Albany for what she was sure would be the last time.

* * *

Carmen Jenkins was bent forward in her chair, a standard issue blanket over her legs, fingers picking at a paper napkin, twisting it into a long, tight paper needle. The hospital recreation room was filled with the battling scents of urine and bleach, but that was not the cause of Lorraine’s creeping nausea. Other patients sat around the room, many in wheelchairs, some staring out the windows and others staggering shuffling around the big room with tiny steps and jabbering mouths saying nothing of interest to anyone.

It was painful for Lorraine to see her old friend and former boss so reduced, so mentally injured, and it hurt even worse to know that Lorraine had played some unwitting part in her breakdown. Lorraine could only hope that Carmen would recover on her own, but it seemed less and less likely. Carmen rocked a little in her chair, staring straight ahead and not making eye contact with Lorraine, despite her old friend’s best efforts.

“How dare you come here.” Carmen said in a low tone.

In a soft, gentle voice, Lorraine said, “I don't mean to upset you.”

Griffin stood behind Lorraine, who sat next to Carmen. “We need to know how much you know about these people, Carmen,” Griffin said, gentle but firm. “How much do you know about Albert’s death?”

“They killed Albert,” Carmen spat out, eyes wide.

“Who did?” Lorraine asked gently aware of the fragility of the situation.

“The school board, Lorraine! How can you doubt that?” Carmen blurted out with a fiery passion.

“They never did find any proof,” Griffin said in a calm, cautionary tone.

“Of course not,” Carmen said. “I thought they said you were smart.”

“Do you know Casper Newkirk?” Lorraine asked eyes fixated on Carmen.

“That’s him,” Carmen said, “that’s the man we met in New York. He didn’t want you to have your learning centers, he offered Albert a lot of money to stop you. And Albert tried, he warned you. We all warned you.” Carmen started rocking a bit more in her little chair, staring off. “Now you’ll see, now you’ll see what they can do.” She stuttered.

Lorraine and Griffin exchanged a worried look.

Ten minutes later, walking out of the hospital, Lorraine and Griffin could only look around, shaking their heads. Lorraine asked, “What do you think?”

“She’s out of her mind, Lorraine.”

“Griffin — ” Lorraine interjected.

“I don’t mean to be cruel, Lorraine, of course not. I like Carmen, always have, and I wish her the best. But, there’s nothing about what she says that makes any sense at all.”

“No? It is a lot of money, Grif. People have done a lot worse for a lot less.” Lorraine pointed out.

Griffin sighed as they walked on. “If it is true, there’s not going to be much we can do about it. I mean, we can’t take Carmen’s theory to any court, lawyer, PI in the business, they’d laugh us out of their offices and rightly so.”

“But they could have killed Albert — ” Lorraine said overwhelmed, her eyes starting to water.

“There was an investigation, Lo’. They didn’t find a thing.”

“And that doesn’t mean a thing.” She said.

“It does when it all shakes out, Lorraine. Look, I love how you go after the fat cats, defending the little guy. You’re a champion, a warrior, and I thank God everyday that you’re my wife.”

Lorraine wanted to enjoy the flattery. “Um, what are you buttering me up for, Grif?”

“I really don’t know, Lorraine. If you wanna keep fighting, you know I’ll be right there with you. I may not have any money, but I’ll be there.”

She nodded, knowing that the possibility was as real as it had ever been. “Maybe Jeremy’s right and I should just quit, even if they can’t straighten things out with Ashe’s play. Maybe they really didn’t have anything to do with it.”

“Maybe,” Griffin said.

“That sounds like a yes to me.”

“Really? It sounded like a maybe to me. You've already admitted that working in the department isn’t going to give you the kind of opportunities to help the kids the way you really want to.”

“But my petition, it’s getting more signatures all the time.” She said trying to sound convincing.

“Then we’ll pursue that on our own, Lorraine. They can’t stop you, and once you’re out from under their shadow, they’re not going to bother with you at all. And honestly, I just don’t think the school board operates that way, having people murdered.”

“What about the pro sports leagues? They beat each other half to death, and that’s just part of the show!”

Griffin spat out an amused huff, but Lorraine couldn’t share his chuckle. “If you feel that way, maybe we should pull that petition.”

“And quit, just run away? No, Griffin, no, then they win … ”

“And you lose?”

“The kids lose, Griffin.” She said firmly.

Griffin hadn’t been the only person to suggest that Lorraine was succumbing to selfishness, to ego, to some personal demon that had already cost lives and could yet cost even more.