‘It’s a conspiracy. I’m telling you, Andy. They deliberately had Hammer inherit Fling to fuck her.’
‘I don’t know,’ Brazil said as he opened one of the front doors for her and they entered the commons. ‘The former chief had him for three years.’
‘The former chief also got fired for incompetence.’
‘Ah.’ Brazil spied a pretty young teacher walking with one of her students. ‘Excuse me,’ Brazil said to her with a smile. ‘We’re trying to find the auditorium. I’m Officer Brazil and this is Deputy Chief West.’
‘Of course,’ Mrs. Grannis answered with enthusiasm. ‘You’re exactly who we’re on our way to see. I’m Mrs. Grannis and this is Weed. You can just follow us. It’s just straight ahead. I’m sure everybody else is already seated and waiting with great anticipation.’
‘What’cha say?’ Brazil said to Weed.
‘Nothing,’ Weed said.
‘Ah come on,’ West said. ‘I hear they teach a lot more than nothing here.’
‘Weed’s our star artist,’ Mrs. Grannis said proudly, patting Weed’s shoulder.
He moved away from her, his lower lip protruding in a combination of hostility and near-tears.
‘That’s cool,’ Brazil said, shortening his long strides. ‘What kind of art, man?’
‘Whatever kind I want,’ Weed said.
‘Oh yeah?’ Brazil said. ‘You do sculpture?’
‘Yeah.’
‘How about pen and ink?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Watercolors?’
‘Going to.’
‘Papier-mache?’
‘Easy.’
‘Impressionism. You like Cezanne? “Le Chateau Noir”?’
‘Huh?’ Weed looked up at Brazil. ‘Say what?’
‘Cezanne. He’s one of my favorites. Go look him up.’
‘Where’s he live?’
‘He doesn’t anymore.’
Weed frowned, following the two cops and Mrs. Grannis into the auditorium. It was full, students turning around in their seats, wondering what Mrs. Grannis and Weed were doing with the two important guests. Weed held his head up, walking cool in his baggy look of the day. He and Mrs. Grannis slipped into the second row, near other teachers. Brazil and West made their way onto the stage and sat in chairs on the dais, spotlights on them. West tapped her microphone and it thudded loudly.
‘Can everybody hear?’ she asked.
‘Yes,’ voices returned.
‘All the way in the back?’
‘Yes.’
‘Where’s your gun?’
Laughter started rolling through the rows.
‘We’ll start with that,’ West said, her voice booming. ‘What’s all this crap about guns? Yeah, sure, I’ve got one on.’
‘What kind?’
‘The kind I don’t like,’ she answered. ‘Because I don’t like any gun. I don’t even like being a cop, and you know why? Because I wish we didn’t need guns or cops.’
She and Brazil talked for about twenty minutes.
Afterward the principal, Mrs. Lilly, made her way up to the front of the auditorium as the applause continued. Brazil bent down and handed Mrs. Lilly the microphone. She squinted in the glaring lights and announced there was time to take a few questions.
Smoke had returned to school after a quick stop at Sears, where he had shoplifted ten garage remote controls. He stood up from an aisle seat on the tenth row.
‘I was wondering,’ he spoke loudly and sincerely, ‘if you think some kids are born bad.’
‘I think some are,’ the lady cop answered bluntly.
‘I’d like to believe that’s not true,’ Mrs. Lilly piped up.
‘We’d all like to believe it’s not true,’ the blond uniformed cop said. ‘But I think what’s important is that at the end of the day, people make choices. Nobody makes you cheat on that test or steal that car or beat somebody up.’
Smoke continued to stand in the darkness, listening attentively, his expression innocent and thoughtful. He wasn’t finished yet.
‘But what do you do if someone’s really bad and nothing’s going to change him?’ he asked in a loud, sure voice.
‘Lock him up.’ The lady cop meant it.
Laughter.
‘About all you can do is protect society from people like that,’ the blond cop added.
‘Isn’t it true though that genetically bad people are usually smarter and harder to catch?’ Smoke asked.
‘Depends on who’s trying to catch them.’ The blond cop was a little cocky.
Laughter swelled as the bell rang. Smoke slipped out of the auditorium first, through a side door, heading straight for the parking lot. A cold smile played on his lips as he envisioned the blond cop and his sidekick with the big tits and imagined himself in direct combat with them. The thought aroused him.