Read Online Deception: An Alex Delaware Novel by Jonathan Kellerman - Free Book Online Page A

Helfgott told me he doesn't get involved in faculty matters, so you'd be the person to ask."
    "I can tell you about Elise's lesson plans but I'm sure that's not going to help you."
    "Was she happy at Prep?"
    "Of course."
    "Of course?"
    "Why wouldn't she be happy?" Smiling suddenly, jarringly. "As to her private life, that's a matter about which I have no information."
    "No socializing with the help, huh?"
    Rollins fingered the frothy blouse. "My knowledge of Elise is limited to the hours she worked at Prep. She was a diligent substitute teacher, unfailingly responsible."
    "That's why you gave her a standing contract, whether or not she worked."
    "We felt it was the best way to provide her a sense of security. Teaching, as I'm sure you're aware, is not a lucrative profession."
    "Dr. Helfgott said you pay better than anyone."
    "We certainly do. Even so, the life of a substitute is unpredictable and many people need to supplement. Which is how Elise came to our attention. She'd tutored several of our students, had produced excellent results."
    "Raising SAT scores."
    "Doing what was necessary."
    "Meaning?"
    "Correcting deficits and aiming people in the proper direction. Now, if you don't mind--"
    "Who owns this house, Dr. Rollins?"
    She licked her lips. "I do. More precisely, I own half."
    "Divorce?"
    Another abrupt smile. "Ergo the sale."
    Another ergo. I wondered if the school offered a Latin course.
    "Sorry," said Milo.
    "Don't be, it's in everyone's best interest. My ex and I have both moved on. Literally and figuratively."
    "Got yourself a nice condo?"
    Mary Jane Rollins's mouth tightened. "My living circumstances are relevant?"
    "My bad, Doctor. Sorry."
    "As a matter of fact, I've acquired a condominium much more suitable to my current circumstances, leaving my ex to contend with his dogs, his fish, his children, and all the hideous furniture he brought with him from his previous marriage. Now, if you don't mind, I'll--"
    "Doctor, did Elise Freeman have any conflict with anyone at Prep?"
    "Not that I know of and certainly not with the three people you'll be interrogating shortly."
    "We don't interrogate, ma'am, we interview."
    "I stand corrected."
    Milo said, "What about dissatisfied customers? Parents or students who didn't like her results."
    Rollins tugged at her ruffles. "Lieutenant, you can't seriously be suggesting someone did harm to Elise because their SAT scores were below expectation."
    "Impossible."
    "Beyond impossible."
    "Hmm--let's be hypothetical for a moment, Dr. Rollins. Say there's a student, ambitious, reasonably smart, comes from a long line of Ivy alums--say Harvard. His dad, granddad, bunch of great-granddads went to Harvard, say all the way back to... John Adams. One of those whatchamacallits..."
    "Legacies," said Rollins.
    "Exactly, a serious legacy. Maybe some of those ancestors weren't even that bright, back then places like Harvard were repositories for rich white boys. Unfortunately for our bright-but-no-genius applicant, now you've got to be super-smart. Like another student at the same prep school. I'm talking certified genius."
    "Lieutenant, we send far more than two alums a year to Harvard--"
    "Granted, but not everyone gets in, right? Even from a great place like Prep."
    Silence.
    Milo said, "So on top of the national competition, there's competition among your students. Okay, so what if the morning of the SAT, that legacy kid, smart but not as smart as the other kid, happens to find himself with access to an unpleasant chemical and the genius's can of soft drink is all by itself."
    "This is absurd, Lieutenant."
    "Is it? That's exactly what happened a few years ago at an elite East Coast school. The victim didn't die but he was sick for a long time."
    Mary Jane Rollins's hand flew to pale lips. "I don't know where you learn these things, I've certainly never heard of this. And regardless, a Prep alum would never stoop to something so utterly... criminally repellent."
    "I'm sure you're right,