Read Online Theodore Boone: The Scandal by John Grisham - Free Book Online
Authors: John Grisham
Tags: General, Children's Books, Action & Adventure, Juvenile Fiction, Children's eBooks, Mysteries & Detective Stories, Law & Crime, Mysteries & Detectives
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right?”
“Only you. I wouldn’t dare tell anyone. Why are you so worried, Theo? Dr. Stoop and the lawyer will probably just ignore it anyway, but what if they take it seriously? You have to agree that this needs to at least be investigated. And if they dig into it and find nothing that’ll be the end. But if the cheating really happened, and they discover it, then the letter was a good idea. Right?”
“I guess. I just don’t like the idea of accusing people without all the facts.”
“You’re such a lawyer, Theo.”
“Okay, I’m the lawyer, and you’re the client. My advice to you is to bury this and not tell a soul. Never. Got it?”
“Got it. Stop worrying.”
Theo slid the letter across the table. She said, “No, that’s your copy.”
“I don’t want it.”
Chapter 12
T wo days later, Theo bounded down the stairs with Judge at his heels and found his mother in the kitchen. She was decked out in a lovely maroon dress with matching heels, and Theo knew immediately that she was headed to court. She saved her finest attire for court and often complained that the female lawyers were expected to look sharp there while the men often looked like slobs. Theo didn’t see it that way. He spent a lot of time in courtrooms and was of the opinion that all lawyers dressed up a bit when they were appearing before judges and juries.
“I have to be in court at nine, Theo,” she said. “All day, and I’ll probably be late for dinner.”
“Sure, Mom. What’s up?”
“A divorce trial. You might want to take a look at the morning paper.” Theo was pouring Cheerios into two bowls, in equal amounts. Judge often examined his bowl before he attacked it, just to make sure he received the same amount as Theo.
She pecked him on the cheek and said, “I’m off. Do you have lunch money?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“And your homework is done.”
“All done, Mom.”
“Have a great day, Teddy, and remember to keep smiling.”
“You got it.”
“Don’t forget to lock up.”
“Sure, Mom.”
After she closed the door, Theo sat down for breakfast. He slid the newspaper over and looked at the front page. The headline read: “Questions Arise Over Testing.” He forgot about his cereal and began reading. Citing an anonymous source, the reporter wrote that city school officials were looking into rumors that some of the test scores from the East Middle School eighth grade may have been tampered with. The reporter repeated what was already known, that the eighth-grade students there had shown a remarkable improvement from the year before, so much so that some suspicions had been aroused. What was even more suspicious was the fact that the folks who ran the schools were not talking. There was another photo of Dr. Carmen Stoop, and the reporter wrote that his efforts to speak with the superintendent had been denied. The school board attorney, Mr. Robert McNile, did not return his phone calls. The reporter tried to talk to several people but no one was willing. His unnamed source was saying that Dr. Stoop and Mr. McNile had received an anonymous tip that came in the form of an unsigned letter, and that this letter was stirring up questions about the scores being “altered.”
The story had an aggressive tone to it and left no doubt that the journalist was not going away.
“Wow,” Theo mumbled to himself as his appetite vanished. He read the story again and managed to choke down a couple of bites, then he hurriedly rinsed both bowls, forgot to brush his teeth, and said good-bye to Judge. The dog was not happy because he was being left at home. Usually, he rode to the office with Mrs. Boone, but occasionally he was forced to spend the day alone. This upset him. Theo spoke to him and promised to pick him up after school.
After second period, Theo sneaked into the library, opened his laptop, and checked the local news. There was an update. At nine that morning, Dr. Stoop had issued a statement in which she said the
“Only you. I wouldn’t dare tell anyone. Why are you so worried, Theo? Dr. Stoop and the lawyer will probably just ignore it anyway, but what if they take it seriously? You have to agree that this needs to at least be investigated. And if they dig into it and find nothing that’ll be the end. But if the cheating really happened, and they discover it, then the letter was a good idea. Right?”
“I guess. I just don’t like the idea of accusing people without all the facts.”
“You’re such a lawyer, Theo.”
“Okay, I’m the lawyer, and you’re the client. My advice to you is to bury this and not tell a soul. Never. Got it?”
“Got it. Stop worrying.”
Theo slid the letter across the table. She said, “No, that’s your copy.”
“I don’t want it.”
Chapter 12
T wo days later, Theo bounded down the stairs with Judge at his heels and found his mother in the kitchen. She was decked out in a lovely maroon dress with matching heels, and Theo knew immediately that she was headed to court. She saved her finest attire for court and often complained that the female lawyers were expected to look sharp there while the men often looked like slobs. Theo didn’t see it that way. He spent a lot of time in courtrooms and was of the opinion that all lawyers dressed up a bit when they were appearing before judges and juries.
“I have to be in court at nine, Theo,” she said. “All day, and I’ll probably be late for dinner.”
“Sure, Mom. What’s up?”
“A divorce trial. You might want to take a look at the morning paper.” Theo was pouring Cheerios into two bowls, in equal amounts. Judge often examined his bowl before he attacked it, just to make sure he received the same amount as Theo.
She pecked him on the cheek and said, “I’m off. Do you have lunch money?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“And your homework is done.”
“All done, Mom.”
“Have a great day, Teddy, and remember to keep smiling.”
“You got it.”
“Don’t forget to lock up.”
“Sure, Mom.”
After she closed the door, Theo sat down for breakfast. He slid the newspaper over and looked at the front page. The headline read: “Questions Arise Over Testing.” He forgot about his cereal and began reading. Citing an anonymous source, the reporter wrote that city school officials were looking into rumors that some of the test scores from the East Middle School eighth grade may have been tampered with. The reporter repeated what was already known, that the eighth-grade students there had shown a remarkable improvement from the year before, so much so that some suspicions had been aroused. What was even more suspicious was the fact that the folks who ran the schools were not talking. There was another photo of Dr. Carmen Stoop, and the reporter wrote that his efforts to speak with the superintendent had been denied. The school board attorney, Mr. Robert McNile, did not return his phone calls. The reporter tried to talk to several people but no one was willing. His unnamed source was saying that Dr. Stoop and Mr. McNile had received an anonymous tip that came in the form of an unsigned letter, and that this letter was stirring up questions about the scores being “altered.”
The story had an aggressive tone to it and left no doubt that the journalist was not going away.
“Wow,” Theo mumbled to himself as his appetite vanished. He read the story again and managed to choke down a couple of bites, then he hurriedly rinsed both bowls, forgot to brush his teeth, and said good-bye to Judge. The dog was not happy because he was being left at home. Usually, he rode to the office with Mrs. Boone, but occasionally he was forced to spend the day alone. This upset him. Theo spoke to him and promised to pick him up after school.
After second period, Theo sneaked into the library, opened his laptop, and checked the local news. There was an update. At nine that morning, Dr. Stoop had issued a statement in which she said the
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