Spilled Blood by Brian Freeman Page A

detectors,’ he told the principal.
    Valma nodded. ‘Sad, isn’t it? I resisted for months, but the weapons problem was getting out of hand. We had knife fights. Students were bringing guns. I can’t keep the feud out of the school, but I can try to keep them safe while they’re here.’ She pointed at the freshly painted lockers. ‘We keep running to stay ahead of the graffiti. We no longer assign individual lockers, because too many were being vandalized.’
    ‘Hannah says it’s like gang violence.’
    ‘She’s right. Gangs give kids who have no future a sense of purpose, and that’s what the feud does here. It’s not about the cancer cluster or the litigation anymore. It’s about hatred, which has become the defining theme for the children in both towns.’
    ‘So how do you stop it?’
    ‘If I knew, we would have done it months ago.’ The principal shook her head. ‘I thought that Ashlynn’s death would be a shock to everyone’s senses. I hoped the kids would see that it’s gone too far. That doesn’t seem to be true. If anything, passions are even more inflamed.’
    She led him into the school cafeteria, which was mostly empty in advance of the lunch crowd. White-uniformed workers cooked over hot grills behind the counters. The smell of burnt oil was pungent. He saw another security guard near the door.
    ‘Coffee?’ Valma asked.
    ‘Please.’
    The principal poured two cups from a silver urn, and they sat across from each other at one of the long cafeteria tables. Her strong fingers curled around the foam cup, and her nails were painted red.
    ‘Have you been principal here for long?’ Chris asked.
    Valma waited as steam curled out of her coffee. She blew on it, making an “o” with her lips. ‘Two years.’
    ‘Are you a native to the area?’
    ‘Do I look like a native?’ she asked.
    ‘Not really.’
    ‘No,’ she agreed. ‘My husband got a job here, and I came with him. I’ve been in education my whole career, but I never imagined my experiences in the St. Louis schools would be quite as useful as they’ve turned out to be.’
    ‘What does your husband do?’
    The principal hesitated. ‘George is a research scientist at Mondamin.’
    ‘What does he research?’
    ‘I could tell you,’ she said with a smile.
    ‘But then you’d have to kill me?’
    ‘Right.’ She added, ‘Seriously, Mr. Hawk, the employees all sign nondisclosure agreements. They don’t talk to anyone.’
    ‘It sounds like the company has something to hide.’
    ‘They do. It’s called intellectual property.’
    Like anyone with a spouse in a secretive profession, Maxine Valma had mastered the art of politely saying nothing. ‘Does it cause problems for you at school, having a husband who works at Mondamin?’ he asked. ‘Students from St. Croix must see you as the enemy.’
    ‘Your daughter certainly did.’
    ‘Olivia?’
    ‘Yes, I worked hard to convince her that I was scrupulously neutral, but I’m not sure she believed me.’
    ‘This is an odd question,’ he said, ‘but what can you tell me about Olivia? We talk a lot, but it’s not the same when you don’t see each other every day. She’s changed. I need to get to know her all over again.’
    Valma smiled with sincere warmth. ‘Olivia is smart. She’s booksmart, yes, but she’s people-smart, too, which is relatively rare for teenagers. She’s a natural leader. Outspoken. Passionate. Sometimes reckless.’
    ‘That’s her mother,’ he said.
    ‘I know. Hannah and I are good friends, despite what my husband does. The women’s center she runs is invaluable in this region. It’s a resource for children and adults who face some truly desperate situations. She is an angel, Mr. Hawk, or at least that’s how we feel about her.’
    Chris said nothing. Hannah was an angel, but she’d flown away from him, leaving a hole in his heart. ‘What else can you tell me about my daughter?’
    ‘I’m afraid you can be smart and still be naïve. Olivia