Chapter 46

6 p.m. Wednesday

Rico, Tomas and Andy pulled up to the Pena house in Andy's car.

"He's a big kid," Andy remarked. "I'd say maybe six-six. But he's thin and he's a pussy. He'll probably try to run as soon as he sees us out front but his father is going to keep him in the room – or Paul is going to tackle him. One or the other. Elizabeth dates a guy named Paul Manley and he does not like Chuck in the slightest."

"I know Paul," Rico said.

Andy turned to face him in the passenger seat.

"We're the same age," Rico explained. "We went to middle school together. We actually had a few classes together until I dropped out in 10th grade."

"Huh," Andy said. "Well, then you know how he is."

"He is one of the few whites that always treated me with dignity," Rico said as they got out of the car. "I think, in many ways, he is like you. It will be good to see him again."

Rico and Tomas wore white tank tops, blue jeans and boots. They had blue bandanas rolled up and wrapped around their short, black hair. Andy figured doors were locking all over the neighborhood when they stepped onto the sidewalk.

Elizabeth opened the door before Andy could ring the buzzer. Paul was close by her side.

"Rico!" he said, smiling. "Man, I wondered when she said your name if she meant you. It's good to see you."

Rico clasped Paul's hand and Paul pulled him into a quick man embrace – two pats on the shoulder without their bodies touching. He offered his hand to Tomas, who looked at it for a moment before shaking it.

"Thanks for looking after Elizabeth yesterday," Paul said. "If she's going to get into shit like that, it's good to know she has someone like you with her."

"You're welcome," Tomas said.

"Come on inside," Elizabeth said with a feral smile.

Rico gestured for Andy to lead the way. He figured having two gangbangers come in last and blocking the exit would be a better visual effect – and he was right.

"Andy invited a couple of friends," Elizabeth said brightly. "Dad, this is Tomas – the guy who dropped me off at the high school yesterday – and Rico. He's Lupe's..."

She looked at Rico to finish the sentence.

"Half brother," Rico answered, his gaze moving to the tall boy sitting on the couch. Rico's dead-eyed stare caused Chuck's dark skin to pale noticeably. "Thank you, Dr. Pena, for agreeing to look after my sister for a few weeks."

Miguel Pena had come to the United States from Puerto Rico with his parents in the 1970s. His father had been a carpenter and his mother, a schoolteacher. He had grown up in a nice, middle-class neighborhood and had attended Roosevelt High School before heading off to college and dentistry school. He knew next to nothing about the inner city. Now he wondered how much of what he saw in front of him was an act and how much was real. He suspected that much of it was genuine.

"We are glad to help," Dr. Pena said. "We're extremely sorry that our daughter had a hand in necessitating the move."

"She was doing as she thought best," Rico said with a shrug. "There is no sin in trying to help – regardless of the outcome. I accept that so we wish no ill-will. We will save that for those who do as they wish without regard to others' feelings on the matter."

Dr. Pena noticed that Rico – and Tomas, Andy and Paul – were staring directly at his 17-year-old son.

"I've known Rico since we started to middle school," Paul said in a serious voice. "He's a man of his word. If someone were to intentionally harm the girl, things would go bad in a hurry for that person. I think it goes without saying that Tomas, Andy and I would be right beside him in dispensing justice – should the need arise. I doubt seriously if the person would survive the encounter."

"Oh, he would survive," Rico said in a tight, dangerous tone. "I would ensure that he would be able to remember his transgression and the consequences it produced. It would be more a matter of him being unable to, say, use his legs again. But he would survive it."

"Uh," Dr. Pena stammered, looking toward his son. Chuck was sitting with his mouth open as four sets of angry eyes bore into him. "That's good to know. Please be sure that my family will do all in its power to protect and nurture Lupe while she is here."

Rico turned to look at Elizabeth's father and, just like that, his grim face changed.

"If she were to turn out exactly like your daughter has, I do not think she could do better, Dr. Pena," Rico said. "I've known Andy for two years and he speaks highly of Elizabeth. As Paul said, we've known each other a little since we were boys. I do not know of any other man I might choose to date my daughter if I were you. Please know that because of the kindness your family has shown, if any of you should need anything, I will help if I can."

"So long as nobody in the household causes Lupe problems," Mariel Pena said. She was the lone person in the room still glaring at her son. "Chuck, do you understand what is meant here?"

The kid on the couch took in the angry faces around him – which now included his father's. For the first time in his life, he understood that there wasn't a single person in the room that wouldn't break him in half if he screwed up.

"I won't cause her problems," Chuck said. His voice, usually loud and boisterous, came out as a squeak.

"That's all we need to know," Rico said.

"Would you like to see Lupe's room?" Elizabeth asked. "It's upstairs across from mine. Chuck has moved his things down here."

She gestured vaguely to a closed door off the living room.

"The room still needs a good cleaning to get out the teenage boy funk but I'm going to do that after school tomorrow," Elizabeth said. "I should have it ready for her by tomorrow night if that's when you want her to come over."

"She can move in now if time is of the essence," Mariel stated. "I will put Chuck, Elizabeth and Paul to work with a mop and broom this instant if you think she should come tonight."

"She is fine where she is for now, Mrs. Pena," Rico said. "Your offer is most appreciated. She said she was safe with Mrs. Lopez today – and she found the lessons more interesting that at her normal school. I believe that she will feel safe here. That is all I wish for her – a safe place to learn and grow."

"Let's go upstairs," Elizabeth said. She led the way with Paul behind her – much to the disappointment of the trio of boys who brought up the rear (because Paul's shoulders hid Elizabeth's rear from their view).

Andy was last and he heard Miguel Pena turn on his son when Rico and Tomas were through the door.

"I will bust your head, boy, if you bring trouble to this house," he said.

"And I will not lift a finger to stop him," Mariel added. "You will behave and treat that girl with respect. Do you understand me?"

"Yeah," Chuck muttered. Andy stopped to hear the rest of the conversation.

"Yeah is not good enough," Miguel stated. "I have heard rumors of your behavior toward women. You certainly didn't learn that from me. I would be long dead if I treated your mother the way you treat your girlfriends. Well, Mister, that ceases right this instant. One more rumor reaches my ears and I'm going to let Paul beat your ass likes he's wanted to do since he met you. Am I clear?"

"Yes, Dad," Chuck said glumly.

Andy walked up the remaining stairs with a smile. Suddenly, missing Elizabeth's bottom in loose shorts didn't bother him very much. After all, he'd see it in something much tighter in the morning – if history was any indicator.

Robert and Rita followed a small boxy car into the Clairborne Benedict parking lot. The bright orange vehicle continued through to the private lot and the Rileys pulled in to the almost vacant visitors' lot.

The occupant of the orange car made no attempt to leave her vehicle so Rita suspected it was her daughter's instructor – who wouldn't want to risk a confrontation in public.

"You know, six months ago, I would have believed this if someone from here called," Robert said as they walked up to the administration building.

"No, you wouldn't have," Rita countered. "Yeah, Regan was a goof off who thought she could do exactly as she pleased. We caused that attitude. But she wouldn't cheat. She didn't care enough about anything to take a shortcut to success."

"True," Robert said tightly.

"That is the past and this is now," Rita said. "Now, where we are today, we know she didn't cheat because she wouldn't want to embarrass herself or Andy."

"Or us," Robert added. "I've been thinking about what that woman said. Truly, I wonder if that isn't what this is all about. We steamrolled the headmistress a few weeks ago. She wanted Regan out and we went over her head. That has to sting someone as haughty as Gwen DuMont."

"If she's trying to use Regan as a pawn, I won't settle for simply getting her fired," Rita hissed. "I'll see her working as a fry cook for the rest of her life. In fact, I might see if she wants the job Andy's mother just left."

"I wonder if Regan called Andy?" Robert asked.

"Did you see him in the parking lot?" Rita replied with a smile. "Because if she called him, he would drop whatever he's doing and he'd have beaten us here. We would have walked in on him telling Gwendolyn DuMont exactly what he thinks of this shrine to her ego."

"I wouldn't mind seeing that," Robert admitted.

"You didn't mind seeing it when he was telling me that!" Rita answered, shaking her head. "Well, you're going to get your wish – because I am not going to play nice with this old bitch. Are you OK with that?"

"Handle it however you think best," Robert replied after a moment of thought. "This is your area of expertise. I'm the facilitator and you're the ball breaker."

"You just remember you said that when I have your balls in my hands later tonight," Rita answered, nudging him with her hip. "You know confrontation always gets me excited."

The Rileys stopped just down the hall from the headmistress' inner sanctum. Rita dialed the board president again.

"I want you on the line," she said. "I don't want a single thing I say to be misunderstood or misstated."

"Certainly, Mrs. Riley," Emmaunel Milhouse III stated. "But I'm certain the instructor would not make such an accusation without cause."

"If it were the instructor making the accusation, I might believe you," Rita responded. "She ran away and hid. The headmistress waited until after business hours to pull Regan into her office. Our daughter has offered to retake the exam while Ms. DuMont watched. Quite frankly, the reason my daughter fell under suspicion is bogus. I'm not one of these people who think their daughter is perfect. I know full well who and what my daughter is. If the headmistress had presented anything more than supposition and innuendo, we wouldn't be having this conversation. But that's all the proof she's got and my daughter is not going to be suspended from school because some hateful old woman doesn't like me. Am I understood?"

"Perfectly," Milhouse said. "When will you arrive?"

"In about 10 seconds," Rita said, putting on her most aggressive face and marching forward. She didn't knock on the door but stormed right it, Robert trailing in her wake. At least, he thought, she didn't make me hold her purse.

"What in seven hells is going on here?" Rita demanded loudly. "You drag my child in here, make wild accusations and threaten to suspend her when she calls her legal guardians? This isn't Nazi Germany, you silly cow."

"These are serious accusations," Gwendolyn DuMont countered. She was doing her best to maintain her bluster but she wondered if Rita Riley was about to climb over the desk and throttle her.

"They're ludicrous accusations," Rita rebutted. "And they can be refuted in 30 minutes if you get your head out of your ass. Now where is the woman who claimed my daughter cheated on an exam? I expressly told you I expected to see her when I got here."

"She is on her way," DuMont said. "You must understand, this is her personal time. I cannot demand she return to campus."

"Then you should have handled this during her professional time," Robert cut in. "The fact that you waited until after 5 p.m. is reason enough for us to believe that you know as well as we do that you're spouting bullshit."