Chapter 23

There were three consolidated schools in Warren County. Jennifer Austin had attended elementary school at Southeastern Warren. The principal greeted us with, "It is just awful about Jennifer. Do you have whoever did it in custody?"

"To be honest, we are still investigating. That's why we would like to speak with Jennifer's teacher. I did call yesterday to set up the appointment," Simpson said. The tone of his voice was almost friendly, at least for him it was. There was just a hint of 'do it or else' at the very end.

"Yes I am making Ms Smothers available. One of our staff will escort you to an empty room, where she will meet you in a few moments. Is there anything else?" Simpson was about to let her walk, when I butted into the conversation.

"Ma'am did you ever have any dealing with the family that you can remember?" I asked.

"There was some question about the child's eligibility for the free breakfast program here. The majority of our kids are eligible for it. I think it was cleared up. Just a second I'll look." She turned to her computer and I glanced at Simpson who seemed to be angry. Fuck him you can never have too much information.

"Yes, Jennifer was added after the school year started. That usually means a change in the family's income after the original enrollment period." The principal said all happy with herself that she could help.

"Why the hell did you go into all that," Simpson asked as we waited in the small room. Mrs Smothers was a little late it seemed.

"Simpson, I was taught that no fact is immaterial in an investigation. Did you know something had changed the month before this happened. Something serious enough for the county to change the child's benefits?" I asked.

"No, but it probably means nothing. We will find out though just for you," he answered.

"That's a good plan," I said that about thirty seconds before the not quite gorgeous Mrs Smothers entered the room. She was awfully well dress and made up to be an elementary school teacher. I wondered what she was up to when she wasn't babysitting children who were mostly on public assistance. Life was getting so screwed up.

"So Mrs. Smother," Simpson began after he introduced himself and then me. "Could you tell us about Jennifer Austin and her family?"

Mrs. Smothers had a warm voice. It should have been friendly but it seemed to be warm but reserved somehow. Oh yeah she was definitely up to something.

"I really know very little about Jennifer except her school life. She was a good student and well behaved," Smothers said.

"Did she ever appear with bruises, scratchers, or burns, anything like that?" Simpson asked.

"Nothing more than what could have been a play injury, which is what she said they were. She never complained of being clumsy," Smothers said. Clumsy was abused kid speak for being pushed down the stairs. Sometimes it was being jerked around by an arm. "In other words she did not seem to be physically abused."

"Were there any rumors among the kids about her," Simpson asked.

"If thee were, I never heard them," she said.

"You got any questions?" he asked me. Probably because I had forced my way into the interview with the principal.

"Just a couple, Ms Smothers did Jennifer appear to be well taken care of?" I asked.

"I'm not sure I know what you mean," she replied.

"Sure you do. I'm not going to cause you any problems for sharing information. This isn't a custody hearing. Jennifer is past that now. So were her parents taking at least average care of her." I said.

"There might have been some neglect issues. I noticed Jenny in the same outfit more than one day. Often she seemed to have been on her own the night before. That does happen in these mountain families. It's is almost tradition to let kids grow up almost wild." She looked out the window as she spoke.

"So Jenny was likely the product of neglect," Simpson said. "You saw the signs but you did nothing, doesn't that bother you?"

"Of course it bothers me. I am stretched between my job, and what I think is right. If I put the school system in jeopardy of a being sued, I'm out of a job."

She spoke to Simpson, so I got to watch her demeanor. She really was concerned about the job thing. She obviously didn't need the money from teaching, so maybe she was a dedicated teacher. I was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. "Yeah politics, its all about the politics."

"And the money," Simpson said. "School administrators will walk a hundred miles to avoid putting that federal money at risk.

That was pretty much the end of the interviews at Jenny's school. Simpson wanted to have lunch then move on to the neighbors. I had no real objections, except I was trying to fast until dinner. I considered a small salad at a fast food place and water to drink as fasting. So I watched the son of a bitch eat a Big Mac, while I ate grass clippings. My mood had not improved as the day wore on.

From the plaza by the interstate's McDonald's we drove to the crime scene. "If you want to talk to neighbors, you have to go where the neighbors are," Simpson said it as if it were a revelation from God.

We found an older couple sitting on their porch two houses north of the crime scene. "Hello there, I'm Deputy Simpson, and this is Deputy Porter. Do you folks have a minute?" Simpson asked.

"Son we are retired we have all the time in the world. Neither my wife nor I have anyplace we need to be at any certain time. In other words ask your questions." the white haired man replied.