“What about his clients?” I asked.
I wasn’t sure how it worked. He was in charge of the Entertainment Division at Rigby, Thompson and Associates, and I’d gotten him several clients. I didn’t want them to fall into the wrong hands.
“I don’t know the details,” she admitted.
Guess I’d have to have Caryn find out. I was sure Tracy was worried she might have to move.
“Your dad’s gonna let you stay here to finish high school, isn’t he?” I asked.
“I don’t know.”
“Look, I know how important Pam is to you. I promise you that you won’t have to move away, even if I have to have you move in with me.”
“It’s not just Pam. I need you as a friend, too,” Tracy reminded me.
The last two days were just full of revelations for me. Tracy had somehow become my best friend. With Alan and Tami out of the picture, Tracy looked out for me. In some mysterious way, after my freshman year and the disaster with the two of us, we’d built a friendship. She never pushed me but was always there for me. When did that happen?
I pulled her into a hug.
“I need you as a friend, too. If you want me to talk to your mom and dad, let me know. I can’t see your dad not looking out for you. If he gets out of hand, I can always marry your mom,” I suggested.
“The funny thing is, she might do it,” Tracy said with a smile.
“You okay for now?” I asked.
“Yes, thanks.”
“Pam and I are here for you. You know, I’ve never thanked you for your help when she found out she was pregnant. Your friendship meant a lot to me when we were going through everything with Cal. I was confident she’d be okay if you were in her life. It gave me the strength to face what happened, knowing Pam would be okay.”
“I know you told me in LA not to worry about my dad getting a job out of the area. I guess I just needed to hear you say it again. If I thought we could be more than friends, I might come after you,” she teased.
“Why mess up a good friendship?”
She nodded sadly.
“I agree. We make better friends.”
I put my arm around her waist, and we found Pam at the front door.
“You okay?” she asked.
“I’m fine, thanks for asking,” I teased.
“Yes, I just needed our David to reassure me,” Tracy said.
When did I become our David? The bell rang, and I didn’t get to find out.
◊◊◊
During PE, I was called to the office. I tried to think of what I’d done, and nothing came to mind. I found Mr. Palm, our vice principal, waiting for me.
“We’ve received several press requests to talk to you,” he said.
My phone buzzed. It was a text from Frank Ingram to call him ASAP.
“I need to call my publicist,” I said, and Mr. Palm just nodded.
“What’s up?” I asked when Frank came on the line.
“The Chicago Police announced that it was the picture of you and the girl taken at the governor’s rally that was the trigger for her brother to kill her. Robert Newman has made accusations that the governor is soft on terrorism. He also said that you are partly responsible for her death.”
“Is he on drugs?” I asked.
Frank burst out laughing.
“Please don’t say that publicly. Mr. Newman is one of the new-school politicians who think they can say anything and get away with it. Believe me, if he had to face you, he’d be a complete wuss.”
I was glad Frank thought this was funny; that made one of us. I felt guilty enough, and now some ass-hat was spewing his foul opinions without regard as to whom he hurt. Frank had one thing right: if we were face-to-face, I would dare Mr. Newman to repeat himself.
“I’ve been told that the press has called the school to get me to make a comment.”
“Ignore them for now. Give me a couple of hours to do some digging and to craft a response. Do you have a contact number for the governor?”
Max had given us his cell. I gave that to Frank and hung up.
“My publicist said to hold off on the interviews. If you want to give out his number to get them off your back, here it is,” I said. I pulled out one of Frank’s cards and gave it to Mr. Palm.
It wasn’t his direct line, but his people would know what to do. I needed the people at the high school to help me and didn’t want to piss them off by having to play secretary for me.
◊◊◊
In Art Appreciation, Zoe pointed to the chair next to her.
“I hear I get to plan our date.”
“I was just thinking of something where we could spend time together and talk,” I said.
“Could we go dancing? Pam said that if we got to the Thunderbird early and ate, we could stay and dance.”
The last time I’d gone there, Pam had frozen up when the frat boy hit on her. But the time before had been fun. It sounded like a plan.
“Would it be okay if others showed up?” Zoe asked.
I blinked a few times. Didn’t she want to go on a date with me?
“My mom won’t let me go on a date with just a guy. It either has to be a group thing or a double date,” she explained.
It finally sunk in. I was surprisingly okay with that because I understood that Zoe grew up in a religious family. I liked her parents and would abide by their rules. During class, I asked about our first date, and she admitted she told a little white lie that Brook and Halle would be there. I then asked about horseback riding and the car rides we took; we did those alone, how were those different? She explained that we never really left the area, meaning we never drove past the park that was the entrance to their community.
I told her to call my brother. He knew people who worked at the Thunderbird and would help arrange things. I hoped he and Angie could show up. It had been a while since I’d gone out to have fun with him.
◊◊◊
Frank sent me a text to call him when I got a chance.
“I prepared a press release on your behalf and called Caryn, and she shared it with your dad. It just basically says how dismayed you are that the honor killing happened based on an innocent encounter with the girl. Then I added that your prayers and sympathy went out to her family and friends.
“I needed to get it out so the east coast media could make their deadlines,” Frank explained.
He’d sent it out without my approval. I wasn’t sure if I was happy about that, but I was okay with what he’d said. I would talk to Dad and Caryn about it. Between the three of us, we’d figure out how it should be handled in the future. There was no use complaining about it now.
“I don’t have to do an interview?”
“No, but Governor Higgins has asked that you attend a Town Hall meeting on Saturday. He invited you to bring the Davis family as well, as his guests. I’ll create some talking points in case you get pulled into the discussion.”
“What’s the purpose of the meeting?” I asked.
“To discuss the security of the state, and to counter the wild accusations Mr. Newman’s making,” he said.
“Tell me he’ll be there,” I said, getting excited.
“No, it’s not a debate.”
“I never said I wanted to debate him. How could he say the governor or I should have foreseen the death of that poor girl? I don’t understand. I wonder if he would foresee me putting him on his ass,” I said.
“Remind me to never piss you off,” Frank said.
“Never piss me off,” I shot back.
“Jerk.”
“Say that to my face,” I teased.
“Take your ball and go home. I’m not playing today,” he laughed.
“Fine, I’ll talk to you later.”
◊◊◊
It was pleasant out, so I talked Jim into hitting me some fly balls outside. I finally got to try out my new cleats and glove. I was still breaking my glove in. Jim took delight in making me run all over the outfield. Johan had joined us just to shoot the shit and goof off. He caught the balls I threw back in.