Where There's Smoke

She broke off when the door behind her opened. All eyes swung to it, astonishment registering on every face. Lara swiveled around. Darcy Winston had entered the conference room. Accompanying her was Jody Tackett.

Lara almost recoiled from the malice in Darcy’s eyes when she looked at her. She also had an air of complacency, although she wasn’t actually smiling. Jody didn’t even deign to glance in Lara’s direction.

Hastily the seven board members came to their feet. Only Fergus spoke. He addressed his wife by name, but his eyes were fixed on Jody Tackett.

“What are you doing here, Darcy? This is a closed session.”

“Not anymore.” Jody still looked unwell, but her voice was strong enough to penetrate matter.

“She insisted on coming,” Darcy explained. Fergus finally tore his baleful stare from Jody and looked at his wife. “I’m sorry, Fergus. I know you asked me not to discuss the items on the school board’s agenda until they were ready to be made public, but I felt so strongly about this particular issue that I had to do something.”

Lara rose from her seat. “I presently have the floor, Mrs. Winston. If you want to address the school board, I suggest you go through the proper channels and petition for an audience the way I did. Or aren’t the rules the same for everyone?” She turned and looked pointedly at Fergus.

He had been glaring at Jody Tackett as though she were poison. He looked ready to strangle his wife for bringing her into a chamber where he was in charge.

“Dr. Mallory’s right,” he said. “If you and Jody have something to call to this board’s attention, do it in the proper manner. You can’t just bust in like this and interrupt a meeting.”

“Ordinarily we wouldn’t,” Darcy agreed. “But—”

“I’ll speak for myself.” Impatiently Jody approached the conference table. When she was certain she had the undivided attention of each board member, she asked bluntly, “Have y’all lost your senses?”

Eyes were averted. No one spoke. Finally Fergus stiffly invited her to take a chair.

“I’d rather stand.”

“Suit yourself.”

“I always have.”

The animosity between them was palpable. The others seemed embarrassed by it and looked away, but Lara didn’t let the awkwardness prevent her from speaking. “Mr. Winston, I insist that the board extend me the courtesy of concluding our meeting.”

She was patently ignored.

Jody turned to Reverend Massey, pastor of a local church. “I can’t understand you, preacher. Every Sunday you preach against fornication. Yet you’re thinking of letting an adulteress talk to our young people about sex?” She sniffed with incredulity and disdain. “Makes me wonder why I’m giving my tithe to your church.”

He smiled sickly. “We haven’t reached a decision, Jody. We’ve merely listened to Dr. Mallory’s proposal. Rest assured that she’s not advocating sin.”

“Is that right?” Jody looked toward Darcy. “Tell him what you told me.”

She stepped forward, making certain to stand directly beneath the overhead light like an old pro of the boards locating center stage. In a rushed, breathless voice she said, “I took Heather in for a checkup a few weeks ago. Afterward, she told me that Dr. Mallory urged her to start having condoms handy whenever she went on a date.”

“That’s not what I said!” Lara cried. “I warned Heather about being sexually active without using condoms. Obviously what I told her was misconstrued. Either she didn’t fully grasp my meaning, or Mrs. Winston is rearranging the words to suit her purpose here.”

“I’m doing no such thing,” Darcy shot back. Then, to the board, “Not only that, she told Heather to tell all her friends the same thing. Now if that’s not goading teenagers to fool around, I don’t know what is. All they need is the power of suggestion and they run with it. You know how kids are. Telling them to take rubbers on their dates is like handing them a license to… you know.” Chastely she lowered her eyes.

Lara wanted to retaliate, to tell them that Darcy had brought Heather to her specifically to get a prescription for birth control pills. But she couldn’t do so without violating patient confidentiality. The secret smile Darcy flashed her indicated that she was well aware of that.

“I cautioned Heather about promiscuity and a multiplicity of partners,” she admitted. “I suggested she share the information with her friends. I in no way advocated sexual misconduct.”

“Even though you’re an expert on the subject?”

“Darcy, please,” Fergus said with a soft groan. “Let’s keep personalities out of this. Our focus here should be on the young people of our community.”

“Amen,” the reverend intoned. “Frankly, I have misgivings about holding such open discussions on human sexuality. Our youth have enough temptations to withstand as it is. Their minds are fertile. We should plant seeds that would yield strong spiritual fibers, not doubts and confusion over the devil’s handiwork.”

“Save the sermons for Sunday, preacher,” Jody said. “But I’m glad to know I can count on your vote against this idea.”

/> Her gaze moved down the long table, pausing on each member of the board. She looked straight through Lara as though she weren’t there.