Killing the Blues - Michael Brandman [38]
Jesse looked at one of the other girls.
“Tell me your name,” he said.
“Shauna Hatt,” the girl said.
“Did Lisa ever do anything to you, Shauna,” Jesse said.
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know,” Jesse said.
“She was a jerk.”
“That’s why you ganged up on her?”
“She acted like a retard,” Bonnie Wilder said.
“She didn’t have a mother,” Shauna said.
“It felt good to beat her up,” Julie said. “She was so pathetic.”
“Let me get this straight,” Jesse said. “Lisa was friendless. You thought she was pathetic. You knew her mother was dead, yet instead of showing compassion, you chose to regularly kick the shit out of her. What’s wrong with this picture?”
“Well, when you put it that way . . .” Shauna said.
“You bullied and harassed this girl to the point where she was contemplating suicide. Did you know that?”
“Know what,” Julie said.
“That she planned to kill herself,” Jesse said.
“She did,” Bonnie said.
“There was a case in the news recently where a group of schoolgirls, not unlike yourselves, continually harassed another girl. So unrelentingly that the girl finally committed suicide. When it came out that they had been bullying the dead girl, these girls were arrested and indicted, and stood trial for second-degree murder. They all face jail time. Their lives have been ruined. Is that what you want for yourselves?”
The girls looked at one another. A couple of them shook their heads.
“Did you ever think that there might be consequences for your behavior?”
“We were just fucking with her,” Julie said.
“She asked for it,” Lesly said.
“Do you feel any remorse for your behavior,” Jesse said.
“Why should we,” Bonnie said.
The girls all looked at each other.
“How do you think your parents will feel when they find out about this?”
“They won’t care,” Julie said.
“What happens between you and your parents is between you and them. What happens between you and me is what I’m interested in,” Jesse said. “Stop harassing Lisa Barry. And anyone else you may have been bullying. Okay? If you don’t, there will be consequences. You’ll face prosecution. You’ll face jail time. And I will personally make each of your lives hell. Do you understand me?”
The girls nodded.
“I will instruct each of you to undergo psychological counseling. It’s important that you understand what you brought upon yourselves and why.”
“Psychological counseling,” Bonnie Wilder said.
“With a proper shrink,” Jesse said.
The girls were quiet.
Jesse stood and began to walk around the table, looking directly at each of them.
“I’m going to haunt you,” he said. “One slip, one more incident, and you’ll regret it for the rest of your lives. Do I make myself clear?”
No one spoke.
“Do I make myself clear?”
Jesse stared at each girl until she answered.
“You’re going to start by apologizing to Lisa Barry. A sincere apology, too. No bullshit. You will regard her as a person. Say hello to her when it’s warranted. Treat her as you would want to be treated. Is that clear,” Jesse said.
Under Jesse’s gaze, each girl nodded again.
“Good,” Jesse said.
He walked to the door.
“Have a nice day, ladies,” he said, as he left.
On his way out, Jesse stopped by Eleanor Nelson’s office. She stood as he entered.
“Chief Stone,” she said.
“Mrs. Nelson,” Jesse said. “I want you to know that my response to what I learned yesterday has not been good.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning that I believe you violated your position and brought shame on your office.”
Mrs. Nelson looked down.
“I’m going to launch an investigation into Mr. Tauber’s behavior. If I find that he has been involved in sexual misconduct of any nature, I’ll make certain that he is prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”
Mrs. Nelson didn’t say anything.
“I want you to think of how your expressed indifference impacted the life of an already unsettled young woman,” Jesse said. “Your priorities are fucked, Mrs. Nelson, if you’ll pardon my French. The responsibility you hold for the well-being of the young people in your charge is paramount. Of greater importance than