Page 60 of A River Red With Blood
I could almost see her finger hovering over the red button, waiting to press self-destruct on what remained of her career.The Maine Whistleblowers’ Protection Act provided safeguards for employees who reported suspected violations, and Berrien had a strong union behind her, so her pension would be secure if she shared any concerns about financial malfeasance; and this wasn’t an official exchange, so nothing she shared would have any legal consequences.But Berrien was obviously possessed of a conscience, and something had been bothering her for a while or else she would not have spoken as she had.
“You have suspicions,” I said, “but no proof.”
“That’s right.It’s a difficulty.”
“Not for me.I’m in the suspicion business.”
“I also intensely dislike the person concerned,” said Berrien, “and the feeling is reciprocated.”
I imagined that Berrien could rub a lot of people the wrong way.That might be why I was inclined to trust her: like knowslike.
“I assume your antipathy toward each other is recognized within the department,” I said.
“It is.”
“Is this person a superior?”
“No,” said Berrien.“We occupy similar levels, but only in terms of salary.On every other scale, I’d regard him as my significant inferior, and I’m no angel.”
I took out my notebook and uncapped my pen.
“Neither am I,” I said.“Gossip away.I’m all ears.”
Chapter 58
After listening to Jenny Berrien for the best part of half an hour, I reached three conclusions.The first was that she’d been wise to keep her suspicions to herself, because she was operating on little more than unease, hearsay, and personal grievance.The second was that anyone in authority wishing to audit a private educational establishment that didn’t wish to be audited had their work cut out for them.And the third was that something at the Spero School probably stank.
I closed my notebook.I’d taken down so much information that my handwriting had deteriorated badly by the end, but I could reproduce most of what I’d heard based on key words, and it wasn’t as if I’d be submitting my notes as evidence in court.Basically, Berrien’s claims amounted to collusion between the authorities at Spero and the person at the Maine Department of Education originally responsible for ensuring that the money provided to the school by the state was not being misused.
“Well?”Berrien asked.
She was standing, because she liked to walk as she talked.I’d remained seated throughout.
“It’s interesting that you’re not alleging widespread financial mismanagement or misappropriation of funds,” I said.“Your assertions involve just one person.”
“By ‘interesting’ do you mean ‘a relief’?”
“Maybe,” I said.
“Almost everyone I work with in this department cares deeply about education and the needs of the young,” said Berrien.“A lot of us could have found higher-paying jobs elsewhere, but we stayed because it allowed us to do some good—so you know, fuck Elon Musk and fuck Linda McMahon.That’s why Sperobothers me so much.If I’m right, the actions of one individual threaten to make all of us look bad, even if any wrongdoing is historical, not current.”
I could have reminded her that Scott Theriault’s death wasn’t historical, but it would have been glib, and Berrien’s was a different crusade.
She took a breath, then added: “Wait, why did you say ‘maybe’ when I offered my interpretation of ‘interesting’?”
“Because there’s no proof of fraud.”
“You could try to find it.”
“That’s not why I was hired,” I said.
“But it could be relevant to your case.”
“Maybe.”
“You know, I’m starting to hate that word.”
“I can switch to ‘perhaps’ if it helps.”
