Chapter 4 - LILA'S FATHER
Andrew Mercer arrived at school the next morning furious.
Not at Valerie.
At himself.
He was thirty-six, a mechanic, widowed for three years, and looked like a man who had not slept.
He sat beside Lila in the counselor’s office.
She leaned against him.
Valerie explained what happened.
Andrew’s face went pale.
“She told me she was falling.”
Valerie nodded.
“So did we.”
He looked at Lila.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Lila started crying.
“I tried.”
Andrew froze.
“When?”
“At night.”
He stared.
“What did you say?”
“That kids were mean.”
Andrew closed his eyes.
He remembered.
He had answered:
“Kids can be jerks. Tell your teacher.”
Lila had.
At least once.
She told a playground aide Madison pushed her.
The aide filed a report.
Then Andrew received a call from his sister, Melissa.
Not the school.
Melissa was Lila’s emergency contact.
She told him:
“Lila exaggerated. Two girls bumped into each other.”
Andrew believed her.
Why was Melissa involved?
Because she worked for the school district.
Not as teacher.
As administrative coordinator in student services.
There.
Valerie felt the room change.
Andrew continued.
Melissa had been helping him since his wife died.
Paperwork.
Pickup forms.
After-school care.
He trusted her.
Then Valerie asked:
“Does Melissa know Madison?”
Andrew frowned.
“Yes.”
Madison’s mother, Caroline Beckett, was Melissa’s closest friend.
Now the structure appeared.
Lila reports Madison.
School contacts emergency coordinator Melissa.
Melissa reframes event to Andrew.
Incident closes.
Not necessarily conspiracy.
Could be family favoritism.
But repeated.
Then Andrew said something else.
Madison spent weekends at Melissa’s house.
Lila sometimes did too.
Valerie looked at Lila.
“Were you ever there together?”
Lila nodded.
Then immediately looked terrified.
Andrew saw.
“What happened at Aunt Melissa’s?”
Lila shook her head.
“Nothing.”
Valerie did not push.
Andrew did.
“Lila.”
She flinched.
Valerie raised a hand.
“Not like this.”
Andrew stopped.
His face broke.
“Okay.”
That was important.
Then Lila whispered:
“They have a game.”
Valerie crouched.
“What game?”
May you like
Lila stared at the floor.
“The secret game.”
