Page 24 of The Teacher

“Hello, you must be Mr. Deep.” Someone appears at my side. It’s a short older woman. The first thing I notice is her massive puffy hair. It probably takes up a third of her height. She’s wearing a lot of makeup. Her perfume is strong. Very strong. It tickles my nose and makes me want to cough.

“Yes, I am. Skipper Depp, nice to meet you. And you are?” I offer my hand and she shakes it.

The older woman smiles at me and tilts her head inquisitively. “I am Miss Tweed, the head of mathematics at Poseidon’s Academy.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“Mr. Brown’s told me everything about you,” she says.

“Really?”

“That you’re looking to invest in the school.”

“I am.”

“Well, you’re speaking to the right person, Mr. Deep,” Miss Tweed explains, her eyes lighting up. She takes a step closer to me, still smiling, and places her hand on my arm. “I am the bookkeeper of the school. The head of the money. I’m basically the brains behind the institution.”

“Are you?”

“Yes. I know everything about what there is to know about Poseidon’s Academy. All the gossip, all the financial records, all the important things.”

I nod in agreement. “They’re good things to know if I’m going to invest.”

She giggles at my comment. “Exactly. That’s why you need me.” I’m not an idiot and I can see when someone’s really trying to butter me up. With my family’s business and wealth, it’s something I’ve dealt with a lot over the years. Miss Tweed’s a pro at it, though. I gotta give her that. She really has the vocal tone and the smile perfected to a T.

“So, you’re the person I should come to?”

“One hundred percent, Mr. Deep. You can come to me any time you want, for anything. I’ll always be available to you. Whenever you want you can talk to me.” She rubs my arm and flutters her eyelashes at me.

“That’s really good to know,” I reply.

“In any way I can, I’ll help you, Mr. Deep.”

“I really like your necklace.” I gesture towards her big pearl necklace. Miss Tweed glances down at it, blushing.

“Oh, this silly old thing?”

“It’s very nice.”

“Thank you, Mr. Deep.”

I’m thinking of making an excuse and walking away but an idea pops into my head.

“May I ask you a question now about the school?” I ask Miss Tweed.

She loves this. “Absolutely. Go ahead.”

“That teacher over there,” I point at Sandy amongst the group of parents she’s talking to. Miss Tweed nods.

“That’s Sandy Finn, the English teacher.”

“What do you think of her?”

Miss Tweed turns back to me, the smile gone from her face. “Do you want the truth, Mr. Deep?”

“Sure.”

“The young Miss Finn should’ve been… let go from the school a long time ago, if I must say so myself. I’ve tried pressurizing Mr. Brown, but it’s been a long process.”