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Thankfully, Millie didn’t say anything, although I could see the growing panic on her face.
Casey nodded.
“And when you talk, are there other grown-ups around?”
Her forehead wrinkled as she frowned. “Sometimes, yeah, I guess.”
“But sometimes not?”
She bowed her head and nodded.
“When do you usually talk to him?”
“After lunch,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “We get to go outside for recess after lunch, but they don’t take roll or anything, so sometimes Ava and me stop by his office and we talk.”
“Mr. Eddie has an office?” I asked.
She shrugged. “It’s kinda more like a closet, but we hang out in there.”
“Talking about school and Ava’s dance classes?” I asked. “Anything else?”
She refused to meet my gaze, lifting one shoulder into a small shrug. “Mr. TJ, I guess.”
“Did you ever talk?” I asked gently.
“Sometimes,” she said in a whisper.
“Do you remember what you talked about?” I purposely gave her the option for an out. Obviously, she didn’t want her mother to know about her and Ava’s meetings with Mr. Eddie, and only her worry for her best friend had pushed her to confess.
I wasn’t surprised when she shook her head no.
When Millie started to say something, I held up my hand a few inches. She stopped, but she looked like she was on the verge of tears.
“How often do you girls meet with Mr. Eddie?” I asked. “Once a week? Every day?”
She shrugged again, keeping her head bowed.
“I’m sure Mr. Eddie is a good friend to you and Ava,” I said gently. “And I’m sure that he helps Ava feel safe.”
Her head jerked up. “Yes! He makes her feel better.”
Millie flinched but didn’t interrupt.
“When you’re in Mr. Eddie’s office, does he ever close the door?”
She nodded. “Sometimes Ava cries, and she doesn’t want people to see her.”
“Does Mr. Eddie ever give either of you hugs?”
She glanced back at her mother, then looked at me and nodded.
“Does Mr. Eddie ever touch either one of you in a way that makes you feel uncomfortable?”
She shook her head adamantly. “No. Never. He’s not like that, but he said people wouldn’t understand and we needed to keep it a secret.”
Relief flooded Millie’s face as a tear slid down her cheek.
“Do Ava or you ever hang out with Mr. Eddie alone?”
