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I guess being dressed in a nice coat and wearing a tie conveyed some sort of gravitas. Plus, the prospect of three new students at once had to be appealing to a school like this. The next thing I knew I was meeting with the headmaster, Charles Tilton III. Or, as he asked to be called, “Trey.”
Trey immediately asked me what I did for a living. I didn’t lie. I said, “I work for the NYPD.”
That gave the man in his mid-forties pause. He bit his lip and looked out the window. I knew what he was thinking:No way this guy can afford our tuition.
The headmaster said, “We have excellent academics. That’s a reflection of the money we pour into the programs. Money that comes from tuition.”
“So, you’re saying you don’t think I can afford this.”
“No, no, not at all. Just offering a warning. I don’t imagine the NYPD pays enough for the risks you have to take. And our tuition is high by other schools’ standards. I don’t mean to be rude or abrupt. I’m just trying to be honest.”
This was his way of covering all his bases. He didn’t want some cop going back to the city saying they were a bunch of snobs who wouldn’t take a civil servant’s child. If he showed me around and I came to the realization myself that the tuition was too high, he knew I wouldn’t have much to complain about.
I said, “I have other sources of income.”
He perked up like a lawyer who’d witnessed someone slip and fall at a McDonald’s. He smoothed his perfect hair, then said, “Let me show you our athletic facilities. Then you can decide if you’re interested.”
He led me out of his office and down the hallway. We were passed by a number of young men in sharp uniforms. Each of them greeted us with a “Good morning, sir.”
Trey asked what I was looking for in a school. “You said you had three sons. Are they giving you problems?”
“I can’t even begin to tell you.” I couldn’t because there was nothing I could think of that my younger sons had done wrong. Trent, Ricky, and Eddie barely ever broke rules, let alone laws. Although, I have to admit, I’d thought the same thing about Brian until he was arrested for drug dealing.
In effect, I was walking through this place in an undercover role. The headmaster knew I was a cop, but hethought I was here on personal business. I’d let him keep believing that.
The headmaster was slim and walked at a fast pace. Even with my long legs, I struggled to keep up with him. Everything about him was manicured and polished, a lot like the academy itself. We slowed our pace a few times to look through windows into classrooms. Each class had twenty or so students.
I stayed on the lookout for Jaden Banning.
Chapter53
I KEPT MYeyes and ears open as we continued the tour. I was hoping to pick up some kind of information or even a reference to Jaden Banning. I had to admit that with all the cadets dressed the same and all with short haircuts, I might not recognize Jaden if I only caught a glimpse.
We swung back by the office on our way to the athletic fields. Just as we stepped inside, a professionally dressed woman came out of an office.
The headmaster said, “Jill, this is Mr. Bennett. He works for the NYPD.”
“Is he here about the money?”
The headmaster quickly shook his head and said, “No, that’s the local police, not the NYPD.”
I didn’t ask what she was talking about. I had my own investigation to conduct. As we cut through the rest of the main administrative offices, a woman sitting at a desk near the window looked up and smiled at me. Then she gave me a little wave. She was attractive and in her forties with dark hair to her shoulders.
I smiled and waved back as I followed the headmaster. She looked familiar, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on where I knew her from.
Once outside, we turned the corner of the building. The view of the fields and surrounding woods was spectacular. Two baseball fields and an eight-lane, quarter-mile running track ringed a football field.
I watched some cadets run in formation around the track. The last one in the formation had to sprint to the front of the line. I remembered doing something similar at the Police Academy. Thank God I’d never had to do it as a student at Holy Name. I smiled to myself, picturing Sister Sheilah learning this new way to efficiently exercise. She’d love it.
We crossed the running track once the cadets were past us and headed toward a large man with blond hair, holding a tackling sled while two cadets in pads hit the sled.
The big man noticed the headmaster and stepped away from the sled. He seemed even larger as he walked toward us. At least six foot five and a solid 260, maybe in his mid-thirties.
The headmaster said, “Coach Martin, this is Mr. Bennett. He’s looking at the school for his three teenagesons.”
The coach stuck out his beefy hand. “Perry Martin. Nice to meet you.”
I said, “You have to get this all the time, but did you play pro football?”
