They stayed in bed until after eight. Ginny read the morning newspaper while Luke browsed through five years of athletic budgets. "Anything noteworthy?" She asked.

"How noteworthy is the purchase of $75,000 in new equipment during the last five years that I am asked to replace as new this year?"

"Noteworthy, I would say."

They showered, dressed and stopped at a drive-through to pick up breakfast before leaving the Valley. The drive north toward Seattle was splendid. They located the Hardware Outlet that Wayne Bosman had described and spent two hours perusing wallpaper, paint samples, light fixtures, gas logs and decking lumber before ambling over to windows. The Outlet did not stock the prefab dormers, but the clerk informed them that they were made by a small company in Balsam Valley. They assumed it was Dawn's construction company.....

"If the weather is as unpredictable as Dawn suggested, we might need to invest in a generator. See what she recommends Monday."

"Dr. Allen?"

They turned as Wayne Boseman and his wife approached. "I recognized you from your picture in the paper. I'm Wayne Bosman." Wayne Bosman extended an unsteady hand. "This is my wife Marie."

"Luke and Ginny Allen. Good to meet you." The eyes of the woman clutching Wayne Bosman's arm brimmed with tears.

"Pardon our anxiety. We don't go out much any more." Beads of perspiration stood on Wayne Bosman's forehead. "There is small restaurant called Cloe's three exits up. Turn to the left. It's on the right about four miles out."

"We'll meet you there." Wayne Bosman put his arm around his wife as they walked away.

"Those two sad people are very frightened, Luke. How are you possibly going to help them?"

"I don't know."

••••

"Let's take a table on the deck out back," Luke suggested. "This view is something else..." Wayne and Marie Bosman were holding hands; two people together, against the world. "I should prepare you, Marie. Ginny will want to walk down to the lake." The restaurant sat on the crest of a mountain and overlooked a glistening pond surrounded by beds of radiant flowers.

Marie smiled weakly. "Wayne and I love the out-of-doors. Wayne built a small pond on our property several years ago."

"Damn dam still leaks, Luke. You know anything about dams?" Wayne Bosman appeared to be relaxing.

"No, but when we clear a pasture behind the cabin, I'll try my hand at damming the creek that runs on the back side of the property."

Wayne Bosman nodded. "Maybe by then I can offer to help you." He gazed at the lake. "I apologize. Sometimes it is hard for either of us to focus. Our doctors tell us we both suffer from a depression similar to post-traumatic shock. We will recover, we are told." He exchanged a warm smile with his wife. "Fortunately, one of us is able to fight the depression off long enough to support the other." Luke understood too well. He credited Ginny with pulling him from the depression that had controlled his life after Vietnam ... It was Ginny who had held him through the nightmares .... It was Ginny who had convinced him that there was no dishonor in accepting the therapy and medications that helped him regain control of his life ....

"You owe us no apology. Let's order drinks and walk down to the lake. Ginny is not going to be happy until she finds out what you know about area wildflowers, Marie."

"Don't get her started, Ginny. I met Marie in a flower shop, fell in love with her in a flower garden, married her under a floral awning and she has spent the last thirty years pruning and nurturing me into what I am...." Wayne Bosman's voice dropped. "...Or what I was."

Marie corrected her husband with a loving slap to his hand. "What you are and will always be."

"Come, Ginny, let's walk down to the lake. Let these men tag along if they want."

Luke let Wayne Bosman set the pace as they followed their wives down the path.

"What are you putting in that pasture, Luke?"

"A couple of horses is all."

Wayne chuckled. "The only thing I ever learned to ride was a golf cart. You play golf, Luke?"

"I am a fair duffer. Ginny and I used to play regularly."

"Marie and I will invite you to play with us, once this situation is cleared up with the Board."

"We would like that. You and I will have to keep score, though." He gestured toward Ginny and Marie. "Those two will be more interested in how the course is landscaped."

••••

With lunch concluded, Wayne Bosman's demeanor changed. "You two have made us feel very comfortable. I wish we could have met under different circumstances."

"Regardless of the circumstances, Wayne, Ginny and I look forward to seeing the two of you again."

"You bring your recorder, Luke?" Luke removed the recorder from his jacket. "This is not easy, for me or Marie, but I need your help." Luke turned on the recorder and placed it on the table in front of Wayne Bosman.

••••

My name is Wayne Bosman. I am the former principal of Balsam High School. I am recording this tape in the presence of three witnesses.

On May 28 of this year, I was placed on administrative leave with pay by the Balsam Valley Board of Education because I refused to resign or accept early retirement from my position as principal. To avoid an inevitable law suit and criminal prosecutions against several staff members, the Board declined to formally remove me. It was the Board's position that their attorney would enter negotiations with my attorney to offer me a cash incentive to resign or retire. To date, I have declined any settlement offers from the Board of Education. Furthermore, during the past year, I declined specific payoffs from the Superintendent and the Athletic Director. Because of my refusal to accept these payoffs, my life has been threatened, my property has been vandalized, my wife has been harassed by telephone calls and letters and my professional reputation has been slandered by false rumors and allegations. School records for which I was responsible were deliberately altered in an attempt to discredit me. Our home has been vandalized, my wife and I have received innumerable threats. Our children have received letters.... I believe that no physical harm has come to us because I possess evidence of criminal misconduct by several persons employed by the Board of Education.

Approximately one year ago, I discovered irregularities in school records, school resources and in the handling of athletic department funds. I investigated these irregularities and reported my findings to Superintendent Cleve Combs. Irregularities included the falsification of student transcripts, the falsification of a teacher's certification, the dumping of hazardous materials in the local landfill, the flagrant use of an illegal athlete and the theft of several thousand dollars from the athletic program. There are other situations that my attorney and I are investigating.

I will discuss these irregularities separately. My attorney and two confidential sources possess copies of records and receipts to document the irregularities listed above. In addition, they possess records and affidavits to identify the individuals who deliberately falsified school records to slander my name....

Wayne Bosman's voice broke.

Luke reached across the table and turned the recorder off. "You don't have to go through this. Tell me how I can help you." Luke removed a pen and notepad from his pocket. Wayne Bosman hesitated, turned the recorder on again and continued.

"I need to know the exact date of delivery for a supply of G-P bond copier paper. It may have been delivered in late May or early June. I also need several sheets of this paper plus one unopened ream of this paper."

"That is public information. I can do that."

"I need the dates and itemization of each deposit made to the Athletic fund last year."

"That's public information. I can provide that."

"I need a copy of the SCIDS access report for the school year."

"That should be public information. I'll get it for you."

"I need copies of or the original classroom teacher's grade books and final transcripts for Julian R. Gomez, Denise Mayburn Osborne, Richard Haven Dunn, Mica Renee Yates. There may be others, but those are all we have right now."

"You know I can't give you that information. The student or a parent can request it, but you'll have to subpoena it."

"I know. My concern is that if certain people know I need that information, it will disappear."

Luke nodded in agreement. "If these students are in college, remember that a preliminary transcript is sent with the application and a final transcript is sent to the college after the student graduates. If you are looking for evidence of transcript fraud, multiple subpoenas delivered concurrently would avert any possible manipulation of the evidence......"

"I need a copy of the transfer records, transcript, attendance records, athletic participation form and any other information available on James Chad Mason."

"You will have to subpoena that information as well, Wayne."

"I need a copy of the rank in class for last year's junior and senior classes."

Luke hesitated. "I'll research that request. What I can tell you is how many were in the class and the minimum percentile rank for academic recognition. If you knew a student's actual rank, you would be able to determine whether the student qualified for an honor."

"How can I help you, Luke?"

Luke sighed deeply. "Who can I turn to if I find myself where you are, Wayne?"

"I don't know. The State Department of Public Schools turned its back on me. They knew what was going on, but remained quiet because of the scandal and the astronomical liability and legal fees they would have to pay if everything went public."

"What will happen when your law suit is filed?"

"The State Department will definitely be involved. They will not want my evidence to go public, I promise you."

"What do I need to watch for?"

It was Wayne's turn to sigh. "Watch Combs. He will undermine and discredit you with your faculty. He and the Board had a major falling out because he wanted to hire his cousin as principal; the Board and the search committee wanted you. He tried his best to find something in your background to keep you out. He could not find anything; watch for him to create something."

"Watch for Switzer and her corps of groupies. They are thicker than thieves and have access to all the school records. Switzer and Devron are the ones who have been altering student records. For years they were paid by parents to do it. In recent years, they do it for spite. My suggestion is to keep your faculty involved and aware of what you want to do. Include as many of them on committees and in planning activities as you can. Don't pull any surprises. Hold faculty meetings regularly and sit in on departmental meetings. Involve the community and parents quickly -- attend meetings. Don't trust your your assistants until they prove their colors. Two of them are in thick with Combs. He owns them."

"Watch your coaches. Three of them have been pocketing or distributing close to $65,000 a year in gate receipts. They can buy or intimidate people to do anything they want. They can buy abortions for their key players and young-buck assistants, get jobs for their friends, hire and fire who they want. I'm waiting to see when the story behind that suicide comes out."

"The elementary teacher who committed suicide? Did he coach?"

"No. He was an exceptional teacher, a fine young man. Combs needed an elementary science position for the son of a friend, so he told the science teacher a student had accused him of molesting her. Instead of resigning, the young man committed suicide. Combs has not named a replacement yet; he'll wait until the rumors die down. You'll get a swim coach before school starts; he'll be given the vacant science position at the elementary school."

Luke felt as if he was going to be sick. "Why was Ken Holmes removed as baseball coach last year?"

"Starnes, Switzer and Lipman were responsible for that. Lucie-Moosie was upset because Ken put a pinch hitter in for her son in the state playoffs. Starnes and Lipman were upset because Ken questioned the eligibility of the Mason kid. Rather than creating a turmoil which could bring out the truth about the Mason kid's ineligibility, Combs offered to pay for Ken's degree and give him an assistant principalship if he would not contest his removal as baseball coach. Seems as if Combs and Switzer also came up with some documents which made the Mason kid look eligible."

"Why does the school not have a fire alarm system?"

"Combs tried to avoid paying the hazardous waste disposal fee by sneaking asbestos shingles into the county dump. Someone reported it. To raise funds for the disposal fee, he had to halt all capital outlay projects. He has been robbing one project to pay for another so long that half the projects in the district are incomplete."

"Why has our water quality degraded?"

"Combs and his maintenance crew get kickbacks on supplies purchased locally. Suppliers substitute substandard products that fail to carry the load or do the job. The joke among local contractors is that if the school district is digging a hole, make sure you're not in it."

"How does Combs keep his job?"

"Payoffs. He keeps markers for squelching court records, misconduct by teachers and administrators, transcript changes, jobs, renewal credits, and dirty laundry. His control reaches well beyond the Valley. If he can't buy you, he intimidates you with threats and rumors. The trailer park across from the stadium is owned by a current Board member. When the irrigation system was installed in the stadium and on the practice field, a water line was also run to the trailer park, courtesy of Balsam High School."

"What else do I need to watch for, Wayne?"

"Two things. If you can, protect students from harassment and intimidation. Some tried to talk to me, but they were hushed up. There is a sickness there, Luke. It is centered in the athletic department and supported by the Superintendent. They abuse students, sexually, mentally and physically. I tried to stop it, but I had no support. When I tried to contact the sheriff, he talked to the Superintendent. I called in the State Intelligence Agency and they went to the Sheriff...."

"What is the second thing I need to watch for?"

"A job opening in another school district, far away from Balsam Valley."

••••

During Wayne Bosman's testimony, both Marie and Ginny maintained physical contact with their husbands. When hands were withdrawn to gesture, they touched their husbands arms or shoulders. Ginny's arm finally moved to rest on the back of Luke's chair. When she sensed him tense, she gently caressed his shoulder. Marie Bosman turned her head toward the lake each time her eyes welled with tears. Ginny had intuitively recognized the torment she saw in Marie's eyes when they first met this morning. Now she knew the depth of the anguish Marie Bosman shared with the man she loved.

••••

"I don't want this happening to you or to us, Luke."

"It won't." He wanted to stop the car, hold her closely and assure her it would not happen to them. "Do you want to leave the Valley?"

"I want to be with you, by your side, supporting you in every decision you make." He drove into a picnic area, led her by the hand to a secluded table and held her closely. They talked of his resolve and their commitment to share the burdens he would face.

"I will say this only once, Luke. We can live very comfortably for the rest of our lives on your retirement and my royalties. I trust you to tell me when you feel you are losing control; I reserve the right to tell you when I feel you are losing control. I love you; your welfare is all that matters to me."

"I love you, Ginny. You are more important to me than anything in my life --."

"Why don't we get married?" It was one of her out-of-the-blue, off-the-wall comments that brought him from melancholy to maddening laughter.

He shook his head. "You are nuts -- totally impossible." In one motion he picked her up, slung her over his shoulder and struggled up the path toward the car.

"What if the parents who buy YOUR books for THEIR children knew what you put me through?" he puffed up the slope.

"You-u-u are breaking my-y-y ribs-s-s. What are you-u-u-u planning to do-o-o with me-e-e?"

"I'm going to take you home, sober you up, show you our marriage certificate and then take you to a cook-out hosted by Cleve Combs." He deposited her gently into the front seat of the car.

She draped her arms around his neck and returned his kiss. "Wanna climb into the back for a quick rumble?"

" Nahhh .... better not. Somebody might see us. You don't want me to lose my job, do you?"