“As you can see, we are all up to code here.” Ms. Monroe’s kitten heels clacked on the linoleum as she strode down the hall.
The sound reminded Joe of gunfire. However, instead of felling any of the bad guys on the opposite side, every kid in the vicinity of the sound jerked to attention while also flinching away and disappearing around a corner or into a nook or behind a door.
Joe peeked into the room that Ms. Monroe indicated. Inside, things were a little untidy. The floors were sticky and squeaky under his shoes. And there was still that ever-present smell of something unwashed.
It didn’t cling to Ms. Monroe. She was dressed impeccably in a pristine blouse and a skirt that rivaled what Charlotte O’Dell had been wearing the other day. Her nails were polished to perfection. Her eye mak
