Member-only story
Johnny’s Failure — Part 5
Failure to Ask for Help
Detective Frament dismissed the three amigos, but not until he had their contact information just in case he had any follow-up questions. Then, he also dismissed Officers Brooks and Welch and ordered Officer Smith to accompany him to Sally’s house.
Frament and Smith followed Johnny’s parents as they made the ten-minute drive through town to a tree-lined neighborhood full of small Cape-Cod style homes. Sally looked out the window, anxiously awaiting their arrival, and she opened the front door before they had a chance to knock or ring the bell.
“Where’s my little boy?” Johnny’s mom asked as she entered the living room. “You said he’s okay, right?”
“He’s fine. He’s upstairs sleeping,” Sally replied. “He went to bed real late last night.”
“Was he drinking?” His father asked.
“No. He told me that he was the designated driver for Tony, Yogi, and Sam, and that he left them all at his house.” Then, Sally asked a question of her own. “Why are the police here? Did one of those bozos do something stupid? Whatever it was, I’m sure Johnny wasn’t involved.”
“Sally, I’m Detective Frament, and we’re just trying to find out why Johnny did so poorly on his grades for the fall semester. Can you tell us anything?”
