Bernice heard it.
Dana heard it.
Mr. Bennett heard it.
Otis stared at her.
“Short?”
Clarissa realized what she had said.
She tried to recover.
“Bernice misjudged the batch.”
Bernice shook her head.
“No.”
She reached into the pocket of her apron and pulled out the small spiral notebook.
“I wrote the count down.”
Clarissa looked irritated.
“You write everything down.”
“Yes.”
Bernice opened the notebook.
“Because that’s how I know what I did.”
She found the page.
“Three hundred eighty portions.”
Clarissa said nothing.
“The production sheet said three hundred eighty.”
Dana looked toward Mara Lewis.
Mara was standing behind the fruit station.
She had gone pale.
“Mara?”
Mara hesitated.
Clarissa stared at her.
“Don’t.”
That single word changed the room again.
Dana’s expression hardened.
“Mara.”
Mara put down the scoop in her hand.
“The count changed.”
Bernice frowned.
“When?”
“This morning.”
“How many?”
Mara looked toward Clarissa.
Clarissa said, “This is not relevant.”
Dana responded immediately.
“If it changed the required number of meals, it is relevant.”
Mara swallowed.
“Forty-six more.”
Bernice’s eyes widened.
“Forty-six?”
Mara nodded.
“The fourth-grade field trip was canceled because the bus company had a driver shortage.”
Mr. Bennett looked toward Dana.
“Our trip was canceled at 8:30.”
Dana nodded.
“I know.”
Bernice turned to Clarissa.
“You knew?”
Clarissa looked around the room.
“We had a service problem.”
“You knew there were forty-six extra children?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“This morning.”
Bernice stared.
“Before lunch?”
“Obviously.”
“Before you accused me?”
Clarissa’s silence answered.
Otis spoke.
“She told us we had to stretch the soup.”
Clarissa pointed at him.
“I told you to keep service moving.”
“No.”
Otis shook his head.
“You told me to bring water.”
Dana’s eyes narrowed.
“How much?”
Otis hesitated.
“Two pitchers.”
Clarissa stepped closer.
“Otis, enough.”
“No.”
He looked frightened but continued.
“You told me to fill the first one.”
Clarissa’s face had gone red.
“I was trying to make sure every child received lunch.”
“You poured it into Bernice’s soup.”
Clarissa looked toward Dana.
“We were short.”
Bernice whispered, “You watered it down.”
Clarissa did not respond.
Mara closed her eyes.
Then said:
“She told me to get another pitcher.”
Everyone looked at her.
Clarissa’s voice became almost pleading.
“Mara.”
Mara shook her head.
“You did.”
She looked at Dana.