by Robin Caroll
“Yeah, hang on.” He turned from the door and hollered, “Nikki, you got company again.” He turned back to Sam and Makayla. “Y’all want to come inside? The electricity’s off, but we have the fire going.”
“Our electricity’s out too.” Sam shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “But I got an alert that it should be back on within an hour.”
“That’s cool. Y’all been sledding? Nikki and her friends went early this morning, before it started sleeting.”
“No, we haven’t gone sledding yet. Just had a snow-ball fight and played around.”
“That’s cool.”
Nikki appeared behind her brother. “Hey, Sam. Makayla. What are you doing here?”
“We were walking Chewy and thought we’d drop by and say hello.” Sam smiled. “Want to come out and walk with us for a bit?”
Nikki looked at Sam, then Makayla, then back at Sam. “Sure. Why not? Let me tell Mom and get my coat and boots. Hang on.” She shut the door and disappeared.
Sam went down the porch steps and petted Chewy.
“I still feel funny being here. Asking her and all,” Makayla whispered.
“It’ll be fine. She either knows or she doesn’t. She’ll either tell us or she won’t.”
The door opened and Nikki bounced down the stairs. She had auburn hair like her brother, and she was tall for a girl her age, but slender. She and Aubrey were best friends, but ever since Sam had gotten to know Nikki a little bit better, for the life of her, she couldn’t figure out why Nikki was friends with someone like Aubrey.
Nikki joined them on the driveway. “Okay, what’s going on?”
“I need a favor.” Sam led them down the driveway to the sidewalk.
“What kind of favor?”
“Have you seen the school’s blog today?”
“No. I’ve been outside most of the morning and then the power went off.”
“Well, first off, Aubrey posted a story that implied an unnamed transfer student was to blame for the virus.”
Nikki nodded and ran her teeth over her bottom lip. “I knew about that.”
“How’d you know?”
“Aubrey told me this morning. She said she was going to scoop you.”
“I guess you know who the person Aubrey referred to is?”
Nikki nodded. “Yep. Felicia Adams.”
“Well, I already knew about Felicia. I knew the whole truth, which was why I didn’t post an article about it.”
Nikki narrowed her eyes. “You, Sam Sanderson, held back on a story?”
Was it so hard to believe she’d not print a story to protect a friend? She stared at Nikki’s face. Obviously it was.
“I didn’t write a story about it because I knew Felicia didn’t tamper with any grades at Pulaski Academy.”
“Then Aubrey was given wrong information? That wasn’t what Felicia was expelled for?”
“It was, but she didn’t do it.”
Nikki smiled, but it was as cold as the snow on the ground. “Sam. Seriously? You’re the one who usually reports the facts, no matter what. You’re telling me you let Aubrey scoop you because Felicia said she didn’t do what Pulaski Academy listed as the reason for her expulsion? Because why? Felicia said she didn’t tamper with any grades? And you, Sam Sanderson, of all people, believed her?” She crossed her arms over her chest.
“It’s not like that.” Why was Nikki acting so . . . so much like Aubrey? Just yesterday she’d apologized for the way Aubrey treated Sam and took part of the blame.
“I’m confused, Sam. Why are you here?”
“Why are you being so mean?” Sam asked, confused. It hurt her feelings that Nikki, who she’d thought had been a sorta-kinda friend, had such a flipped attitude from yesterday.
Makayla stood in silence, her gaze bouncing back and forth between Sam and Nikki.
Nikki shook her head. “I-I . . . I’m sorry. I just got off the phone with Aubrey. I was actually on the phone with her when you got here.”
“Oh.” Sam didn’t know what to say. What did that have to do with the way Nikki was acting? Was Aubrey’s ugly attitude rubbing off on Nikki?
“I was with her this morning and she was on cloud nine because she was going to scoop you. Now, she’s furious with you something awful. She just spent at least twenty minutes ranting and raving about you. Asking me how I could have ever been nice to you. Telling me that you just had to do something to try and scoop her back. And on and on and on.” Nikki lifted the collar of her coat around her neck. “I guess I was just taking my frustration out on you. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. I can only imagine what she said.” Probably some of the same stuff Sam said about Aubrey.
Nikki grinned. “No, you really can’t.”
“Oh. I see.” Sam smiled, but it was a little unnerving to realize that someone really disliked her that much. It also hurt her feelings more than a little that everyone seemed to think she’d report on a story to get a scoop, even if it meant hurting a friend.
“So, what’s your favor?”
Sam glanced at Makayla, then back at Nikki. “Do you know who told Aubrey about Felicia’s expulsion?”
Nikki’s eyes went wide. “You don’t know who told her?”
Sam shook her head.
“Oh.” Nikki looked conflicted.
Sam regretted asking her. After hearing about Mom’s incident . . . well, it just made Sam think about things a little differently. Like how people are more important than a story, even if it could make a career. Why, if someone asked Sam to betray Makayla, she wouldn’t. Not for anything. Despite what she thought of Aubrey, Nikki and Aubrey were best friends.
“I’m sorry, Nikki. That’s not fair. I shouldn’t have asked you. Aubrey’s your best friend, and I’m asking you to betray her confidence. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come. Forget I asked.” She took Chewy’s leash from Makayla. “Enjoy the rest of your snow day. I hope your power comes back on soon.” She turned back toward her street.
“Sam,” Nikki said.
She turned around and faced Nikki. “No, it was wrong of me to ask. I shouldn’t have.”
“It’s not like I’d be betraying her. I was standing right there when he told her this morning while we were sledding down Chenal Valley’s big hill.”
“Who?”
“Doug. Doug York.”
Sam locked stares with Makayla, then looked back at Nikki. “Doug York told you and Aubrey that Felicia had been expelled from Pulaski Academy for grade tampering?” This was incredible.
Nikki nodded. “Yeah. I didn’t know he’d gone to Pulaski Academy, did you? He did up until this year when his dad made him transfer to Robinson because he decided it didn’t look right for a cop’s son to attend a private school. Him being a public servant and all.”
What a load of lies! Sam pressed her lips together to keep from blurting out that Doug had been failing. She couldn’t break Dad’s trust, but man, this was crazy. Wasn’t it more important to defend a person’s reputation? People were more important than stories.
Nikki didn’t notice anything, and she continued on. “Anyway, he said he’d been there when the investigation went down. He left just before she was expelled, but his friends who were still there told him that’s why she came to Robinson.”
“That’s what he said?” Why would he try to point suspicion at Felicia? What did he have against her?
Nikki nodded. “Yep. I heard him myself.”
Before Sam could reply, Nikki’s cell phone went off. She glanced at the caller-ID. “It’s Aubrey.”
“You’d better take it, or she’ll get mad. Thanks for the info.” Sam looped her arm through Makayla’s and started off toward her street even as she tugged gently on Chewy’s leash.
“Bye.” Nikki took off her glove and tapped her touch screen. “Hi Aubrey. No, just outside. What’s up?”
Sam remained silent until they were out of earshot of Nikki. She sure didn’t want Aubrey to hear her voice ove
r the phone. They turned off the connecting street onto Sam’s.
“Can you believe him?” Sam exclaimed. “He’s the one who tells Aubrey, knowing she’d use the information to try and one-up me, then his dad calls my dad because he’s upset about the article Aubrey wrote.”
“That’s messed up.” Makayla shook her head.
“I know. What’s his deal? Why would he do that? You know him better than I do. What do you think?”
“I don’t know him that well. We just have computer science together. Maybe he and Felicia have some differences,” Makayla suggested. “Has Felicia said anything about him?”
“Not that I recall.” Sam tried to figure it out. Nothing made sense.
While the sun hadn’t been out today, darkness eased over the capitol city, stealing the light from the sky as night settled in. The wind stirred, kicking up snow and blowing it about. Coldness shoved around in the air.
They stomped their boots before going in through the garage. “We’re back, Mrs. Willis,” Sam called out, then hung up her coat. The house was much cooler than it’d been earlier.
The kitten welcomed them with a steady series of meows as they opened the laundry room door.
“Well, don’t you sound stronger?” Sam picked her up and nuzzled her under her chin, then handed her to Makayla. “Come on, Chewy, let me get you dried off.” She used the old towel to dry the German hunt terrier’s thick black and brown fur.
Once they were all dry, the two girls and two animals joined Mrs. Willis in the living room. “You barely made it back before nightfall. Did you have a nice walk?”
“We did. Did you get some rest?” Sam asked as she moved to the kitchen and refilled Chewy’s water bowl.
“I did a little reading.” Mrs. Willis stood and stretched. “But I think I let the fire go out.”
“I’ll rebuild it.” Sam used part of a starter log and the three pieces of wood Makayla brought in from the garage. Within minutes, a roaring fire heated the room. “There. That’s better.”
As if on cue, the electricity came back on.
Mrs. Willis clapped. “Lovely.” She glanced out the window. “Girls, I need to run back to my house for a few moments and make sure everything’s okay. Will you be all right if I’m gone for a few minutes?”
“Sure. Take your time.” Sam sat on the hearth beside Makayla, smiling at Baby Kitty, as she thought of her, who was playing with Chewy’s wagging tail.
Makayla stretched out on her stomach on the rug. “So, what are you going to do about Doug York and Felicia? Are you going to tell your dad that Doug was the one who told Aubrey about Felicia?”
“I don’t know yet. Maybe. Probably. I just want to know what his end game is.”
“I can’t help you there. You’re the one with the super ninja deduction skills.”
“Right.” Sam snapped her fingers and pointed. “I’m going to find out.” She jumped up and went to the desk, pulled open the top drawer, and rummaged through the massive junk items.
“What are you looking for? What are you going to do?”
“I’m looking for the school directory. I’m calling Doug York.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Are you sure you want to call him? What are you going to say?” Makayla stretched out on Sam’s bed, watching Sam pace as she held her phone.
“I have to. I need to find out why Doug told Aubrey about Felicia, knowing Aubrey would put it in an article. I owe it to Felicia.”
They’d left Mrs. Willis reading the newspaper in the living room and taken Chewy and Baby Kitty into Sam’s room.
“Okay, but be careful. Remember, his dad is your dad’s boss.”
“I know.” Sam dialed the number listed for him in the school directory, silently hoping it was Doug’s cell phone number and not a landline that his dad might answer.
“Hello,” a woman’s voice answered.
No such luck on it being his cell phone, but at least Captain York hadn’t answered. Sam cleared her throat. “Is Doug available?”
“Yes he is. May I ask who’s calling?”
If she gave her name, and Captain York was there, it’d be bad. Sam improvised. “Makayla. Makayla Ansley from school.”
Mac rolled over and threw a pillow at Sam’s head.
“Just a moment, Makayla.”
Sam looked at Mac and mouthed “sorry.”
Makayla wagged a finger in front of her face.
“Hello?”
“Doug?” Sam activated the Call Recorder app on her phone that would record their conversation.
“Yeah? Makayla?”
“Uh, no. This is Sam.”
“Who?”
Her mouth went dry. Maybe she should have listened to Makayla. “Um, you know, Sam Sanderson. From school.”
“Yeah, I know who you are. What do you want?”
Makayla shook her head.
Sam ignored her. “I want to know why you told Aubrey Damas that Felicia Adams was expelled from Pulaski Academy for grade tampering.”
Makayla fell back on the bed and pulled a pillow over her head.
“What? Who told you I said that?”
“You’re going to deny it? Really?”
“Hang on,” he practically growled. A minute passed.
Two.
“Okay. Now, who told you I said anything?”
“So you aren’t denying it?”
“No. It’s the truth.”
“No it isn’t. Felicia didn’t tamper with any grades.”
“That’s not what the records say.”
Sam sank into her chair. “How do you know what her records say?”
“I went to PA.”
Something wasn’t right. The timeline didn’t work. “Yeah, but you would’ve already left PA and come to Robinson before Felicia was expelled.” That was it! “You were here a good couple of months before Felicia.”
“I heard about it from my friends at PA. Duh.”
Duh? No. He’d gotten it from his father — she’d bet her Panda hat on it. “Really, Doug? Who?”
“I don’t have to tell you.”
“No, you don’t, but you know I don’t believe that any friend told you.” It didn’t even matter how he knew. What mattered is why he’d told Aubrey.
“What’s your point, Sanderson?”
“My point is why did you tell Aubrey? Why would you sic her on Felicia?”
“That’s none of your business.” He was downright snippy.
Which irritated her all the more. Sam moved fully into an attitude. It was time someone stood up for the Felicias of the world . . . and Dad too. “It is my business when your dad calls my dad, accusing me of being involved.”
“Sam!” Makayla hissed. “Are you crazy?”
Sam shushed her with a hand. “Doug?”
“Look, just stop sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong.” Doug’s tone had gotten sharp and carried more than a hint of anger.
“All I want to know is why? What did Felicia ever do to you?”
“Nothing.” That one word . . . his voice lowered a little bit.
She softened her tone, and her delivery. “Then why tell Aubrey? Why give her the information?”
He was silent. Then it hit her. Maybe none of this was about Felicia. Or Aubrey. Maybe it was about her.
Sam kept her tone very soft and very low. “Because you wanted Aubrey to scoop me? Is that it?” She held her breath. Was it possible that she’d unintentionally hurt him in some way?
“You always seem to know everything, Sanderson. It’s annoying. Especially because they wouldn’t let me on the paper. Even knowing who my dad is, they wouldn’t let me on.” Doug’s hateful tone had returned with even more anger.
Sam grabbed her throw pillow, the one Makayla had hurled at her head earlier, and gripped it tight against her chest. He’d hurt someone else to hurt her? Felicia and Dad both because Doug had a problem with Sam? “So this was to get back at me? To give Aubrey something to use that you thoug
ht I didn’t have? For what?”
“Aubrey said if I helped her, she’d put in a good word for me with Mrs. Pape and Mrs. Trees. Recommend me for the newspaper.”
That conniving Aubrey . . . “Doug, don’t you know Aubrey well enough to know that she was only using you?”
“You’re just mad because she scooped you.”
“Doug, Doug, Doug . . . I scooped her today. The virus has been removed. Everything’s been restored. My dad told your dad. Your dad even called Mrs. Trees to tell her the good news.”
“You’re such a liar, just like Aubrey says.”
Sam’s anger flared, and she couldn’t help herself from blurting out her thoughts. “Didn’t your daddy tell you?”
Oops, there went that love your neighbor resolution.
“You’re lying, Sanderson.”
“Really? Check out the paper’s blog. It’s all there.”
Chewy rushed to the door, barking. Her parents must be home.
“I’ve got to go, Doug. I’d suggest you tell your father everything . . . what you’ve done. I’m telling mine, and I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before your dad asks you about it. Goodbye.” She ended the call, then emailed herself a copy of the recorded call.
“Sam?” Mom’s voice drifted down the hall.
Sam tossed her phone on her bed and opened the door. Chewy darted into the hall, jumping and wagging her tail. Sam met her mother in the hallway. She stepped into her mom’s arms, holding her tight. The comforting scent of Coco by Chanel, Mom’s trademark perfume, brought Sam an immediate sense of peace.
Mom kissed her head. “It’s okay. I’m fine. The hospital says I don’t have a concussion. Just a little bump on the noggin where I was resting my head on the seat in front of me.”
Dad’s voice and Mrs. Willis’s came from the living room, but Sam didn’t want to listen to them right now. All she cared about was that Mom was home. Safe. Sam hugged her a little tighter. “I’m glad you’re okay, Mom.” She couldn’t stop the trembling of her legs as she closed her eyes and held her mother a little longer before letting her go.
“I am too, my girl.”
Makayla stepped out of the bedroom into the hall. “Hello, Mrs. Sanderson. I’m glad you’re home safely.”