Liars' Games (Project Chameleon Book 1)

by Susan Finlay

  Brad said, “Okay, I talked to my immediate boss.”

  Someone knocked loudly on her door, and Claire said, “Sorry, Brad, can you hold on a minute?”

  Ron burst into her office and said, “We’ve had another fight. Two students. One was injured. Looks like a broken wrist.”

  “Oh, no!” Claire slumped back in her chair, her mobile phone held tightly in her hand. “What are we supposed to do? Do we call paramedics, police, parents?”

  Ron rolled his eyes. “Policy says we need to call the student’s emergency contact number and proceed from there. Do you want to do it, or should I?”

  Claire could feel her face growing hot with embarrassment. She should have known the policy. “Go ahead and make the call, Ron. I’m tied up here with a home emergency of my own. Will you call Frank and let him know, too?”

  He nodded and turned on his heels.

  Could this day get any worse?

  “Sorry for the interruption,” she said to Brad.

  “I can’t bring you in. The boss thinks you’re overreacting. Says you’re being a Chicken Little. You know the story, don’t you?”

  Claire’s mouth dropped open. How dare they?

  “Now you’re calling me a liar? That’s ridiculous. You had to move me because I’m not good at lying.”

  “I know that, but I’m not in charge.”

  “So what am I supposed to do, wait until someone grabs my son? There’s no way I can bring him to work with me. If you saw this place, you would understand why.”

  “Can’t you have the nanny watch him somewhere else for a while?”

  She sighed and leaned forward. “Maybe. I’ll look into it.”

  After she finished that phone call, she called Kate and asked if she could take Marcus to her own home for the day. Claire would pick him up after.

  Kate said, “No problem.”

  Claire suggested Marcus pick a few toys to take with him, and then she took down Kate’s address and directions. When she picked him up after work, she could check it out and decide if it was suitable for the future.

  When Claire saw Kate’s home, she was relieved. It was a small flat, clean and tidy and in a safe neighborhood from what she could tell. Marcus seemed fine with it, too, so she made arrangements to drop Marcus off there and pick him up, for the next week or so.

  CHAPTER TEN

  TUESDAY MORNING, CLAIRE was stuck in back-to-back meetings and behind in her promise to conduct assemblies every other day. She was afraid that soon no one would take her seriously because she didn’t follow through on her promises. With her hectic schedule, she also had no time to worry about the watcher

  After leaving a meeting with parents and a student, she rolled her shoulders to get the kinks out, then picked up her coffee mug. Time for a cup of coffee. Past time, actually. She’d tried to get a cup when she’d first arrived, but even before her first meeting at seven o’clock, she’d not had a free moment because of phone calls, emails, and interruptions by teachers. It was now ten o’clock. She grabbed her mug and headed to the coffeemaker in the outer office. She didn’t get that far. She stopped at her office doorway, seeing Jorge Perez coming at her, red-faced and eyes blazing.

  “Jorge, what’s wrong?” she asked, guiding him into the office and closing the door.

  “One of my students, Lizzy Morgan, slapped me in the face a couple minutes ago, at the end of my second hour Spanish class.”

  Claire stared in disbelief. When she looked closely, she could see red finger marks on his right cheek. “Oh my God! Why would she do something like that?”

  “She was angry because I gave her a zero on her test. She blames me for her failure. She left the whole second half of the test blank. ‘Lazy Lizzy’, sorry, that’s what the other kids call her, thought I should give her credit for the few questions she answered.”

  Claire frowned. “Why didn’t you? Were they incorrect?”

  “Not all of them. Only she had copied those answers off the student sitting next to her.”

  “Are you sure? That’s a serious allegation.”

  He ran his hand through his hair and paced. “Yes, I’m sure. I saw her. The other student was called away to the nurse’s office and gave me her completed test before she left. After that, Lizzy sat there and did nothing. And the answers were the same as the other student’s, even the two wrong ones.”

  “I’m not saying you’re wrong, Jorge. I’m trying to understand the situation. Are they friends? Maybe she was just worried about her.”

  “No. They rarely talk to each other.”

  Claire looked up the girl’s schedule and asked her secretary, Kim, to call Lizzy to the principal’s office. At first the girl denied the attack. After they contacted her father and he confronted her, she finally admitted it.

  Claire looked at her wristwatch as soon as her office cleared out. It was now half past eleven. So much for coffee and checking phone messages. She would love to grab a quick lunch, but she needed to visit a few classrooms, which she’d hadn’t had time for since Friday. On her way upstairs she ran into a teacher, Jody Simms, on her way down.

  “Oh, Claire, I’ve been hoping to see you. We didn’t get to finish our conversation the other day. Have you considered a blind-date with Roger?”

  “Who?” Claire asked.

  “Roger. The guy I told you about. Don’t you remember? He’s single, mid-thirties, and not bad looking. I told him about you, and he’s interested.”

  Claire sighed, and gave her a half smile. “I appreciate the thought. Unfortunately, I don’t think it’s the right time. Maybe later.”

  Jody’s forehead wrinkled in question.

  “I—I recently ended a long-term relationship,” Claire said. “I need more time.” At least it wasn’t a complete lie, she thought. She really did end a relationship—with the father of her child. But she wasn’t going to admit she was now dating her boss.

  “Oh, sorry. I guess I can understand that. Okay, I’ll check back with you in a week or two.”

  Claire rushed up the remainder of the steps and walked through the corridor, intending to visit a couple of science classroom at the end of the hall. Halfway there she heard heavy footsteps pounding behind her. She tensed her shoulders, and kept walking. Would she ever feel safe in this horrid place?

  “Claire, wait up.” Huh, was that Ron’s voice?

  She turned around and saw him rushing toward her.

  “I’ve been looking for you,” he said, between ragged breaths. “You won’t believe this. Bob Ryan caught two students engaging in sex in one of the restrooms.”

  “What? Please tell me you’re not serious.” Claire grimaced.

  “No such luck. Makes you wonder how often that happens without anyone finding out, doesn’t it?”

  “I don’t even want to think about it. Have the students’ parents been contacted?”

  “Yeah, I called their parents and we’re waiting for them to arrive.”

  “Where are the students?”

  “Sitting in the counselor’s office. He and the nurse are talking to them. Lotta good that’s going to do.”

  So much for lunch, for coffee, and for visiting classrooms. Now she really did feel like a computer with legs—everyone seemed to think she didn’t need food or drink. Claire walked back to the Admin offices with Ron. While they walked, she told him about Jorge and Lizzy. He told her about two other students who had disrupted their classes and/or argued with their teachers. He also described several fights that had broken out in classrooms and in the public areas.

  Claire said, “You think that’s bad. In Nancy Palmer’s class, she caught three students sitting in the back of the room snorting cocaine. They didn’t even try to hide it.”

  “Good God,” Ron said.

  “I’m going to see about getting the police to conduct a drug search of the school building and grounds. I’ll let you know what I find out.”

  That afternoon she did some checking online, then called Frank fo
r advice. He told her he’d look into getting a police search and he’d get back to her.

  Before she left work, her phone rang.

  “Hey, Claire,” Frank Lawrence said, “I’ve arranged for the local police to conduct a scheduled search activity in the school Thursday morning. They’ll call you right before they arrive so you can meet them in the parking lot.”

  “You did that for me?” Claire said. “I didn’t expect you to set it up for me. I was prepared to do that myself. But thank you.”

  “You’re quite welcome,” Frank said. “I know you could do it yourself, but I also know you’ve got plenty to keep you busy. One less thing to worry about.”

  “Frank, you’re a lifesaver. Well, maybe not literally. You know what I mean. I don’t know what I’d do without you. If you were here, I would give you a big hug.”

  He chuckled. “Maybe I should have driven over there instead of calling. No, scratch that. My wife would skin me alive if a beautiful woman, other than she of course, hugged me. So, I guess I did save a life—mine.” He chuckled.

  “You are a big ham, you know,” Claire said. Even with all the drama surrounding her, Frank could make her laugh, and she needed that more than anything right now.

  As promised, the Denver police called Claire at eight o’clock on Thursday morning to confirm their appointment for two hours later.

  “We’ll need you and a couple of your employees to meet us in the parking lot to assist,” the detective said.

  The police arrived on time and brought dogs trained to detect chemicals in enclosed areas. Claire stood next to the officer in charge. “I wasn’t sure if a search like this was legal without a search warrant.”

  He nodded. “That’s a common misconception. Fact is this type of search is commonly conducted at high schools throughout the country. We use them to identify students who are in possession of chemicals on school property. Not only does it get immediate results, but it also increases awareness in students that possession and use of alcohol and illegal chemicals is not tolerated at school.”

  “What happens if you find something?”

  “If we find something? More like, when we find something. I have no doubt we will.”

  Claire twisted her mouth and felt her face burn. “Of course. I knew that. Drug use and drug sales are rampant here. That’s why I requested this search. But I didn’t want to give you the impression I was biased.”

  He grinned. “We know all about the drug infestation at Midland. It’s not new.”

  “Then why hasn’t anyone done anything about it?” Claire asked.

  “Good question. You’re the first principal here apparently to give a rat’s ass, if you’ll excuse the term.”

  The school was placed on soft-lockdown, meaning everyone was required to stay in their classrooms while the search was in progress, and no one was allowed to use cell phones. It took an hour. The police dogs sniffed out drugs in numerous vehicles in the student parking lot. Then came the task of identifying the drivers of those cars. Two dozen students were called into Claire’s office and were asked to open their vehicles for police inspection. Some of the students—those whose cars were found to contain large quantities of drugs—were taken into police custody. Their parents were phoned. More than half of the students who were caught were believed to be members of one of the school’s biggest gangs: The Varrio Crisps.

  After everyone had gone and only Claire, Ron, and Frank were left, Claire asked, “What will happen to those students?”

  Frank said, “Can’t say for sure. I suppose some will be given warnings, others might be arrested. The one thing they all have in common is that they’ll face possible expulsion when the school board reviews their cases at the next board meeting. As of now they are at least suspended.”

  Later that afternoon during passing period, Claire noticed a mob of students hovering near the first flight of stairs. They should have been moving, heading to their next classes, not standing around. She watched and listened, and though they were speaking loudly, the sounds of all the other students moving about muffled most of their words. She edged toward them, hoping to hear more of what they were discussing.

  “Did you guys see the friggin’ drug dogs here during third period? Before that new principal showed up, you could do any drugs you wanted ‘round here. Look at this fuckin’ place now. She’s trying to turn this into a prison.”

  Claire was so intent on listening that she didn’t watch where she was going and crashed into something. She caught herself, and stepped back to see what she’d hit. An overweight black girl, tears running down her cheeks, stood in front of her. “Oh, no,” Claire said, “did I hurt you? I’m so sorry.”

  The girl shook her head and wiped the back of her arm over her face. “You didn’t do nothin’. It was Padma and Maria and Shanna. Those bitches. They—” She turned her head slightly to her right, and clenched her hands.

  Claire looked around. Three girls stared at them, hatred in their eyes. “You’re dead meat, Tyeesha,” one of the girls said. Another spat on the floor before they all turned and walked away. The group of loitering students, who had been watching, spread out in all directions, like ants scared away from a picnic.

  Claire turned her attention back to the girl, and reached out, touching the girl’s arm. “Did they hurt you?”

  The girl bit her lip and looked down at her feet.

  “Why don’t we go somewhere quiet where we can talk, okay?”

  The girl jerked away. “I got nothin’ to say to a principal. I done said enough.”

  “It’s all right. I can help you,” Claire said. “Don’t be afraid of me. Tell me about those girls. What happened?”

  “Oh, no. I can’t. You heard them. They’ll kill me.” She turned, intent on escape, but Claire was faster.

  “Let’s go to my office.” She put her arm around the girl’s shoulders and guided her toward the admin office. “We’ll talk confidentially. You can trust me.”

  In her office Claire motioned for the girl to sit, handing her some tissues, and sat in a chair across from her. “You’re okay now. What’s your name?” she asked.

  The girl sniffled, and slumped in her chair, arms crossed over her plump stomach. Claire wondered if she would speak. She wore jeans and a hooded sweatshirt. Her long hair was a mass of braids. The girl sighed in resignation and said, “Tyeesha Moore.”

  “What grade are you in?”

  “Tenth.” She squirmed. “I can take care of myself. I gotta go. I’m missing science.”

  “I’ll write you a pass. Don’t worry about that.”

  “Like I told you, I can’t talk to no principal.”

  “Please tell me why you’re so scared. Maybe I can help.”

  “You can’t help. They said no one leaves the gang. Anyone who tries will pay. Big time. And they mean business. Last year, right after I joined up with them, this girl tried to leave. Aurora. She died.” She raised her hand to her head, made it look like a gun, and clicked her trigger thumb.

  Claire put her hand over her mouth. It sounded too much like what Callum had said about trying to leave the syndicate.

  “Tyeesha,” Claire said, leaning forward and placing her hand over one of the girl’s hands, “I won’t let that happen. I promise you. I’ll find a way to get you out of the gang, safely.”

  “You can’t do nothin’. Nobody can.” Tears flowed down her cheeks.

  Claire handed her more tissues. She knew about the district’s no tolerance policy. Gang members could be suspended, but Claire needed help with that. She would discuss it with Frank. Unfortunately, even if they could eliminate the gangs from the school, the bigger problem remained: how to prevent gang members from retaliating outside of school.

  “I don’t know how yet,” Claire said. “Please trust me. I’ll figure out how to protect you. Hang in there, okay?”

  Tyeesha looked up and gave her a timid smile. “Thanks. I never had nobody stick up for me before.” She stood up, then
swung her backpack over her shoulder.

  “I’ll get you that hall pass,” Claire said.

  Now, all I have to do is figure out how to follow through on my promise.

  AFTER PUTTING MARCUS to bed, Claire collapsed on her sofa, her mind returning to all the problems at school. Somehow, she desperately needed to figure out how to help the poor students who weren’t unreachable, and also deal with the rest. In the morning she resolved to go in extra early again and do more research online.

  Weary and not finding any real solutions coming to mind, Claire drug herself off to her bedroom, undressed and prepared for bed. Once in bed her mind solidly refused to settle down, continuing to plague her, replaying the day’s events. Eventually though, tired to the bone, her thoughts drifted off randomly and precious sleep claimed her.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CLAIRE FELT CHILLS through her body as she entered the school Wednesday morning, wondering why it was so cold in the building. She checked the thermostat and realized it was on an automatic timer and wouldn’t turn on the heat for another half-hour. Ah, she’d never arrived this early before. She manually increased the temperature setting, then went into the admin office and began brewing a pot of coffee.

  While the coffee machine performed its magic, in robotic fashion Claire unlocked the door to her office, hung up her jacket on the coat rack in the corner, and switched on her computer. She then picked up her ceramic mug from her desk and carried it to the coffee stand. With a steaming cup in hand, she was ready to get down to business. She closed her office door, sat down, and brought up the internet while she sipped coffee.

  Gangs, how they operated, their codes and lingo, their initiations, their strengths and weaknesses—those were questions she needed answers to, and today she began searching the internet to learn everything she could about the school’s number one enemy.

  She read an article from the local newspaper. It stated that Colorado was home to 110 gangs and 12,741 members. It went on acknowledging the obvious, that there was a serious gang problem in the Denver metro area. Another article talked about police liaison officers being placed in many Denver high schools. An article on Wikipedia gave history of gangs, current numbers, and info on who’s at risk.