Drop of Doubt

by C. L. Stone

  “Current active vice principal.” He frowned. “You didn’t know?”

  I shook my head. How could I have known? For some reason, I guess I was surprised I didn’t. But then I supposed that was what Mr. Blackbourne wanted. If he kept me in the dark about certain things, I couldn't be expected to answer Mr. Hendricks when he questioned me about it. “Is he in charge now?”

  “He’s already insisted on getting the keys to Mr. McCoy’s office and to be allowed access to his computer files. It’s unusual that the board wouldn’t insist on someone who already has a school administrator certification. They’re going to put him through a quick course and they’ll expedite his certificate. I told them it’s ridiculous. He’s nowhere near qualified. Right now, I’ve put him in charge of the bomb threats. It’ll give him something useless to do. In the meantime, I want you to help me.”

  “Help with what?”

  “I suspect Mr. Blackbourne knows more about what happened to Mr. McCoy than he lets on,” he said. He dipped his steepled hands, talking over them. “I suspect he set this whole thing up so he could take over the job, and then come after mine.”

  That couldn’t be true. He was an Academy professor. Sort of. I supposed. The Academy was different, I knew. I still didn’t know much about it, but my initial idea of it being a traditional school had vanished, and there was nothing to replace it with. What would Mr. Blackbourne do as a principal or vice principal of a high school? “You think he’s interested in taking your job?”

  “I don’t know and I don’t really care what he’s interested in. I need him gone, not in line for my job.”

  I bit back my frustration. It seemed like a futile pursuit. Finding a new job wasn’t why Mr. Blackbourne was here. “What do you want from me?”

  “I want to know where Mr. McCoy is. I want you to look for him.”

  My lips parted, eyebrows shooting up. “How?”

  “Keep your ears open when you’re around Mr. Blackbourne. He might have him at this Academy that we can’t find. Mr. McCoy wouldn’t have left here willingly. He was forced out. I want to know why.”

  He had to be crazy. But then he wouldn’t know why I would never try to look for Mr. McCoy. To appear noncommittal, I tapped my fingers against the wood of the armrest, sitting back. “What would you expect me to do? I’m not the police. I can’t investigate this kind of thing.”

  “You’re going to, and not just because I tell you to. You would have done it anyway, I bet. You’re nosy. But now you get an advantage. Now I’m going to help you.”

  I blew out a perplexed sigh. “Why? Why are you asking me?”

  Mr. Hendricks squeezed his lips together briefly. “Because I’ve already taken on another busload of students, some of the most dangerous threats from surrounding school districts. I need my vice principal and not some pansy prep school teacher.”

  My heart leapt into my throat. I sat forward again, positive what I’d just heard was a trick on my ears or a joke. “What do you mean, you took on more students? This place is already overcrowded.”

  “What is it that you think I do?” Mr. Hendricks leaned forward, planting his palms flat on the desk. “But my decisions aren’t yours to question. What you should be more concerned about is finding Mr. McCoy.”

  “Is this why Greg is back?”

  “Who?”

  “The ... guy I sent to the hospital.” Admitting it was difficult, but I didn’t know Greg’s last name.

  “Oh. He’d already been sent in from another school. We’re the last place left. The state has a legal obligation to provide a school for all these kids. Most major cities usually have an alternative school of some kind for criminals. We can’t afford it. When they get kicked out of other schools, they come here. It’s either the streets, or we babysit them here. Mr. McCoy has the training and the experience to handle it. Mr. Blackbourne doesn’t have a clue.”

  It didn’t sound like a good thing. When there wasn’t enough money for security, why bring in more bad students? Wasn’t he looking for ways to get them out before? Why would he bring more in when it was two months into the semester? “I don’t know if I can do it. I don’t know anything about how to look for a missing person.”

  “You can do it,. You will do it,” he said, his voice dripping with threats. “You’ll follow Mr. Blackbourne until he leads you to him.”

  “What makes you think Mr. Blackbourne will just stumble across him? Or that he’d let me know if he did have him?”

  Mr. Hendricks locked eyes with me. “You’re clever. You’re ambitious. You want in the Academy, don’t you? Well, here’s your opportunity. They don’t need to be here. Find out where Mr. McCoy is, and we’ll get the whole group kicked out. Once they leave, they may just take you with them. They seem to like you.”

  I pursed my lips tightly, not wanting to relate how I felt about this. I didn’t care for Hendricks or the school. I hated that what he dangled in front of me was what I dreamed about. I wanted to escape to the Academy, only it wasn’t that easy to get in. Kota didn’t want me to go, anyway. I wasn’t sure how the others felt. At any rate, he had no idea how they worked and I knew they wouldn’t simply give up on this assignment.

  “I’m not asking you for much,” he said. “I just want to talk to him. One conversation with Mr. McCoy. If he’s still out there somewhere.”

  “You think talking to him will help you find a way to kick them out,” I said.

  He tilted his head. “It benefits you, so I don’t see why you mind.” He pushed himself up to standing. “Find out what that Mr. Blackbourne is up to, and you’ve got a chance to go to the Academy early. I’ll write up a glowing review of your character if you need it. You’ve got a job to do. I expect it to be done soon.” He motioned to the door and went to it as if to open it for me.

  I stood and walked across the room to leave. My mind was wild. What would Dr. Green say to this?

  Mr. Hendricks reached around me to release the lock. I stepped out into the hallway.

  “I don’t need to tell you what to expect if you don’t cooperate,” he said, and shut the door behind me.

  ♥♥♥

  The boy was still reading his book when I returned to the waiting room. I could tell from the way he gazed at the page that he wasn’t really reading. He was focusing to avoid eye contact. With the chatter in the waiting room, it was too distracting to read.

  “Thanks,” I said softly. I didn’t want to spook him or engage him in conversation if he didn’t want it.

  “Welcome, Sang,” he replied, his voice cracked at the end.

  He knew my name? I wish I knew his so I could be nice about it, but it felt awkward to ask. I gave him a smile, trying to show I wasn’t going to bite him.

  He dipped his head back down, staring at the page.

  THE PLAN

  I knocked on the unmarked office door only once before it swung open. Dr. Green’s hand shot out. He snagged my arm and hauled me inside.

  I stumbled in and he shut the door behind himself. “Can you believe that guy?” Dr. Green asked. He stuffed his fingers through his sandy hair, mussing it on top. “Oh my god. He’s crazy.”

  I dropped my bag on the floor near his desk. “Where’s Mr. Blackbourne?”

  “Still investigating kids about this bomb threat. Then he has to collaborate with the police.” Dr. Green dropped his hand from his hair. “He’s not going to like this.”

  I held out his purple phone to him. “What do we do? I can’t look for Mr. McCoy, can I?”

  He took his phone from my hands, sliding it into a back pocket. “We’ll see what he says, but I doubt it. I don’t know the full story. We’re working on this call and who possibly made it. The box arrived last night after school was closed. There’s a night security guard, but he said he didn’t see anything. They only have one so no kidding he didn’t see anything. He can’t be everywhere at once. We should have kept the cameras running.”

  I perked up as he kept talking, but something i
n what he said caught my attention. “Wait, there was a box?” I had forgotten Kota mentioning a box before.

  His soft green eyes darkened. “Yeah. The box was in an odd place, and it had Mr. Blackbourne’s name on it. Whoever called made it sound like he was threatening him specifically.”

  My mouth dropped open. I wanted to panic, but I couldn’t yet. I wasn’t sure I fully comprehended his meaning. “What was inside? There wasn’t a bomb?”

  “It was empty. They don’t know if it was left intentionally to look like a threat, or if it was just a coincidence. He hadn’t seen the box before. This is one step away from a prank call, which is why this is taking longer than usual, and why they sent in the bomb squad.”

  I leaned against the side of the desk, pressing a finger to my lower lip. “Mr. Hendricks said he wants Mr. Blackbourne to follow this bomb threat to keep him out of his hair since he wants to take over as active vice principal. Could it be he wants to throw Mr. Blackbourne at this bomber guy? Does he want him to get hurt?”

  Dr. Green’s frown softened. He crossed the room, hovering close to me. “Miss Sang, I swear, nothing is going to happen to him. He’s fine. He’s going to find out who did this before anyone else, I bet.”

  “How can you be sure?”

  He pursed his lips. His eyes flittered to the wall.

  “What is it?” I asked quietly. Why did he hesitate?

  “Sang, that box was planted in the music room you and he have class in.” His eyes slid back to me. “The classroom, not this office.”

  “Because it was easier to access? These offices are secured. There’s a separate alarm system ...”

  Dr. Green hooked a finger in to the collar of his shirt and gave it a gentle tug, like it was too tight. “No. The truth is, we’re not totally sure he was the only target.”

  His words took a moment to strike home, but they did. I sank backward until I was leaning against his desk. My palm found a spot over my heart. “Do the others know?”

  “No one except Mr. Blackbourne,” he said, his eyes eerily dark. I wasn’t sure I liked that look on him. It didn’t fit his usually happy nature.

  I didn’t want to say it, but had to suggest it. “Maybe we shouldn’t tell them.”

  “We can’t hide this from them,” Dr. Green said.

  “It doesn’t make sense for me to be a target. No one knows me. No one cares.” His lips parted like he wanted to say something but I removed my hand from my chest, holding it up in a stopping motion. “I mean there’s no one out there that hates me ...” I paused. I was still half thinking I was the old Sang Sorenson, the one who was invisible and no one knew her name. Greg’s angry eyes from that morning flashed into my brain. “Greg is back.”

  “That student you beat up?”

  I flashed him a tiny smirk at making it sound like I did it just because. “I saw him outside when the fire alarm went off. Could he have done it?”

  “I can add him to the list of people to check out. It’s just a feeling, but I don’t think so. I don’t really know as much as I’d like. I’m waiting to get details.”

  “The others know about Greg. They’re already talking about wiring him. But if we tell the others about that part of the bomb scare, they’ll be more overprotective than normal.”

  Dr. Green’s eyes lit up a fraction. “I don’t believe I’d disapprove of that.”

  My cheeks warmed. “Dr. Green ...”

  His fingers rose slowly and drifted to catch a lock of my hair. He hooked it around my ear. It fell back across my cheek but he kept his fingers by my earlobe. “We won’t be able to hide what really happened, but I guess I could not let them know you’re a second possible target. They’ll be eager enough to get to work knowing Mr. Blackbourne is involved. I see where you find it illogical that this might have been meant for you, but I don’t want it dismissed. You need to be on guard, too. Mr. Blackbourne won’t approve of you being targeted.”

  “What do we do?”

  There was a rattling at the door, and it opened. Dr. Green quickly dropped his hand and stepped away from me. Mr. Blackbourne stopped short in the doorway. His gray eyes focused on my face. “Miss Sorenson.”

  “Mr. Blackbourne,” I said in the usual greeting. “Are you okay?”

  “Of course,” he said. He entered, shutting the door behind himself. He touched lightly at the knot of the red tie at his neck. “Why aren’t you in class?”

  “Mr. Hendricks called me in.”

  Mr. Blackbourne shifted his eyes to Dr. Green. “I think you better fill me in. Miss Sorenson, you might want to go back to class.”

  “I don’t think I can.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because,” my eyes flickered to the clock on the wall to verify. “My current class is supposed to be with you.”

  The corner of his mouth dipped and he nudged the bridge of his glasses with a forefinger. “I believe we’ll need to make a change to your schedule for now.”

  “Is it because of the bomb threat? How can you be a target if the box was empty? Did you find out who made the call?”

  “One thing at a time,” he said. “We’ll need to investigate further. Right now, you’ll have to forgive the interruption to your schedule.”

  I thought I’d resolved that this year would be full of changes and interruptions. There hadn’t been a day since it started where I felt settled in. I shrugged casually. “Getting kind of used to it.”

  Dr. Green cracked a smile. “Yeah, it’s been happening a lot with us lately.”

  “You mean this isn’t normal for you all?” I asked.

  Dr. Green chuckled. Mr. Blackbourne’s millimeter smile appeared, but only for a moment. “Starting tomorrow, I want you to begin reporting here for class. I think this is the safest spot for you during that time.”

  I glanced at Dr. Green and back to Mr. Blackbourne. “Where will you be?”

  “I’ll be where I’m expected to be. In the music room.”

  “Without me? Why?”

  His eyes settled on my face. “Because whoever is doing this may try it again, and I want to give him every opportunity to do so.”

  “Then I should be there,” I said. “Whoever it is might know what you’re trying to do if I’m not showing up.”

  He shook his head “Absolutely not. After right now, you and I need to stay as far away from each other as possible.”

  I leaned against the desk again. “That might be difficult.”

  “Why?”

  Dr. Green stepped aside and slipped into his chair, sitting back. “Principal Hendricks wants her to find out where Mr. McCoy is, and he thinks she should do it by following you around.”

  Mr. Blackbourne’s gray eyes started darting back and forth. I could almost hear the gears in his head piece together what this meant. “He wants to talk to him. He thinks we bullied him out somehow.”

  “What should I do?” I asked. “How am I supposed to find him? If I don’t, Hendricks will know if I try to lie and pretend I’ve been looking for him.”

  “Let me handle that,” Mr. Blackbourne said. “Right now, I need you to stay away from me, and ignore Mr. Hendricks’s orders. I’ll feed Dr. Green information for you to tell him. This getting you involved is inexcusable. I’m in the middle of a police investigation with this bomb threat. If you follow me, you’ll get mixed in with the police and that can’t happen.”

  “What if I can help?”

  “This is one time where we’ll have to risk your grades and his threats. We can’t expose you.”

  His tone implied something more serious. “What do you mean expose me? You mean to this kid who is leaving empty boxes?”

  He flinched. I knew this reaction. I’d come to the wrong conclusion, but it was something he was still concerned about. “There is that.”

  “But there’s something else,” I said. “Expose me to what?”

  Dr. Green hooked a couple of fingers again into the collar of his shirt. “Well, we don’t really want yo
u involved with the police if we can help it.”

  “Because of my parents?”

  “And other reasons,” Dr. Green said. He focused on me. “Academy reasons.”

  My lips parted and my tongue danced behind my teeth, ready to rattle questions off to him, but I stopped short. It was either an unspoken Academy rule, or something the Academy wanted from me, or would expect if I were to ever join. I had to back off. Trust them. “So I can’t be around if the police are going to be checking up with you.”

  “And hello, it’s dangerous,” Dr. Green said. He swiveled in his chair, and poked a finger at my knee. “This isn’t exactly another Mr. Hendricks that we can follow around. This is some loon who can plant a box in a school and make everyone think it’s a bomb.”

  “And he knows his stuff,” Mr. Blackbourne said. “When he called into the main office, he was able to rattle of a list of bomb making materials and how to piece one together to sound convincing.”

  “Why would he leave the box empty though?” I asked.

  They both drew serious faces, glancing at each other and zinging that silent communication between them. Neither spoke, but I understood. They didn’t know the answer yet.

  And I thought life at Ashley Waters High School couldn’t get much worse.

  WHAT’S YOUR NUMBER?

  Since I was out of sync and without a phone, I zoomed to trailer number 32 for World History class. Victor was already there, sitting in North’s usual seat in the back row. His fingers clutched at the medallion hanging at his neck and his wavy brown hair was smoothed back, hanging just around his ears. Had he been growing it out a little longer?

  “Where’s North?” I asked, plopping down in the seat in front of him.

  Victor flicked his fire eyes on me, locking his lips. Secret. Academy.

  I sighed. Already? Was it about the bomb?

  He pulled a phone in a pink case from his pocket. “Did you forget this?”

  “Yes,” I said, taking it from him. “I forgot to get it back from Kota.” I dropped it on top of my book bag. I didn’t want to slip it into my bra in the middle of class.