by C. J. Lau
Chapter 23
I have failed. I know I have failed.
In a month from now the Goulburn team will be marching proudly to Sydney to play in the State Finals. There is nothing I can do to stop them.
My last attempt to unsettle the team, I kidnapped Lauren Hargreaves. Easy target. She lived alone and she’d told everyone she was going down to watch her sister play. No one noticed her missing except the people waiting for her at the other end. Should’ve been enough for Christina to worry herself off her best game.
Instead she turned in one the best performances of her life. Her four saves kept the team alive. Then a lucky deflection got them the win.
I kept an ear to the ground to make sure Lauren was found safely. Seems it didn’t take long for her to untie herself and find help. By design of course. I’m not incompetent. The idiot who stole the school files didn’t get away. They might not find his body for a while. Serves him right for putting a security ring around Maggie, meaning I had to resort to childish notes to unsettle her. All I could do without risking detection. Then I made too much noise breaking in.
I need to lie low again now. That detective was very quick to connect Lauren’s disappearance with everything happening around Maggie.
There’s nothing I can do to redeem my mission. The team’s made the finals. Maggie the town hero. Revenge all up to Zara and her team now. Damn that Detective Garry!
What was the Convenor smoking when she decided Swiss-system pairings was a good idea for a hockey tournament? Having variable pool matches depending on your ladder position is a terrible way to choose the semi-finalists. Still, it’s a system Zara can manipulate to make sure she gets her grudge match. Zara will find a way. She won’t fail like I have.
I’m angry at myself right now, but that won’t last long.
It won’t take long for me to remember who the real villains are.
I must think of a way to punish the team. And their local hero Coach. If I see another purple dress I am going to scream.
Part 3: For the Win