“Shoot, Gabi.” Gabriella Boland had that line between her carefully shaped eyebrows, the line that meant he’d better pay attention. The straight-A student and senior class homecoming queen was as formidable in chemistry class as she was on the basketball court, where she hoped to lead her team to the state championships as she had last season.
“When are we going to get into how we can use chemistry to help the environment instead of making compounds that harm it?” Her face was innocent enough, her question valid, but could Gabi be the teen who’d written the message earlier? The one who’d left notes last semester, leading up to the last few weeks of school before summer break?
Keep your cool.
He hated how the threats were making him suspicious of every one of his students. It was like being back in the war—he couldn’t trust anyone.
“That’s something you can explore in your environmental studies at college, Gabi. For now, we’ll focus on getting our study guides in shape to tackle the final exams in six months. Mine and the IB’s.”
A collective groan rose at the mention of the International Baccalaureate exams that had, for this class, replaced the Advance Placement—AP—exams. Mitch held up a hand. “It’s the end of the first semester for me, too, folks. You’re not the only ones with a full load. You think I wouldn’t rather be getting my Christmas shopping done?”
Immediately wisecracks flew across the room, the students snickering as though they were back in middle school. Mitch ignored it. This was Mitch’s sixth class of seniors since he’d left the Corps, gone back to college and started his teaching career.
The bell rang and the classroom emptied. Mitch had two periods without class in front of him, almost two full hours. Instead of using the valuable time to grade homework or to prepare his lessons for the chemistry review, he had to go to SVPD and put in a full report of what had happened in his classroom since when the notes started last March. He’d given the responding officer his take and then been asked to leave the classroom while a forensics team did their work. It had chapped his ass to be cut out but he’d complied. As far as the SVPD was concerned, he was a normal high school teacher.
“Are the Rainbows still having their holiday celebration, Mr. Everlock?” Rachel Boyle had hung back when the other students had rushed out. Now she stood in front of Mitch’s desk, her close-shaven head a stark contrast to her large brown eyes and expertly made-up face.
“Of course. Why wouldn’t we?”
Please, please don’t let it be Rachel. Or Gabi. Or any of my students...
She shifted on her feet. “I heard that some parents were stirring up the pot again.”
“Which parents would that be?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. They didn’t say.”
“Who’s ‘they,’ Rachel?”
“Just some of the kids at lunch. The hot gossip is that you’ve been getting warnings from the principal to cancel the Rainbows.” Her stance remained neutral but he couldn’t discount the concern in her eyes. The Rainbows had taken Rachel in as a sullen, shy freshman and helped her build her confidence to become the strong young woman who stood before him. A bright student who’d been dropping in her scores, showing less and less interest in her academics. Lately the Rainbows seemed to be all she cared about.
Mitch sighed. “You know I’ll never let them cut the Rainbows or any of its programming from the schedule. And Principal Essis is never going to let anything happen to the club, either. Silver Valley High is about inclusion, period. You know that and enforce it better than I do, Rachel.”
“I know you’re behind us, and most of the teachers are, but some of the parents are crazy, you know? They think the Rainbows turned their children gay, lesbian, bi or trans, and they’ll do anything they can to shut it down.”
“I can assure you, Rachel, that Silver Valley High will keep the Rainbows going as long as I’m here. And Principal Essis is supporting us, too.” He looked at Rachel. She dated boys but had shared at one of the Rainbows meetings that she’d joined because she understood what it felt like to not fit in, and wanted to support all students at SVHS. She wanted to support the group.
“Excuse me? Mr. Everlock?” A girl Mitch didn’t recognize had walked into the classroom via the back lab entrance behind him. He hadn’t heard her approach and it rattled him.
Where was his training?
“Hi. I’m Nika Collins.” The girl held out her hand to Rachel. “I’m new, my family just transferred.”
Mitch’s instincts went on alert. A midyear transfer? In senior year? This had to be the undercover officer Claudia had mentioned.
“Hi.” Rachel gave her a little wave and started talking to her. Mitch used the moment to check out the new “student.”
“I’ve already completed my credits to graduate but since we moved here before the end of the year the district wants me to attend class until graduation. We moved from Iowa.”
She was good, really good. With no makeup and flawless skin, her face easily passed for a teenager’s. Her clothes were adolescent typical, too, from her form-hugging polo shirt to her low-slung skinny jeans and Sherpa-lined suede boots. But those biceps and the overall athletic build that accentuated her feminine curves, her most definitely adult woman curves, confirmed his suspicion. As a civilian teacher, he wasn’t supposed to know about it; Claudia had informed him as a Trail Hiker. He had to play dumb, but he also had to be prepared in case the True Believers started to pull their crap again. Principal Essis had been notified, too, and he knew that many of the faculty would expect nothing less with such serious threats.
Claudia wouldn’t have had to tell him this gal was undercover, though. The new “student’s” appearance, along with his gut instinct, which was rarely wrong, clued him in. He had to give the undercover operative kudos—the kids wouldn’t think twice of her except as a new classmate.
He hoped like hell his instinct wasn’t letting him down now, because this woman was hotter than hell and he hadn’t ever glanced at one of his students and felt a physical attraction before.
“Mr. Everlock, Nika’s going to come to our Rainbows meeting this afternoon.” Rachel’s voice brought Mitch back to the classroom.
“Glad to have you, Nika.”
“Sure thing.”
Rachel checked her phone. “I’ve got to go or I’m going to be late for French. Madame Kramer is doing a big finals review today. I’ll see you later, Nika.”
“See you.” Nika wiggled her fingers just as Rachel had done, looking every bit the new, slightly awkward student who wanted to fit in.
Once they were alone in the classroom, he waited for her to speak. He had to. To make sure.
“I think you know who I am, Mr. Everlock.”
“Do I?”
She looked carefully around the classroom before she held out her hand. “Nika Pasczenko, SVPD.”
* * *
Mitch Everlock was going to get his due. It was only a matter of time. They were still holding the Rainbows meetings.
As he watched the students head to their next classes from his spot in the school parking lot, some leaving early, some skipping, his blood boiled. He’d been warned that it might not be so easy to sway Mitch Everlock. What the stupid teacher didn’t realize was that the messages telling him to end the Rainbows weren’t a joke. This was about the truth, what was best and right and true for everyone in Silver Valley. Whether they wanted to believe it or not.
No officals had been out to the farms to test the blood, not yet. He knew they were slow, but it was taking them a long time. He fully understood, though, that the SVPD would eventually show up asking for samples of their most recent slaughter.
He was already ahead of them. The blood he’d used was from last year. He’d frozen it after he’d met Mr. Wise at the New Thought meetings, just in case he�
�d be able to use it for a future escapade. And he had.
“Do you have time to talk to the folks from Agriculture today?” His assistant’s voice came over the car’s hands-free speaker. He hated distractions but had to pay his bills for the time being.
“Of course. Anytime. Let me know what works for them.”
“Will do.”
The government oversight was constant. The state and federal governments didn’t trust him to run his own damn farms any longer. Before long, it wouldn’t matter.
When he’d found out about the Rainbows at his very own dinner table he knew that his support of the New Thought planned community hadn’t been in vain. All of the meetings he had attended were going to pay off. He missed the meetings but trusted Leonard Wise. It was better for him to study at home now, while he helped Mr. Wise prepare Silver Valley for what was coming.
Leonard Wise was always right. He was a brilliant man who had come to save Silver Valley. It all made sense. Silver Valley High School was a nest of lies, the way the innocent children of their community were being indoctrinated into society’s evil ways. The Rainbows club’s existence only cemented it.
He’d done what he had to: sent adequate warning that the likes of their sick morals wouldn’t be tolerated. That stupid chemistry teacher thought he was so smart, so savvy, helping the kids get into faraway colleges where their sinful lives could be lived out without their parents watching over them. And there was another problem. Most of the parents in Silver Valley were just as stupid and blind as their children.
But he saw what was happening. Leonard Wise and his brave teachings had enlightened him, given him a reason, a purpose. He was going to bring down the Rainbows and all the students in the group. Mr. Wise would be so pleased, because it would help bring more members to their effort. Once the Rainbows were gone, and the school wasn’t able to function, the parents would be forced to see that their children were running wild. That they needed discipline. That their girls needed to be dedicated to New Thought and to bring new members into the fold in the best, most pure way. Through perfect births.
But first he had to take out the man at the center of the Rainbows. The idiot teacher who was poisoning the children with the same sick lies that were plastered across all the newspapers and internet.
Mr. Mitch Everlock.
Copyright © 2016 by Geri Krotow
ISBN-13: 9781488005251
Taming Deputy Harlow
Copyright © 2016 by Jennifer Morey
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