Page 26 of Artifice

But what if this was all a setup? What if her being locked in that room and rescued by Simon had happened to make her want to trust Simon?

Either way, Olive needed to keep up her guard.

Right now, Tevin was the only one in town she could truly trust.

Just as she thought, Margaret was waiting near the door when Olive stepped back inside.

“Are you okay?” Barely discernable concern filled her voice.

“I’ve been better.” It seemed reasonable that Liv Bettencourt would say something like that. Just because the woman was rich didn’t mean she wasn’t capable of being shaken.

“You have to understand that we have reasons for that room.”

They began strolling together down the hallway, their steps slow.

“I don’t see any reason why someone should be locked in there—in the dark. Not even a criminal deserves that.” Any reasonable person could see that, right?

“We have to use various methods to control student behavior around here. I know it’s jarring to think about, but without consequences, the students would be a danger to both themselves and to others.”

“Do you have anyone overseeing these disciplinary actions? A psychologist or doctor? Because I’m afraid you’re doing more harm than good with that room.”

Her cheek twitched as if she didn’t like the insinuations. “We do have both of those positions here—not full time, of course.”

“Are there any other secret rooms you need to tell me about?”

Margaret let out a tart laugh. “No, of course not.”

Olive wished she felt that confident.

She pulled in another deep breath as she tried to gather her thoughts. “I’d still like to talk to some students.”

“Of course.” Margaret kept her steps steady as they walked.

“And I need to charge my phone.” Olive still found it strange how quickly her battery drained in the Quiet Room. Was there a device that could make that happen? She needed to ask Tevin.

“I can arrange that.”

She drew in a shaky breath.

If Olive wanted to figure out what had happened to Colin, she needed to pull herself together.

CHAPTER 14

Olive was only three students in, and she was already tired of these interviews.

She’d been seated in Margaret’s office, and Margaret’s assistant had sent the students in one at a time.

After the first two, the assistant—her name was Sadie—had brought Olive some lunch. The ham and cheese sandwich, apple, and chips weren’t delicious. In fact, they just might be prison grade. But Olive nibbled on them, knowing she needed to eat.

The three students Olive had spoken with had obviously been coached, and these talks were getting her nowhere.

And Olive still hadn’t seen Peyton or Abe. Those were the two she really needed to speak with.

The good news was that her phone was charging.

After the third student left and before the fourth one was set to come talk to her, Olive scrolled through her messages, seeing she’d missed several messages from Tevin. She began clicking through them.

The first message he sent said he couldn’t find anyone named Peyton on the student enrollment list, but he’d keep looking.