Page 53 of Artifice

Then it was just her and Mrs. Potts.

Just what she’d been waiting for.

“Mrs. Potts, I wanted to mention that the sink in my bathroom has a steady drip,” Olive started. She’d loosened the fixture earlier that morning. “I was wondering if your husband might be able to look at it today.”

Mrs. Potts blinked as if unsure how to respond to the question. “Oh? Um . . . well, Henry’s not feeling well right now so he’s lying down. But I’ll definitely have it looked into.”

“I’m so sorry to hear he’s not feeling well.”

Her gaze darkened. “Me too. But I’m hoping it’s just allergies or something and that it will pass quickly.”

“If there’s anything I can do for him, please let me know.” Olive knew that Mrs. Potts would have no idea the underlying meaning in her words.

However, Olive meant what she said. She felt certain Mrs. Potts was being manipulated into doing . . . something. Olive wasn’t sure what.

But she had a feeling that whoever was behind it was holding Henry hostage.

That wasn’t cool.

Olive would keep working, trying to find out answers. She couldn’t press too hard.

Not yet.

This conversation was only her first step.

After breakfast, Olive hurried to the school. Principal Denarau had promised she could talk to any students she wanted today. She planned on doing just that.

Lunchtime would be the best time to do so, and she had one student in particular who was on her mind: Abe.

She had to find a way to have a private conversation with him.

When she arrived, Director Ingraham greeted her as usual. Olive knew she had some time to kill before lunch, and she already knew what she wanted to do with that time.

“Now that I have a better feel for the school,” Olive started, “I’d really like to look at those renovation plans a little more carefully and get a better idea of what my money will be going toward.”

“Of course.” Director Ingraham offered a stiff smile. “I wouldn’t expect anything less. You can use my office.”

As they headed down the hallway toward that area, Olive saw Simon walking toward them.

Her heart rate quickened. She didn’t think he’d sell her out, but she needed to be careful. The stakes were too high.

As they passed, he raised his chin in a nod. “Ms. Bettencourt.”

She nodded back. “Mr. Long.”

Director Ingraham paused. “One moment, Ms. Bettencourt. How’s everything going on your end, Simon?”

“It’s great.” He offered a bright, unassuming smile. “I plan to have a full report to you by the end of the week.”

“Perfect. I’ll let you get back to what you were doing.”

Simon gave Olive another look before he nodded and stepped away.

When he was out of earshot, Olive turned to Director Ingraham. “So what exactly is Mr. Long doing here?”

“He’s evaluating various aspects of the school, including our security, education plan, growth potential, and marketing prowess.”

Interesting. Olive stored that information away.