Page 31 of Artifice (Pros and Cons Mysteries #4)

“ M s. Bettencourt,” Principal Denarau said as he stepped inside. “We’re so sorry you had to experience this while you were here.”

“So am I.” Olive rose, a snooty edge to her voice. “It feels unnecessary.”

“We only did it for your safety—and the safety of the students, of course. We take these incidents very seriously.”

She cast her cool gaze on him. “Is this place a prison? Were you expecting riots?”

His expression was stony as he said, “They’ve happened before. Once one student begins to lose it, the others can follow suit. Some also see it as an opportunity to act out.”

Olive frowned. His explanation made too much sense for her to argue. “I see. Has everything settled down then?”

His smile was terse. “It has. And again, my apologies that you had to be stashed away in here.”

She held up her phone. “Even my phone doesn’t work.”

“Service around here can be sketchy at times. That’s probably what happened.”

Olive doubted that. Signal jammer . . . again.

He extended his arm to lead her from the room.

As she stepped out the door, he gently touched the small of her back. She tried not to flinch.

In the hallway, Director Ingraham came toward them.

When she saw Principal Denarau’s hand on Olive’s back, her expression changed.

The woman always looked unhappy. But Olive was nearly certain she saw a flash of jealousy in the director’s eyes.

Margaret liked Michael, didn’t she? And not just professionally speaking.

As quickly as Olive saw the emotion in Margaret’s eyes, it disappeared, and her normal uptightness returned.

“What can we do for you?” Principal Denarau asked Olive. “Would you like to continue here today, or do you need a break?”

She glanced at her watch. She’d been in that seclusion room for two hours. That meant it was now close to three o’clock. If she were honest, the whole event had frazzled her.

She needed some time away from this place.

“I think I’ve seen enough for today,” she told Principal Denarau. “I’ll plan on coming back tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow is our board of directors meeting. I assume you’ll be here for that.”

That was right. She couldn’t forget that.

She offered a nod. “I wouldn’t miss it.”

The principal continued to walk with her to the front door.

As he did, Olive glanced around and noticed how things were surprisingly calm around her.

The students had been ushered back to their rooms. Olive would guess they were still there.

Maybe even that they’d be there until she left.

Olive would need to play this very carefully.

Olive knew she couldn’t go back to the B&B. She had too many things she needed to figure out first.

Instead, she went to The Salty Kettle.

It was early for dinner, but she had a feeling waitress Stephanie knew more than she’d been able to say. The restaurant should be fairly quiet at this time of day, so maybe it would be a good time to talk to Stephanie and see what she knew.

Plus, Olive hadn’t really eaten lunch. She’d nibbled on that stale sandwich while making conversation with the kids. The food at the school left a lot to be desired.

She hurried inside and to her delight saw Stephanie was indeed working.

“Is there anywhere in particular you’d like to sit?” the hostess asked.

Olive pointed to the area where Stephanie worked. “Near the windows would be amazing.”

“Of course, Ms. Bettencourt.”

So people here did know who Olive was, just as she’d suspected.

Did the people behind Lighthouse Harbor control this whole town?

It appeared more and more likely.

“You again.” Stephanie paused by the table and grinned. “I guess you liked that lobster mac and cheese you got last time.”

“I certainly did, but I definitely cannot indulge in that dish too often.”

Stephanie laughed. “I totally understand. You’ve got a figure to maintain, right?”

Olive smiled. “Anything else you’d recommend? Something maybe a little healthier?”

“Our creamy crab soup is out of this world.” Her eyes widened as if to drive home her point. “You could get a salad to go with it. They balance each other out, right?”

“Then that sounds perfect.” Olive handed her the menu back without even looking at it.

She wanted to jump into her questions, but she’d need to time them just right.

Though there weren’t many people around, there were enough that Olive didn’t want other patrons to overhear their conversation. The restaurant wasn’t the best place to have privacy.

As she waited, her phone rang. Good to see she had service again.

But when she glanced at the screen, she saw it was Colin’s mom.

Her heart rate quickened.

What might this be about?