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FORTY-TWO

I sit alone in my office, debating whether I should pack up my things and leave for the day.

What had started as a morning of hope quickly spiraled into the worst-case scenario. The video footage is recovered, and it’s making it clear I have something to hide.

How I wish I could go back and never agree to open that stupid door. I wish I’d never been roped into Nadia’s scheme. I can’t trust Connor or Joanna. For the first time since childhood, I feel like there is no one in my corner.

And we’re still no closer to finding out what happened to Evie.

Mr. Lake has always treated me with warmth, praising my leadership skills and celebrating our victories. This tape, for good reason, made him question his trust in me. Now that I’m on his bad side, all I feel is bitter cold.

Someone knocks on my office door. I’m too dazed with despair to respond, so they let themselves in. To my surprise, Coach Reynolds is standing in front of my desk.

“This isn’t a good time,” I say.

“I’ve seen the tapes,” he says, sitting across from me.

“Congratulations. Now that Mr. Lake has lost all trust in me, I imagine the head coaching position is yours.”

“You really think that’s why I’m here?”

“Of course it is. You want to gloat. Like always. Mr. Lake has told me someone wants me out as coach for years.”

“And you think that person is me?”

“Who else could it be?” I say, defeated. “A week ago, I thought I was on top of the world. Now everything is falling apart, and someone has to swoop in to save the day.”

“I’m trying to help you, Cass. That’s all I’ve been trying to do. None of this is about impressing Mr. Lake or getting some stupid coaching position.”

“Okay. You saw the tape. So why are you here?”

“All I care about is finding Evie. What was on that tape looks bad for you,” he says, turning his head to the side. “But I don’t believe you would do anything to hurt one of your players.”

“I didn’t,” I say, my voice cracking.

Reynolds nods. “So, you want to tell me what happened?”

“I…” I look away, trying to swallow down the wave of emotion rising up, the tears stinging my eyes. I’m used to defending myself, but in this moment, I’m overcome with the need to do something I rarely do, something I haven’t done in years. I want to tell the truth. “I made a mistake.”

Reynolds nods again. “Tell me about it.”

And I do. I dive into the entire story, starting with running into Nadia again, thinking it was some kind of kismet, then explaining how she blackmailed me into opening the door. I’d agreed to help her burglarize the computer lab to keep my own past hidden, but it had nothing to do with what happened to Evie.

Reynolds listens patiently. He leans forward, elbows on his knees, his hands interlocked in front of his body. I keep waiting for a hint of judgement or disgust, but it never comes. He’s open to what I’m saying, slow to criticize.

When he does express some negativity, it isn’t about me.

“This Nadia. She could have something to do with Evie’s abduction,” he says, a sour expression on his face. “If she was willing to blackmail you?—”

“Nadia is a criminal. A thief. And yes, she did try to use my past against me, but that’s only because she was trying to make money,” I say. “She’d never do anything to hurt a child.”

“You don’t know that,” he says. “You said you’ve not been in touch for years.”

Connor said as much too, even though the last thing I want to do is agree with him right now. Nadia and I may have been estranged for years, but I lean on what I do know about her. When my own father was abusing me, she comforted me. She helped me get out of that situation, regardless of what punishment might be involved for her.

And I think of her daughter. She made one of the hardest choices a woman can make in order to give her own child a different life. A better life. A lot about Nadia remains a mystery, but I’m confident she puts the well-being of children before anything else, even her own selfish gains.

“We’ve been in constant communication since Evie disappeared, and all she’s done is try to help,” I say. “I know she’s not the most reliable person, but I trust her when it comes to this.”

“Does she understand what she’s done to you? She conned you into opening that door, and now Evie’s paying the price.”

“She understands,” I say, even though she doesn’t know how bad things have gotten. She doesn’t know Mr. Lake, and the police, have now seen the complete tape. “I believe that’s why she’s trying so hard to help me.”

Reynolds sits still, thinking about everything I’ve told him, or maybe he’s thinking about what we should do next. There’s been a whirlwind of revelations in the past couple of days, but none of them have gotten us any closer to finding Evie.

“So, where do we go from here?”

“I don’t know,” I say. “I’m sure the police are going to want to talk to me. I don’t know what to say. I can’t tell them the truth without incriminating myself. Or Nadia.”

“What you did wasn’t connected to Evie,” he says. “That’s the truth.”

“Yes, but we still don’t know if that’s how whoever did take her gained access to the school,” I say. “What I did could still have led to her abduction.”

Reynolds shakes his head. “The video never showed anyone entering the school. It only showed the girls leaving.”

I raise my head quickly. “What?”

“The video shows the girls exiting the building, but they all return. Except for Evie.”

I’d been so overwhelmed; I’d not continued watching the video. I never considered what might have been shown after, and Mr. Lake didn’t say. He was too busy berating me.

“I haven’t seen the entire tape,” I say. “You’re saying it shows multiple girls exiting the school through that door?”

“Yes. Three girls leave through the computer lab door. Maybe a minute later, Evie follows them. A few minutes pass, and the girls come back inside, but there’s no Evie.”

I don’t have to watch the video to know who the girls are. Queen Bea and her minions, Tara and Amber. They’re all but inseparable. And they were the three who were most keen on bullying Evie. Could they have said something to get Evie outside, then locked her out of the building?

“Those girls swore up and down they didn’t leave the gymnasium,” I say, my cheeks turning hot with anger.

“Well, they lied. The video clearly shows it.”

“Has Mr. Lake questioned them? Or the police?”

“I don’t know,” he says. “After this morning’s meeting with the police, their parents called them out of school. By the time any of us saw the entire tape, they’d already left.”

“We have to talk to them,” I say, standing. “They know more than they’re saying. They’ve known all along.”

Reynolds gets to his feet, too. “I’m sure the police?—”

“I don’t want to wait on the police. The girls lied to me,” I say. Just as quickly as my anger appeared, my bravery dissipates. I don’t have a trustworthy reputation anymore. “Their parents aren’t going to let me near them.”

“I think it’s time you go to the parents first. No more child’s play.”

“If Mr. Lake and the police saw the video, I’m sure word’s gotten back to the parents. They’re not going to want me near their precious girls.”

“Their precious girls who are lying about their teammate’s disappearance. They’d be fools to use your past against you after what their own children have been up to.”

“It doesn’t matter if it’s right or wrong,” I say. “You know how these parents are.”

“Then be honest with them. Tell them about your past. That you didn’t have an ounce of the opportunity their daughters have, but you overcame all those hardships. You turned your life around.”

I’m not used to being honest with others. I’m not used to being honest with myself. Maybe that’s the key to unlocking the truth about what happened that night.

“You’re really not the person who’s been after my job all these years?”

“You’re a great coach, Cass. I could never do what you do.” He pauses, shaking his head. “Mr. Lake told me the same story about someone wanting you off the team, but I always got the impression it was one of the parents.”

“Why is that?”

“They call the shots on everything here. I figured maybe it was Lynette Nichols wanting a different coach in there to give her daughter more playing time.”

For years, I’ve been fixated on Coach Reynolds wanting my job. Even when I thought the parents didn’t like me, I didn’t think they were the ones pressuring Mr. Lake to get rid of me. “If the parents are the ones who want me out, it’s pointless to try and talk to them about this.”

“Or maybe you have nothing left to lose,” he says. “So what if they’ve already made up their minds about you? This is your chance to be straight with them.”

Our conversation is interrupted by another knock at the door. I stand, expecting Mr. Lake or another teacher to push open the door, but it remains closed.

“Yes?” I shout to the shadowy figure behind the glass pane.

“Coach Cass?” The voice belongs to a student, but I still can’t pinpoint which one. A second later, the door pushes open, and Beth stands in the opening. “I was hoping we could talk.”

“Come on in,” I tell her.

She walks into the room, pausing when she sees Coach Reynolds. “I was wanting it to be just the two of us.”

“Coach Reynolds is aware of everything that’s happening,” I say. “Anything you say to me, he can hear.”

Reynolds stands quickly, holding out his hands. “It’s fine. Really. Beth probably feels more comfortable talking to you alone.”

He gives me one final look before heading out of my office, closing the door behind him.