Page 26 of Don't Say a Word

“This is all just bullshit!”

“Come to school tomorrow. I’ll have the private investigator stop by during lunch and you can talk to her in my office. Okay?”

“You’re unbelievable. Holding this over my head to force me to come to school?”

“Mr. Parsons told me about the test on Friday, and I’m sure you have a lot of work to catch up on in your other classes. You’re capable, but you need to be present.”

Parsons. “Your boyfriend told you I was here, didn’t he?”

Mrs. Clark blushed and looked surprised.

“Oh, please, everyone knows. It’sobvious.”

“We are concerned about you cutting school and missing classes. It can’t continue.”

“What are you going to do about it?” Angie said. She had never been this disrespectful to a teacher, especially a teacher she liked. But she was sodonewith the bullshit adults fed her. Her mother. The police. Mrs. Clark. It was like, oh, be a good girl, we’ll handle everything. They didnothing.

“I’m going to watch the game,” she said and walked away.

Mrs. Clark didn’t stop her.

By the time she got back, the fourth game was over and Sun Valley won the match, which meant no fifth game. Gina was talking with her team and the coach, so Angie left.

She headed for the side exit, which was the fastest way home, but then she thought, if Mrs. Clark had talked to the PI, she must have her name.

Angie didn’t think that the PI would be able to do anything, but she didn’t need Mrs. Clark to talk to her. Angie would find the woman herself, talk to her alone, tell her exactly what the police did—nothing.

But she needed the PI’s name.

She saw Mrs. Clark and Mr. Parsons talking outside the gym. She didn’t have a lot of time.

Head up, not looking anyone in the eye, she walked straight to the administrative building. All the doors were locked—you needed a key or a pass card to get in, except through the lobby.

She went in through the student entrance.

“I thought I locked the door,” Mrs. Villines, the school secretary, said. “We’re closed.” She already had her large purse over her shoulder.

“I just saw Mrs. Clark at the volleyball game. She said she wanted to talk to me and to wait in her office.”

“She didn’t come in with you?”

“She was talking to Mr. Parsons.”

“Oh,” Mrs. Villines said with a little smile. Yeah, if Mrs. Clark and Mr. Parsons thought that they were being all discreet about their relationship, they were both idiots.Everyoneknew. “All right, go ahead.”

“Thanks,” Angie said as Mrs. Villines buzzed her into the main part of the building.

Angie ran down the hall and into Mrs. Clark’s office. She was obviously expecting to return because her door was open, her briefcase on the table, and the computer was still on.

She stared at the perfectly neat desk. Yes, predictableandorganized.

A business card was perfectly positioned under her monitor.

ANGELHARTINVESTIGATIONS

MARGOANGELHART

Two phone numbers and an email were listed in small print on the bottom of the card. This was easier than she’d thought.