Page 70 of For Your Own Good

Teddy refrains from smiling.

Inside the school, a security company is setting up cameras over the doors and in the hallways. Last night at the parents’ meeting, the headmaster had said this would happen. He’d said Belmont would be the most secure school on either side of the Mississippi River. Some of the parents even looked like they believed it.

Not that any of it matters. Teddy has no intention of killing anyone else.

This morning, he doesn’t go to the teachers’ lounge. Instead, he goes straight to his classroom, gets settled, and starts working on today’s assignments. Last night, he spent so much time fixing the justice system, he didn’t have time for his own work.

When his first-period students arrive, they’re all talking about the news. Two classes later, they’re talking about the killer at Belmont.

“He needs a name.”

“The Belmont Butcher?”

“But he doesn’t butcher people.”

“Why are we assuming it’s a ‘he’?”

“How about the School Slayer?”

“There’s no slaying. It’s poison.”

“The Exterminator.”

“You guys are sick.”

Zach Ward. He walks into the room and doesn’t look happy about the conversation. “Courtney’s still in jail, you know,” he says to a group of students. “If someone is killing people here, the police need to admit they were wrong and let her go.”

For the first time he can remember, Teddy agrees with Zach. Maybe his selfish student is finally learning something.

During class, Teddy even starts to think maybe Zach isn’t so bad. Still has that smirk, of course, and he’s still one of the most arrogant kids at the school. But he is smart. Teddy has to give him that. Teddy also has to give himself credit, because he never stops trying to make his students better. There’s always a way.

At lunchtime, Teddy goes up to the lounge to see what the teachers are saying. At least, that was his plan. As soon as he steps out of his classroom, he runs into Ms.Marsha.

“Teddy,” she says. “I’m so glad I caught you.”

Ms.Marsha looks more tired than usual. The bags under her eyes are quite dark. “Good afternoon,” he says. “You’re looking well today.”

“Thank you for saying that, but I’m afraid I didn’t get much sleep last night.”

“How is it going?” he says.

“Busy, as you can imagine.”

Right across from them, someone is on a ladder installing a camera. Busy day, indeed.

“However,” she says, “we do have a temporary replacement for Sonia. She’ll be teaching her classes for the rest of the semester.”

“Wonderful,” Teddy says. “You do work fast.”

Ms.Marsha almost smiles. “Actually, we got lucky. She volunteered to help us out.” She glances behind him, making Teddy turn around.

When he sees who it is, his heart stops.

Same shiny dark hair, same pert nose. No longer a girl, either. She’s the woman he saw at Sonia’s memorial service.

Fallon Knight.

His former student. The one who didn’t get into a top school because of him. The one who calls him an asshole in her emails.