Page 42 of Vanish From Sight (High Peaks Murder, Mystery and Crime Thrillers #2)

I n the eyes of McKenzie, the investigation was in the bag and because Rivera felt he had a strong case, mentioning the pursuit of other avenues might have only created contention.

Noah on the other hand wasn’t convinced. He felt like they were only holding a portion of the puzzle and a disputable one at that.

Despite his track record, they were walking a fine line returning to High Peaks Academy but Callie trusted his instincts.

As they entered the bustling dining hall at the private boarding school, the unmistakable aroma of chili and freshly baked cornbread attacked their nostrils. The dining hall was alive with the sound of student chatter, laughter and the scraping of cutlery against bowls.

The hall itself was large and spacious with a high ceiling and long wooden tables lined up parallel to each other.

The walls were adorned with colorful posters and pictures and there was a large stained-glass window depicting Jesus at the Last Supper on either end to allow the natural light to stream in.

At the far back of the hall there was a serving area with a long counter and stainless-steel metal pans filled with steaming chili, and near that, wicker baskets of cornbread.

The school dining staff, dressed in neat white uniforms, were standing behind the counter, serving up generous portions to students.

“I think we should have informed the rector about our arrival,” Callie said.

“By the sounds of the previous interaction, I’m not sure he would be too happy to see us again.”

As they threaded their way through a sea of students, they noticed that many were eagerly devouring their meals, while others were lost in conversation with their peers. A few caught their eye, muttering to one another. A uniform always garnered a different response. Shock, smiles, a weary glance.

Their attention locked on to the teenage boy who they’d been directed to by a staff member.

He was sitting by himself at a small table in a corner of the hall.

It was hard to tell how tall he was but it was clear he wasn’t very imposing.

He had a lean and lanky build that suggested he didn’t spend much time on sports or physical activity.

His dark hair was styled in a messy but modern tousled look with a little too much upfront.

Noah noted the typical preppy attire with neatly pressed khaki pants and a collared shirt.

His shoes were polished and well-maintained, and he had a book open on the table while he ate, indicating he took studying seriously.

“Charlie Delaney?” Noah asked.

He glanced up with a suspicious expression. “Who’s asking?”

“Investigator Sutherland from State.”

“Why aren’t you in uniform? ”

Noah glanced at Callie then back at him. “Because she is.”

That wasn’t the reason. BCI investigators wore plainclothes.

“You here about Katherine?”

“That among other things.”

“What do you want from me?”

“Just to talk.”

“No one told me you were coming.” Charlie shifted nervously in his seat, he glanced across the room to a table where a group of older teenagers were talking and eyeballing him. Noah noticed two of them were the same boys he’d seen in Hawthorne’s office on the first day when he arrived.

“No one needed to,” Noah replied. “Is there somewhere else you’d feel comfortable chatting?” Noah could sense Charlie’s unease and noted the constant glances at the others.

“And give them more reason to talk?” He glanced off to his left again toward the same table before he got up. “Why not? It’s not like it can get any worse.”

As the three of them made their way out of the busy dining hall, they passed through a long, brightly lit hallway. The walls were lined with lockers and there were a few posters hanging sporadically, and a white banner crossing the hall with the words: Academy Dance – Get Your Ticket.

The sound of chatter and laughter faded away as they turned a corner.

They passed multiple classrooms. Charlie shifted his book bag over his shoulder, glancing at them out the corner of his eye before leading them through a set of doors into a library.

As they entered, the scent of old books and polished wood filled their nostrils.

It was quiet with only a few students scattered throughout, browsing, studying or reading quietly.

The first thing that caught Noah’s attention was the vast collection of books that filled the shelves and lined the walls.

The library was spacious, two floors with high ceilings.

Charlie led them down an aisle past sections devoted to every genre imaginable.

He eyed rows of textbooks, biographies, fiction, non-fiction, reference books and many more.

The aisle was wide enough to accommodate several people at once.

Callie raised her eyebrows, noting how far back Charlie was leading them.

The lighting above them was subdued with soft yellow lights that cast a warm glow over wooden tables and chairs arranged throughout the room. There were a few reading lamps set strategically for those who wanted to read with more light.

Dotted over the walls were posters that were informative, displaying the Dewey decimal system, the hours of operation and inspirational quotes or book recommendations. A few had photographs of authors and advertised events that were coming up at the school.

“This should do,” Charlie said, taking a seat at a table.

“You have many friends, Charlie? A girlfriend, perhaps?” Noah asked.

“What kind of questions are those?” He wiped food from the corner of his lips with his hand. Despite his smart appearance, Noah got a sense that he didn’t have much luck with girls and that he was awkward in social situations by the way he blushed and stumbled over his words.

“Just curious.”

“Um. I do okay.”

Noah nodded, a smile dancing at the corner of his mouth. “I get a sense you aren’t like the others. You carry yourself with a degree of respect.”

He shrugged.

“Isabella Perez. You familiar with her?”

His eyes bounced between Callie and Noah. “Um. Yeah. And?”

“Well, it’s just that she told us one heck of a story about a night here at the Academy. In the laundry room. You remember that night?”

“Um. I…”

Noah wanted to gauge his reaction. He could see his knee bouncing up and down, the way he was avoiding eye contact, the fidgeting, the sweat beading at his temples and the repeated um phrases — all the telltale signs of nervousness were there.

“Go on.”

“I heard about it.”

“That’s it?”

“Um. Yeah,” he replied, running a hand around his neck. “There were rumors going around.”

“About?”

“Her.”

“So, you weren’t there?”

“Me? Um. No. I…” Someone nearby dropped several books on the floor, and that got Charlie’s attention. His gaze darted off over Noah’s shoulder. A short, pretty girl appeared, apologized and began restacking a shelf.

“You seem nervous, Charlie,” Callie said.

“Do I?”

Noah decided to shift gears. “That’s interesting what you’ve told us, you see because we recently got our hands on some of Katherine Evans’ records. You know, the residential counselor you used to go to.”

There were ways to suggest they were privy to information she had without saying they had it or lying.

It was all a matter of extending a piece of rope and seeing how much they would take to hang themselves.

The clever ones were careful. They closed up from the get-go; others told them to speak to their lawyer.

It was the shy nervous ones that had a habit of rambling.

Noah could see he was minutes from getting something out of him.

All the color in Charlie’s face washed out .

His voice dropped to a whisper as he leaned forward. “Look. I don’t know what Isabella or anyone else said but I can tell you I never laid a hand on her that night.”

“I get a sense you didn’t,” Noah replied. “And… Katherine?”

“I saw her. Yeah.”

“After the hazing that went wrong or was that event something more?” Callie asked, eager to know the answer to a question she’d posed to Hawthorne. Charlie kept glancing off down the aisle as if he was expecting company. He bit down on his lower lip.

“Adam Tomlin, Joshua Whelan, Ricky Patel and Benjamin Kim. Were they there that night? The night Isabella was raped?” Noah asked.

He nodded.

“Was it consensual?” Callie asked.

He shook his head, a strong no. “I didn’t know they were going to do that to her. They never told me. Heck, I didn’t get invites out to those things that often. They said there would be other girls there.” He shrugged.

“So, you watched while they assaulted her?”

There was a commotion near the front of the library. Noah heard Hawthorne’s voice. “Where are they?” He knew they had only minutes before their conversation would be shut down.

“It wasn’t a hazing, was it?” Noah asked.

“No.”

“It was a warning after you went and spoke with Katherine, correct?”

“Detectives. Detectives!” Hawthorne bellowed as he marched toward them down the aisle. Noah nudged Callie to stall him. Callie got up and headed towards Hawthorne, acting as a buffer. It bought him a few seconds longer.

“Charlie. Why did they hurt you?”

“Because Isabella came to me and told me to speak up on her behalf. To tell the truth. I told Katherine in confidence in the hope they wouldn’t know but…”

“They found out,” Noah said.

Charlie nodded.

“Do you know who killed Katherine and Laura?”

Before he got an answer, Hawthorne and two staff members were on them.

“That’s enough. Delaney, go back to the dining hall.

I will speak with you later.” Charlie got up looking all timid.

He eyed Noah before shrugging on his backpack and sauntering away.

Hawthorne was quick to speak, wagging a finger in the air.

“You’ve stepped over the line. Now we have answered your questions.

Been more than accommodating. But I will not have you blindside our students and interrogate them without an adult or lawyer present. ”

Noah rose. As he turned to face him, he noticed some of the older teens from the dining hall at the far end of the aisle near the front of the library. They stared back, smirks forming.

“That’s fine. It was just a conversation. We’re done here,” Noah said, brushing past him and leaving with a much better picture. It wasn’t the slam-dunk he wanted but he sure as hell had what he needed to continue in the direction they were heading.