“Sir?” he asked as he entered the classroom.
Andrews sat behind his desk. He nodded at Eli and said, “Close the door behind you.”
Eli did and walked to the desk, standing at attention.
“Sit down, kid.”
Oh thank you Jesus. He did as he was told, scooting his chair close to the desk.
“That was quite a risk you took at dinner.”
Eli grinned. “And quite a show you put on.”
Andrews looked more at ease than Eli had ever seen him, as if he’d finally given up trying to fit in as an asshole and was being himself. Too bad he couldn’t have been that way all year—it might have made all the kids look forward to at least one class.
“I did want to talk to you,” the teacher admitted. He kept his voice low, as if worrying he’d be overheard, though the door was closed and this old building’s walls were probably a foot thick. “The new coach mentioned you.”
Eli nodded eagerly. “I knew he would. Did he tell you….”
He quickly closed his mouth. Andrews might be in on their investigation, but Eli couldn’t be sure. Revealing Derek’s real identity…either as cop, P.I., FBI agent, or whatever, could be a bad idea. He’d promised he wouldn’t do that.
Andrews looked curious about what Eli had intended to say, but he didn’t push. “He said you told him he should speak to me.”
Eli nodded.
“Why me?”
Here was something Eli could be honest about. “Because you’re decent, and I think you might care what happened to Charlie.”
After a long pause, the teacher nodded. “I do.”
Two for two. Eli was ready to pat himself on his back about his character-reading skills. He’d always been able to pick out the bullies from the decent kids back home. Nice to know he had the ability with the adults around here.
“So did you tell Derek anything about what’s going on?”
“Derek?”
Eli stiffened. “Sorry. I mean Coach Monahan.”
Andrews scooted his rolling chair out from behind the desk and came closer. Leaning forward, his elbows on his knees, he said, “You and he have really gotten to know each other.”
“No, not a lot. But he’s pretty cool. He told me to call him by his first name.”
“Don’t do it in front of anyone else.”
“Think I’m stupid?”
“You did it in front of me.”
“That’s because I don’t think you’re a crazy kidnapper.”
Andrews’ eyes went big and round, and then he started laughing. Eli had never heard him, or any of the teachers here, really laugh. Coach Gardener did once in a while, but definitely none of the academic staff.
“I’m really glad you’ve been able to maintain a sense of humor, Eli. I’m afraid this place tends to grind it out of most students.”
“And the faculty?”
The teacher’s laughter died immediately. His shoulders slumped, and he dropped his head to look down at the floor. He appeared not only sad, but almost ashamed.
Eli didn’t know what gave him the nerve, but he reached over and patted the man on the back. “It’s okay, sir. I have the feeling maybe you didn’t know what you were getting into here.”
“That’s not much of an excuse.” Andrews straightened. “I knew some, just not enough.”
“Like that boys were being murdered?”
“Eli, you can’t know that.”
“But Charlie…”
Andrews held up a hand to stop him. “Look, I don’t think Charlie was the type to run away, either. That doesn’t mean he’s dead.”
Eli wished that were true. He really did. But he didn’t think it was.
If this had been the first disappearance, sure, he’d consider the possibility that his friend had been taken for ransom, or lured by some creep who liked teenage boys. Charlie wasn’t the first, though. He was the third this year. Neither of the first two boys had ever been seen or heard from again. He honestly didn’t believe Charlie would be, either.
“You really can’t think of any reason he would leave on his own?”
Eli shook his head slowly. “No. I mean, Emerson riding him hard enough to make him cry sure wasn’t unusual.”
Andrews’ brow pulled down and his light grey eyes went to a slatey color. “Emerson’s a real piece of work, isn’t he?”
“He’s a real piece of somethin’.” He didn’t get a smile out of his teacher that time. Too bad. “I really want to get up to our secret cubbyhole to see if Charlie left me a note or anything, but they’re watching us like hawks.”
Andrews jerked. “What cubbyhole?”
“It’s in the 3rd floor shower room. There’s a loose tile near the bottom of one of the private shower stalls. We used to leave notes in it to help each other get through bad days. Now, I can’t even go see if he left me one last message because I’m always with every other guy in my dorm hall. Nobody’s allowed to use the individual showers anymore.” He rolled his eyes. “Everybody’s gotta let it all hang out.”
“Eli, why didn’t you tell anyone? We have to look there.”
“I know. Want to tell me how?”
“We’ll go together, right now.” He looked at the clock on the wall. “I should have enough time before I meet…before my meeting.”
“It’s free time. There could be guys in there. Plus, it will look really weird if we go into the showers together.”
“Unless they think I’m making you scrub tile with a toothbrush.”
Eli didn’t laugh. It had happened. “Maybe it would be easier for us to go during lunch tomorrow.” Then he thought again. “Crap. I’ll be gone. Wednesday?”
“Why don’t you just tell me where the loose tile is? I have a bit more freedom than you do and can go right away. There might be something important inside. Maybe Charlie hid something that will help us figure out what happened to him.”
Although he wanted to be with Mr. A. when he dug through their special hiding place, Eli knew the man was right. It was stupid to put-off looking for something that could be important just because he wanted to be involved like a big shot. Charlie’s life was way more critical than his own pride.
“Okay,” he said, and quickly told the teacher what he wanted to know. Andrews made a few notes and promised he would tell Eli what he had found as soon as possible.
It was almost six p.m. Free period would end soon, then it was time for evening study hall. Eli couldn’t stretch out his absence for much longer.
“I know you have to go soon.” Andrews said. “Before you do, can you tell me how you became friendly enough to talk about this with Coach Monahan? He’s only been here a week.”
Eli wanted to trust his teacher, but remembered his promise to Derek. “I really can’t say.”
“He wants me to meet with him and I’ve agreed. In fact, he’ll be here shortly. I’d like to have some idea whether I can trust him or not. For all we know, he could have been set up to spy on the faculty by the administration.”
“No, he’s definitely not! He’s a cop, or an FBI agent or something. He’s working undercover.” Eli slapped his hands over his mouth. “Oh shit. Please don’t say anything about it.”
Andrews jaw dropped. “Did he tell you he’s with the authorities?”
“Not exactly.”
“Then how do you know he is?”
Eli clenched his hands in his lap. “I just know, okay? I knew almost right away.”
“But how can you be sure?”
“Look, if he was a spy for Fenton, he wouldn’t be worrying about me and my safety. He told me I needed to keep my head down, that it was dangerous for me to get involved. You told me the same thing, remember? Why would a bad guy do that? I mean, are you a bad guy?”
“I didn’t used to think so. After working here all year, though, I’m starting to wonder.”
Before Eli could respond, he heard a sound outside the closed door. Since this wing only held classrooms, a
nd lessons were over for the day, it was a little unexpected.
Andrews heard too. He lifted a hand and put his index finger over his lips. They remained still and silent, waiting for another noise, but there was absolutely nothing. That was weird. It was as if somebody had walked in socks, or tiptoed, except when he was directly outside Andrews’ door. Like he’d wanted to be heard there, but not coming or going. That seemed like something a sneaky spy would do.
Eli rose from his chair, moving very slowly, quietly.
“What are you…”
“Just lemme check,” he whispered back. After taking just a few steps, Eli spotted an envelope on the floor. “There’s a note.”
Mr. Andrews immediately rose. “Wait. Let me get it.”
Not arguing, Eli watched the man go to the other side of the classroom. He bent and picked up what looked like a standard, white, letter-sized envelope. Then he reached for the knob, pulled open the door, and stepped out into the hallway.
Waiting, not even sure what for, Eli held his breath. What if the note was a threat? What if the note-passer was still out there? Mr. Andrews was pretty young, but he wasn’t a big guy. More a skinny nerd, like Eli.
He was about to go after him when the teacher came back in. “Anybody there?”
“Not a soul.” Returning to his desk, Andrews opened the envelope and unfolded a single sheet of white paper. He read quickly, looked at the clock again, and muttered, “Damn.”
“What is it?” Eli hopped to his feet and tried to look around to catch a glimpse of the letter. The writing was big, and there weren’t many words, but he couldn’t see anything except the word secret, which wasn’t much help. This whole place was a secrets-mountain.
“You should get upstairs.” He shook his head, mumbling under his breath, “This is inconvenient. God, why there?”
“Why where? Who’s it from?”
“Never mind. I have to go. I’m going to check your secret hideaway in the boy’s shower, and then I have to go to that meeting.”
“With Derek?”
“Go on, Eli. Coach Monahan was right; you should stay out of this and not draw attention to yourself. I appreciate you telling me what you know, but for your own safety, please let the grownups handle it from here on out.”
Eli gritted his back teeth, even though he knew the man was right. If kids really were being taken—and awful things done to them—he should try to continue flying under the radar. That didn’t mean he liked it, though.
“Okay,” he muttered, rising from his chair. Before he walked away, though, he peered over his shoulder and saw Andrews staring down at the floor. Still mumbling to himself, he was shaking his head, and his shoulders sagged. He looked like he was carrying the weight of the world and was trying to talk himself into taking one more step with it.
Eli rubbed his arms, suddenly feeling cold. Maybe he shouldn’t have given Andrews’ name to Derek. Had he been wrong to involve the quiet teacher, who had a picture of a pretty woman and two little girls taped inside a desk drawer? Derek seemed like he could totally handle himself against anybody who tried to mess with him. Mr. Andrews? Not so much.
“I think I should go with you.”
“Absolutely not!”
“You might need another pair of eyes.”
Andrews smiled. “Gonna watch my back, huh?”
“Somebody should.”
His teacher shook his head and waved him away. “Get going, kid. I’ll be fine.”
Eli trudged to the door, liking this whole thing less and less. Why would somebody sneak up to the room and slip in a note? Andrews had already said he planned to meet with Derek to talk to him tonight. They’d probably had something all set up. If Derek needed to change things, why the note? Why wouldn’t he just pick up the phone and call or knock on the dang door?
“Pick up your feet, Winston.”
He gave it one last shot. “I don’t like this, sir.”
Andrews shrugged. “Neither do I. But we owe it to Charlie to follow through.”
Yeah, he guessed they did. While he would have cheered at that statement an hour ago, right now, he felt as though he was walking through syrup, like he wasn’t supposed to leave here.
Like his teacher needed him.
Andrews didn’t want any company, he’d made that clear. That didn’t mean he didn’t need someone watching over him, however. Somebody like an unseen bodyguard following him through the shadowed halls of this building just to make sure he was okay.
Nobody will know. He’ll think I went back. They’ll think I’m still here.
“Good night, Mr. Winston.” The tone was harder now. Andrews was shoving things into his pockets, including his keys and the note with directions to the shower room cubbyhole.
“I’m going.” He put his hand on the knob. “Hey, Sir?”
The teacher looked up.
“You be careful, too. Just because whoever’s doing this has only hurt boys so far doesn’t mean he can’t change things up if he thinks you’re on to him.”
A small nod was the only response. As Eli left the room, he couldn’t shake that feeling that his mom would have called somebody walking over his grave. The more he thought about it, the less he liked the idea of his favorite teacher trying to catch a killer.
He looked around. There was no way he could lurk nearby and surreptitiously follow Andrews from his classroom. This hallway was wide open. He’d be spotted a mile away.
Upstairs was a different matter. If Mr. Andrews did go to the shower room before he went to this mysterious meeting—and the directions he’d stuffed into his pocket said he would—he’d be much easier to tail.
The third floor was much different than this one. In the olden days, this space had been for offices. Every floor above was where they’d stuck the crazies and the sick. The hallways were like mazes, with alcoves and sub-corridors peeling off in all directions. Knowing it well, Eli was aware there were crannies, nooks, and corners where a kid could duck out of sight of hall monitors or faculty members.
Or teachers they intended to follow.
After Derek headed back to the school, Kate went to the library to do some more digging. She’d exhausted all resources at the historical society. Learning the school facility had been used as a military camp and an orphanage, however, had given her a few other avenues to explore. Private schools might get away with skirting under the radar of the state—but orphanages? Even in the 1940’s? No way. Plus, the military would certainly have kept records of where they trained their soldiers.
Interestingly, she also got a positive response to her request of the state records repository in Atlanta. Medical records were not made public, obviously, but, back in the day, mental hospitals often provided the public with information about their “good works.”
There was more, though. As she had hoped, all records from closed facilities had been sent to the state for permanent storage. Being in the mental health field got Kate further than the average person. The man she talked to—and, honestly, flirted a little with on the phone—agreed to fax her what he could find, including names and admission and release dates.
She had given him the fax number from Julia Harrington’s business card. If going to get the printouts meant she got to find out if his boss had heard from Derek, all the better. Kate had not, and was getting worried.
Calling to be sure someone was there first, Kate headed to the Extrasensory Agents office. It was after hours, again dark and quiet. Ringing the bell, she watched Julia appear. The brunette let her in, but her focus was on the cell phone tucked between her ear and her shoulder.
She was talking to Derek.
“Sorry, dude, but like I said, Aidan’s tied up tonight. It’s either me or Liv, and you damn well know I’m not letting Liv go tromping through a swamp with you.”
Kate eavesdropped, not trying to hide it. When she and Derek spoke earlier today, he hadn’t mentioned anything about needing help tonight. She knew he hoped to use the map to l
ook for building 13 after his meeting with the teacher, but he’d insisted he could do it alone.
“Dr. Lincoln just showed up to get a fax she’s expecting.”
Derek said something else.
“I’ll tell her.”
She disconnected. “Derek asked me to thank you for whatever it is you contributed to the investigation this time.” She turned and walked deeper into the shadowy offices, talking over her shoulder. “Liv and I have been working on some stuff for him this afternoon, too. Maybe I could make copies of whatever you’ve got, and bring it with the rest.”
“Of course. Did he ask you to help him search the grounds tonight?”
“Yes. He sounded bothered about something. Said he could use a second pair of eyes.”
Kate wished he had asked her, since it was her case and her worry. But she knew why he hadn’t. The first time they’d searched Fenton, Derek hadn’t yet been introduced as the new coach. If they’d been seen together, it would have been bad, but not catastrophic. Now it would be a lot harder to explain.
“Wear long sleeves, pants, and boots,” she offered. “And take bug spray.”
“Will do.” Julia led her to an electronics room where there were printers, a copier, and a fax machine. “Looks like it’s already come through,” she said, grabbing a stack of pages off the tray. “Can I make copies?”
“Of course.”
Julia put the sheets in the copier feeder. While they waited, she gestured to a thin file folder on a work table. “I wish I had more to give him. I really want this case solved; I don’t like Derek being there any longer than he has to.” She frowned. “I’ve a bad feeling about it.”
Her chest tightening, Kate asked, “Anything in particular?”
“Just…I asked someone to look out for him, and he said things are really tense there and everyone’s suspicious.”
Her ghost?
Before she could expound, the quiet offices were disturbed by a woman’s sharp cry. Julia flinched, and Kate swung around.
Cold Image (Extrasensory Agents Book 4) Page 22
