Sally Singletary's Curiosity (The Sally Singletary Book 1)

by J. M. Cataffo

  Lani smiled. “Sally Singletary, let’s see just how good a reporter you really are.”

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  EVENING LIGHT STREAMED THROUGH the sliding glass door at the opposite end of the hotel room framing the two men, making it difficult for her to get a good look at them. One of them had handed her a business card printed on clear plastic. The embossed logo was unfamiliar, a shield with the number fifty-one imprinted on it.

  “Division 51,” the man repeated as though he thought her incapable of reading it for herself.

  “Never heard of it,” she replied, giving him her best nonchalant expression.

  The man’s partner snorted a laugh. “Wouldn’t think so.” Sally immediately didn’t like the man. Even with his boyish face and southern accent, he seemed cocky and arrogant.

  “It’s not important who we are, Miss Singletary,” Agent Dawkins continued. His accent was more difficult to place. Miami? California? “We’re here because we believe you know something, which may be helpful in our investigation.”

  “How did you know we were here?” Yasif asked.

  The second man turned toward him. “That information is classified.”

  “My partner—Agent Thompson—and I are investigating the disappearances at your school. We are not permitted to share the details, but I can assure you it could be very dangerous for a lot of people if we don’t find what we need.” Dawkins paused as if trying to sum up her reaction. “Do you have any knowledge of the disappearances, Miss Singletary?”

  The sunglasses annoyed her. She couldn’t see his eyes and couldn’t get a sense for whether he was pulling her leg or not. They couldn’t know what she’d seen. She hadn’t told anyone, except Yasif. “What gave you the impression we know anything about that?”

  “We know a great deal about you, Miss Singletary,” Agent Dawkins said. “We know you are seventeen years old, are the chief editor of your school’s newspaper, and are friends with the boys who disappeared.”

  Sally held her gaze. It had only been a couple days since the disappearances. How could these guys know so much already? Something fishy was definitely going on. “I’m sorry you came all this way. We came down here to visit a friend. I heard about the disappearances, but I don’t know anything that would help you.”

  “Are you sure, Miss Singletary? We could really use your help here.” Agent Dawkins’ voice was sincere enough, but she caught movement from behind the dark lenses. It was almost as though he were reading something. Her eyebrow went up slightly as she examined them more closely. Little things were out of place. Their suits were tailor made, the lapels smaller, the material unfamiliar. They were more like uniforms than something off-the-rack. There were other small details as well—a button that didn’t quite match the others. Hidden camera? Microphone under the lapel? How much tech did these guys have? Even the dark glasses weren’t normal, the temples thicker than she’d expect. Heads up display? These guys were definitely packing some major surveillance gear. She was mad at herself for not noticing it sooner.

  Uneasiness worked its way into the pit of her stomach. Division 51? She couldn’t help but think of Area 51, but these guys had to be NSA, or Homeland. She didn’t need to see his eyes to know they were not to be trusted.

  “I’ve already told you. I don’t know anything. We came down here to visit a friend.” She held his gaze, giving him no reason to doubt her statement.

  The man’s eyes shifted again underneath his glasses. She imagined the amount of personal information that must be scrolling past his vision. He was probably looking for something he could use as leverage. Sally knew they wouldn’t be able to fool these guys for long. If they were going to stay ahead of them, she and Yasif would have to start finding some answers quickly.

  Agent Dawkins seemed to have come up empty. He held out his hand. It was cold when she took it in hers and shook it. “Please call us if you find out anything.”

  “I will,” she lied with a smile.

  The man nodded and made his way to the door, followed by his partner. He stopped just before leaving and turned to her once more. “Oh, one more thing, Miss Singletary. Should you find yourself in possession of information relevant to this case and you neglect to share that information with us, we will have no choice but to charge you for withholding information in an federal investigation.” He smiled. “Good day, Miss Singletary.

  “What the hell was that all about?” Yasif asked as the door closed.

  “Dunno,” she replied.

  A few moments later, a knock startled her. Eyes wide, she glanced back at Yasif. He shrugged. Were they back again? Had they found something she’d withheld already? She reached for the handle nervously and opened it.

  “Jake!” She was definitely surprised to see him.

  “Those guys friends of yours?” He pointed back down the hall with his thumb.

  “Long story,” she replied. “Look, we’re gonna have to head back sooner than we thought. Did you need something?”

  Jake hesitated, glancing at Yasif, then back at her. “I, uh… I just wanted to…” He took a breath. “Can I come in?”

  Sally let him in and closed the door.

  “I know that I probably don’t have anything you need.” He talked with his hands, but stared at the floor. “I just want to do something to help…anything.”

  “There’s really not much you can do right now, Jake,” she replied.

  “Unless you’re some master programmer who can prevent government agents from hacking our server,” Yasif said, somewhat flippantly.

  Both she and Jake looked at him, curious.

  Yasif explained. “With as much tech as those guys had on, we’re gonna need to set up more security if they start investigating the Hi-Li.”

  “You noticed that too?” Sally asked.

  Yasif nodded. At least he wasn’t still angry with her. She needed to apologize, but felt odd with Jake in the room.

  “I’m pretty good with computers,” Jake said.

  Yasif scoffed, “Yeah, I doubt that.”

  Jake frowned. “My dad is part owner of a telecommunications company that installs all kinds of computer equipment. I know my way around some pretty impressive machines, but I’m not sure I understand what it is you need.”

  Sally was hesitant to give him details, but if there was a chance he could help… “Those guys were government agents for something called Division 51.” She showed him the card.

  “If they start hacking the server, there’s nothing I can do without Daniel’s help,” Yasif added.

  “Server?” Jake asked.

  Yasif clarified, “The Hi-Li server. It runs everything about our school news site. Daniel was the one who programmed it. I’m nowhere near as good as he is.”

  “I think I can help you with that.” Jake’s gaze flicked back and forth between them.

  Sally turned to Yasif. He shrugged. “You’d be willing to help?”

  “It’s the least I can do,” Jake stated. “After what I did to…” He trailed off.

  “We need to get back to the school. Yaz, when’s the next bus?”

  “Morning.”

  Sally sighed. “That’s too late. We can’t wait that long.”

  “What other choice do we have?” Yasif asked.

  “I can take you.” Jake seemed to have stopped breathing as if his entire life hinged on their next response.

  “You have a car?” Sally asked, not certain if it was a good idea even if he did.

  “Don’t sound so surprised.” Jake crossed his arms.

  “I just didn’t expect…” She stopped herself. “We’d be grateful if you could give us a lift.”

  “It’s not the prettiest thing in the world, but it’ll get us where you need to go.”

  Yasif turned to Sally. “Can I talk to you for a sec?” He motioned toward the bathroom for privacy.

  Sally followed him. “I know what you’re going to say. I’m sorry about what I said earlier. I feel really bad.�
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  “It’s not that.” Yasif looked directly into her eyes. “I just wanted you to know something. What I said earlier…”

  Tension rose as she realized what he was about to say. He was going to do this now?

  “It’s just that…” Yasif grabbed nervously at the sides of his pants, his gaze shifting around the bathroom. “Is there something going on between us?” He said the words quickly.

  Boom! There it was. Her instincts were spot on. She just wished he could have picked a better time. “Yaz…” she started, but her voice caught in her throat.

  She should just tell him they were friends, that with graduation approaching they should keep things professional. It made so much sense, but she couldn’t bring herself to let him down.

  A reddish hue fell over Yasif’s face as words started spilling from his mouth. “I’ve just always wondered, and I’ve kept my feelings to myself for so long because I was too afraid to ever say anything to you before because you’ve always seemed distant toward me when it came to anything more than friendship so I figured that you weren’t interested and I felt like if I didn’t tell you now that I never would and I just needed…”

  “Yaz!” she snapped, probably a bit more harshly than she had meant. “Calm down. What exactly are you saying?” She didn’t really need the clarification, but she needed time to think, time to put her words together into something he’d understand.

  Their gazes met for a moment. “I really like you, Sal, and I want us to be more than friends.”

  She took a deep breath, but still the words didn’t come. Why was this so difficult? Usually, she had no trouble speaking her mind. Every time a sentence formed, though, it seemed to evaporate on the way to her mouth.

  “Yaz.” Sally sighed. But again, no words came.

  His body seemed to deflate before her. “It’s cool. I understand.” He turned to leave.

  “Wait, Yaz.” She grabbed his arm.

  “It’s okay, Sal.” He looked down at the floor and cleared his throat. “I know what you’re going to say and you’re right. We shouldn’t jeopardize our friendship.”

  She watched him go, unsure how to respond. He’d said exactly what she’d been thinking, but hearing the words come from him, now she wasn’t sure she agreed.

  Something awful sat inside her, writhing around her stomach. Was it really such a bad idea?

  She choked back tears and cleared her throat, forcing the rising emotions back down. There was no reason for her to be upset. Things were as they should be. When she came out of the bathroom, Yasif was already packing.

  “I’d better go get the car.” Jake motioned awkwardly toward the door, obviously sensing the tension in the room.

  “You don’t have it here?” Sally asked, her voice a bit shaky.

  “No, I didn’t drive. I took the bus to the restaurant,” Jake said. “Strictly speaking, I’m not technically supposed to be driving.”

  “You have a license, right?” Yasif blurted. He looked agitated. Sally fought back another wave of emotion.

  Jake looked away. “I have several, actually.”

  Sally crossed her arms.

  Jake held his hands out. “It’s okay, I promise. It’s not like they can do anything to you even if I got caught. I’d just go back to jail.” His gaze fell to the floor. “I really don’t want to do that.”

  “You don’t have to do this,” Sally said. “We can get by on our own.”

  He took a breath. “Yeah. I think I do.”

  “Okay then.” She nodded. “Let’s do this. We’ve still got a lot of questions that need answers.”

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  LANI WAS ON her third cup of coffee. She didn’t seem to mind now that it was being served in a high school cafeteria. The idea of a bunch of hyped-up teens needing more caffeine was a joke. But as she sipped the hot beverage, she was thankful for its presence.

  She’d pulled out her tablet and was searching through the Hi-Li website. Impressive. The feeds were fantastically organized, displaying stories from various sources and media types. Everything was grouped as though someone was managing it all on the backend. How did these kids pull something like this off? Lani knew enough about computers to know it was impossible; that person would have to be filtering the material and sorting it nonstop, twenty-four seven. So how exactly did they manage it?

  She pulled up a particular post of interest as she speculated on the inner-workings of the site. The article itself took center stage at the top. On each side were social and media feeds, showing information streaming in from various sources as people added comments, pictures, and videos from their phones or computers. Not all of the responses were from students at the school. The story had grown since the disappearance; people were taking notice.

  Thumbnails and snippets scrolled down each side until it reached the bottom of the column where it joined a timeline that ran below the article. A quick mouse-over showed her it was interactive, thumbnails and snippets zooming to the forefront as the cursor moved over them. She could also drag it and move the whole article back in time, showing additions, feeds, and posts at the exact moment she chose.

  This was amazing! It was an incredible experience for the reader. She watched as a video feed from her own newscast became part of the stream, kids commenting negatively on her reporting skills. Ignorant brats! What did they know? Despite the off-putting comments, the stories themselves were extremely well written and insightful. Lani hadn’t seen reporting this good since her college days.

  The article was being updated that very moment, an indicator at the bottom.

  [Sally Singletary is Updating Live…]

  Something is amiss at Hidden Lakes, and I intend to find out what it is. Two men claiming to be a part of the government interrogated me today. Why are these men investigating a student disappearance? I know that’s what you want to know, and it’s my job to find out. If you’ve seen these men, share your story. Vigilance.

  Vigilance? The word stuck out from the rest, leaving a bitter taste in Lani’s mouth. What were these kids up to? She closed the lid of her laptop and sat back in her chair, straightening her gray skirt as she crossed her legs. Government men? This was turning into a three-ring circus. For a moment, Lani submitted to the notion that perhaps the Hi-Li wasn’t immune to sensationalistic news. Maybe Sally was just drumming up the story to increase interest—it certainly had gotten her attention.

  The thought would have sufficed, except for one small problem in logic—it didn’t explain the two men in suits she saw walking through the commons area next to the cafeteria.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me.” She slid her tablet into her bag. The men were headed straight to the boys’ dorm, not accompanied by any school personnel. “Vigilance, eh?”

  A quick decision. Follow them? Or tell the administration? There was no time! They’d already moved out of sight. She tiptoed after them, peering around the corner through the open doors, watching as they barged into a student’s room. Moving past the slamming door, she opened the next one and slipped inside.

  “Excuse me! Who are you?” A familiar voice. She looked down to see the young boy she’d talked to earlier, covering his naked body with a blanket.

  “I’m sorry. I just need to check something out, okay?” The room was dark, but she could see light coming from a small iPad lying next to him on the floor. He straightened the blanket to cover what had been on the screen, but Lani had already caught sight of blond hair and bare skin.

  “What are you doing?” She held up a hand. “Never mind, I don’t want to know. I promise I just need to listen to what’s going on next door and then I’ll get out of your hair.”

  “Mrs. Padilla isn’t going to like that you’re in here,” the boy pointed out.

  Lani shot back, giving him a knowing look, “I’m pretty sure she wouldn’t like what you’re doing either, but I won’t tell if you won’t.”

  He sighed. “Okay, fine.” Leaning over, he reached for a
shirt and a pair of shorts, checking that the screen on his device had gone off before pulling it out. He dressed beneath the blanket while Lani leaned against the wall and listened to the muffled voices next door.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” a muffled adolescent male voice said. “I don’t even know Sally that well.”

  One of the men spoke, but she couldn’t make out the words. Damn it!

  “Look, I don’t want any trouble, okay?” the teen said. “If I hear anything, I’ll call.”

  That was the end of the conversation.

  She stepped away from the wall. The curly-haired kid was now dressed in wrinkled clothes and had just shoved the small iPad into a drawer in his desk. “What’s your name, kid?”

  “Idric,” he said quietly.

  “Idric, my name is Lani and I’m a reporter. Have you been questioned by any men in suits?”

  The boy gave her a confused look. “Men in suits? What are you talking about?”

  “Here.” She handed him a card. He glanced, but didn’t take it. Lani placed it on the desk next to him. “If they talk to you, I want to know.”

  Idris folded his arms. “You barge into my room, and now you want my help? Screw you!”

  Lani smiled. “You’ll help me or I’ll tell the headmistress about your extra-curricular activities.” She pointed at the drawer where he’d stowed his tablet. “How’d you pull that stuff up on a school network, anyway?”

  The boy went bright red. “A friend showed me how.”

  She gave him a stern look. “They come to you; I want to know.”

  He nodded.

  Lani turned and waved with a smile. “Toodle-loo!”

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  SALLY TRIED HER BEST to touch as little as possible in the old beat-up Honda as they bounced down a country road leading back to Atlanta. The car reeked. Cans, bottles, wrappers, and other bits of trash were piled in the back next to Yasif. He kept glancing at it, as though expecting it all to topple over on him with each curve in the road. Sally couldn’t take it any longer. “You know what? Pull off over there.”