Silver Falls - Anne Stuart [89]
Empty your mind, she told herself.
Sophie’s safe, everyone’s safe.
Nothing bad will happen. It’s all right.
Everything’s all right.
And she closed her eyes and slept.
Sophie heard the rumors in fifth period. They weren’t talking loud enough for her to hear, but the odd looks cast her way, the sudden silences when she got close to classmates tipped her off that something was really wrong.
There were strict rules about using your cell phone in school. You were supposed to turn them off, but Sophie simply put hers on vibrate. Her mother had taught her early on that following rules and doing what was expected of you could lead to disaster, and the moment she could she slipped into the handicapped bathroom, the only private place in the entire building, and dialed her mom.
No answer, and her mother’s cheerful voicemail prompt should have reassured her. It didn’t. She tried David’s house, but the phone kept ringing, the answering machine never picked up. Then she did what she should have done in the first place—called Caleb’s phone. But that was turned off. Something bad had happened, something very bad, and she wasn’t going to calculus and pretend everything was cool.
She waited until she heard the bell ring and she knew the halls would be empty, and then she opened the door. To find Kristen waiting for her.
“I saw you go in there,” she said, her voice as flat and no-nonsense as her mother’s. “What did you hear?”
“Nothing. But I know something’s going on. No one’s answering their phone, and everyone’s giving me funny looks.”
“They arrested your uncle for murder. They think he’s the Northwest Strangler.”
“My…what? You mean Caleb? That’s crazy!”
“Not according to my mother. Actually he got busted for trying to kill your mother—he cut the brake line on her car. They haven’t been able to tie him to the other killings yet, but that’s just a matter of time.”
“That’s impossible,” Sophie said flatly. “I don’t believe it.”
“For what it’s worth, neither does my mother, but she says there’s nothing she can do. He came right out and admitted he’d tampered with your mother’s car. He hasn’t confessed to the killings yet but that comes next.” Kristen hiked up her heavy backpack. “At least it means we’re safe.”
“No, it doesn’t,” Sophie said. “Caleb didn’t kill those women. I don’t care what he said about the car, I know he’s not a killer. The M.O. is completely different.”
“Then who is?”
“You wouldn’t believe me,” she muttered.
“Try me.”
“It’s—”
“What are you two young ladies doing, standing in the hall and gossiping when you should be in class?” Mrs. Wenberg, the scourge of eleventh grade, loomed up. And then her eyes narrowed as she recognized Sophie.
“Oh, it’s you, dear,” she said. “I’m so sorry about your troubles. Perhaps you might like to go to the guidance counselor. Miss Bannister, you may accompany her.” She pulled out her omnipresent pad of pink paper and scribbled on it, tearing a page off with a well-practiced flourish and handing it to Kristen. “This should keep the hall monitors from bothering you. You take care of her, Miss Bannister. Stay with her until someone can come pick her up.”
“But no one’s supposed to…” Kristen began, but Miss Wenberg had already strode off, in search of other miscreants.
“Come on,” Sophie said, plucking the pink slip from Kristen’s hand. She headed straight for the side door, the one that led through the parking lot. It was at the back of the old brick building with few windows overlooking it—no one would see her leave.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“I’m going to see what the hell is going on. I know perfectly well that Caleb didn’t kill anyone, and if he sabotaged my mother’s car he would have had a damned good reason for doing it.”
“Let me go back and get our jackets,” Kristen said.
Sophie shook her head. “You’re not coming with me. You know your mother would kill you, and she wouldn’t be too pleased with me if she caught us skipping out. Which she would—your mother can find out anything.”
“Let her,” Kristen said. “You need someone with you.”
“No,