Repairing the Hurt

Chapter 32

"I don't understand it," Victor says over the phone.

We gave him the pictures we collected from the school to look over as soon as we got back to the apartment. North and Silas still haven't returned from tailing Mr. Peters, and Nathan had to drive back to Charleston to help the others with another job.

"I don't understand how something this big could go on under the district's nose," Luke says, pacing back and forth.

"Why would the counselor go ahead and give letters to the administration without being visited? They're ahead of normal procedure," Victor responds, still confused.

"Because it's a cover story," I speak up from behind Luke.

"They want to have the evidence there in case something goes sideways," Victor catches on.

"Or in case I do something like go to the police," I suggest.

"But wouldn't that be suspicious if every time someone went to the police or something, there was a convenient letter saying they were nuts?" Luke asks.

Yes, they would. But not if they only needed it for a couple cases.

"Most kids don't get that far," I explain, remembering that angry girl's words, "The administration there keeps them quiet."

So if Emily went to the police, nobody would believe her.

This school is run by psychos.

"This is good," I say, receiving a startled look from Luke.

"How is this good, Princess?" Victor asks over the phone.

"Because as long as there's a safety net, they'll continue to be reckless."

"I'm confused by how that's a good thing. Means it happens more frequently," Victor argues.

"Yes, but it means he doesn't have to wait for anything," I reason, turning the conversation to specifically address Mr. Peters.

This whole process has only taken days. From what I understand from other Academy jobs like this, these usually take months. This is a much different game than the standard creepy teacher. This is fast and it's more dangerous than I initially believed.

But maybe I can use that to my advantage.

"Uh oh," Luke says, looking at me, "That's her planning face."

"Princess?" Victor asks.

I check my phone and see that it's almost midnight.

"Where did North and Silas track him to?" I ask instead.

Luke's still looking at me like I'm a little crazy, but Victor's the one who answers, "They're still tracking him. North checked in a half hour ago and said he just drove into a gas station, parked and the car's been there the whole time. North went up to check and he wasn't in there. They figured he must have slipped through the back door and into the woods. Silas picked up his trail behind the station and followed it to a subdivision. The guy was standing behind a tree in front of someone's house. Silas saw a girl through the window. Mr. Peters was presumably watching her all evening."

Talk about creepy.

"Classic Peeping Tom," Luke mutters.

"Wait, North just texted me. Looks like he's on his way back home," Victor relays.

"How far away is he?" I ask.

"Five minutes, tops."

I walk over to the closet door and open it, using the mirror on the inside to look at myself. I take my hair out of the loose bun I had it in and shake it out. I twirl some strands around and rub others. Once I have a tangled, ragged mess, I close the door.