CHAPTER SEVENTEEN #2
Pierce looked livid. He began marching this way, body-checking Manuel when the teen stepped into his path. “You little bitch, don’t you dare—”
I dared. “Time logs that make little sense. People lying to you.”
“Shut up! Shut the fuck up right now! Or I swear—”
“The same way you shut up?” I parried, hoping he could read the “you brought this on yourself” in my unflinching expression.
It was a powerful feeling to be able to interrupt his crazed rants with my calm responses.
The heady sensation fueled me and steadied my nerves.
Certainly, when the rumors about my being locked in the loony bin hit the gossip mill, at least the admin here would question if something fishy hadn’t been happening.
Outwardly, I looked as cool as a cucumber while the chief, ironically, presented perfect picture insanity.
I wouldn’t let them see how much this shook me. If it was all I could do, I’d maintain my control. Ben’s dad had starred in so many nightmares. That festering hatred in his eyes? It hadn’t been an exaggeration of my imagination. It shone there now, clear as day.
But I kept the tremor out of my voice.
Yay me.
Pierce blew. “Ungrateful little… I’ll throttle you! I’ll kill—”
Still addressing Veritas, I nodded in the chief’s direction. “You should talk to Chief Pierce. Of anybody, he could shed some light on your unanswered questions. He’s the catalyst for most of them.”
“Truth,” Veritas murmured beneath his breath, almost so low I hadn’t heard it.
Willa!
I winced and pressed a hand to my temple, feeling my cooling skin.
The sharp action tugged Veritas’s attention momentarily to me. “Are you okay?”
My watch beeped an all too familiar warning. Veritas glanced at the device, but I didn’t. It would be less than smart to allow him a glimpse of the interface. He was too sharp.
My temperature dropped even further, drawing another warning beep and making me shiver. Whispers rose.
The universe was supremely unfair. I could lose all the work I’d done to maintain a higher ground while a ranting, raving adult verbally abused and threatened me in a blink.
I was having an episode—a violent one.
“May I be excused to class?” I whispered, my energy flagging. I mapped out where the nearest bathroom was.
“No!” Pierce screamed, pointing a finger at me. “You aren’t going anywhere but jail. I have a warrant—”
“A warrant?” Veritas laughed and stepped forward to block my view of the man once more, then he pulled a card from his pocket.
“Here. My number in case there’s something you want to add later if I don’t beat you to the punch.
You’re free to go back to class. That’s all the questions I have for now.
Unless the school administration needs you to stay behind for anything? ”
Pocketing the plain card, I gritted my teeth to maintain my composure, barely seeing it as one counselor attempted to say something about needing to talk to me. It was Mr. Richards who told them it could wait, his gaze warm and understanding as he watched me hanging on by a thread.
I kept chanting to myself not to ruin all my effort over and over.
Just five more minutes, Universe. Just give me five more minutes to escape the public eye, and you can do your worst.
You’ve got this, a voice whispered in response, making me think that, in fact, I didn’t have this.
Hearing voices in your head was always a dead giveaway, despite how reassuring the words sounded.
“I’d really like to not be here anymore,” I added, hoping to bolster the principal’s decision.
“Okay,” the reluctant counselor relented.
I didn’t wait for the word to finish, recognizing the resignation in his answer, so I stumbled for an exit.
Chief Pierce exploded with rage. “No! I’m the chief of police. I’m in charge of all you sorry sacks! This paper is signed by the judge himself. It says Willa Walker isn’t going anywhere.”
“Funny,” Veritas stated, sounding very unamused. “Based on what we’ve all seen here, I would question why you’re allowed to be working this investigation when your judgment is compromised. One might even wonder if you hold a grudge against her.”
“She killed my—”
“I know. I read the case files—what was in there anyway. Recently, it’s come to my attention that there might be key pieces missing. Based on my initial workup, which trumps yours as a federal versus state matter, I would very much like to take you in for questioning.”
Pierce lost it. He lunged at me. Richards and Veritas both intercepted. Handy announced the cops were on their way and would be arriving any second.
Then, the visual hallucinations filtered in. Orbs moved erratically around the room, distorting my perception, and sounds began to act strange. A warm hand closed over my arm, pushing the veil back for a moment.
Manuel.
The cleared vision, brief as it was, allowed me to see what’d happened. Chief Pierce must have been tackled. Veritas had him pressed against the wall, struggling and yelling, but Veritas’s attention rested on me. His eyes bored into my soul.
“Willa, come on. Let’s go this way out the back,” Manuel urged. His arm slipped from me, expecting me to follow.
The cold slammed in once more. Blindly, I sought the lifeline of his touch, finding his hand. “Don’t let go. Please, don’t let go.”
“What do you need?” he asked, his voice dropping an octave as he realized something was up.
“Privacy,” I said once a rough wave of audial whispers rattled around my skull. “Don’t want… anyone to… see.”
He sandwiched my grip, holding me to him with his free hand. “No problem.”
He led, and I followed.