Chapter 41 #2
Panic surges through me. My hand scrambles beneath my desk, my fingers finding the hidden panic button Ben had installed when he became principal. I press it quickly, praying someone sees the alert in time.
“What… what are you doing?” I ask, forcing myself to stand, ignoring the throbbing in my head.
“Closing the door,” he murmurs, his back still to me. “There’s only you and me here. I made sure of that. But that’s how we like it, isn’t it? We always talk when everyone else is gone.” He turns to face me, a slow smile spreading across his lips. “That’s how I know you like me, Ashlyn.”
I feel like I’m going to be sick. My stomach churns as reality sinks in. I thought Eddie was harmless. I was just being nice, thinking he was lonely. But he’s not lonely. He’s unhinged.
His gaze drops to the blood trickling down my forehead, his expression unreadable.
“If you’d just agreed to have dinner with me, none of this would’ve happened,” he says, his voice eerily calm. “You brought this on yourself, Ashlyn.”
A cold shiver runs through me. “You’re insane,” I mutter, sinking heavily into the chair behind my desk, my legs barely holding me up.
His demeanor changes in an instant.
“Don’t call me fucking insane!” he roars, slamming his hands down on a nearby desk. The sudden outburst makes me flinch.
“Okay,” I say quickly, my voice shaking. “I’m sorry. You’re just… scaring me, Eddie.”
His face crumples, and he buries his head in his hands.
“No, no, no, no, no,” he mutters, rocking slightly as he clenches his fists and presses them to his forehead. “I love you. You’re not supposed to be scared.”
Terror knots in my chest, but I force myself to stay calm.
“It’s okay,” I whisper, scrambling for something to defuse the situation. “I’m not scared now.” It’s a lie, but I need him to believe it. My eyes dart to the grocery bag, and I latch onto the first thought that comes to mind.
“Why don’t you show me what you brought?” I suggest softly.
I need to keep him talking. I need to keep him calm. I exhale quietly in relief as he seems to like the idea. While he’s distracted, rummaging through the grocery bag, I take my chance.
Slipping my phone from my pocket, I keep it hidden under the table as I open my messages. The last person I texted was Laney. There’s no time to find another contact. My fingers move quickly, typing a single word: Eddie. I hit send and shove the phone back into my pocket.
Laney won’t have a clue what it means, but I’m hoping that the panic alarm I pressed earlier has already reached Ben. And if Laney’s with him, maybe she’ll put the pieces together.
Ben
More police arrive by the minute. With Hope Creek being such a small town, they must be bringing in reinforcements from nearby. There are also EMTs, which I hope to God we don’t need.
“I know this is a long shot,” Nash says, his voice low. “But can you access the school’s CCTV from your phone?”
My eyes widen. “Yes! I usually use my laptop, but I should be able to log into the server. Hang on.”
With shaking hands, I pull my phone from my pocket and open the web browser, quickly logging in. The classrooms won’t have cameras, but every entrance and exit is covered. If someone got inside, we’ll see them.
“Here,” I say, turning the screen toward Nash.
“Is it live?”
“Yes, and it records to the server too.”
“Show me the main entrance from about thirty minutes ago,” Nash instructs.
I nod and pull up the footage.
“There’s Ollie leaving,” I say, pointing.
I speed ahead to when the panic alarm was pressed, but no one else enters or exits.
“Okay, what about before Ollie left?” Nash asks.
We scan the footage, watching staff members filter out, but no one else comes or goes, not through the main entrance or the back. It’s a small school. There’s nowhere else someone could have slipped in.
“I can’t wait any longer, Nash. What if she pressed the button because she felt unwell? She could need EMTs. I have to get in there.”
Before Nash can respond, someone calls my name. I spin around to see Laney sprinting toward me, her phone raised high.
“Ash texted me,” she pants.
“What did she say?” I demand.
“One word: Eddie.” She holds up her phone for Nash and me to see. “Do you know who that is?”
A surge of anger rushes through me, and my fists clench at my side.
“He’s the janitor,” I bite out. “I’m going in.”
“No! We still don’t know if he’s armed.” Nash motions toward two nearby officers. “Wait here. I’ll go in with backup.”
“Nash–”
“Ben,” he cuts me off. “I can’t let you go in.”
“Do you even know where her classroom is?” I challenge.
Nash exhales sharply. “No, but we’ll find her. I promise.”
“You’ll find her faster if I come. I’ll stay behind you. I won’t get in the way, I swear. Please, Nash.”
Nash closes his eyes and blows out a breath. Then, finally, he nods. “Fine. But you stay behind us and you don’t say a word. When I give the all-clear, then and only then, you can go to her classroom. Got it?”
“Got it,” I say quickly. I’d agree to anything if it meant getting inside.
“Dad,” Laney murmurs, reaching for my hand. “Please be careful.”
I pull her into a hug, pressing a kiss to her hair. “I will, sweetheart.”
A young officer steps beside her, gently taking her hand.
“I’ll stay with her,” he assures me, offering Laney a small smile. She smiles back, and for a second, I wonder if this is the guy she went on a date with when she was with Ash. But I don’t have time to think about that now. Nash motions for me to move.
“I love you,” Laney calls after me, her voice laced with worry.
“I love you too.”
Taking a deep breath, I fall in step behind Nash and his team, my heart pounding. If that bastard has laid a hand on Ash, I swear to God, I’ll kill him.