I looked at him shortly, and then returned my gaze to the mayor, who spoke. “Oh, did I not introduce him? This is Principal Graves. He’s in charge of the middle school. The one a few blocks away.” He waved in a direction although I wasn’t familiar with what he was talking about. “Thought he could be of some help over here given he’ll know the paperwork and set up a bit.”
Mr. Graves spoke without looking up from studying the files. “All the same paperwork, just in different places.” He paused, looking closer at another file and opening it to check the contents. “A few additions here and there.”
The mayor leaned forward again and put his elbows on the desk. He focused on me. “Between you and me, it’s a hell of a time to be doing this.”
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“Despite the investigation, we’ve got to keep this school running,” he said. He waved over to Mr. Blackbourne. “Unless Mr. Hendricks is found and he has some sort of reasoning behind all of this chaos.”
“Doubt it,” Mr. Graves said. “After everything I’ve heard...”
The mayor continued. “I’ve no choice but replace a lot of the faculty.” He sighed heavily and looked over to Mr. Blackbourne. “I hate asking you to step up like this.”
“It’s not a problem,” Mr. Blackbourne said. He looked up, focusing on the mayor. “I’ll schedule myself for a crash course starting tomorrow. Even if he is found, we were down a vice principal anyway.”
My jaw dropped open, but I quickly fixed it before anyone noticed.
Mr. Blackbourne was replacing Hendricks.
“You were practically doing the job anyway,” Mr. Graves said. “I can help you through the training and certification.”
My skin electrified, both with excitement and also fear.
He was the best choice.
He was the worst choice. We’d taken risks with our relationship in the past. Like the other morning, waking up together in Victor’s house.
If he was the principal...what did that mean for us?
But the school needed it. The team needed it. If this happened, if Hendricks was replaced due to things besides the money, the money possibly wouldn’t be touched by continuing the unofficial investigation. We still had time to find it and put it back without a police investigation that could take forever.
“But you see my need for an emergency increased budget,” Mr. Blackbourne said. “We’re short several busses and faculty. And some other things.”
“Good luck finding them mid-year,” Mr. Graves said and then paused in his folder searching as he looked up at him. “I don’t suppose your school has some extra people.”
“Hm,” Mr. Blackbourne said and then just the flicker of his smile started in the corner. “You know, I know a few people. And I could call a few out of retirement as well. Just for a short few months until we get this straightened out.”
“You’ll have everything you need,” the mayor said. He returned his attention to me. “I hear your school year is a bust, right?”
The whole turn of events from dire into something good made my insides tickle, and I giggled. I tried to suppress it, and it ended up in a chuckling snort. It sounded rude and I covered my mouth in surprise. “Sorry. I didn’t mean...”
He laughed and shook his head. “Yeah, I know what you meant. You aren’t the only one. There are a lot of students who were basically out of class all year. Asking them to get back into it, behind everyone else... That’s unfair.”
“I’m pretty sure she can test out of those classes anyway,” Mr. Blackbourne said. “I had her studying ahead in the first semester to help me out.”
“Right,” said the mayor. He pointed a bony finger at me. “I’m going to take his word for it and let him give you passing marks on everything if you’ll do me a favor and help him out the rest of the school year.”
Mr. Blackbourne looked up, blinking rapidly and then spoke. “You want her to be my...assistant?”
“For heaven’s sake, Owen,” the mayor said, and he twisted in the chair so he could face him. But his face was bright, positive. “You’re a nineteen-year-old taking over as principal for a school. That’s the career jump of a lifetime. Don’t question me like she can’t take the opportunity. Like she can’t do the job. She’s only what, two years younger than you? You just told me she’s bright and capable.”
Mr. Blackbourne’s lips did a weird thing, like he was fighting off one of his smiles but also horrified. “Not exactly what I meant.”
“You’re so short staffed, you’ll need all the extra hands you can get,” Mr. Graves said. He put down a stack of folders on top of the file cabinet he was working from and looked over at me. “Look, I can’t stay here all day and look through this. I’ve got to get back to my own school. Help Owen with going over this material. I think we’ve got enough to suspend Hendricks right now without doing any more digging.”
“You’re right,” the mayor said and stood. “I’ve got to go over where I’m going to get the money for this. I need to know how much is needed.”
“I’ll work on it,” Mr. Blackbourne said.
“Just write down the minimum to get this place up to code for now,” Mr. Graves said. “Emergency up front. And if you go over any more material that might be important to the investigation, set it aside. I’ll go over it and then send it on to the police.”
There was a gentle knock at the door. The lady who had been at the front desk poked her head in. “I need Mr. Graves for a minute.”
“I’m coming along,” Mr. Graves said. He motioned to me to take over where he was. “I’ll get Mr. Blackbourne started with you. Just go through all the files here. Anything suspicious, set aside. Anything that looks normal, don’t worry about it, refile it. I’ll help you all comb through it later.”
“Will do,” Mr. Blackbourne said.
The mayor tapped his fingers on the desk and rose. “I’ve got some paperwork to do.” He crossed the room to the door. “Counting on you two,” he said as he left. Mr. Graves left as well.
The door remained open, so we could possibly be heard, and rather than saying anything, I shared a look with Mr. Blackbourne.
Principal’s replacement. I’m his assistant.
The one question I wanted to ask and couldn’t: how in the world did he manage to weasel in like he did, the best place to be in the school for what they were going after?
The steel glint in his eyes turned into something more silver. Ample pride flooded his face. He couldn’t tell me. But he did it.
One Down, All Down
Nathan
––––––––
Nathan swiveled back in forth in Mr. Blackbourne’s chair. With no one being in the office at all when he arrived, he waited.
He checked in on Sang once, just to be sure. He used one of the laptops left in their office. Mr. Blackbourne, the mayor and someone else was in there with her. With Mr. Blackbourne covering the situation, Nathan was pretty sure things were okay, even if he had no idea what was going on.
After what felt like ten minutes, there was a gentle knock at the door and then it opened.
Dr. Green poked his head in, spotted Nathan quickly, scanned the area and then came in, closing the door.
“You don’t need to knock for your own office,” Nathan said. He stilled his swinging, stopping short with his knee butted up against the desk. “It’s your office.”
“Today, there are strange people in other people’s offices,” Dr. Green said. He placed a messenger bag on his desk.
“I think they’re policemen. And lawyers.”
“Yeah. Aren’t they strange?” He sat down and rolled his head back. He stretched his legs until he was almost laying down in his chair. “The good news is with all the police and other people walking around, all the students seem to be on their best behavior. I’ve not gotten anyone to pay attention so well to whatever I ramble on about in classes.”
“Did you call me down here?” Nathan asked. “Why was I called in?”
“I don’t know,” Dr. Green said. “It might be to avoid Sang looking like she was the only one called in.”
“What’s she doing in there, anyway?”
“I don’t know. I’ve been in class.” Dr. Green sat up and then smoothed his hands down the front of his shirt and tie. He combed his fingers through his hair. “Do I look okay? Is she going to come in here?”
“Who?”