Sally Singletary's Curiosity (The Sally Singletary Book 1) (2 page)

As she pulled the door open to go back inside, she noticed red and blue flashes reflecting off the trees in the front of the school.

Definitely cops.

THE NEXT MORNING
Sally made her way toward the cafeteria, the acceptance letter folded in her jeans pocket. Her excitement over college, however, was overshadowed by the confusion of what she had seen outside her window. She kept playing the events over and over in her mind, still unsure of what to make of what had happened. It felt surreal, like a dream, but she was pretty sure it hadn’t been. Pushing her long, auburn hair back behind one ear, she pulled out her phone and glanced once more at the picture she had taken. Engrossed in her thoughts, she nearly walked right into another girl in the hall.

“Sorry!” She gave the girl an embarrassed smile, then put her phone back into her pocket.

By the time she arrived at the cafeteria, Yasif was already there waiting. The son of a diplomat from Jordan, he was her best friend. They had met as freshmen when Sally had been investigating rumors that a member of the archery club had been stealing from a recent fundraiser—Yasif had just joined as a member of the club, and she had interviewed him as part of the investigation. It was then that she discovered they had a similar curiosity for finding the truth. Together they had managed to uncover the theft, recover the stolen money, and get the student responsible expelled.

As Sally approached the table, she noticed a bagel and a cup of coffee waiting for her. “Thanks.” She smiled at Yasif, then put her bag on the back of the chair and sat across from him.

“So what is it that was so urgent that we had to meet up at the ass-crack of dawn?” Yasif asked as he stirred his coffee, adding some creamer. Today he wore a yellow long-sleeve button-up shirt tucked into a pair of crisply pressed jeans, Sally noted with some amusement. His dark hair sat neatly atop his head and his thick black eyebrows framed his gentle brown eyes. Although she would never tell him, she had always thought Yasif was attractive in a humble sort of way, even if he was a bit of a dweeb. She absolutely loved his Middle-Eastern accent.

She leaned closer. “If I tell you something, promise not to think I’m crazy?” She wasn’t entirely convinced herself that she wasn’t.

“You know me better than that, Sal.” Yasif took a sip from his cup, staring at her over the rim.

Sally grinned nervously. “Seriously, this is in the mega-crazy category.”

He leaned closer, glancing around to make sure no one was listening. “Is this about what’s been going on around the school? I heard there were cops out front last night.”

“From what I could gather…yes.”

“You saw something?”

She pinched off a piece of her bagel and followed it with a sip of coffee. “Well…” Leaning back, she pushed her hair behind one ear, conscious of the fact he hadn’t noticed the highlights. She wasn’t even sure why she wanted him to; after all, they were only friends.

“Come on! Tell me!” His eyes were expectant, almost begging.

“Okay, but you have to promise to hear me out.”

“I promise! I promise!”

Nervously, she began. “You know Billy?”

His look went from excitement to confusion. “Daniel’s roommate? The crazy kid?”

“He’s not crazy.” She searched for the right words. “He’s just been through a lot.”

“He has an imaginary sister,” Yasif informed her as if she didn’t already know.

Sally became defensive. “He was in an accident. He lost his entire family. Don’t you think that might mess with the guy’s head?”

He grunted something she couldn’t understand.

“Anyway, I saw him with Daniel, Shayne, and Mrs. Conley in the alley behind the gym. I don’t know what they were doing, but they seemed to be arguing over something. Then they disappeared right in front of my eyes!” She tried to get the words out before she lost the nerve to tell him and then waited apprehensively for his response.

Yasif raised an eyebrow.

“See? You think I’m crazy.”

“People just don’t disappear into thin air, Sal.”

“Well, get this.” She pulled out her phone and rummaged for the pictures, then held it out for him to see. “They were standing right there. Then all four of them just vanished. The cops were all over the school. I’m surprised more people weren’t woken up by it.”

“Ben said he saw the cops out front when he got up to take a piss.” It always sounded funny to her when Yasif used American slang or profanity. It just didn’t roll off his tongue like it should, no matter how hard he tried. “He saw a couple cops run through the main building, but he was in a hurry to get back. He figured out how to hack through the school’s content filters and access some rather inappropriate sites.” Yasif grinned.

Sally rolled her eyes. “You boys.”

Yasif grabbed the phone and pulled it closer to get a better look. “What’s this?” He pointed at the screen.

Sally looked at it, unsure of what he was referring to. Then she saw it. In the center of the frame, a faint swirl of light hovered in the air. She hadn’t noticed it earlier. She zoomed in on the photograph. “I have no idea. It looks like an after image or something.”

“Camera ghost, probably,” he said.

“A what?”

“You know, sometimes a stray reflection from a nearby light can cause something like that.”

“Doesn’t that seem like an odd coincidence? They were here in this alley. I saw them. They were fighting over something. I think it may have been a necklace.”

Yasif cocked his head.

“I know, I thought it was strange too, but then there was a blinding light, and the next thing I knew, they were gone.”

He eyed her, still a bit skeptical.

“I know what I saw,” she insisted, putting her phone away. “And I know I’m not crazy. Something weird is going on and I’m going to find out what it is.”

“A story then?” he asked.

“One thing’s for sure…” Sally pinched another piece off her bagel and held it between her fingers before tossing it into her mouth. “It’s certainly worth an investigation.”

“I’ve got to get to class. I’ll catch you later, okay?”

Sally smiled.

Yasif headed off, but turned before entering the commons. “Oh, and Sal… Nice highlights.”

ONE OF THE ADVANTAGES
of going to a school built for a bunch of rich kids was they had access to some great technology. This was why Sally felt the need to bring the school’s journalism program into the 21st century. With the help of Yasif and Daniel, they’d built one of the most advanced news platforms of any high school and called it the
Hidden Lake Investigator
. What would they do now that Daniel was missing?

All that technical stuff was beyond her. Her expertise was in content, writing and editing most of the articles and organizing the news feeds. She’d become the site’s chief editor by default.

She kept her eyes peeled the rest of the day, watching, waiting, for something to present itself. Her mind wasn’t on her classes. Instead, she kept making notes about the people she planned to talk with to gather information about the strange occurrence. If she were going to write a story about this, she’d need to get her facts straight. It wasn’t until she was back in her room after classes that she realized she hadn’t told Yasif about her acceptance letter.

It was unfortunate, because she still thought it was news best delivered in person. But it couldn’t be helped; it would be a while before she’d see him again since she’d made plans to spend the weekend with her mother. The idea of leaving the school in the middle of an investigation was not at all appealing, but she’d promised the visit and there was no turning back now. Besides, barring any major disasters, she could get enough things done from her phone’s remote access, and she’d be able to share her happy news about college with her mother.

She pulled out a plain duffel bag and then began packing the things she’d need for her trip when her roommate barged in, startling her. “Oh, my god! Have you heard?”

“Heard what, Stephanie?” When talking with her roommate, Sally typically played dumb. The girl couldn’t handle anything remotely intelligent. She’d once mistaken Sally’s slipper for a mouse and ran screaming from the room in the middle of the night, waking up half the kids in the dorm.

Sally tapped her foot, waiting for the blonde to fill her in on her urgent news.

“Mrs. Conley.” She paused. “You know, the math teacher…”

“I know who Mrs. Conley is.” Sally rolled her eyes. “Could we get to the point?”

“Well, she kidnapped three boys! She’s some pervo woman!”

“I’m sure that’s not what happened.” Sally shoved a blouse into her bag.

“It’s all over the monitors!” Stephanie huffed. “There’s some Asian reporter lady who’s out front right now, interviewing Mrs. Padilla.”

Sally looked at her with wide eyes and then fished her phone from her pocket, checking the Hi-Li feeds. “Crap!” She grabbed her notepad and raced for the door.

As Sally jogged through the halls, she glanced up at a live feed on one of the Hi-Li monitors. Mrs. Padilla, the headmistress, stood at a podium in front of the school, answering questions from the reporter. Sally exhaled and quickened her pace.

She exited the building and was met with resistance from the heavy Georgia air; it was an unusually warm day for early spring. The headmistress faced a large TV camera held by a rather plump cameraman, who looked as if he’d rather be playing video games than interacting with real live people. Sally joined the crowd that had gathered, recording video with her phone’s camera and listening to the exchange.

“William…uh…Martin and…Daniel Sherman were missing first.” Mrs. Padilla’s gaze darted back and forth from camera to reporter as though unsure how she should answer the question. It looked to Sally as if the eccentric old woman was watching a tennis match. “But I was told they’d come back. Professor Marcia Conley assured me that she’d found them, and that I should wait in my office to deliver punishment. And then…then they were all gone.”

“Who is the third boy, Mrs. Padilla?” the reporter asked. “Perhaps people who know the boys can call in with information.”

“Shayne Masterson?” She looked dazed, confused, and unsure of herself. “Shayne was the third boy. He was head of the boy’s dorm. He was…is a football player.”

“Police have speculated that…” The reporter glanced down at a note card. “…Marcia Conley may have kidnapped the boys. What are your thoughts on this accusation?”

“Well, I hardly think that…” She faltered. “I don’t think… I mean, Mrs. Conley! I assure you, that isn’t possible.”

“That’s all the time we have, Mrs. Padilla.” The reporter turned toward the camera. “Teenage runaways? Or abduction by teacher? We’ll have more for you at eleven. This is Lani Tanaka reporting live from Hidden Lake Preparatory School. Todd, back to you.”

The light on the camera went off, and Lani turned back to the headmistress, thanking her for her assistance. Mrs. Padilla, bordering on tears, looked extremely uncomfortable in the heat. It was no wonder with the gaudy dress, feathered hat, and equally clashing necklaces, brooches, and other such adornments. She looked to Sally like a young girl given free rein in a costume shop. While some kids thought she was a bit loony, Sally always felt that she truly cared and was respected by most of the students and staff.

Sally noticed the headmistress walking away with a limp and went to her side. “Do you need any help, Mrs. Padilla?”

“Oh, my dear!” The woman’s high-pitched voice seemed to match her haphazard appearance. “Thank you so much! I twisted my ankle in these damned heels.” Her eyes went large. “Oh dear. I’m sorry about my language! I don’t know what’s gotten into me!”

“It’s okay, Miss P. I’m a big girl.” Sally gave an upward nod.

“I’m just… I can’t believe what has happened. Never in my life… Mrs. Conley? Surely, it couldn’t be true…”

“You’re gonna be all right.” Taking one of the woman’s arms, Sally supported her weight. “Let’s go to your office and rest.”

The cool air from the building embraced them as they entered and made their way to the office. Once inside, Sally sat her in the big brown plush chair behind the desk. Then she went to the water cooler, filled a cup, and brought it to the headmistress’ shaking hands. Sally steadied the woman’s grip and helped her to drink.

“Thank you so much. You’re a good girl, always such a help.” The headmistress pulled off her feathered hat and placed it on the desk, then reached down to remove her shoes. She winced, rubbing her sprained ankle. “Oh! Sally, you must set the record straight! Mrs. Conley would never…”

“I know, Mrs. Padilla, I’m on it. I just need to know what happened.”

“She said they’d come back,” the woman responded absently, still rubbing her foot. “She was sure that they’d left campus. But why would she take them? It just doesn’t make sense.”

“Mrs. Padilla…” Sally tried to get the woman to focus. “Tell me what happened so I can help.”

The headmistress looked at her, dazed. It was clear Sally wasn’t getting any coherent responses from her today. She stood. “Why don’t I come back when you’re feeling better, okay?”

Mrs. Padilla nodded slightly, staring absently at something across the room as if suddenly lost in thought. Sally sighed and put her notepad into the pocket of her jeans, glancing back one last time at the confused woman before leaving.

“YASIF, I’M TELLING YOU.
She was a mess!” Sally barked into her cell a couple hours later as the taxi merged onto Interstate 20, approaching Atlanta. She stared out at the passing buildings, the distant sinking sun painting them in dusk colors.

“Hasn’t she always been a bit off her rocker?” Yasif replied.

“Yeah, but whatever’s going on has her more rattled than usual.”

“I’ll get what information I can while you’re gone,” he reassured her—his accent was just as cute over the phone. “You’re better at the people part, though.”

“Just do your best, okay? Talk to Ben Lamb. He was friends with Shayne. He might know something.”