Cole tried to pull his hand free, but Mona increased her grip with strength he wouldn’t have thought she possessed. Her eyes shut tightly. Her lips compressed. It was as if she had entered some kind of trance. The pain became unbearable. Cole began to shake uncontrollably. Just as he opened his mouth to cry out, Mona released him.

Cole coiled his hand to his chest and turned away. His head felt woozy. He coughed, struggling to catch his breath. Sweat streamed down his face.

A clap of thunder rocked the sky, and Mona laughed—a low, cryptic cackle. “They will pay, Cole Logan. Together we will make them pay for what they have done.”

Cole looked down at his hand. The pain wasn’t the only thing that had disappeared.

CHAPTER 9

WHAT do you mean, there shouldn’t be no game tonight, Gallbreth?”

“I mean precisely what I said, Principal Hodges. As your immediate subordinate, I trust you will give my suggestion serious consideration.”

Mr. Hodges crossed the floor of Coach Hickham’s cramped office to come face-to-face with the vice principal. “But I just got off the phone with the principal over at Stanton High. He said he had no reason to believe that either the attack on Cole Logan or the stunt at the pep rally involved anyone associated with his school. He told me that from where he sits it’s game on. He’s waiting by the phone right now for our decision.”

“In light of today’s events, I don’t feel that it would be prudent to play this evening’s competition as scheduled.”

“This evening’s competition? It’s the goddamn season-deciding final game. What do you mean, we’re not gonna play?”

“I see no reason why the game can’t be rescheduled for a later date.”

“This ain’t a goddamn squash match, Gallbreth. We don’t show up, it’s a forfeit.”

Vice Principal Kenneth Gallbreth used a handkerchief to rid his glasses of the spray that had flown from Mr. Hodges’s lips. “It is my opinion, Mr. Hodges, that in light of all that has transpired this morning, all athletic events should be postponed until a time when we can guarantee the safety of our players and student body. There will, after all, always be next season.”

“Is that right? Well, this ain’t even your decision. Last time I checked, I was still your boss.”

“That is correct, but I am afraid that if you insist on fighting me on this, I will have no choice but to go over your head, and you know precisely what I am talking about.”

“Gallbreth, just because the lieutenant governor is plugging your aunt don’t mean you can raise this issue to a higher political level. You go over my head and I’ll have your ass.”

“I make one phone call and I’ll have your job, Mr. Hodges. You know this to be true.”