And then there it is…the tell.

You know how when you cut yourself deeply there’s a thrill of panic throughout your body, even before the pain begins or the first drop of blood is spilled?

I see that thrill on their faces now. They know something. They quickly recover and do their best to hide it from me, but it’s too late.

So I build on it.

“Closure will happen, ladies. When the reward is large enough, nothing is kept secret for long. So I’d like you to think about that. For all I know, your time is already up.”

Hannah now holds the phone to her ear. “You’re not FBI. I’m calling campus security.”

Chapter 7

SECURITY

The guard appears within seconds—which is what they’re paid to do. When you have a campus full of the offspring of the world’s elite, you’d better be sure that your security is top-notch and ready for action at a millisecond’s notice.

Hannah and Brooke Clee relax the moment they see the familiar uniform round the corner of the dormitory. To most students, the guards here at St. Paul’s are like glorified babysitters with badges whom you can easily bribe to do your bidding. Did your car break down when you’re trying to sneak beer on campus? Heck, they’ll have it towed to a garage and store the cans in your minifridge for you. The guards aren’t here to tell the students what to do; they’re here to keep the scumbags out.

Like this fake scumbag FBI agent, who Hannah probably assumes is just another tabloid reporter looking for a scoop. Absolutely shameless.

“My daddy is going to destroy you,” she hisses at Jana. “There won’t be anything of you left.”

Jana Rose, meanwhile, says nothing. She simply slips the bland professional mask back over her face as the burly guard approaches.

“You’re going to have to come with me, ma’am,” the guard says.

Jana blinks. “Ma’am? Do I look like a ma’am to you?”

“Please, you’re not welcome here.”

“Clearly,” Jana says. Then, to the girls: “This isn’t over. You’ll be seeing me again very soon.”

“No,” Hannah says, with the certainty of an umpire calling a strike, “we won’t.”

Jana doesn’t reply. Instead she allows the guard to guide her by the arm back around the dormitory building. Once they’re out of eyesight and earshot, Jana and the guard relax.

“They definitely know something,” Jana says. “I could see it on their faces.”

The guard, who is actually Otto Hazard dressed in a stolen uniform, shakes his head and smiles. “You think everybody knows something. You’re suspicious of the whole damn world.”

“That’s because almost everyone is guilty of something,” Jana says.

“Oh yeah? What am I guilty of?”

“Calling me ma’am.”

“To these kids, we all look ancient.”

“Maybe you do. My lifestyle choices ensure that I will always look younger than the age that can be ascertained from my birth certificate.”

“Yeah, and that’s why mine is forged,” Otto says, as he leads her back past the entrance of Brewster. “Anyway, what makes you so certain the Clee girls are hiding something?”