Page 29 of Bullet

“We’re thinking of enrolling our kids and want to have a look around the school,” the taller man says to Kate. He’s a very handsome man, with thick, dark brown hair, deep, dark eyes, and a brilliant smile. He’s extremely good-looking, and yet, there’s something about him that makes me uneasy.

“Hi, Kate, who do we have here?” I wait for Kate to introduce us.

“This is Mr. Roberts, and uh…” Kate waits for the other gentleman to offer his name.

“Hurst,” he says tersely, obviously unhappy that I’ve interrupted their chat with Kate. Mr. Hurst is only an inch or so shorter than Mr. Roberts, who is nearly six feet tall. But Mr. Hurst is older, and I can’t imagine he has kids who go to elementary school. I could be wrong, and I should never assume.

I politely reply, “We’re so glad you’re considering sending your children to our little school. I’m the principal here. How old are your children?”

Mr. Roberts is calm and collected when he answers for both men. “My daughter is ten, and Davey is twelve.” He looks to his friend, who nods. “We’d like to see more of the school, and since the kids are gone for the day, perhaps we can bother Kate to show us around?”

He wants Kate to show him around, not me. That’s interesting, because most parents love to spend time with the principal of the school and get to know more about the curriculum. I don’t like this one bit. It just feels wrong.

“Well, if you’ll give us about fifteen minutes to make sure all the kids are safely on their way, either Kate or I can show you around,” I answer.

Kate doesn’t seem concerned in the least; however, I must think about the safety of everyone, including staff. I consider calling the police, then see Izzy coming down the hall with her class. I go over to her with the pretense of helping her with the kids, but whisper, “Something’s up with those two men. I think you should call Saint or Guard. I’d call Bullet, but it would be suspicious if I made a call now.”

Izzy laughs and looks casually over my shoulder. “They’re staring at us. I’ll move the kids along and call as soon as I get outside.”

Meanwhile, I move from room to room to make sure all the teachers are leaving with their classes, then head into the library to make sure no stragglers are hanging around. That’s when I see the same woman who worked for Sal ducking behind a library shelf.

I follow her down the row, and she turns to me. Her expression is one of pure fright. She’s shaking from head to toe.

“Violet,” I whisper.

“They’re here. I saw them,” she returns, her voice cracking.

“Come on,” I urge, leading her to the door and hoping to get her into my office, where I can lock us in. A glimpse of the two men accompanied by Kate at the door stops me in my tracks. I grab Violet’s hand and rush to the back of the library. “Don’t move. I’ll get rid of them,” I say. Violet’s terrified and doesn’t let go of my hand. “I promise, I’ll come back for you.”

Reluctantly, she lets go, and I move toward the door, smoothing my skirt and clearing my throat before opening it.

“Ah, Kate, I see that you’ve already started the tour. Have you seen our classrooms?” I ask casually.

“Yes. Kate’s been wonderful in showing us around.”

“Would you like to take a look at our library? It’s nothing special, but it serves its purpose. We like to use the town library for most of our resources. Abby, the head librarian, is wonderful about letting our classes come through. She’s especially great at finding resources for the kids and their projects,” I go on, pretending as if these are actual fathers taking an interest in their children’s education.

“There’s a library in town?” Mr. Roberts asks, his brow rising. A new thought is flashing through his mind, I’m sure.

“Oh yes! Abby’s done such a wonderful job promoting study groups, afternoon school buddy systems, and so many other activities that even the college kids hang out there when they’re back home.”

“It sounds like we should stop over and take a look for ourselves,” Mr. Roberts says, turning to his buddy.

“Kate can finish the tour—” I begin.

“I think we’ve seen enough, and we’ve taken far too much of your time. We’ll be on our way,” Mr. Roberts says.

“Thank you for coming,” I say sweetly, and turn to Kate. “Please see our visitors out. I need to get that report out, if I can.”

I watch as Kate leads the men down the long stretch of hallway. I wait until they turn the corner before ducking back into the library. Just as I approach the place I left Violet, she comes to me and hugs me tightly. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

“We’re not out of the woods yet.” I move to the windows, which face the parking lot, watching for Mr. Roberts and Mr. Hurst. The men emerge from the front of the school, Mr. Roberts with his cell phone in hand, glancing back. I move away from the window, pushing Violet back with me.

My phone pings; I look at my text. It’s Bullet. Babe, where the hell are you?

I quickly tap my message. School library.

I can hear footsteps rushing down the hall. Violet clings to me. “It’s okay,” I reassure her.