Agent Undercover (6 page)

Focus on the job, Paige, the job, remember?

Reaching out, she pushed the handle.

Locked.

“You need your ID for that room.”

Paige turned to see the owner of the soft voice with the slight, Irish accent. A pretty, redheaded woman with brilliant green eyes smiled at her.

Paige gripped her ID. “Ah, of course. Thanks.”

“I’m Fiona Whitley. I teach second grade.”

They shook hands. “Paige Worth. I’m the new guidance counselor.”

“Oh, lovely. We’ve missed having one in the school. So glad to have you here.”

Paige smiled. “Thanks so much.” She swiped her card and the two women entered the lounge together.

Two more staff members sat on the sofa in the corner. Another poured coffee from the glass carafe. All three turned to stare at Paige. She smiled. “Hi.”

After a round of introductions and a few minutes of small talk, she decided to put the question out there. “I need someone to put a rumor to rest for me.”

“What’s that?” The redhead who’d introduced herself as Fiona Whitley asked.

Paige pretended to fidget. “I don’t know. Maybe I shouldn’t even bring it up, but it’s kind of bothering me.”

Of course, she had them now.

“Go ahead and ask. If there’s a rumor going around that’s not true, we need to know what it is so we can nip it.” The blonde-headed woman who looked to be in her early thirties frowned. Jessica Stanton. Paige noted her name from the badge she had clipped to her lapel.

Paige blew out a breath and said, “All right. I … um … heard that there were drugs in this school. If that’s true, I need to know which children might be most affected by this. Or if you personally know of any children whose parents are users.”

“What? That’s crazy!” Jessica looked offended, nostrils flaring. “Where did you hear that?”

Paige swallowed then offered a shrug. “I’m sorry. Maybe this was the wrong time and place to bring it up.” Actually, it was the perfect time and place.

“No.” This from the redheaded Fiona. “It’s all right. If someone is saying that kind of stuff, we need to take it to the principal. And we do know of two arrests made. They were parents of two students here at the school.”

The third woman in the room, Betty Lawson, a gray-haired lady who looked to be on the verge of retirement age, stepped forward and spoke. “It’s not so crazy.” She sighed. “My grandson is nine years old and in the fourth
grade over in Bryson City. My daughter called last week to tell me he came home with a joint. Someone had put it in his backpack. They’re jumping through all kinds of hoops to figure out where it came from.” She shook her head. “I’m sure some of that goes on around here.”

Paige listened with interest and made a mental note about the incident. She wondered if the drugs showing up in the Bryson City elementary school could be from the same source as the ones Larry had been so sure were in this school.

Something to definitely consider.

Soon, the ladies left to get back to their classes. Fiona lingered. “I really hope you can help. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were drugs in this school.” She frowned. “Unfortunately, drug use even in this small town seems to be on the rise.”

“Really?”

“My brother is one of the deputies here in town. He and all of our law enforcement here have been busier than ever before trying to crack down on the drugs.” She shook her head, her eyes sad. “I hate it, but what else do you do other than fight it?”

Paige could tell it bothered the woman. Just as she was about to ask about Sandra, Dylan’s sister, the door opened and Dylan popped his head in.

“Hey, there, ladies.”

When her heart thudded a happy beat, she took note of the reaction and told herself to cool it. She was on the job.

Her heart didn’t care. “Hi, what are you doing here? Is Will okay?”

A warm light from his eyes smiled at her before his lips curved. “Will is fine. Sometimes I fill in as the school
nurse when she’s out sick.” He flashed his school badge at her.

Fiona cleared her throat, and Paige gave a slight start. Had she actually forgotten the woman was there? She felt a flush creep up her neck. Fiona’s eyes twinkled as they darted back and forth between her and Dylan. Then she smiled as though she had a secret. “Hello, Dylan.”

“Hi, Fiona.”

“It’s been a while since you have been over for supper. Do you think you and Will can make one night this week?”

Paige thought Dylan’s cheeks looked a little ruddier than usual as he looked at the woman who was obviously more than a coworker. A spurt of jealousy shot through her, and she blinked.

Dylan nodded. “Possibly. If Joseph can stop playing with the horses long enough.”

A laugh escaped Fiona’s throat. She said to Paige. “Joseph’s my husband. We own one of the horse farms up on the mountain.”

Husband. Fiona was married. Relief nearly melted her knees.

Fiona looked at Paige, then cut her eyes to Dylan. “Feel free to bring a guest if you want.”

Before Dylan could respond, Fiona glanced at her watch and headed for the door. “Oh! Gotta run. Very nice to meet you, Paige.” To Dylan she said, “See you soon.”

When she left, silence reigned for an awkward moment. Then Paige said, “That’s really nice of you to offer your time here at the school when they need you.” In fact, he’d been nothing but nice since she’d met him.

He waved aside her praise but she couldn’t help notice the tinge of red in his cheeks still hadn’t disappeared. “It’s hard to find a substitute nurse in this little town. When the
principal, Tom, brought his daughter in one day last year for a checkup, he asked almost as a joke if I knew anyone who might want the extra hours working as a sub for the school nurse. I said I’d do it if I could rearrange my patients for the day. Today I could.”

She flashed him a knowing look. “And you don’t mind seeing Will throughout the day, either, do you?”

He shot her that perfect smile, and her lungs forgot how to work. “There is that,” he agreed. His eyes lowered, then raised to meet hers again. “Do you have plans for supper tonight?”

Was he asking her out? What would she say if he was?
Yes,
her heart demanded,
say yes.
The professional side of her wanted to argue. She compromised. “I’ll probably heat up another one of those delicious casseroles taking up space in my freezer.”

His eyes twinkled. “How about pizza instead?”

“Hmm.” She tapped her lip and pretended to think about it. “How about you and Will come over and help me empty my freezer. It’s your fault I have way too much food.”

“My fault?” His innocent look didn’t fool her. A pang of guilt hit her. She definitely wanted to spend the time with him tonight, but had to admit she was hoping she could get some more information from him—and see if Will would talk to her.

“Yes.” She shoved the guilt aside and smiled. “And I appreciated it very much. So—” she rubbed her hands together “—tonight?”

The door opened and two staff members entered, stopping when they spotted Paige and Dylan. Paige smiled then looked at Dylan. “Five?”

“See you then.”

Dylan left.

After more introductions, Paige took the opportunity to do a little more fishing.

She filled a foam cup full of the ever-available coffee and took a seat on the sofa.

A dark-headed woman who introduced herself as Leslie sat opposite Paige. “Where are you from?”

And so the small talk went.

Paige finally was able to bring the conversation around to Sandra Price. “Did any of you know her?”

“She subbed here a few times. Seemed like a nice enough person.”

Paige caught the hesitation in the woman’s voice. “But?”

“I heard she was pretty messed up. Drugs.”

“Really?”

“Yes, but Dr. Seabrook did a lot for her and Will, I think. I overheard her talking about how fortunate she was to be able to count on her brother for help when she needed it.” She shrugged. “Jessica Stanton would know more. She was pretty good friends with Sandra, even taking care of Will some on the weekends.”

Making a mental note to question Jessica further about how well she knew Sandra, Paige glanced at the clock. She had one more thing to take care of.

Excusing herself, she went to find Dylan again. In her happiness at seeing him—and the brain fog she seemed to get every time he flashed that smile at her—she forgot to ask him if he’d made any progress on finding names of patients who might hold a grudge against him. On the way to his office, she worked on a way to ask him that wouldn’t sound as if she was a cop.

Frustration bit at her. She liked Dylan—a lot. And she found herself wanting to be honest with him. But she couldn’t risk that yet.

Larry had been honest with Sandra, and that may have been part of the reason he’d been killed.

No, while she didn’t believe he had anything to do with the fire that killed Larry and Sandra, she still wasn’t ready to put her life in Dylan’s hands.

D
ylan bandaged the elbow of the overenthusiastic, eight-year-old, indoor kick ball champion and sent the girl on her way with a pass. As the child headed back to class, he sat down to write his short note in the log and then one explaining the incident to the parent.

He checked his to-do list.

Reference for Kyle. Check. Printed, signed and delivered.

Call Margaret for an update on Dr. Bailey and if he’d shown up for work today. He had. And seemed to be having a good day.

Thank you, Lord. He needs Your healing.
Check.

A knock on the door interrupted him. Looking up, he saw Paige slip inside.

Keep heart in chest and don’t say anything dumb. Check. Hopefully. “Hey, again,” he said. Yep, she looked as good as she did fifteen minutes ago in the lounge.

“I was just thinking about you. Earlier, I forgot to ask if you’d figured out who ransacked your office. Any patients with grudges turn up?”

Dylan lifted a brow then shrugged. “I’ve been thinking about it. Going through past cases, but I’ve not really come up with anything, nor have the police.”

“What about when you were a resident?”

“Well, nothing comes to mind there, either. And I wouldn’t have access to those files now, anyway.” He cocked his head and studied her. “Why so full of questions this morning?”

She stood in the doorway, bottom lip tucked up under her front teeth as she thought. He smiled. She almost looked like a little girl deep in concentration.

When she looked up, her gaze collided with his. Nope, she was all woman.

“Like I said, I was just wondering. Thinking about it. About you. In fact, I’d be happy to help you go through the files if you like. We could make the list for the sheriff and let him take it from there.”

His heart warmed. She’d been thinking about him and his problems. Her offer to help made his pulse jump.

Paige placed a hand on the door to leave, and he stopped her with, “We’ll see about the files. Thanks for the offer. And five tonight, right?”

A flush heated her cheeks. “Five o’clock.” With one last smile, she left.

He glanced at his watch. Seven hours until he would see her again. Dylan decided time had just slowed to a practical standstill.

Paige left the nurse’s office and knew her face was beet-red. Deciding it would do no good to berate herself for giving in to the desire to see Dylan, and using the excuse of checking to see if he’d made progress on his search through his files, she went back to her office and started making out a schedule.

For the first few days, she would be excused from seeing children as she settled into her room, waded through the stack of referrals and contacted teachers. At least that’s
what she would give the appearance of doing. Hopefully, by the time she was expected to start seeing children, she would have this case wrapped up.

However, if she didn’t, she wasn’t too concerned. One of her areas of interest had been studying the effects of crime on children and the best kinds of therapy to help them cope.

One of the reasons she’d chosen the guidance counselor cover. She wouldn’t be stuck in a classroom all day and could come and go as she needed to.

If it came down to it, she would follow the curriculum and do some simple lessons on various topics like the evils of drugs and alcohol, domestic violence and bullying.

But mostly, she’d cover drugs and see if she got any response from the children. If there were drugs in this school, and Larry had thought there were, then someone knew something. Most likely, one of the children.

She’d just have to be very careful about how she gathered her information. And if she came across an issue that she felt needed more than what she could offer, she would make a referral to another professional.

The feeling of being watched made her swirl around in her chair.

The hair on the back of her neck spiked.

No one. Her door stood open.

Noise from the hallway reached her.

Getting up, she crossed the room to look out.

Nothing to the left.

When she looked right, her gaze landed on little Will Price. Her pulse slowed. He stood, somber, his blue eyes probing.

She smiled and dropped to her knees to look him in the eye. “Hello, Will. How are you today?”

His tongue darted to lick his lips.

Her gaze sharpened. Did he want to tell her something? “Do you want to come in my office?”

Will looked behind him, so Paige asked. “Where’s your class?”

Still nothing—but his mouth opened, then shut.

Paige pushed one more time. “Do you want to come in, honey?”

He took a step toward her, mouth open as though to speak.

A teacher rounded the corner and stopped when she saw Will and Paige in the hallway. Forcing a smile, the woman said, “There you are, Will. I’ve been looking for you. You’re not supposed to wander off like that.”

Will snapped his lips shut, turned from Paige and obediently walked to his teacher’s side. But when he turned back for one more lingering look at Paige, she couldn’t help but wonder if he’d been about to say something.

Regret pierced her. She would have to make time to call Will down to her office and do a little play-therapy with him. Maybe once he decided he trusted her more, he would open up.

Then again, he seemed to trust Dylan and didn’t utter a word to the man who so obviously loved him.

Sighing, she went back into the office to finish the schedule and do her best to pretend she wasn’t excited about seeing Dylan and Will tonight.

At four o’clock, Paige finally noticed the silence in the building. Elementary schools shut down pretty quick in the afternoon. Closing her planner, she rose from the desk and grabbed her keys. She wanted to get home and grab a shower before her company arrived.

Movement near her door caught her attention, and she stopped, waiting for the person to enter. Tom Bridges
stepped inside and smiled. “I’m sorry I didn’t get by earlier. How was your first day?”

Paige relaxed. “Just fine, thanks. You have very friendly staff here.”

“And we’re delighted you joined us. Melanie, our previous counselor, was wonderful, but she decided to stay home with her baby instead of coming back, so we’ve been rather stuck. The middle school counselor has been pulling double duty for a while now.” After inquiring into her well-being, he glanced at his watch. “But I think you’ve put in a full day and it’s time to head out. You don’t want to overdo it.”

“I was just leaving,” she said as she gathered her belongings.

He had his keys in his hand. “I’m parked on the other side of the building, so I’m going out the back door. See you tomorrow.”

“Dr. Bridges, do you mind if I ask you a quick question?”

He lifted a brow. “Sure.”

Paige sighed. “I know today is only my first day, and I hate to stir up anything that I shouldn’t, but I’ve heard some rumors and thought I’d ask you about them.”

Dr. Bridges nodded. “The parents arrested for drugs?”

“Yes.”

He shook his head. “It’s a sad situation. The children are no longer in the school. They’ve been taken by DSS and placed with other family members. One in Bryson City and one in Asheville.”

“I see.” She paused. “Do you suspect any other parents who might be involved?”

Frowning, he said, “I can’t think of anyone. The two arrested were good friends. Roommates, I believe.” He
studied her. “Eli, our sheriff, has already investigated the situation.”

Paige forced a smile. “I’m sure. I just wanted to be on top of everything in case I came across a child in a similar environment.”

His shoulders relaxed a fraction. “Well, that’s not a bad idea. Thanks for making me aware of your concerns. If I come up with anything new or think you need to focus on any particular child, I’ll let you know.”

“That’d be great.”

He left and Paige shifted the bag over her shoulder as she walked out the front door. Thankfully, the rain had stopped, although the sky promised more was on the way.

On the way to her car, she noticed Sam Hobbs, the janitor, emptying a trash can into a larger bin. He nodded as she walked past. “Have a good afternoon, ma’am.”

“You, too, Mr. Hobbs.”

He smiled. “Sam.”

“Bye, Sam.”

Then she stopped. Of all the people in the school, maybe he was the one she needed to talk to. Quickly coming up with a story, Paige turned back. “Sam, in the curriculum I have to use with the kids, I’ll be talking about drug use. One of the teachers mentioned her grandson came home with drugs in his backpack but claims he doesn’t know how they got there. You’re all over this school. Have you ever heard of anything like that happening here?”

His brows furrowed as he thought. “No, not here. I mean, out of all the kids that go here, I wouldn’t doubt a few of the parents have done drugs at some point, but I haven’t personally seen anything.”

“Hmm. Well, thanks.” She should have figured. Even if he knew something, he might hesitate saying anything to
the new person. Understandable. What she didn’t get was the fact that the drug dogs hadn’t come up with anything tangible.

“Sure thing. See you tomorrow.”

From what she’d read in the report, after the arrest of the two parents, a drug dog had been brought in. The dog had alerted to a few of the kids’ backpacks, but that could be because their parents smoked marijuana at home, or it could be the child was at a friend’s house and someone in that house smoked it.

But nothing had turned up.

The fact was, unless the drugs were found at the time of the alerting by the dog, there wasn’t much she or anyone else could do about it.

Paige continued on to her car, anxious to get home and get ready for the evening ahead. Although the skies still threatened, she was grateful that the rain had stopped for now. Tossing her unopened umbrella in the backseat, she climbed in and turned the key.

Nothing. Not even a click.

What?

She tried again.

Still nothing.

“Great.” She slapped the wheel. Not now. A glance at her watch showed it was already 4:23.

Reaching under the dash, Paige popped the hood. Climbing out of the vehicle, she exposed the engine and gaped.

Her battery was gone.

Paige’s blood pressure spiked. Spinning on her heel, she looked around the parking lot.

No one in sight.

Even Tom Bridges’s car was gone.

A red truck sat in a parking spot about six spaces down.

Probably belonged to Sam Hobbs. But what could he do? She needed a battery.

Then again, he’d been outside emptying trash. The bins were to her right within line of sight of her car. He may have seen something, someone tampering with her vehicle. Sam’d already disappeared into the building.

Now she stood alone in the parking lot.

Alone.

Her mind clicked.

Okay, go question Sam or figure out what this meant.

Someone wanted her to be here. Someone wanted her stranded, unable to leave.

Taking her battery shouted that real clear.

But who? And why? And
where
was the person who’d snatched her battery?

Close by and watching?

Watching for what?

For her to start walking home?

A quick look at the street showed it was busy, cars passing in front of the school on a regular basis.

But people had disappeared on busy streets before.

Paige looked at the lock on the door. She knew for a fact she’d locked it when she climbed out that morning, but someone skilled with a coat hanger or access to a professional locksmith tool could easily gain entry without leaving a clue behind.

Reaching into the backseat, she pulled out her purse, set it on the hood of her car and dug out her cell phone.

Wheels crunched on the asphalt behind her. Whirling, her hand went to her shoulder holster—the one that wasn’t there. Blood still pumping, she moved so that her car was between her and the vehicle that pulled up beside her.

Simon Moore. The reporter. A small grin pulled at his lips as he lowered the driver’s side window. “Trouble?”

Paige straightened. “Someone stole my battery. You wouldn’t happen to know who, would you?”

A hurt look crossed his face. “Well, thanks a lot.”

She grimaced. “Sorry. I’m in a bad mood.” Even though she had her suspicions, she supposed she should get proof before making accusations. Paige gestured to the car. “This wasn’t exactly what I wanted to come out and find. What are you doing here, anyway?” she asked.

“Looking for you.”

“Well, you found me.”
And I’m still not talking,
she thought, hoping he could read her face. “Why are you being so persistent?”

“Why are you being so secretive?”

“Secretive?” Was that how she came across? “Not to be rude, but maybe I just don’t like reporters.”

“Look, I’m just trying to do my job.” He snorted. “My goal is not to stay in this rinky-dink town for the rest of my life. I need a story to give me the edge over my competitors. Is that so wrong?”

Without hesitation, she said, “It is when you go about it the way you are.” Narrowing her eyes, she stared at him. “Did you steal my battery?”

Moore rolled his eyes. “Can I give you a ride or not?”

Paige bit her lip and looked at her car. Then back at the reporter.

She supposed she didn’t have a choice unless she wanted to walk—a raindrop splashed on her cheek—and get wet.

“Let me see some ID,” she said.

Moore’s left brow shot north. “Why? You don’t believe me?”

Paige kept silent and just stared. Anyone could spin a good I-just-want-out-of-this-small-town story if he practiced it enough.

With another impatient roll of his eyes, Moore complied by flashing his newspaper-employee badge.

Satisfied, she nodded. “Fine. Let me just get my stuff.”

Another vehicle turned into the parking lot, and Paige breathed a glad sigh when she saw it was Dylan and Will.

He pulled up beside her and the reporter. Eyes darting between them, he rolled down the window. “Can I help?”

From the backseat, Will watched the adults. Thankfully, he didn’t look scared, just curious.