Part 13 (2/2)

I was almost fifty years too late, but I placed my arm around her shoulders and tried to comfort the fragile woman with the broken heart.

Chapter 30.

After I got back from the nursing home that afternoon, yet another email was waiting for me in my inbox.

To: [email protected] Sent: Sun 4:21 PM From: Subject: (no subject) You're looking in all the right places And never finding the right things.

The answers lie within the heart of Brown Where the Brothers live.

Find them.

I had to get back to the old Brown buildings. I was sure I was missing something that would tie the headmaster's brother back to Grace, but I had no idea what it was. And who was I supposed to look for? Brown had closed more than sixty years earlier. There were no boys to be found.

I sat on my front porch, staring at the sheets of falling rain. Why'd it have to rain right now? I mean, how was I supposed to follow up on leads without a reliable mode of transportation? I'd already texted Liam twice, and a third time would venture into Stage 5 clinger levels of desperation.

My only remaining option was riding my bike to the clock tower in the pouring rain, and that was obviously out of the question. It was getting dark, and to avoid getting flattened by a car, I'd have to wear a helmet, reflective clothing, and probably a poncho. Enough said.

And then, as if the G.o.ds had sent him down from above to answer my prayers, Seth appeared in midair. Well, technically he jumped down from his lame-a.s.s tree house, but at that moment he looked like a pocket-sized, redheaded superhero to me. He had his windbreaker thrown over his head and was running toward his front door.

”Hey, Seth!”

He spun around, his face all scrunched up.

”Come over here. Get out of the rain!” My chipper voice sounded a little false. Better tone it down a notch before he got suspicious. Seth ran over and under the porch roof. ”Hanging out in your tree house again? You're so lame.”

”I was just checking out the neighbors. They installed a new satellite dish, and I think they're using it to communicate with their FBI handlers.”

”Sounds cool. So what are you up to tonight?”

Seth was visibly taken aback by my question. I made a mental note to be nicer to him in the future. He was acting like an abused animal, shocked at the tiniest bit of affection. It made me feel like the worst person in the world.

”I was just, you know, hanging out. Gonna do some homework, eat dinner...watch some more Conspiracy Theory Week, if you're...”

”No, no, no,” I said, cutting him off before the invitation left his lips. ”I just wanted to see if you're interested in taking a road trip to...” I began but was interrupted.

”Of course!” Seth said, not letting me finish. ”Just let me ask my mom if I can borrow the van. It's raining, but I'll convince her to say yes!”

”Seth, you have no idea what you just agreed to. What if I said, 'to see if we can score some crack'?”

”Then I would have reminded you of the drug-free pledge we all had to sign last year. Where do you wanna go anyway?”

”I actually have to run back up to PB. I...um...forgot something...at one of the...uh...old Brown buildings.”

My response didn't even make Seth think twice.

”I'll go get my keys!” Seth threw his jacket over his head again and ran toward his front door to get permission. ”Mom!” I heard him yell before the door shut behind him.

Seth probably would have agreed to drive me to the end of the earth in his mom's white minivan, and for that I was eternally grateful. I mean, come on, every girl should have a Seth Allen in her life.

While Seth begged for permission, I went back inside and loaded my oversize purse with a flashlight, a notebook and pen, my camera, and the Mace my dad had forced on me when I started at the upper school. Considering my history with the building, I had to be prepared for the worst. If it was creepy during the daytime, I couldn't imagine what it would be like in the dark. A girl could never be too careful, even if she had a skinny, ginger-haired superhero by her side.

By the time I ran through the garage door, Seth had pulled the minivan into my driveway. Even through the rain-streaked windows, I could see the huge smile on his face.

c.r.a.p. He was probably misinterpreting our little errand as a date. Oh, well, beggars can't be choosers, and this beggar needed a ride. I was just lucky he hadn't changed into his fancy clothes or something.

I climbed into the car and got to work thinking about the task that lay ahead.

”You okay?” Seth asked. ”You're so quiet.”

He was right. I was quiet and more than a little scared. I hadn't forgotten about the rock that had come sailing through the window on my last visit to the old building. Someone seemed to know my every move before I knew it myself, and they didn't appear to be thrilled about my investigation. I'd have to be careful.

”Yeah, yeah. Just a little nervous. Everyone says the Brown buildings are haunted.”

”Come on, you don't really believe in ghosts, do you?”

”I...well, I never did. But lately I've changed my mind,” I said, thinking about Grace's emails and the girl in the plaid skirt.

”I think you've got bigger problems than ghosts, Kate.” He flicked on his turn signal and turned left-hand over hand, of course.

”What do you mean?” I panicked, wondering if he'd figured everything out-if he knew all of the lies, all of the secrets I'd been hiding.

”I mean Liam Gilmour. What are you doing with him? He's dangerous.”

I couldn't hold in my sigh of relief.

”Liam? Seriously, Seth? He's the least of my problems.”

”I heard he's dangerous, Kate, unstable. You know what everyone says. It's true.” Seth pulled into a parking spot in the student lot and put the van in park.

”Liam is a lot of things, but dangerous isn't one of them.” Well, unless you counted him potentially breaking my heart. ”You don't know him. People just like to gossip.” I leaned my head against the window.

”He started a fire,” Seth blurted out.

In an instant, the van filled with tension so thick I could barely breathe.

I whipped my head toward Seth. ”What are you even talking about? What fire?”

”It happened before he started at PB. When I was working in the office last year, I had to refile his folder. The report slipped out.”

I was reminded of Liam saying everyone had something to hide. Could that be what he was hiding? I shoved the thought away. It couldn't be true. If he had told me he'd caught Liam making out with Beefany I would have believed Seth, but there was no way that Liam was some kind of pyromaniac.

”Why can't you just be happy for me? A guy finally shows interest, and you just have to get jealous.” The anger came out of nowhere and surprised even me. Each terrible word hung in the air, punctuated only by the sound of the swis.h.i.+ng winds.h.i.+eld wipers and Mrs. Allen's soft-rock radio station. I chewed on my nails, and Seth squirmed in the driver's seat.

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