Chapter 3 - THE SILVER WATCH
“Robert Henderson?” the taller officer asked.
Robert stood tall.
“Yes, I'm Principal Henderson.”
“Sir, we need you to come with us.”
Robert frowned. “I’m in the middle of a serious situation here. My assistant principal just fled the building.”
“We’re aware of Mr. Vance,” the second officer said. “He’s the one who called us.”
I stepped forward.
“Vance called you? Why?”
The officer looked at me, then back at Robert.
“Mr. Vance reported a massive discrepancy in the Title I funding accounts. He provided digital logs showing that your administrative password was used to authorize the transfers.”
The cafeteria went dead silent.
Robert stared at the officers.
“That’s impossible. I never authorized any transfers.”
“You can explain that at the station, sir.”
I looked at Patricia.
She had backed away, pressing herself against the stainless steel counter.
She wasn't surprised.
She knew this was the backup plan.
Vance was framing Robert.
“Wait,” I said, stepping between Robert and the officers. “We have a binder right here. Patricia Pritchard just confessed that Vance forced her to manipulate the inventory.”
The officer looked at the blue binder.
He reached out and picked it up.
“We’ll take this into evidence.”
Robert remained calm. He looked at me.
“Jennifer, take Caleb home. Take Mateo, too. I'll call his mother from the station and explain. Do not leave those boys alone.”
“I won't,” I promised.
As they escorted Robert out of the cafeteria, my hands shook.
Angela came over, her eyes wide with fear.
“Mrs. Miller? What are we going to do?”
“We’re going to figure out what Rivera Property Management is,” I said.
I gathered the boys.
Caleb held Mateo’s hand.
We walked out to my car in the school parking lot.
As I unlocked the doors, I noticed something resting on my windshield wiper.
It was a heavy, silver pocket watch.
I looked around the empty parking lot.
Nobody was there.
I picked up the watch.
It was cold. And it was engraved.
I turned it over.
To Marcus. For a job well done.
Vance had left it on my car.
It wasn't a gift. It was a message.
He knew I was involved.
I shoved the watch into my purse, my maternal instincts screaming.
I strapped the boys into the back seat and drove straight to my house.
Once we were inside with the deadbolt locked, I made them hot chocolate.
They sat at the kitchen island.
“Mateo,” I asked gently. “Where is your mom right now?”
“She's at work,” he said. “She cleans houses. She gets back to the motel at six.”
It was only two o'clock.
“Okay. You're safe here.”
I needed to see what was inside Mateo’s backpack.
“Mateo, do you have any homework?”
He unzipped his bag.
“Just drawing.”
He pulled out a crumpled piece of paper.
I looked at it.
It was a child’s crayon drawing, but it made my blood run cold.
It showed a tall building with flames coming out of the windows.
But standing in front of the building was a man holding a piece of paper.
The man had a shiny silver circle on his chest.
“Mateo,” I pointed to the silver circle. “What is this?”
“That’s the shiny watch,” Mateo said simply. “The man with the watch was at our building before the fire.”
I stopped breathing.
Vance wasn't just stealing lunch money from displaced kids.
He was the one displacing them.
He was starting the fires.
Suddenly, my cell phone rang on the counter.
Unknown number.
I answered it.
“Mrs. Miller?” a man’s voice asked.
“Who is this?”
“I think you have my watch.”
May you like
It was Marcus Vance.
“I also know you have Mateo,” Vance said smoothly. “Which is unfortunate for you. Because his mother isn't at work. She's with me.”
