moved to push a button that would put Miss
Dewhurst's message onto the attached microphone so
Chris and Paul would hear even as they ate.
"Where was she?" I asked in a small voice,
already terrified.
She spoke calmly. "A strange hush came in the
air this morning when your sister's name was called
and when I asked where she was. I sent a teacher to
check your sister's room and she wasn't there. I then
ordered a thorough search of the grounds and the
entire school building from basement to attic, and still
your sister wasn't found. I would, if your sister was of
a different character, presume she'd run off and was on
her way home. But something in the atmosphere
warns that at least twelve of the girls here know what
has happened to Carrie and they refuse to talk and
incriminate themselves."
My eyes widened. "You mean you still don't
know where Carrie is?"
Paul and Chris had stopped eating. Now both
stared at me with mounting concern. "I'm sorry to say
I don't. Carrie hasn't been seen since nine o'clock last
night. Even if she walked all the way home she should
have reached there by now. It's almost noon. If she is
not there and she is not here, then she is either injured,
lost or some other accident has befallen her. . . . I could have screamed. How could she speak so
dispassionately! Why, why every time something
terrible came into our lives was it a flat, uncaring
voice that told us the bad news?
Paul's white car sped down Overland Highway