“Hello, Theo,” he said with that self-satisfied smirk of his. It was the expression of a genuinely un-clever guy who is nonetheless totally convinced he’s outsmarted you. I wasn’t a fan of any of the Kings, but Arvo was a particular breed of repugnant.
Amelia spoke up. “Mr. Brant, people generally knock before entering my office.”
“I need to speak with you, Miss Amelia. I’m afraid it can’t wait.”
“It’s fine,” Arvo said blithely, standing. “I think we’re done here anyway.”
“Thank you for your time, Mr. Hurley,” she replied.
Arvo strolled out of the room, patting me on the shoulder as he left. He took condescension to unbelievable heights, didn’t he? I had to take a couple of deep breaths to calm myself before proceeding.
“Well, Theo,” Amelia said, “you made a spectacle of yourself, coming in here. I should hope this is important.”
“It is,” I replied quickly, not bothering to sit. “I need to talk to you about Biba. The police—”
She stopped me.
“I don’t intend to discuss that with you.”
“I already know she’s being investigated. That they want to arrest her.”
“Theo, stop speaking.”
“She’s innocent, Amelia.”
She slammed her palm down on her desk. The thud was so loud, I worried she’d shattered her hand.
“Do not tell me anything about that night!” she shouted. “I do not want to know. You need to be discreet, Theo. You cannot throw open doors and reveal secrets to people in this school. It is not safe!”
“I can’t let Biba go to prison.”
Amelia sighed. “She won’t. That’s certain.”
“How?”
“That’s why Arvo Hurley was here. Apparently, everyone knows about Ms. Quinn’s troubles, and Hurley wanted to set the record straight. He will go to the Wachsbrunnen police today and submit an affidavit clearing Biba. It seems he was with her the night of Ms. Monfort’s demise. They stole away to the village for a drink and stayed out all night. I shudder to imagine what they were up to.”
I was speechless. That story was a total lie. Was Arvo following orders from Zephyr? Was this taking care of things?
Amelia continued, “Mr. Hurley and Ms. Quinn will be reprimanded for breaking curfew. But I don’t imagine the punishment will be more than some custodial work. The important thing is that this ends Detective Soglio’s regrettable scapegoating of Ms. Quinn. Wouldn’t you agree that is a good thing?”
I nodded.
“Excellent. For your safety and Biba’s, I think you should return to your room and stay out of this business.”
“Yes, Amelia.”
“I hope you believe me when I caution you, Theo. You mustn’t endanger yourself.”
CHAPTER 8
BIBA
The scalding spray poured over my face and hair. It sent a hundred hot waterfalls down my body, willing my twisted muscles to relax. It wasn’t working, but at least the shower felt nice.
Zeph wanted me to stay with him, but it was no use. My mind was constantly racing for fear that some new misfortune would strike if I stopped worrying for even a moment. I believe it’s called magical thinking, the idea that you can affect a situation you have no control over by doing something unrelated. Some people wear lucky shoes. Some avoid cracks on the sidewalk. I fixated. I’d convinced myself that if I thought about nothing else, I could unmask Gail’s killer, exonerate myself, mend fences with Theo, get into Harvard, be happy. . . .
Of course, that’s not how life works. All I’d managed to do with my obsessiveness was isolate myself. Theo couldn’t stand me, Zeph was annoyed, and I didn’t have the energy to interact with anyone else.