In Safe Hands (Search and Rescue #4)(121)

This time, Jules didn’t get a hug. Instead, Sister Mary Augustine frowned at her before turning to her computer. After a few tense seconds with the only sound being the click of the mouse, she shook her head.

“You’re not on the list.”

Jules insides jumped. She’d been afraid of that. If Mrs. Juarez had checked her brothers’ approved-pick-up list, Jules wouldn’t have been on that one, either. If not for stealthy visits and burner phones, she wouldn’t have any relationship with her siblings at all. Ever since Jules had started her crusade to get custody, Courtney had gone from simply hating her stepdaughter to loathing her with the power of a thousand suns.

“Oh.” She feigned surprise. “Well, her brothers are all here. Are Sebastian, Horatio or Titus on the list?”

Sister Mary Augustine didn’t even look at her screen. “No.”

Desperation started to seep in, but Jules fought it back as she attempted to pull a solution from her whirling brain. “Even if we could get her to leave Dad’s side, poor Courtney isn’t in any condition to drive. Is there some way I could pick up Dez?”

Pressing her lips together in a tight line, Sister Mary Augustine shook her head.

“Maybe I could call Dez’s mom and get permission?” Jules frantically tried to think of someone who could pretend to be Courtney. Too bad their father was “hospitalized,” or Dennis could impersonate him for the length of a phone conversation.

It didn’t matter, anyway, since the nun was still shaking her head. “Only people on the list can remove students from the building.”

Think, Jules! Think! No avenues of persuasion occurred to her, though, and she gave Sister Mary Augustine a weak nod. “Okay. Thank you.”

Instead of responding to the courtesy, the nun just glared at them until they were once again in the hall. Even when the door was closed, she still scowled through the large window. It would be impossible to pass by the office without Sister Mary Augustine seeing them.

“New plan,” Jules hissed quietly, ushering them away from the window. “Ty, you’re the nun-distractor. Sam, I know you haven’t had driver’s ed yet, but do you think you could start my car and move it to the east side? When we came around the school, it looked like there’s a door there.”

“I th-hink s-so.”

The uncertainty in his voice worried her, but she still dug her keys out of her pocket and handed them to him. He shoved through the front door as she turned to Tio. “T, you’re with me.”

His eyes grew wide, but he nodded.

“Ty, go.” Jules tipped her head toward the office door.

He took a step and then stopped. “What should I say?”

“Anything! Just distract her for a few seconds so we can get by the windows. Pretend like you’re going to puke or something. Once we’re past, head to the car.”

With a resolute nod, Ty reentered the office. Jules watched, waiting for her brother to pull the eagle-eyed nun’s gaze away. Even through the closed door, she heard some realistic-sounding gagging noises. Sister Mary Augustine apparently found them to be convincing as well, her horrified attention focused on Ty.

Grabbing Tio’s hand, Jules ran down the hall. She knew that Dez was in Ms. McCree’s sixth-grade classroom for everything except math and reading. Dez had also told her that this was Ms. McCree’s first year teaching, and Jules hoped she could use that to her advantage.

She quickly figured out that the classrooms were arranged around a square with the lunch room and library in the center. Each door was marked with the grade and teacher, making it easy to find Dez’s room. Jules was panting from nerves and exertion, so she took a few seconds to get her breath before she knocked. Tio hovered nervously behind her.

A woman opened the door. If not for her lack of uniform, Dez would’ve thought she was one of the students.

“Hi.” Her voice was still breathless from her dash. “I’m Juliet Young, Desdemona’s sister.”

“Hello.” Ms. McCree looked confused.

“Our dad is in the hospital. Dez’s mom sent me to get her.”

“Oh.” The teacher’s face puckered, and Jules wondered if she was about to get her second sympathy hug of the day. “I’m so sorry.”

Over Ms. McCree’s shoulder, Jules could see her stepsister pulling on her backpack, and she had to smother a smile. Smart Dez knew the plan, and she was getting ready to go.

“Thank you.” Jules forced her face back into a grief-stricken expression.

“You’ll need to go to the office first, though.”

“Oh, I did! There’s a boy there who was throwing up, so Sister Mary Augustine told us to just come here and get Dez out of class.”

Ms. McCree knotted her fingers together, looking anxious. “I’m not sure…”

“It’s okay, Ms. McCree,” Dez said, slipping around her teacher to stand next to Jules. “My sister’s on the list. I should go to the hospital now to see my dad.”

Jules resisted pulling Dez into a hug and took her hand, instead. On her list of things to be concerned about later, Jules added the ease with which Dez lied next to Sam’s worsening stutter.

“Well, I guess that’s okay.” The teacher still looked like she was about to change her mind, so Jules started moving away from the classroom.