Tall, Dark & Lonely (Pyte/Sentinel #1)(33)

Taking in a deep breath he forced himself to speak. “Madison, I know you’re upset. I’m,” another deep breath, “so sorry. I apologize….I don’t want to hurt you…..I won’t hurt you I promise! I swear it!”

“Liar! Ooops!” she muttered.

He had to smile. “I promise you’re safe here. I promise, but if it makes you feel better I am leaving something for you on the bathroom floor. Put it somewhere safe, somewhere the kids won’t look. If you have to use it don’t hesitate. I won’t be mad.” He remained at the door for a minute longer. “I’m sorry.” He stumbled out of the bathroom to his room where he collapsed on the floor.

******

“Come on, come on….come on!” She blew a dust bunny away from her face as she waited. The faint sound of a car starting had her moving. She crawled out from beneath the bed and made a mad dash towards the bathroom. She had to pee badly.

She jumped over something black on the floor and found her way to the toilet just in time. Going to sleep with a full bladder wasn’t easy, but somehow she managed it. Where was that lemony scent coming from? She looked around the bathroom. It was close by. Ephraim cleaned? She was stunned.

There wasn’t enough time to contemplate what would motivate him to clean. She stripped her clothes off and jumped in the shower, trying to get the smell of dust and sweat off her. Two minutes later she jumped out of the shower, hoping to brush her teeth and hair in the same amount of time. Her hand froze mid-grab for her toothbrush.

A note was taped to the mirror.

Madison,

I cannot apologize enough. I will never bother you again. I also don’t want you to feel afraid. Please use my gift. It’s yours. Please hide it as soon as you find it. I cringe at the thought of the one of the children finding it. I wasn’t kidding when I told you to use it. If I give you any reason to fear for your life use it. Do not hesitate . You will not kill me but stop me long enough to save yourself. I don’t foresee any reason for you to use it.

Your Servant,

Ephraim William Howard Adlard

“Adlard? I thought his last name was Williams.” She pondered that while she brushed her teeth. What did he mean about a gift? She didn’t see a gift. She heard him say something last night. It was hard to tell what he was saying. It sounded like he was speaking through clenched teeth. She looked around the counter, nothing out of the ordinary except she was out of mouthwash. Damn it, she just bought some yesterday.

“What the…” The black thing she jumped over caught her eye. She choked on air. That was the gift? She picked the gun up cautiously, afraid it would go off in her hands. She looked around as if help would come. What was she supposed to do with a gun? A wooden stake would have made her feel better, maybe even a bottle of holy water.

She ran with the gun into her room and whirled around looking for someplace to hide it. Her closet. The closet was perfect. She yanked the door open and placed it on the top shelf beneath the extra blankets. Was he crazy giving her a gun?

******

“Detention blows.”

“No shit, ass**le,” came another voice.

Madison looked up from her computer. “Hey, none of that now. You’re here to learn from your mistakes…whatever they are. You only have another hour to go so I suggest that you do some homework.” She looked over her small group of detentionees.

The group consisted of some of her favorite students. They were termed stoners, losers and ass**les by the students and even by the faculty. She didn’t care. She liked them even the kid in front giving her the most exaggerated pout she'd ever seen.

Chris, her constant detention companion, was laid back and didn’t give her any problems. He was pretty funny and didn’t bother trying to suck up. She was honest with him and didn’t play any games. They respected each other.

“Come on, Chris, don’t give me that look?” She chuckled at his pout.

He was a funny kid. He was what some of the kids called trailer trash, but he was nice. Well, as long as you were on his good side. There was no doubt he could be a mean son of a bitch and no one in their right mind would provoke him, but from what she knew about him he never threw the first punch and he never got in someone’s face without a very good reason. Otherwise he was one of the most laid back kids she’d ever met.

“Miss. Soloman, come on now. You know this is bullshit. That little preppy bastard beats the shit out of his girlfriend over the weekend and we're paying for it.” He gestured to his friends and the two unfortunate bystanders who got pulled into the fight. They were decent kids too, very quiet so she was very surprised when she found out that they voluntarily got into the fight.

Madison leaned back in her chair. “Tell me what happened.”

Chris nodded. “See, it’s like this. That little shit Mike gets away with too much. He steals, he cheats on every test, his parents hire tutors who do his homework, all the teachers know, but they look the other way because of his old man and he’s on the football team.” She’d heard rumors before but no one was ever willing to confirm them.

“He also likes to slap girls around. I warned him in the past to watch it, but clearly he thought I was f**king kidding. I found out this morning the little shit beat the hell out of Carol. When I asked him about it he told me to f**k off and no one would believe me. Carol tries to hold him back and right in front of me while the teachers’ backs were turned he pushed her to the ground.”