Saint Sloan (Saint Sloan #1)(19)

“Have the notes bothered you that much that you aren’t sleeping?”

She had to think about that. One would think it would keep her from sleeping. “Not really. Sunday night I didn’t know enough to be scared. Monday night I slept because… uh…” Well, she’d slept basically because of the pain pills Darcy had given her. They’d relaxed her. Calmed her. It was pretty nice actually, not that she’d take them anymore. She could see herself getting addicted to them very easily.

“Because why?” Ray stared. Sloan wished he’d quit.

“And so, yeah, I’ve slept. I’m just tired. Stress I guess.”

Ray didn’t look convinced, but did drop it, which Sloan appreciated. “So, four suspects.”

“B-oy-d.” She drew out his name, because to her, he was the only suspect. “Tanner, Darcy, and Boyd’s mother.”

Ray nodded slowly, apparently a million miles away. When he did move, he grabbed her by the hands and made her jump. “Sorry. I’ve gotta go.”

“Where?”

He let go of her hands, stood, and grabbed his backpack. “I probably won’t be at lunch so don’t wait for me. Come over to my house tonight and we can work on Biology. Get the lesson from Mrs. Knight. Pig dissection next week, remember?”

“Where are you going?”

Ray smiled, but it looked very forced. It didn’t reach his eyes. “I’ll see you tonight. Be there right after school if that’s okay?”

He left without even looking back. Sloan grabbed her stuff and ran after him, but there wasn’t any sight of him. He’d gone somewhere. Knowing him, somewhere involved finding out who had been sending her those letters and roses. He’d no doubt either gone to see Boyd or Mrs. Lawrence. Sloan very much hoped it wasn’t to see Boyd. Even though he was her number one suspect, she didn’t want him talking to Boyd alone. Ray hadn’t been around to see Boyd at his worst. Aaron had been attacked by Boyd, not Ray. Ray didn’t know what Boyd was capable of, wheelchair or not.

Sloan looked at her phone to check the time: 8:36.

Just enough time to get to Biology before the bell rang. And what exactly would she tell Mrs. Knight? “Sorry I’m late. I was talking to Ray, who has gone who knows where, about these letters I’ve been getting from a stalker who has threatened to kill my mother if I tell the police. So, could you not give me a lot of homework? Thanks.”

Ugh.

Sloan waited outside the door until the bell rang. She scooted to the side with her head down, praying no one saw her. She didn’t need the embarrassment.

When everyone cleared out, Sloan noticed Darcy wasn’t among them. It made her take a mental note, but she didn’t have time to dwell on it. She needed to talk to Mrs. Knight before the next group came in and before she was late for another class.

Sloan settled on the truth. “Mrs. Knight. I’m sorry I missed class. I rose late.” Hilarious. She rose… like flowers… roses… yeah.

“You rose late?” Mrs. Knight never stopped erasing the white board. “Did you also get lost between your locker and class?”

“Excuse me?”

Mrs. Knight turned her direction. “Darcy told me she spoke to you and Mr. Hunter at your locker. Do you have an alarm clock at your locker to tell you when to come to class?”

Darcy. Of course it was Darcy. Why couldn’t that girl ever keep her mouth shut? Sloan didn’t have anything to say about that, actually.

“What you and Mr. Hunter do in your own time is your business,” Mrs. Knight added, wiping more of the notes off the board, notes Sloan desperately needed.

“No. You have it all wrong. Ray and I don’t have any business.”

Mrs. Knight didn’t stop talking. “But this is school and I have a job to teach you. According to the state, they don’t care if you want to be here or if you’d rather be up in the rafters making out. I’m still responsible for our end-of-course testing. I’m responsible for getting your little mind off of Ray’s chest and on to dissecting pigs.”

She had it so so wrong. Not to say Aaron didn’t have a nice chest.

Ray!

Not Aaron, Ray.

Ray had a nice chest.

Blah!

“But I expect if you are on this campus, you will be in my classroom at the appointed time. Do you understand?”

Hadn’t Sloan thought the day before that she liked Mrs. Knight’s hard-butt attitude? Not so much now. “Yes, ma’am.” She certainly wasn’t going to argue with the woman.

“I assume you came for your homework?”

Sloan nodded.

Mrs. Knight laid the dry eraser down on the rail. “Your assignment was on the board.”

She walked away, leaving Sloan dumbfounded. Second period folks started filtering in, and she could tell from Mrs. Knight’s body language, she wasn’t going to hand her an assignment.

That meant find someone in the class.

That meant talk to Darcy.

Sloan’s head started to pound behind her eyes. Maybe it was time for another over-the-counter pill.

“Oh, and Sloan,” Mrs. Knight called when she was almost out the door. “You were turned in on the absent list. You and Mr. Hunter. You mother will be called. I hope she doesn’t worry too much about you. See you in class tomorrow.”