The Black Coats(58)

Thea tapped her teeth, something that had once driven Natalie nuts. “After training, we’ll hide out in one of the bathrooms. When Mademoiselle Corday closes for the night, I’ll sneak into the records room and look for something on Drew or his dad.”

Mirabelle sighed, tossing her hair out of her eyes. “You remember that there are some presidents who live at Mademoiselle Corday, right? On the upper floors. Kennedy and McKinley, I think. Julie probably sleeps upside down in a coffin upstairs.”

Thea gave her a small smile. “I’ll be quiet. Besides, I’ll have you as a lookout.”

“I’ll do my best, but if we get kicked out of the Black Coats for this . . .”

“We won’t.” Thea felt like she was reassuring herself. “Something is off.”

Mirabelle frowned. “I feel it, too. Something changed when Robin died. It’s like, before, the Black Coats had a clear purpose. Now it’s just . . .”

“Anger,” Thea finished.

Mirabelle parked the car in front of Mademoiselle Corday. The house looked especially insidious today, her black eaves stabbing the soft clouds that lingered above her.

Mirabelle threw her bag onto her shoulder. “Here we go.”

Together they walked through the door, Thea noticing again the names etched in gold underneath the arch:



JOHNSON ? HAGEMAN ? ZINN ? CLEARY

Why had she never thought to ask what had happened to the ladies who bore those names? As she passed into the foyer, she looked around her, feeling for the first time like a thousand eyes were watching her.

Mirabelle looked back at her. “Come on, slow poke—you’re stalling.” Thea hoisted her bag up and followed Mirabelle down the winding hallway to their classroom.

The rest of the team was waiting for them: Casey perched in her normal spot, doodling on a notebook; Louise looking rapt with her hair neatly tied back in a pink ribbon; and Bea, who looked beyond exhausted.

“Yikes,” Thea said as she sat down next to Bea and reached over to grab her shoulder. “No offense, but you look terrible. Is everything okay?”

Bea just shook her head miserably before looking the other way. The classroom door banged open and Thea looked up, expecting to see Nixon’s hard scowl and prepared for whatever false friendly interaction they were about to have, when all she wanted to say was, I saw you there, at my boyfriend’s house. Why were you there? Maybe Nixon would actually tell her. Maybe Thea could just go home after this.

Except it wasn’t Nixon who walked into the room. It was Kennedy. Thea’s breath caught in her chest.

Casey looked up from her notebook. “Umm, where’s Nixon?” Kennedy gave Casey a withering gaze before grabbing the notebook out from under her pencil. “Hey!” shouted Casey.

“I don’t want you to have any distractions.” She tossed the notebook into the trash before brushing her hands off as if the notebook was dirty. Her blue-green eyes narrowed in on Thea, as if she knew exactly who was to blame for this group’s weaknesses. However, instead of laying into her, Kennedy took a perch on the wooden desk in front of them. Her hard outer shell melted away as she smiled at the group. It caught them unawares, the warmth that Kennedy could project when she wanted to. “I’m afraid that President Nixon has stepped down.”

The team gasped. Mirabelle caught Thea’s eye. Unfortunately, it was just long enough that Kennedy noticed. She went on. “She has decided—voluntarily—to erase herself from the ongoing legacy of the Black Coats.” She adjusted her seat on the desk, her own black coat falling over the sides. “This actually happens quite frequently in the Black Coats. As you well know, being on a team or even running one can be physically and mentally exhausting. What we do here is so important, but it does take its toll, especially on the weaker members.”

She shook her head, as if the news was devastating to her as well, but Thea could tell she was lying. She swallowed the rising panic that threatened to show itself any minute. The world was swirling around her, the weight of unanswered questions pulling her down. I’ll never know what happened. Nixon is gone.

Louise was staring at Kennedy now, her eyes clouded with tears. “Does this mean you’re dissolving the team?”

“Oh, no, my dear.” There it was, the false kindness again. “I’ll be taking over Team Banner as your president. It’s my privilege to lead such a special group of young girls. We will keep moving forward as if nothing happened. Any objections?”

Thea gripped the edge of the desk. What she wanted to do was to walk out of this cold classroom and into the light, but she couldn’t let her feelings compromise these girls’ futures in the Black Coats. Thea cleared her throat and stood, looking at her team members. Bea wouldn’t meet her eyes, but Casey’s hard glare told Thea all she would need to know. She turned back to Kennedy, disgusted by the look in the president’s eyes as she stared hungrily at Bea. “We will stay on under you.”

“Good, I’m glad to hear it. Now, where were you in your lessons?”

Louise raised her hand. “Compliance versus the criminal mind.”

Kennedy grinned and picked up a piece of chalk. “One of my favorite subjects.”

The hours ticked by. It turned out that Kennedy was actually a pretty good teacher. Still, Thea could barely sit still. She needed to run, she needed to do something.