Chapter 12 - The Practice Pages
The first real break came from the least dramatic place possible.
A recycling bin.
Lena remembered seeing pages with Ms. Harrow's name near the copier the previous week. At the time, she thought they were attendance forms.
Detective Cole obtained permission from the district to secure the administrative workroom.
Inside a locked shredding console, technicians found paper fragments that had not yet been destroyed.
The pieces were small, but several contained repeated letters.
HARROW.
M. HARROW.
MELANIE HARROW.
And dozens of versions of Ben Reed's initials.
The shredding console access log showed it had been opened with an administrative master card assigned to Assistant Principal Nora Bell.
Keene looked almost relieved.
"There. Nora handles records. Ask her."
But Nora Bell was not at school.
She had called in sick before sunrise.
Her phone went directly to voicemail.
Dr. Voss checked district vehicle records.
One pool car was missing.
Signed out to Nora Bell at 6:14 a.m.
Destination: district archive center.
"What's stored there?" Ben asked.
Lena answered. "Paper enrollment records. Old custody orders. Parent signatures. Anything scanned before last year."
David Park cursed under his breath.
"Original signatures."
Detective Cole was already on her radio.
Ben looked at Keene.
"How close are you and Bell?"
"Professionally? She reports to me."
"Personally?"
Keene's eyes hardened. "That is none of your business."
Lena made a bitter sound.
Everyone looked at her.
"Their foundation filings list Nora as treasurer."
Dr. Voss slowly turned toward Keene.
"You said the foundation was separate from school operations."
"It is."
"Your assistant principal is the treasurer."
"Volunteering is not a crime."
"Changing custody records might be."
Keene looked toward the window.
Clara sat in the adjacent counseling room drawing quietly with Scout beside her.
For the first time all day, Ben saw fear in Keene that had nothing to do with losing his job.
It looked like fear of someone else.
Ben followed his gaze.
"You're not running this alone, are you?"
Keene said nothing.
Detective Cole received a radio update.
Her expression sharpened.
"The archive center just reported a break-in."
"Nora?" Dr. Voss asked.
May you like
Cole shook her head.
"They found the district car abandoned behind the building. Blood on the driver's door. No sign of Nora Bell."
