Page 10 of Scorched

Afraid someone would stop her in the hallway and ask her what was wrong, she ducked into her classroom and hid behind her computer, hoping no one would talk to her before class started. What could she say?I’m not sleeping well because my demented, serial-killer husband is not dead like I thought.

Ten minutes before the bell rang for second period and Elise’s first class, Gerri Finch flounced into the room, a sullen Ashley in tow. “Ms. Johnson, what do you mean by giving my Ashley three tardies in your class?”

At barely eight in the morning, after a sleepless night of worry, Elise was in no mood to put up with Gerri. “Did you ask Ashley?”

“Don’t get flippant with me. I pay your salary out ofthe god-awful amount of taxes I pay each year. Don’t think I can’t pull the plug on your little vendetta against my little girl.”

Elise would bet Gerri Finch hadn’t worked a day in her life and if she had, she hadn’t paid a dime of taxes. As the general manager of one of the larger auto dealerships in San Antonio, her husband raked in a six-figure salary plus bonuses, enabling him to keep his wife and daughter in the manner to which they’d become accustomed.

“Oh, Mom.” Ashley tugged against her mother’s clawlike grip. “Just leave it.”

“I will not. She’s been out to get you since the first day of school and I won’t have it.” Gerri’s voice rose with each word she said until she was yelling.

“Ms. Finch, my class starts in five minutes. Unless you plan to stay and keep quiet, I suggest you take your complaint to the principal’s office.” To Ashley, she said, “You’ve been late to class five times. The rule says three tardies and you’re in Saturday school. I gave you two freebies.” Elise raised her brows at the girl. “Didn’t I, Ashley?”

Ashley shrugged instead of answering.

Gerri stepped between Ashley and Elise. “If she goes to Saturday school, she’ll miss the cheer competition. She’s captain of the cheerleading squad, for heaven’s sake.”

“Then maybe she should set the example for her peers and get to class on time.” Elise stood and herdedthe mother and daughter toward the door where students waited to get in. “I’m following the rules, Mrs. Finch. Now, if you’ll excuse me, the bell is about?—”

As Elise opened the classroom door, the ear-splitting school bell blared in the hallway.

Teenagers filed in, looking no more rested than she felt but probably possessing a lot more energy.

Elise braced herself for the day ahead, wondering if she’d get a moment to call Paul and Melissa for an update.

Gerri glared at her over the heads of the teens. “I’ll take this matter to the principal. Just you wait. We’re not through yet.”

Oh, goody. One more thing to worry about. As if she didn’t have enough on her mind with a death threat. She stared after Gerri Finch. Could the pushy mother be the one who’d sent her the letter? She certainly had access to the school. She volunteered on occasion and knew every teacher by name.

Elise made a mental note to talk to Paul about Gerri. In the meantime, she had a full day of teaching to get through before she could meet up with the FBI agents later that afternoon.

The day passed much like the others in her teaching job. With the added stress of the note, she fought to be patient with the teens. Every minor thing was a major problem to them. Drama, always drama. The “me” mentality wouldn’t let them see past their own littleworlds to the bigger, harsher world outside Breuer, Texas.

On good days, Elise put herself in their shoes and tried to empathize, but today...not a chance. What to wear to the football game on Friday was the last thing she considered important.

How to survive a serial killer ranked just a bit higher on her list.

If the constant chatter wasn’t bad enough, Caesar Valdez was up to his usual tricks, as well, in her last class of the day. Her challenging class, as the seasoned teachers called it. The young man couldn’t sit still to save his life. After Elise had told him to return to his seat for the fourth time, she snapped.

“Caesar, I can’t teach when you constantly interrupt the class. Go to the principal’s office. You can spend the rest of the week in the Student Alternative Center.”

Caesar stood, puffed out his chest and said, “No.”

Elise blinked, surprised by his blatant refusal to do as he was told. “What do you mean by no?”

He shrugged, his lip curling into a sneer. “No.”

The bell chose that moment to ring, indicating the end of the longest day of Elise’s life.

While most of the students grabbed their books and raced for the door, Caesar stood his ground.

“That’s fine, Caesar. I’ll inform the principal of your behavior. She can deal with it.”

“Why don’tyoudeal with it?” He stepped forward until he was only two feet away from her.

Her personal space threatened, Elise refused to back down. “Just because you’re bigger than me, doesn’t mean you can push me around, Caesar. Back off.”

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