Page 60 of Scorched

“You have no idea.” She turned and buried her face in his chest, her arms wrapping around his waist. “I didn’t think it could get more stressful. But it continues to do so.”

“I understand you were under the weather earlier?” He tipped her chin up and studied her face.

Elise could stand there forever, melting into his gaze, warming her body with the heat from his. “I had a gift left in my DVD player.” Before she could fill him in on what had happened earlier that day, a parent arrived at her door.

Elise forced a smile,gave the parent an update on her student and thanked her for coming.

Paul stood in a far corner, staring at a map on the wall, probably trying to be inconspicuous.

It wasn’t working. Paul’s broad shoulders and tough-guy stance made him hard to ignore. Elise’s gaze slipped to him more than she intended.

As soon as the mother left the room, Paul was beside her. “What gift?”

“A video of the news reports filmed two years ago after the Dakota Strangler went missing.”

Paul’s fingers gripped her arms. “Where is the DVD?”

“I don’t have it. Alex and Kendall hid it before the principal could see it. I haven’t seen them since. And frankly, I’m worried.”

“Can you leave now?”

“I’m supposed to stay until seven o’clock, but I guess I could ask the principal to fill in for me.” She glanced at the clock. “Could you give me a few minutes to put my papers in order?”

“Yes, I have something I want to check on. Promise you won’t step outside this room until I get back?”

Elise smiled. If it had been Stan, he’d have demanded that she do exactly as he instructed. With Paul, he made it sound like she had a choice. “Yes, I promise to stay right here until you get back. Where are you going?”

“Do you know George, the janitor?”

Elise remembered seeing the janitors in the hallway, but she didn’t stick around after school long enough to get to know them. “No, not really, why?”

“Did you know that one of them lives behind you?”

Her eyes widened. “Really?”

“I think it’s the same George that Luke has been talking to through the fence.”

“Is that a bad thing?” Elise asked.

“I don’t know, but I wanted to check him out while I was here.”

“I think the janitors are here at this time. They usually come in after school gets out. I think the male janitor takes the cafeteria and the woman works thefront offices.” She shrugged. “I try not to stay late very often. If I do, the boys are with me.”

Paul nodded. “I’ll be back in a minute. I want to talk to both janitors.”

Elise smiled. “I’ll be here.”

Paul left the room.

A few more parents wandered in. Elise gave them grade reports and talked about their students, while her mind wandered to what Paul was up to.

Could the janitor be the one terrorizing her and the women of Breuer? A janitor? Had Luke told him what their last names used to be? Elise didn’t think he would have remembered.

After what seemed a long time of watching her door, meeting with parents and generally gnashing her teeth, Elise straightened her desk, grabbed her purse and keys and headed for her classroom door. She’d stop by the principal’s office and let Principal Ford know she was leaving early.

As she stepped into the hallway, a loud boom shook the entire school. Elise dropped to the floor and covered her head as a blast of smoke and dust blew through the hallway.

CHAPTER 15

---