Fracture

how clever you were to figure it all out.’ Her voice rose. ‘Didn’t you ever think that it was a little too easy? Did you consider who gains if you blame the wrong person?’ She held the key out to him. ‘Try it for yourself, Dad. It fits.’

For a long moment Rachel and her father stared at each other – his gaze warning her to back down. Her eyes undaunted.

It was Sylvain who broke the tense silence. ‘Please just consider what we’re telling you, Raj. Remember, you trained us to ask these questions. And ask yourself what we’ve been asking ourselves: how could it really be Eloise?’

‘It could be anyone,’ Raj thundered, and the students went quiet. ‘You do not know all the facts. What made you suspect Zelazny, anyway?’

Remembering Eloise’s voice whispering through the walls, Allie dropped her eyes to her desktop.

‘Just something someone said,’ Carter said with deliberate casualness.

‘Tell me this: did you break into any other teachers’ rooms?’ Raj asked.

They exchanged a glance.

‘Eloise’s room,’ Rachel confessed.

Raj raked his fingers through his hair.

‘I would like to know why you thought it was OK to do this.’ His voice was deceptively calm but Allie knew he was furious.

This was going badly. He didn’t look remotely convinced by what they’d told him. If anything he appeared to be more certain that he was right.

A sudden thought occurred to Allie and she leaned forward in her desk. ‘You’ve known Eloise for a long time, haven’t you, Mr Patel? Since she was a student here.’

His expression was stony. ‘Yes.’

‘Then how can you think she’s the spy?’ Allie couldn’t keep the emotion out of her voice. ‘I don’t understand why you don’t believe she was with Jerry. Why don’t you trust her?’

‘Because we have asked Jerry about that.’ Raj spoke through gritted teeth. ‘And he wasn’t with her that day. He can prove he was in his classroom, grading papers.’

The students looked at each other, shocked. Either Eloise was lying, or Jerry was. Neither of them seemed the type to deceive.

Raj rubbed his hands across his face; he hadn’t shaved – his fingers rasped across his whiskers. ‘You can’t just trust people. Not when you’re grown up. You have to constantly check up on them to make sure they haven’t been corrupted by… life. Circumstances.’

‘Do you really believe it’s her, Dad?’ Rachel’s voice was earnest, almost frightened. She’d never considered the possibility that Eloise might be guilty. ‘Do you really believe she could have helped to kill Jo?’

Raj looked from one to another of them, scanning their faces with his piercing gaze. Then, shaking his head as if he couldn’t believe he was saying it, he held out his hand.

‘Give me that key. I’ll talk to the others.’

When Rachel handed it to him he slipped it into his pocket.

‘I promise I’ll consider everything you’ve told me. But, please’ – Raj surveyed them seriously – ‘don’t do any more investigating on your own. This is a serious situation. It’s dangerous.’

At his words, a sudden burst of rage burned in Allie’s throat. It’s dangerous? Could he be more patronising?

It was too much.

‘We know it’s dangerous,’ she snapped. ‘We’re not completely thick.’

Spinning around, Raj stared at her in disbelief. Suspecting she’d gone too far, Allie still couldn’t stop herself from talking.

‘Mr Patel, you have to come back. All of you. Do you even know what’s happening here? It’s bad. You’re off in the woods playing your stupid war games.’ She gestured around the room, her hand shaking with emotion. ‘The real war? It’s right here. Get back and help us fight it.’

‘I’m going to ignore your tone,’ Raj said evenly, ‘because I know you’re upset.’

But someone had to say this. ‘I am not upset. The students already know what’s going on. They know about Nathaniel. They know their parents are coming for them. And some of them aren’t going to go. There’s going to be trouble and you need to get back here. Now.’

‘What?’ Raj looked around the group as if seeking an explanation from each of them. ‘How did that happen?’

Sylvain took over. ‘We’ve been informed by one of the students whose parents are on Nathaniel’s side that he is coming for them this week. The other students… found out.’

‘Oh they did, did they?’ Raj turned away for a moment, his jaw tight. Allie didn’t like the look on his face. ‘You do not,’ he said coldly, ‘know everything that is going on. Do not for one second think that you do. You are sixteen years old.’ His fist hit the desk beside him with such force a stack of papers jumped, landing in a disorganised shuffle. ‘Did you really think we would tell you everything?’

‘You should,’ Allie said quietly. ‘After all, we’re the ones who’ll die if you get it wrong again.’

Rachel gasped.

Raj flinched as if she’d struck him.

‘Allie. Stop.’ Carter sounded panicked.

‘No.’ Standing, Sylvain stepped to Allie’s side. ‘She’s right. Raj, you need to come back.’

As the others began to talk over each other, Raj held up his hands for calm. He turned back to Allie. ‘I understand why you’re upset. And you’ve made your point. I get it – OK? I’ll… do what I can.’ Including the others in his gaze, he said, ‘Now. Tell me everything. Start at the beginning.’

When they left the science classroom some time later, no one wanted to hang around and talk. Murmuring excuses, they hurried off in their separate ways. Instead of feeling more hopeful after talking to Raj, everything felt worse somehow. The atmosphere seemed tainted with bitterness.

As the others left, Allie hung back, hoping to talk to Rachel alone. But Rachel walked out arm in arm with her father and didn’t meet her eyes.

‘I’m sorry…’ Allie whispered, when they were out of earshot. Her shoulders slumped.

She could hear her mother’s condemning voice in her head. ‘You always go too far, Alyson. You never know when to stop.’

Maybe her mother was right after all.

Burying her head in her hands she tried to erase her mother’s voice from it, along with the guilt and the pain.

‘It is hard to be the one who tells the truth.’

Allie whirled to find Sylvain leaning against the wall on the other side of the empty classroom. His face looked serious.

‘Is that what I am?’ Allie’s throat tightened. ‘Or am I just an arsehole? Because I feel like an arsehole.’

‘Every leader must be willing to be an arsehole when it’s necessary,’ he said. ‘You were the leader tonight.’

Allie wasn’t convinced. ‘You actually think I did the right thing?’

‘If you’d behaved like an intimidated child Raj would never have taken us seriously.’ He shrugged. ‘You forced him to listen. By doing that you helped other people.’

Allie’s chest ached with unshed tears. ‘It’s just that… I like Raj. And he’ll never forgive me for saying that.’

Sylvain shook his head. ‘Raj would have said precisely the same thing if he were you. He will respect you for saying it.’

His clear blue eyes held hers steadily. Even if she wasn’t convinced he was right his approval made her feel better – more confident.

‘How do you do that?’ Allie said.

‘Do what?’

‘Make me feel braver.’

‘You are always brave,’ he said simply.