“I’ll make sure somebody goes to the garage and checks out the employees there,” Evan said. “I know you’ve been busy doing other things for me, but I need the background reports on anyone who works at the school as soon as possible.”
“I’ll email what I already have for you and will keep digging.”
“Thanks.” Evan hung up.
“What does this mean?” Annalise asked.
“It’s definitely an inside job,” Evan said grimly.
“I can tell you that the garage and van keys were always kept on a hook in the school office for when a teacher wanted to plan a field trip.”
Evan digested this information and tightened his hands on the steering wheel. Now he was not only determined to find Jacob and Gretchen and save Sadie, but also he wanted the rat that might have been responsible for setting all this in motion in the first place. He definitely wanted the insider.
Chapter Eight
They took their breakfast sandwiches to Evan’s room and sat at the table to eat. She felt overwhelmed with everything that was happening.
If she looked deep inside herself, she knew she’d recognize that her vulnerable state wasn’t only because of the heartrending message from Sadie, it was also because of Evan.
In the past three years she’d thought she’d moved on. She’d believed she’d gotten over him. But the truth of the matter was, she was surprised to realize she wasn’t over him. He still owned a large piece of her heart and she didn’t know what to do about it.
Right now they were both on a mission to save Sadie, and this wasn’t the time or the place to explore those feelings. She didn’t want to get in the way of Evan doing his job.
“I can’t believe somebody at the school might be behind all this,” she said as they ate. “That possibility absolutely blows my mind.”
“Hopefully we’ll know more when I get all the backgrounds from Hendrick.” He looked at her for a long moment. “So, what happened with you and the college in Missouri? I thought teaching there was something you really wanted to do.”
“You know when I was working in the public school system I was constantly battling for better and newer equipment for the students,” she replied.
“I remember how frustrated you were by the constant lack of funding.”
“When I got the offer from the college, it came with the assurance that my classes would be well-funded and the students would all have state-of-the-art equipment,” she replied.
“So, that wasn’t the case?”
She shook her head no. “As a teacher I had the absolute best equipment I could have asked for. It was a dream job as far as that was concerned.”
“Then, why aren’t you still working there?” he asked.
She frowned and stared down at her breakfast sandwich. “It didn’t take me long to realize the students didn’t care. They really didn’t care about learning. Getting a degree from that particular college was a status symbol and nothing more. If the students didn’t do well enough, then pressure was placed on the teachers to make sure they passed anyway. They were spoiled, rich kids with parents who indulged them far too much.”
“I’m sure giving a student a grade they hadn’t earned didn’t sit well with you,” he replied.
“Not even,” she replied adamantly. “I hated it. I stayed there for almost two years but started putting my résumé out there again. Then last year I was offered a one-year contract with the school here. It really has been a dream position. Not only do I have whatever I need as an educator, but the students are like sponges who love to learn.”
Once again tears blurred her vision as she thought of Sadie. She stared down, feeling foolish for her uncontrollable emotions. What was wrong with her? Maybe Evan was right; she was still functioning on too little sleep and her concerns for the little girl.
To her stunned surprise, he reached across the table and covered one of her hands with his. “We’re going to find her, Annalise,” he said with grim determination vibrating through his body and voice.
She turned her hand over and laced her fingers with his, surprised when he didn’t immediately pull away. He had big, capable hands, and his larger hand nearly engulfed her smaller one. For a long moment they remained that way. She was the one to finally pull away.
Annalise released a deep sigh. “The two things that give me some bit of comfort is that Sadie is so smart and she’s a survivor. Most of her life she endured being beaten and abused by her mother, and her father was never in her life. She was the one who helped me make the phone calls to you by serving as a lookout. She tried to protect me from Gretchen. She also interacted several times with Jacob, and I now wonder if she intentionally made herself the target to save the other girls who she knew weren’t as strong as she was.”
“Hopefully she’s smart enough to know that we need help in locating her,” he replied.
“She is,” Annalise replied firmly. She had to believe that. She desperately needed to believe that when this was all over, Sadie would be saved.
As they finished eating, she continued to tell him more about working at Sandhurst School. “Regina Sandhurst has been a great boss.” She frowned thoughtfully. “You know, now that I think about it, for the last couple of months Susan DeKalb has been worried about her finances, although I can’t imagine how she or anyone else at the school would have come in contact with the likes of Jacob or Gretchen.”
“Hopefully Hendrick can come up with some answers for us.”
“My contract is up in December, and I’m not sure I’ll sign another one.”
He looked at her in surprise. “But it sounds like this was your dream job...great equipment and children who love to learn.” He raised
