“Are you proposing?” I waggled my eyebrows at her.
She lay back on her bed and pulled a pillow over her stomach. “Sorry, my heart is set on Anders. Ugh, I hope he won’t see me like this.” She pointed at her face, yawned, and closed her eyes. “At least the accident didn’t happen at a contest. The media would have loved to publish tons of close ups of the damage.”
I was glad, too. At a contest, we wouldn’t have any hope of keeping this quiet so we could investigate.
“I’m glad you’re here, Nic.” Veena’s voice was quiet again. “I wouldn’t be able to stay and train without you.”
I swallowed hard. I hadn’t done a single thing to help her yet. Probably the opposite. But the tramp-slitting indicated that whoever was behind this was growing desperate. Maybe they’d screw up, we’d catch them, and Veena would be safe.
I prayed I was right.
Everyone crowded around Veena the next morning to ask about the accident. If anything, her face looked worse than the day before.
I hung back. Most of her classmates seemed genuinely sad, but a few didn’t look too distressed that the Olympic halfpipe leader had to take a few days off from training at this critical time. I added more students to my watch list.
Mid-morning, Newman stuck his head into the chemistry room, interrupting class. “Dr. Muth would like to see you, Ms. Rossi.”
Our teacher, a young balding guy named Mr. Sheffield, barely stopped lecturing to wave me out. Veena shot me a look, and I shrugged and texted Cooley to take over.
“Terrible, what happened to Veena,” Newman said as we strolled the quiet hallway.
I didn’t answer.
“Sarah said the trampoline ripped.” He glanced at me.
I wasn’t about to trade theories with Newman. Not until I was sure who was responsible.
“I like your scarf,” I said instead. This one was tan with a prominent black, red, and white plaid pattern. The man must have a different scarf for every day of the month.
“Thanks.” He petted it. “It’s a Burberry.” He held the outer office door for me and motioned to Muth’s office. “Dr. Muth and Mr. Brown are inside.”
I frowned. Brown hadn’t told me he was coming over. I opened the door. Muth was on his usual couch and my chief was on the other. They looked in opposite directions, not speaking. A plain wooden chair sat at the end of the coffee table for me. It looked a lot like an interrogation.
“Miss Rossi, please take a seat.” Muth took his time setting his cup of milky tea down. Newman didn’t offer me anything to drink this time.
Brown’s face was neutral, giving me no clues, but thankfully he cut to the chase. “Nicole, what exactly occurred between you and Miss Yakavenka last evening?”
I tried to look confident, but I had to lick my dry lips to speak, while my fingers tightened together. “I found her in the game room and asked her about the tramp. What might have happened to cause it to rip like that.”
Brown let out an audible breath and his crossed foot twitched like the tail of an annoyed cat. “You spoke to her. Anything else?”
“No, nothing else. We talked, and I left. That’s all.”
“Are you sure about that?” Muth sounded smugger than ever.
“Positive. Why?”
Brown picked up a tablet, touched it, and turned it toward me. Darya’s face filled the frame. She had a black eye and a cut on her cheek.
“When was this taken?” I asked.
“This morning,” Muth said, “when she came to my office and reported you assaulted her.”
I jumped to my feet, tipping the chair over. Electric shocks sped from my gut to the ends of my toes. “What? That’s total bullshit. I didn’t touch her. Ask anyone in the game room last night. There were at least five students in there.”
Muth’s lips puckered. “Please have a seat.” He waited until I did. “I spoke to several students who witnessed your initial exchange of words. They confirmed what you said. But Miss Yakavenka reported you waited for her in the stairwell, where you punched her, almost knocking her down the stairs.”
Damn. Had she punched herself? Even if she got someone else to hit her, she was way more hardcore than I thought. Exactly how far was this chick ready to go?
My voice steadied as I spoke. “Dr. Muth, what she told you is a lie. I didn’t touch her. I guess it’s my word against hers, but I promise you—I didn’t do that.” I pointed at the screen
Muth fake coughed. The bastard was enjoying watching me squirm. “Unfortunately, it is your word against hers. While Miss Yakavenka keeps to herself, she’s been a model student since she began at Vail Mountain Academy. She is a professional snowboarder with a position on the Belarusian Olympic snowboarding team. She has a lot to lose by lying or picking fights. The thought is absurd.”
And because I’m a high school grad from Vegas, I couldn’t possibly have anything to lose? I scooted forward on my chair. “I wouldn’t jeopardize Veena’s safety or my career by lashing out at Darya. I spoke to her. That’s it.”
They said nothing.
“I didn’t do this, sir,” I said to Brown.
He kept his eyes on me a long time. I kept mine right back on him.
Finally, he spoke. “Dr. Muth, I don’t know what happened to Miss Yakavenka, but I don’t think Nicole was involved.”
My eyes stung with grateful tears that I immediately blinked back.
Muth looked like Brown’s words gave him gas. “This school is my responsibility. Who is allowed to remain on campus is my decision.”
Brown slid his tablet into a leather briefcase. “Of course. And please let me know when you make it. In the meantime, my CPO will stay and do her job.”
My chief stood and walked out, not waiting for Muth to respond. I followed right behind him.
“Walk with me.” Brown headed for
