~~~
‘This is outrageous!’ Michelle Yamasaki screamed as Courtney’s team spread out through her apartment. ‘You can’t do this!’
‘This apartment is on school grounds,’ Courtney said in an even tone. ‘The SSF has the right to go anywhere on campus in the pursuit of its remit.’ She watched as Kyle and Donovan headed straight for the main bedroom. This was going to be a short operation. The other searchers were really just for show.
‘I am not a Crystal Mana user. I would never!’
‘Then you have nothing to worry about.’
‘Tell me who’s accusing me of using the abhorrent stuff and I’ll prove my innocence in the arena!’
‘This doesn’t work like that, Michelle Yamasaki.’ Something was off. Michelle looked… just a little smug. That was when Kyle reappeared in the bedroom doorway, his expression discouragingly dark.
~~~
‘Nothing,’ Courtney said. ‘We found absolutely nothing.’
‘You saw the video,’ Nava said. Courtney was fuming. Nava was calm, as always. Courtney being annoyed was par for the course.
‘So what? For all I know, you faked the damn thing. You planted those bottles under her bed and then filmed going back to find them!’
‘That is enough, Courtney,’ Mitsuko said. Mitsuko was outwardly calm, but you could see the cracks in the skin of serenity. The meeting was taking place in Mitsuko’s apartment, largely so that it did not take place in the council room or the SSF HQ. Yes, Melissa was there, but she was not taking minutes. Kyle was there too, looking like he was readying himself to physically restrain his boss.
‘No, it’s not enough! Darius is screaming his lungs out. He wants my resignation. I haven’t heard from the Yamasakis yet, but it’s just a matter of time.’
‘I can handle the Yamasakis. As for you resigning, I won’t accept it.’
‘You don’t have a say in the matter. The captain of the SSF is appointed by the principal from a shortlist provided by the student council and the faculty. And if I want to resign, there’s nothing anyone can do about it. As Nava Ward knows, participation in the SSF is purely voluntary.’
‘Fine, but I’ll argue with you about it. For as long as it takes. I still won’t have you throwing accusations of faked evidence around.’
‘What the Hell am I supposed to think?! We went to the place the video shows the drugs were in and there was nothing there!’
‘That doesn’t mean it was faked, boss,’ Kyle said. Courtney swung around to glare at him, but he kept on going. ‘What possible reason does Nava Ward have for faking evidence against Michelle Yamasaki? I get that you’re worried about Darius Miller. The man’s wanted you out since he became VP, but you’re not being rational.’
Courtney’s glare faltered. Then she looked away and the red in her face turned more to embarrassment than anger.
‘Rationally,’ Nava said, ‘someone removed the drugs before you went in to search for them.’ Courtney glared at her, the anger rising again. ‘But let’s assume for a moment that I have a reason to frame Michelle Yamasaki as a drug user.’
‘But–’ Melissa began.
Nava held up a hand. ‘Let’s imagine that I managed to get my hands on about a six-month supply of Crystal Mana on my minimal student grant… And that’s not going to happen. So, let’s assume that I’m a master criminal and that I’m actually the person behind the drug supply in school. I’m only pretending to be a poor student living in a one-room apartment and I’ve had a lifelong vendetta against the Yamasakis.’ Courtney’s embarrassment had gone back to anger. She was beginning to turn purple. ‘So, I produce video of an illegal search of Michelle Yamasaki’s apartment having secreted a carton of pill bottles under her bed for me to “find.” And then I send the video to the captain of the SSF, who could use it to have me expelled, and get her to raid the apartment in search of the drugs I planted. But then I take the drugs away with me when I leave.’
‘Maybe,’ Courtney more or less growled, ‘you did it to force me out of the SSF.’
‘Because you’re constantly, irrationally, trying to blame me for every tiny problem you can find? An interesting theory.’ Both Melissa and Mitsuko looked a little shocked at that. In both cases it was because Nava was clearly demonstrating that she was getting fed up of Courtney’s attitude. Well, clearly if you knew her fairly well. ‘But in that scenario, I can’t really be the criminal genius. I would be a poor, clanless student who could not afford to buy a bottle of Crystal Mana, never mind a carton. Perhaps, instead, we can entertain a simpler theory?’
Courtney let out an exasperated gasp. ‘She was warned and she, or someone else, moved her stash.’
‘So, who knew about the raid beforehand?’
‘Everyone on the council,’ Mitsuko said. ‘What about the SSF?’
‘Courtney didn’t tell us what was happening until about ten minutes before we went in,’ Kyle said. ‘It’s possible that someone could’ve done something, but I don’t think it’s likely.’
‘Exactly what did you tell the council?’ Nava asked.
‘Um, your message came through while we were discussing the drug problem. Darius was mouthing off about how the SSF wasn’t doing its job.’
‘And Suki was taking him apart,’ Melissa put in, grinning.
‘I hear he plans to go into politics. End up on the Clan Council. He’s no cop. Anyway, I said I’d received evidence that Michelle Yamasaki was using and that–’
‘No,’ Melissa said. She was scanning her ketcom. ‘You said you’d received confirmation “of something.” You never actually mentioned evidence, or what the confirmation was. When you said you were going to raid an apartment, Suki asked whose and you told her. You said that the Yamasakis might be persuaded to pressure Michelle into talking. Darius found it hard to believe that she would use the stuff and I brought up her sudden improvement since the holiday. And then we pretty much wrapped the meeting.’
‘I should have just looked at
