Dark Guardian (Black Hoods MC #3) - Avelyn Paige Page 0,9
this.”
“I’d be inclined to agree with you, sir.”
“Where are you at with the school?”
“Just waiting for them to open.” Shifting my eyes to the clock on my computer screen, I see it’s twenty past nine. I quickly reach for my phone as Eric pushes himself out of the chair.
“Keep me posted,” he remarks over his shoulder as he leaves me to the call.
“Here goes nothing,” I mutter as I dial the number I’d found on Google for the school. Someone picks up almost immediately.
“Lake Travis Secondary School,” a cheerful voice answers.
“Yes, my name is Grace Halfpenny, and I’m a caseworker with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. I’m calling because our office has been made aware of a situation involving two students, a boy and a girl who were enrolled into your school last week.” Pulling my notepad out from underneath a stack of papers, I place it in front of me. “Kevin and Natalie Tucker.”
“Ma’am, I’m sorry, but I can’t release any information about our students. It’s against policy.”
“Maybe you didn’t hear me. I’m calling from—”
“It doesn’t change the answer,” she fires back.
I stifle my frustration as I try to remain professional. “Is there someone else I can speak with? A principal or superintendent, perhaps?” She remains silent, so I continue. “I understand you may not get calls like this all that often, but I’m investigating a report we received about two students enrolled in your school. You can either allow me to speak to someone who can verify the information I require, or I’ll request law enforcement to collect it for me.” My voice wavers as my professionalism cracks.
“Can you hold just a second?”
“Sure.” The phone line clicks over to soft jazz music in the background. It plays for a few minutes before the line clicks back over.
A new voice comes onto the line. “Miss Halfpenny? My name is Melanie Pyle, and I’m the superintendent for the school. My secretary, a new hire, has informed me of your request. How can we help you?”
I repeat my earlier request.
“Yes, of course,” she answers matter-of-factly. “Can I please have the names of the students?”
“Kevin and Natalie Tucker.”
“Ah, yes. The principal of their school contacted me about the peculiarities of their enrollment. I assume that’s the reason for your call?”
“That’s correct. I’d like to meet with them to conduct my investigation. Will that be a problem?”
“Let me check our attendance roll.” I hear the clicks of a keyboard in the background as she types. “It looks like we have marked Natalie absent today. Let me pull up the notes.” Her keyboard clicks a few more times before she sighs. “It says illness.”
“And Kevin?”
“He’s also marked as absent for illness. Unfortunately, there’s been a case of the first week flu, as we like to call it, hitting several of our grades. We have twenty percent of our student body out today.”
“I see.” If they aren’t there, I can’t identify or match them with the previous cases. I only have one choice. I have to wait for them to come back to school and try to track down their whereabouts in the meantime. “Speaking to them both is of the utmost priority right now.”
This isn’t how I envisioned this going. Pushing my glasses up, I pinch the bridge of my nose and ask another question. “Did the man who registered them provide a place of residence? An address or phone number? Any means to contact them?”
“Unfortunately, that information is still being entered our system. We’ve had an influx of new students this year, and we’re behind. I can reach out to our IT department and ask them to expedite their information upload.”
“That would be helpful. I’d appreciate a copy being sent to my office, and request that I be notified when they return to class. I must stress, Ms. Pyle, that these children might be in danger, and any second we waste could come with dire consequences for them.”
“I understand. If you give me your number and email address, I’ll get what information we have to you as soon as possible.”
I rattle off my number, and the second she hangs up, I cup my face in my hands.
It can never be easy, can it?
Judge
“Knock-knock,” Lindsey calls from the front door. My niece knows full well she never has to knock before entering this house. I raised her here from the time she was twelve years old. My home is her home, even if she doesn’t actually live here anymore.
And besides, I’ve