A Bad Day for Sunshine (Sunshine Vicram #1) - Darynda Jones Page 0,72
of this. “Mom, does this mean you don’t have any clues as to where Sybil might be now?”
“I don’t know anymore. Just because you match Sybil’s description doesn’t mean he isn’t with her.”
“Mom, you can’t actually suspect him of taking her!”
“I’m not saying he took her. What if they were walking and got lost? What if one of them is hurt? We can’t rule out his involvement.”
Auri ignored the worry gnawing at her stomach. “He’s not involved with this, and Sybil is okay. I’ll find something, Mom.”
“Oh, honey, even if you did—”
“No. She’s still alive. She has to be. We only just met.”
Sun tilted her head, her expression full of warmth and appreciation, but Auri didn’t understand why. “Leave it to my daughter to give the sheriff a pep talk.”
“I’m just worried about them. Both of them.”
“I am, too, bug bite.”
“Please let me help with the search. He’s been out in this weather. He’ll be scared and disoriented. And he knows me. He trusts me. He would come if I called to him.”
“Sweetheart, it’s just too cold in the mountains. I promise I’ll let you know immediately if we find him.”
She pursed her lips. It was better than nothing. Besides, she had a couple of students to interrogate.
15
Go ahead! Try starting your day without coffee!
Our deputies need a few more arrests to make their quota.
—SIGN AT CAFFEINE-WAH
Her mom dropped her off at school, this time with no flashing lights, and sped off to get ready for the day and then join the search. The search Auri would have killed to be at. Still, she did have another fun-filled day planned with the Lynelle clones. She could only imagine what the day might bring.
But first, she needed to interrogate one Mr. Aiden Huang, the boy who was in the office the day before and who was surprised when they talked about printing Sybil’s schedule.
He knew something. Auri could feel it. So she waited by the front doors for him, even though she didn’t look up his schedule. He could have first period in another building.
Of course, she also waited for Cruz, and she was only a little disappointed when Aiden showed up first. She made eye contact as he walked past and tried to wave him down, but he only walked faster. So she followed faster.
She may be short, but she was determined. She could outlast him if it came to that.
He stopped at his locker and started when he looked over his shoulder and found her standing there.
“You’re the new girl,” he said, making small talk.
“Don’t even pretend to care. What do you know about Sybil St. Aubin?”
It took him several tries, but he got the locker open. “Sybil who?”
She stepped closer, and his lids rounded. Only he wasn’t looking at her. He’d looked over his shoulder at the kid towering over her and paled.
“What’s going on?” Cruz asked.
“Nothing. I swear,” he said, way more nervous than he should have been, and Auri was beginning to see a pattern.
She turned to him and asked, “Cruz De los Santos, are you a bully?”
His expression flatlined, then he said, “He’s getting away.”
She whirled around and watched Aiden rabbit. “Damn it,” she said, practically running after him. When she caught up, managing to only take out one or two other students, she grabbed his collar and pulled.
He made a strangling sound and faced her. “What? I didn’t do anything. And I don’t know the girl.”
“Then why the reaction yesterday?”
“What reaction?”
“You do know who my mother is, right?”
He paled even further, but Cruz had walked up again, and she didn’t know if it was due to the threat or due to his presence. She needed a control group when she did stuff like that.
“I could get in serious trouble,” he whispered, his voice hissing loudly.
“I don’t care,” she said, hissing back. “What’s going on?”
He led them to a corner, glanced in both directions, then said, “She wanted me to do something for her. Said she’d pay me.”
“Really? What did she want?”
Cruz crossed his arms and leaned against the wall beside Aiden. Aiden started panting as though he were having a panic attack.
“Better hurry,” she said. “The bell’s about to ring. If I don’t get an answer, I’ll go to Jacobs.”
He scraped a hand through his hair. “Okay, it was before winter break. She wanted a schedule, too. Asked me to print it out.”
“Whose?”
He licked his lips, then said, “Yours.”
“But I wasn’t going here before break.”
“Yeah, but you had registered. They’d already given you a