Chapter 29 Cat Rescue
"Alison!" Steve's voice carried both anger and exasperation. "What's the deal with this cat?"
Alison glanced down at the kitten clinging tightly to her clothes, then looked at the girl who had brought it to class. The student was pale-faced, head bowed in silence.
Alison returned her attention to Steve. "Probably a stray that somehow got onto the roof."
Steve was incredulous. "Do you really think I'd believe that? At least come up with a more plausible excuse!"
"Can't think of one," Alison sighed, wondering what to do with the cat.
The kitten was temporarily entrusted to another teacher's care, while Alison was summoned to Steve's office for a lengthy lecture.
When she returned to the top floor, the students were studying independently. The girl ran out to meet her, calling "Ms. Gray."
This was the first time Alison had heard any of the Thomas Special Program students address her this way.
"Anne, is that your cat? Do you keep it in your dorm?" Alison recalled the student files she'd reviewed. Anne was 17, appeared gentle on the surface, but had dissociative identity disorder.
"It's not mine, it's my sister's," Anne said. She referred to her second personality as her "sister."
"Do you want to continue keeping it?" Alison asked.
"I..." Anne looked at her timidly. "If Fluffy gets lost, my sister will be upset."
Alison raised an eyebrow. Anne's primary personality was meek and timid, but her second personality was cold and ruthless. Cases where the main personality feared the alternate one were rare.
"Alright, you can have the cat back, but you must promise not to bring it to class again," Alison considered for a moment, then added, "I can speak with the dorm supervisor about helping look after the cat while you're in class. If you can't manage both the cat and your studies, you must tell me, and I'll find someone to adopt it."
Anne nodded obediently. "Thank you, Ms. Gray."
Alison gave her a mischievous smile. "Since you want to thank me, remember to support me in the evaluation vote two months from now."
At four in the afternoon, Alison left the academy and headed to the villa in Lakeside Estates.
Taylor stood by Oscar's desk, waving to her and pointing toward Oliver's office. "Mr. West is in there."
The office door wasn't completely closed, and she could faintly hear two men talking inside.
"Is there a visitor?" Alison asked curiously.
Lillian answered, "Joey's back."
Joey Powell was also a member of Oliver's team, handling public relations. Alison hadn't met him yet; reportedly, he'd been on assignment elsewhere recently.
Alison noticed that the psychological activity room, rarely used, had its door closed. Just as she was about to ask Lillian if someone was inside, Helen and Susan emerged from the room.
Susan's eyes were slightly red, her face showing a complex mix of emotions: depression, anger, discontent, and grievance.
Alison asked with surprise, "What happened?"
"I got chewed out," Susan replied, her voice hoarse.
"Who yelled at you? Oliver?" Alison couldn't imagine Oliver making Susan cry—he'd have to say something truly vicious.
"Don't slander me," Oliver's voice came from behind her. Alison turned to see Oliver standing next to a handsome man with a debonair air.
"It's you!" The handsome man's eyes lit up as he moved closer to Alison. "Cat Woman!"
Alison was bewildered. "What cat? What woman?"
"Didn't you rescue a cat?" Joey pulled out his phone and opened a social media app, showing Alison the top trending topic in the local area: #Female teacher braves rooftop rescue, Cat Woman's stunning looks!
Alison finally learned that her cat rescue had been posted online.
The seventh-floor height was no small matter. She hadn't been afraid standing up there, but in the video, she appeared unsteady and fragile, as if she might fall at any moment.
Viewers were on edge watching her, and the comments section featured several posts from St. Thomas Academy students and faculty who had shared multiple photos of her!
There she was dozing off during morning meetings, eating three full meals by herself in the cafeteria, and being accosted by a stray dog outside the school gates. Alison hadn't noticed anyone taking these photos, and they made her embarrassed enough to curl her toes, though the comments section was filled with praise for her appearance.
[She's gorgeous!]
[Marry me!]
[Beautiful and brave—action film directors should check out this lady!]
Alison asked uncomfortably, "How can we get these videos and photos removed?"
She was dismayed to discover the post had already been shared thousands of times—it was too late to stop it.
"There's nothing wrong with becoming an internet sensation," Joey winked at her flirtatiously. "It helps take attention away from Susan's situation."
Alison looked confused, and Joey directed her to the second trending topic: #Female officer assaults civilian in hospital, suspect dies that night.
The whistleblower had posted a video of Susan yelling at someone in a hospital, with text claiming that Hannah, who had caused Byron's death, had been "invisible" at the case announcement press conference, sharply accusing the police of likely concealing the truth about the triple hanging case.
Susan was genuinely upset. "That day Lillian took Hannah to the hospital and was keeping watch. I switched with Lillian so she could get something to eat. There was a man lurking outside the room taking photos, and I thought he was a reporter, so I tried to chase him off."
Though Susan could be quick-tempered, she hadn't behaved as badly as the video portrayed—it had been maliciously edited.
Internet users had posted numerous offensive comments, with negative reactions flooding in.
"This appears to be deliberately targeting the police. Oscar also found foreign IP addresses among the trolls steering public opinion," Joey winked at Alison with his left eye. "Fortunately, your situation has diverted the public's attention."
"Why not just clarify the facts?" Alison asked in confusion, while reporting the most aggressive comments.
"Because we don't want public attention focused on these two cases," Joey explained.
Alison thought about it and understood. After all, the hype created by that "criminal case expert" during the triple hanging case had significantly interfered with the investigation.
"Who hired those trolls?" she asked.
"We suspect it was—" Taylor began, but Joey jumped in. "That fake expert."
He smiled at Alison, who confusedly touched her face, wondering if something was on it.
"Shouldn't we be starting the meeting?" Joey turned to ask Oliver. "Why aren't you saying anything?"
Oliver responded coldly, "You've said it all. What's left for me to say?"
"I'll stop talking then," Joey dramatically covered his mouth, his eyes full of amusement. He was simply curious about what made the mysterious Alison so attractive to Oliver, so he was more excited and talkative than usual—did Oliver really need to be so displeased?
Joey went to tease Lillian, "Lillian, I've missed you so much! Did you miss me?" The distance between Alison and Oliver narrowed considerably.
Oliver carefully examined Alison's dark circles. "The audio didn't help?"
"It did," Alison thanked him. Last night she had slept for two hours, which, while still far short of what normal people needed, was much better than staying awake all night.
"How's the investigation into the Women's Society going?" Alison asked.
"Let's start the meeting. That's exactly what we need to discuss," Oliver said. He had now confirmed that in this headless infant case, Dione and the other three girls were definitely not mere victims.
"What they did was far more heinous than we imagined."