Chapter 15 — Nicholas

Lexi dropped me off at the emergency room before speeding into the parking lot. I dashed through the automatic doors, crashing into two nurses on their way out.

After a hurried apology, I asked them for my mom’s room number, and the older one pointed me in the right direction with a stink eye.

I knocked on the door for several minutes before it opened. The edge caught me in the back.

“Sorry,” said the woman who came out. “I didn’t mean to hit you. You’re Diana’s boy, aren’t you? Your mother and I were friends back in high school.”

“Is she alright?” I asked.

“The doctor told us she would be fine after she expels the carbon monoxide from her system. She’s sleeping now—”

“Don’t lie to Nicholas,” Mom said. “I’m still awake.”

“You shouldn’t be. The nurses who came by ordered you to rest.”

I stepped inside the room. “Mom, you know she’s right.”

When I grabbed her hand, it was cold and clammy.

Mom frowned at me. “You didn’t have to come. There isn’t a lot of room here, and Andrea’s already claimed the cot.”

It clicked in my mind.

“You’re Ace’s mother?” I said. “You can’t be older than twenty-eight!”

The woman’s face was smooth and unblemished, without my mom’s wrinkles and laugh lines. She had dark hair that fell in curls to her shoulders and skin that carried a golden sheen. With rosy cheeks and olive green eyes, she looked like a sculpture of a Greek goddess someone had breathed life into.

Andrea laughed. “You’re sweet, Nicholas, but I’m thirty-five.”

I searched her face for a resemblance to her son.

She gave me a sad smile. “I know. Ace doesn’t take after me at all.”

“I’m sure the police will find him, Andrea,” my mom reassured. “He can’t have gone far.”

“That’s what I’m worried about. The places he’s familiar with are filled with dangerous people and illegal activities. I don’t want him near any of that.” Andrea shook her head as if to clear a haze. “Look at me rambling on when you should be recovering. I’m going to see if I can get you some sleeping pills.”

“Andrea—”

She shut the door.

“She found me tonight when she was searching for Ace,” Mom told me. “I don’t think she’s slept well in days.”

“I can’t believe him,” I said. “How could he just leave his mother when she cares for him so much?”

“I’m sure he has his reasons, whatever they may be.”

“Yeah, he ran away because he’s an ungrateful pig who doesn’t care about anyone but himself.”

“Nicholas!” Mom looked shocked.

A few minutes later, Andrea returned with two white tablets that sent Mom drifting off.

“You can have the cot, Nicholas,” Andrea said. “I’m used to sleeping on the ground.”

Despite my protests, she refused to take no for an answer.

Lexi picked me up for school in her truck the next morning. When we arrived, the place was empty.

I checked my classroom. Mrs. Gartner’s bag was there, but the teacher herself was nowhere in sight.

“Did aliens abduct everyone in the school?” I wondered.

“Hang on.” Lexi held up a finger. “I’m calling Alex to see if he knows what’s going on.”

The phone rang a few times before going to voicemail.

“Try Elliot,” I suggested.

Voicemail. We dialed Delaney, Hannah, Anna, Darrel, and Alex again, all with the same result.

“You know, I think my alien theory holds some weight,” I said. “How else could a school full of people vanish and become unable to pick up calls?”

“Maybe they’re in a spot of bad reception,” Lexi said.

“Yeah, like a spaceship.”

Her phone buzzed with a text. It was from Alex.

Come to the field behind the athletics hallway.

Lexi and I came to an unspoken agreement before breaking into a sprint across the building.

A huge crowd gathered at the corner of the school. Students and teachers alike gawked at the center, jostling to get a better view. Mrs. Hunter appeared to be on the verge of fainting. I pushed through the throng, ignoring hisses from people around me.

The scene I found stopped me dead in my tracks. Nine men were scattered like bowling pins on the ground, riddled with bullet holes. One of them had a stab wound in the chest. Beside him, there was a symbol drawn in blood on the grass that made my mouth go dry.

It was a single spade, the sign of one of the most ruthless assassins in the Underground. Why would he come to a school?

Alex walked up to me. “Is the killer still around?”

I reached out to touch a corpse. It was cold and hard.

“No,” I said. “The bodies are stiff. They’ve been dead for a while.”

“Has anyone called the police yet?” Lexi asked.

Alex shook his head. “The principal won’t allow it.”

“There are corpses on campus with hundreds of defenseless students,” I pointed out.

“Consider the situation from Mr. Giovanni’s point of view,” Alex said. “Jefferson High is one of the most prestigious schools in the nation, despite being close to the centers of major Underground activity. If a story like this leaks to the press, it’ll ruin the school’s reputation.”

“Better to lose a reputation than a life.”

“Not the way he sees it.”

Lexi shook her head in disgust. “So the killer will walk free.”

“The school’s hiring private investigators,” Alex said. “They’re as effective as the police around here and a lot better at keeping situations discreet. Once they have enough to build a case, they’ll go to the cops.”

“How do you know all this?” I asked.

“I may or may not have been eavesdropping on his conversation with Josiah. Looks like our football hero’s coming to the rescue again.”

Lexi snorted. “Yeah, with his daddy’s trust fund money.”

Alex looked at her. “I thought Josiah was on the list of people you can somewhat stand.”

“What gave you that idea?”

“You’re going through the effort to play matchmaker for him when, most of the time, you can’t be bothered to do your homework,” I said.

“Yeah, but that’s for my personal amusement.”

Delaney and Elliot popped up behind us.

“We’ve started a betting pool,” Delaney said. “Want in?”

“Ten bucks says that the Underground tracks down the guy before the law does,” Elliot added.

Lexi dug out her wallet. “Ten bucks says they don’t.”

“Guys, this is a serious matter,” I said. “There are nine men dead, and judging by their appearance, they were far from defenseless. What would happen if the killer moved on to students?”

Alex clapped me on the shoulder. “You worry too much, Nicholas. These men work for the Underground. The leader won’t allow the insult to go unpunished.”

“How do you know that?”

Alex developed a sudden interest in his shoes.

“Everyone with money here has dealt with the Underground,” Lexi said. “Nothing to be ashamed of.”

I looked at Alex. “You have?”

My words came out harsher than I intended. Alex looked away.

“We all have, Nicholas,” Elliot said. “Or at least our families did.”

I stared at my friends like I’d never seen them before.

“People are envious of money,” Delaney added. “Sometimes, you have to strike at your enemy before they can stab you in the back.”

“That sounds like an awful way to live,” I said. “What happens if the police catch you?”

“They turn a blind eye. If they arrested everyone who paid the Underground for a service, most of the city would be in jail.”

“No wonder the Underground became so powerful,” I marveled. “Even the law enforcement’s on their side.”

“Hey, it’s not just us. Branches in other states that rake in cash too,” Lexi said. “The point is that we’re safe here, whether that’s because of Giovanni’s detectives or the Underground.”

The teachers began rounding up students to get back to class. The crowd broke up as everyone made their way towards the building.

Ace stayed next to the bodies with an odd look on his face. Josiah came up behind him and whispered in his ear. They walked off together.

A traffic jam built up in the doorway as hundreds of students tried to funnel through a tiny space.

Rather than braving the fray, I trailed behind Ace and Josiah, trying to catch snippets of their conversation. If nothing else, I might be able to follow them through another entrance into the school. One with fewer fists and sweaty bodies.

Wishing that I had taken up Sandra’s offer for lip reading lessons, I pressed against the stone wall and crept closer. Whoever designed the school had provided several hiding places.

The pair stopped under an oak tree near the main entrance. I edged along a line of bushes, getting as close as I could without drawing attention.

Ace was speaking now. If I strained my ears, I could make out the words “private investigator” and “arrest.” He sounded worried.

I took a step closer, startling a pigeon that had been underneath a bush. It flew away with a loud squawk. I hoped that Ace and Josiah would chalk up its behavior to typical bird activity.

Josiah opened his mouth to reply, but Ace cut him off, speaking too soft for me to hear. Frustration welled up. If the two spoke in whispers, I wouldn’t hear anything they talked about.

Josiah leaned down like he was going to say something else and kissed Ace full on the lips. I gave an undignified squeak.

They hadn’t come here to discuss anything secretive. They had snuck away to make out. Which, I realized, was probably smart knowing Cheryl’s tendency to turn into a demon when people threatened her property.

I snapped a picture for Lexi’s benefit and hurried back to the school.

With the exception of Mrs. Hunter, my teachers let us talk the whole class. People speculated on the killer’s identity, discussing theories that ranged from reasonable to utterly bizarre. By the end of the day, a good portion of the school was convinced that a manticore had killed the men.

Mom picked me up in her old sedan.

“Are you sure it’s safe for you drive right now?” I asked.

“The doctor discharged me this morning,” she said. “And I had carbon monoxide poisoning. I wasn’t drunk.”

I wasn’t so sure about that when she drove past the correct intersection, then ignored the next few turns we could have taken to get back on the right path.

“Mom,” I said. “We’re going the wrong way.”

She adjusted the mirror. “I know, sweetheart, but our house isn’t safe yet. Seth is letting us stay at his place.”

I had an inkling that businessmen made a lot of money, but I had no idea just how much until Mom pulled up in front of a giant mansion and announced that we had arrived.

I couldn’t stop gaping at the servants who took our coats and ushered us into a living space the size of a ballroom. Floor-to-ceiling velvet drapes hung along the walls. A maid brought over a plate of pastries I ate with relish.

Seth came downstairs a few minutes later, deep in discussion with an unfamiliar man. They cut off their conversation when they saw us.

Seth smiled. “Diana, Nicholas, let me introduce you to Will. He’s a colleague and a dear friend of mine.”

“Nice to meet you,” I said.

Will gave me an awkward nod before checking a text on his phone. “A situation’s come up.”

His voice matched his appearance, deep and gravelly.

“Does it require my presence?” Seth asked.

“No, I’ll take care of it, sir.” He shook hands with my mom. “It was nice meeting you.”

Seth joined us on the couch.

Mom rubbed his back. “Is something wrong at work?”

“I’m afraid so,” he said. “One of my best employees turned rogue, and I don’t know what he intends to do.”

“Did you fire him?” she asked.

“Of course.”

“Then you’ve done all you could. No use fretting over something you can’t fix.”

“It’s not just him. There’s danger in the city.”

“Well, it is a hot spot of Underground activity,” Mom said.

“This is different,” Seth said. “Nicholas, have you told your mother what happened at school today?”

Her eyes narrowed. “No, what did happen at school?”

“What is this, an interrogation?” I asked.

I didn’t want her to stress over a situation that would be resolved soon.

“Answer the question, Nicholas.”

I sighed. “We found nine men dead on campus.”

Mom’s jaw dropped. “Teachers?”

I shook my head. “They worked for the Underground.”

“That worries me,” Seth said. “What sort of person could have killed them?”

“I think it was Spades.”

“Don’t be silly, Nicholas.” Mom ruffled my hair. “Spades works for the Underground too. He wouldn’t turn on his own side.”

“There was a symbol drawn in the grass beside the bodies,” I said, “a spade, like the ones on the playing cards. Who else could it be?”

“Perhaps a copycat,” Seth suggested. “Someone with their own dark urges who admires the assassin’s work.”

Mom blanched. “A serial killer?”

He turned to me. “Any idea where Ace was last night?”

“Wherever he’s been staying since he ran away from home, I guess,” I replied.

“Then no one can say he wasn’t at the school. He has no alibi.”

“Seth, you don’t think Ace was the murderer, do you?” Mom asked. “He’s only fifteen.”

“Diana.” Seth took her hand in his own. “You don’t know Ace like I do. He’s not right in the head.”

“He seemed normal when I met him, very sweet and polite.”

“Ace can be that way if it suits him because he has no personality of his own. He becomes the form that’s most pleasing to the people he’s trying to trick. But he’s a psychopath. He does what he wants, whatever amuses him, regardless of whether it’s right.”

“No, he can’t be.”

Seth’s face was open and earnest. “You saw his poor mother last night, didn’t you? Did you notice how he toys with her feelings? He runs away to cause her anguish because it entertains him. The boy has no morals. I’m sure even Nicholas has noticed.”

“A little,” I admitted. “But I still think the killer at school was Spades. Ace doesn’t admire him like that.”

“Maybe we’re going about this wrong,” Seth mused. “Maybe it’s unrelated the assassin. The symbol on the ground was a spade, right?”

I nodded.

“So, if we go by playing cards, then a single spade is known as—”

Realization dawned on me. “An ace of spades.”

“Exactly. It fits his name, whereas the assassin would have drawn multiple spades.”

“But there’s no way anyone would believe he did it,” I said.

“Because it’s not true,” Mom interrupted. “These are just coincidences you’ve strung together. I love you both, but you’re being incredibly thick headed right now. You guys can hang out here with your theories if you like. I’m going to my room.”

She headed upstairs.

Seth watched her go. “Your mother’s mad at us, isn’t she?”

“She’ll cool off,” I said. “But what can we do about Ace? No one believes a fifteen-year-old’s capable of anything, let alone killing nine people.”

Seth frowned. “I can drop a line to the police. They’ll bring him in, ask him a few questions, and if it turns out he’s not the culprit, they can let him go, no harm done.”

“But if he is, then we put a danger to the city behind bars.”

He smiled. “I like the way you think. One problem though, the police can’t approach him when Ace is at school. Your principal treats Jefferson High’s reputation like his first-born child. There’s no way he would allow officers to set foot on the grounds.”

I wanted to knock some sense into Mr. Giovanni.

“What can we do then?” I asked.

Seth paused. “It would ask a lot from you.”

“I don’t mind.”

“You must follow Ace after school and figure out where he goes. The police themselves can’t track him when they don’t have a warrant.”

“I’ll do it,” I said. “But you have to cover for me with my mom. You know how she worries.”

Seth held out his hand. “It’s a deal.”

I shook it.