Repressed (Deadly Secrets) by Elisabeth Naughton Read Free Book Online

fact, he’d done more for her over the years than anyone in this backward town, even her mother, which made him the one person she knew she could depend on when things got rough. And she’d done just that for the last few days. Probably more than she should have, because lately she’d been getting the feeling he wanted more. And she didn’t know how to handle that knowledge.
    Feeling awkward, Sam turned toward Ethan. “We’re both okay.”
    Ethan didn’t answer, but Sam noticed his suddenly tight jawline and narrowed eyes. Eyes that only a minute ago had been deep emerald pools.
    “I need to ask you both a few questions,” Will said before Sam could ask Ethan what was wrong.
    They stepped back into her room, and she waited while Will pulled a pad of paper from his back pocket, switching from concerned friend to chief of police. “We’re running fingerprints, but you had a hundred kids in that room today—”
    “Closer to two hundred,” Sam clarified.
    “Right. Which means prints aren’t going to tell us a whole lot. We’re also conducting a locker check but don’t expect to find much as the break-in happened after hours. Tell me what you saw when you went in the room.”
    Sam relayed for Will what she and Ethan had found and how they’d ended up in the closet. Will jotted notes. But when he looked up at her, his hazel eyes softened, as if he were speaking to a child. “Sam, honey. There was nothing written on your whiteboard.”
    “What?” Sam’s gaze snapped to Ethan, then back to Will. “It was there. I swear. I didn’t make that up. It was there, just like the window.”
    Ethan glanced her way. “What window?”
    Sam’s stomach tightened, but before she could answer, Will said, “Sam’s had some kids harassing her at home. Pranks. Nothing serious.”
    “Breaking into my house is not a prank.”
    Will sighed as he tucked the notebook in his back pocket. “There was no sign of B&E at your house last night, Sam.”
    “That’s because whoever did it washed the window before you got there. Just like they obviously wiped the board after they locked us in that closet.”
    When Will didn’t answer, incredulity spread through her. He was supposed to be the one person left on her side. “Are you implying we locked ourselves in that closet? Trashed my room just for the fun of it? Is that what you’re saying to me, Will?”
    Will rubbed a hand down her good arm, placating her. “No, that’s not what I’m saying at all. I just think with everything going on, you might not be remembering clearly and—”
    “I saw the note on the whiteboard,” Ethan said. “It was written in red and said ‘take the hint.’” He looked Sam’s way with concerned green eyes. “What hint?”
    Sam’s pulse skipped. What was it about this guy that affected her so? It had started when he’d walked into the office as she’d been arguing with David and only seemed to be growing stronger. “I . . . whoever’s been coming by my house spelled out the word ‘leave’ in white plastic forks last week.”
    Ethan’s gaze shifted back to Will. “Leave? And you don’t think that’s related to the break-in at the school?”
    Will’s jaw tensed. “I didn’t say it wasn’t related. I said it wasn’t breaking and entering.”
    “What about the teacher she replaced? The one who had the nervous breakdown?”
    A vein in Will’s temple pulsed, and the animosity on his face said he didn’t like being told how to do his job. “I’ve got an officer on the way out to his place right now. If he’s involved we’ll find out soon enough.” His gaze swung back to Sam, effectively dismissing Ethan. “I want you to make me a list of any kids you’ve had issues with lately. And I know you’re tired, but I need you to go back up to the school and walk through your room with me. We need a detailed list of anything that’s missing.”
    Sam’s shoulders slumped. There went her plan to sleep for a week.
    The phone on