“Carrod,” I tell her, wondering what her game is. I’m grateful for the intervention but there must be an angle. “He accused me of planting the drugs in your room.”
She studies me with her slate-coloured eyes, then shakes her head. “That’s just silly.” She turns back to Creighton. “The boy has it in for George, that’s all. Everybody knows it.”
“Oh, do they?”
When she nods, Creighton leaves the room, crosses the lobby, struts into the cafeteria, and grabs the first student he finds by the scruff of the neck, frogmarching him back to us. “What’s your name?”
“Rhys Briarly.”
“You know a student called Carrod?”
“Mm.” Rhys appears so intimidated that he can’t even get a yes out, making a hum and nodding like a bobble-head doll going over rough roads.
“You know George and Lachlan and Kari?” He jerks his chin at each of us, the student following his indications with wide eyes.
“Uh-huh.”
“Can you think of a reason Carrod would make up a lie to get George in trouble?”
“S-sure.” There’s a pause, probably not long but I imagine to Rhys it lasts pretty much forever. Then he grasps Creighton wants him to continue. “It’s… He teased George and Lachlan beat the shit out of him for it. He’s said openly that he’d love an opportunity to get back at them.”
“Right.”
Creighton releases the boy’s collar, and he flees, ducking on the far side of the security guard when he makes it back to the safety of the cafeteria.
Kari smirks at the answers, tossing a shrug at Creighton when his attention returns to her. “See? Carrod’s a liar and he just wants George to be in trouble. He didn’t see a thing. Those drugs were in my room all along.”
“And when did you get them from my house?” he asks, softening enough to rest a hand on her shoulder. “Your father won’t accept this. He knows the suppliers and distributors of our chains better than anyone. Lock could’ve got these pills any time he wanted but you haven’t been in our home since New Year’s.”
“Dad’s not going to care.”
Creighton stiffens. “He’ll care very much.” He shakes his head. “No. I don’t understand what game you’re playing, but Soren will never—”
“Dimi dropped you off, remember?” Lachlan interjects. He stares straight at Kari then turns to his dad. “Have Soren check the footage and you’ll both see. Mum can probably give you the exact date. We sat in the kitchen while she ate three slices oflemon poppyseed cake. Dimitri should have given Kari a lift back to school, but he forgot, so she came back with me.”
“And is this what everyone wants?” Creighton asks but his eyes only search for confirmation from Kari. “Soren won’t be happy.”
“Then he can take that out on the school board,” she says with a smile. “So I hope they’re as determined to exact punishment as you say they are.”
“Right.” Creighton points to me and Lachlan. “You two, get back to class. I’m not paying these exorbitant fees so you can stand around all day.”
He ejects us from the room, including Patrick, then settles in for what looks like a long discussion with Kari.
“What’s that about?” I whisper to Lachlan, genuinely puzzled. “Why’s she so keen to take the blame?”
He curves an arm around my waist, dropping a kiss onto my lips in front of the students still segregated in the food hall, then shrugs. “At a guess, she’s avoiding a sixty-year-old with a penchant for murdering his wives. Kari’s a lot of things but she’s not stupid.”
The answer doesn’t mean a lot to me, but when I glance back in their direction, Kari has a peaceful smile on her lips, nodding along as Creighton outlines whatever plan he’s implementing.
“Guess that means I won’t get seated opposite Soren at any upcoming family dinners.”
Lachlan squeezes me so hard I can barely breathe. “Maybe family dinners themselves can be nixed for a while. That’ll be the best solution.”
Patrick bends to kiss my cheek and whispers in my ear, “You owe me one. I’ll send you a text, okay?” before striding away to his car, tipping a last wink at the security guard who stands, watching him go with a distant smile on his face.
“You didn’t…” Lachlan trails off, staring after his cousin’s car. “When Patrick hired you, he didn’t put you through an application process, did he?”
There’s a hint of concern in his eye and I wonder if he’s referring to the club’s rather enthusiastic hands-on policy. I could tease him but after the strain of the past weekend, neither of us are in a fit state to deal with that.
