That,I thought,is an excellent idea.
Grace and I would keep it in our back pocket.
Chapter 34
Grace
“We’ll talk to them tonight?” I asked again, the four of us trekking up the azalea trail. Our shouting had earned us a few dirty looks back at the wedding. “Right?”
“Right,” James answered. “For the tenth time, we will talk to them tonight.”
I swatted his arm. “I haven’t asked ten times!”
Then James reached up and pinched his nose.Is something still bothering him?I wondered, recognizing his nervous tic. Was he bummed he’d missed all of today’s adventures? Or was he worried about the consequences for leaving school early? Was he worried about—
Uh-oh,I thought, feeling a sudden chill in the air.He saw her, too.
Principal Unger. He was thinking about Principal Unger.He had to be, right? She was the one flaw in his plan to find us, a loose end.
“James, did you run into anyone we know in Rittenhouse Square?” I asked.
“I might’ve seen a witch on her broom…,” he answered slowly.
Isa squeezed his hand. “Did she see you?”
My brother shook his head. “I don’t think so, but I guess I’ll find out for sure during our morning meeting on Monday.”
I grimaced. “James, I’m only going to tell you this once,” I said, “but I really admire you. Idreadmy student council meetings with her. She makes me feel so small, and that sugary-sweet air of hers…” I shivered dramatically. “I don’t know how you sit down in her office every morning without walking out totally defeated.”
“Because she doesn’t defeat me,” he replied, then paused. “And I appreciate your admiration. If you want some pointers, I’m only two doors up the hall.”
“Well, wealsosaw her at the festival,” Isa said as James winked. “Multiple times.”
“But her best appearance was her last appearance,” Ev added.
“Did you happen to notice that Victorian doll booth?” I asked James.
He nodded. “The spooky porcelain ones with curly hair and sad eyes?”
“It’s Principal Unger’s!” Isa’s excitement level was off the charts. “Unger restores the creepy dolls! While we raced for our Uber, Grace saw her pitching one to a customer.”
“Mmm,” James murmured. “Sothatwas her private and personal business….” I watched his shoulders visibly relax. “She sucks the souls out of her students to bring her dolls to life.” He laughed. “I wonder how many people know about thisnicheside gig.” He put a hand to his chest. “From the bottom of my heart, thank you for telling me.”
“Are you going to blackmail her?” I asked.
“Blackmail is a strong word,” he replied. “If necessary, I willembarrass.”
My brother had parked the Subaru in one of the park’s multiple lots, so we didn’t need to order an Uber. Unfortunately, it was time to reunite with Isa’s Tesla and drive home. James unlocked our car and then jokingly dangled the keys in front of me. “Haha, how thoughtful,” I said, pushing them away. “It’s okay. You can drive.”
He fake-widened his eyes. “What? Really? Are you sure?”
I sighed. “Just stick to the speed limit.”
“Gracie, Ialwaysstick to the speed limit.”
His grin told a different story.
We piled into the Subaru and were off after I set Waze to Old City. “Isa almost got us kicked out of Independence Hall,” I said as my brother drove. “She couldn’t stop laughing about when you hopped that fence in fifth grade to go sit in George Washington’s chair….”
