Ms. Poppin steps toward the older woman. “We made sure there were no peanuts in the area when we prepared the food,” she says, but she too is prodding and stirring each dish with a fork. “Our staff are experts at avoiding food contamination. I don’t know what happened.”
The headmistress’s expression is like steel. “Everyone, put your personal belongings on this table and step back. We’re going to search through them.” She taps the gift table firmly, making the wrapped boxes and bags crinkle in protest.
“You can’t be serious,” I say. “None of us did this to Gul.”
Headmistress Morgan doesn’t deign to respond. Instead, she taps the table again once with a pointed finger.
“It’s fine,” Adrienne whispers to me. “They’ll go through our things and they won’t find anything. Then they’ll let us go.”
Ricardo moves to my side. “You’re right. We’ve got nothing to fear, unless you took the opportunity to poison a girl we know you’re not fond of?” Ricardo is teasing as he speaks, but I don’t find it funny. My answering glare wipes the smirk off his face.
My bag feels heavier than it should as I lift it off the back of my chair. Opening it, I peer inside. Wallet. Lipstick. Emergency first aid kit. Breath mints. I stop dead in my tracks as my heart starts to pound.
There’s a tiny glass bottle in the bottom of my bag with the residue of a tan, powdery substance inside. Turning away from the headmistress, I lift the bag to my face. A distinct, nutty scent fills my nostrils.
No.
I look around at everyone as they shuffle toward where Headmistress Morgan is collecting wallets, purses, jackets, and coats.
Someone in this room planted a tiny vial of ground peanuts in my bag.
They’re trying to frame me for the attack on Gul.
But who?
28
The vial is still warm as I wrap my fingers around it. Blood roars in my ears, blocking out the chaos in the room all around me.
“Miss Cavendish-Holt, I’m waiting.” The headmistress’s voice brooks no argument. Impatient. Cold. That witch always hated me. If she catches me with this vial of peanuts, Gul won’t be the only one whose fate is hanging in the balance tonight.
Think, Charlotte. Think.
Eyes wide, I tuck the vial into my bra, pretending to adjust the cups as I withdraw my hand. Ordinarily, I would never be seen adjusting my underwear in public—it’s a huge faux pas—but drastic times call for drastic measures.
“I’m coming, Headmistress.” Spinning in my high heels, I stride to where the older woman is standing and plunk my purse down on the table. “Here it is. I expect it back promptly.”
With a cocked eyebrow, Headmistress Morgan gestures for one of the security guards to step forward. “Now that we’ve got everyone’s things…” Her cold eyes brush over me from head to toe before she turns to the guard. “Start with this one,” she says, pushing my clutch toward his waiting hands.
My cheeks flush as I watch Officer Morris paw through my things, examining each item as he pulls it out of the bag.
“I wouldn’t open that if I were you,” I warn when he withdraws the small, pearlescent zipper pouch I always keep on me.
“Sorry, Miss. Orders are orders.”
I shrug. “Suit yourself.”
Unzipping the pouch, he pokes a finger inside before yelping and dropping the bag to the table like he’s been bitten by a snake. A tampon rolls out over the tabletop.
With a quick roll of my eyes, I snap. “Sanitary products are not deadly, Officer Morris. You won’t contract the plague by touching a tampon. Contrary to public opinion.”
I don’t miss the snicker Adrienne tries to hide behind her hand as I shove my tampon back into the zippered pouch. “Are you done with my things?”
When the guard nods in embarrassment, I whisk my bag off the table and lock eyes with my sister. “Adrienne, I’ll meet you in my room, okay? I have to go. Cal, your keys?”
Cal nods and hands me the keys from his pocket. “Let us know how she’s doing, okay?”
A quick nod in response. “Will do. Ricardo?”
“Ready, mon coeur.” He matches stride with me as I scurry out of the banquet room toward the front door, shrugging into my faux fur coat. Officer Morris moves on to the next bag on the table as we exit the banquet room.
Ricardo pulls on his pea coat before holding the front door open for me.
A frigid wind cuts into us as we step out into the parking lot. The night is dark and ominous as we hurry to Cal’s car, slamming the doors behind us to shut out the chill.
Starting the engine, I wait just long enough for Ricardo to buckle his belt before I floor it out of the parking lot and around the corner where the perimeter cameras won’t be able to see us.
My heart is still pounding as I cut the engine and turn to Ricardo. “Quick, turn off your phone.” Digging my own out of my bag, I turn it off with a violent stab at the button. Wait for Ricardo to do the same.
His brows are furrowed when he meets my eyes. “What’s going on? How the hell did peanuts get into Gul’s food?”
Swallowing, I pull the vial out of the front of my dress.
Ricardo’s brows shoot into his hairline as he looks from my face to the glass bottle in my hand. “What’s that? And why was it in your bra?” He keeps his eyes studiously away from my chest.
“Smell it.” Twisting off the top, I hold it under his nose.
He takes a sniff, and his eyes nearly pop out of his head. “Why do you have that? Poisoning someone isn’t your style, Char.”
“You’re right. I’m more the stab you in the heart with a stiletto type, but this isn’t the time for that. Someone snuck this into my clutch at the party.”
Ricardo’s head snaps back toward the academy as if the answer is visible through the car’s rearview mirror. “Someone at the party put that in your bag?”
I nod.
“You have to give it to the police, ma chérie. They can fingerprint it and find out who was behind the attack tonight.”
“And have them wonder how I got it? No, thanks. I’m sure they’ve heard the ‘It wasn’t mine’ excuse one too many times before. There’s no way they’d believe me. I can’t give this to them.”
Ricardo starts to argue, but I press a finger to his lips. “Don’t. There’s more. I asked Gul about that video of her. She denied meeting Professor Rook, but I could tell she was lying about it. There’s something going on with her. I thought maybe she was involved in the hit-and-run, but now, I don’t know. If she was responsible, that doesn’t explain what happened tonight. I don’t think she’s hard core enough to poison herself to throw off suspicion. Do you?”
He shakes his head. “I don’t know.”
Sucking my lip between my teeth, I chew on it absently as I think through the events of this semester so far.
Professor Rook.
The threat on Gul.
My attack.
Ricardo’s brush with death.
Tonight’s peanut incident.
Someone is trying their hardest to get at Gul, Ricardo, and me, all because we’re somehow linked with the investigation into Professor Rook’s death. I get why they attacked me, and Ricardo, but Gul?