Whispered Lies

His jaw clenched, but his understanding expression never wavered except for the eyebrow he lifted.

Babette missed the silent exchange. She was staring off in thought, nibbling on the corner of a fingernail, then pulled her hand away and snapped her fingers. “Beatrice and Amelia. Beatrice and I have classes together. She’d probably let you take a look at your old room if she’s there. I’ve only met Amelia at lunch a couple times. Talk about an extreme mouth. She’s got an opinion on everything to do with civil rights.”

Gabrielle smothered a chuckle. Babette had to be sorely put out to meet someone more opinionated than herself. Carlos was far better at this espionage part than her, but she picked up the thread he’d started and guided Babette back on topic.

“No, no, I don’t want anyone to see me here,” Gabrielle assured her sister. “So these girls are friends of yours?”

“Beatrice is okay.” Always animated, Babette moved her hands up, shoving hair off her face, then she fiddled with the edge of her T-shirt and finally settled her hands at her hips, fingers hooking the top of her jeans. “Her mum is a duchess who just remarried, so she got dumped here while the luuuv birds have a first year alone. Bet she’s here longer. Amelia’s a dorfy one. Beatrice doesn’t really know her since they just got moved in together. I’m betting Amelia probably got tossed by her last roomie. I don’t want anything to do with her.”

“Why?” Gabrielle asked.

“Because the one time I tried to have a conversation with her she said…” Babette paused then straightened her posture, lifted her chin, and pulled her hands together in front of herself emulating a formal stance that was in direct contrast with her usual slouch. She raised her voice and said in an overdone snippy accent, “Biting one’s nails is a terrible habit and socially unacceptable.”

Babette made a face. “I haven’t missed Miss Prim and Proper Salsa one bit since she left last week. Beatrice says Amelia’s okay, just programmed that way because her dad is some big-deal coffee guy in South America.”

“Was there a school break last week?” Gabrielle asked conversationally.

“Not really. Beatrice and Amelia are ahead in credits for the quarter so they could take off, but Beatrice got the same answer I did when she called home to ask for a vacation-no way, no how.” Babette’s eyes shone with dampness, but she shook it off. “She’s been stuck here with me, but Amelia got six school days off. She left with some girl who got hurt or sick while they were gone, so it sounds like her trip got screwed.”

“Do you know if anyone else is gone right now?” Gabrielle asked.

“I don’t know that many kids yet. Why do you want to know?”

Gabrielle cut her eyes to Carlos. Had she said too much?

He answered Babette, “Your sister is helping them cross-reference files. It seems a few high-profile students like Amelia have slipped out without permission, but that doesn’t mean Amelia did. Anything you hear could help Gabrielle, make her look good to the management here so they might ask her to come back and work some more.”

Gabrielle narrowed her gaze at him for raising Babette’s hopes, but his trick worked to enlist her sister’s help.

“I’ll keep my ears open for anyone coming and going in this building.”

Carlos checked his watch. “We have to get back.”

Babette lost all interest in him and turned to Gabrielle with pleading eyes. “Are you coming back to see me?”

Gabrielle’s heart broke at the realization she didn’t have a clue if she’d be free to visit her sister again. But she wouldn’t worry the child. “As soon as I can, but I’ve got to keep a low profile right now because of…” What could she say and not cause alarm?

“The scumbag,” Babette finished for her, and turned to Carlos. “If he comes near her, I hope you plow his face down to his socks.”

The smile of assurance Carlos gave her was outright evil. “If anyone tries to hurt her, I’ll do worse than that.”

Babette sighed with adoration for Carlos.

Gabrielle jerked his sleeve. “We going or not?”

“Getting testy?” he murmured.

Babette launched herself into Gabrielle’s arms again. “Come back as soon as you can and call me.”

“I don’t have my cell phone with me,” Gabrielle told her. Because the guy you’re mooning over destroyed it.

“Why not?” Babette looked up at her worried. “What if I need to reach you?”

“We use mine when she travels,” Carlos explained. “I’ll give you the number.”

“Good.” Babette snatched up a pen and paper. “I’m ready.” She jotted the numbers down, then stuck the paper in her pocket and smiled. “I won’t tell a soul about this either.”

“Call if you have any…problem.” Gabrielle wanted to say if someone tries to kidnap you, but why should anyone want Babette?

Why should anyone want Mandy or Amelia for that matter?

Worry clawed a hole in her stomach.

“Nice to meet you,” Carlos told Babette, and she almost swooned. Gabrielle wouldn’t have thought the little hellion had it in her to behave so girly.

Carlos opened the dorm door and slipped out.

Gabrielle waved to Babette and rushed out behind him. They made it to the stairwell and the creaky door to the stairs was swinging closed behind them when the staff door at the end of the hall opened.

A woman shouted, “Where are you going?” Footsteps pounded in pursuit.

Carlos yanked Gabrielle’s hand and flew down the stairs through pitch dark. She slipped twice but he kept her from falling. As they reached the second landing, the door above them squealed open. Carlos pressed her against the wall with his arm. She couldn’t see her fingers in front of her face.

“Who’s down there?” a matronly voice bellowed. A flashlight beam glowed down the center of the stairwell, but the black hole gobbled up the light. One heavy plod after another hit each step as the woman slowly descended. “Stay where you are.”

That order wasn’t necessary. Gabrielle was glued in place, fear paralyzing her.

Carlos opened and shut the access door to the first-floor rooms but didn’t make a move to exit through them. He lifted Gabrielle and hoisted her onto his shoulder fireman-style, then tiptoed down the steps.

How did he move so easily and not make a sound?

He stopped at the basement landing when the footsteps above them reached the first floor. A radio crackled to life.

The woman above them said, “I’m in the first-floor stairwell. I heard this door open and close, but can’t be sure anyone went through it. I’m going to do a room check on this floor. You search the stairwell all the way.”

Gabrielle clutched at Carlos’s waist to steady herself while he moved through the dark with careful but quick steps. He set her on her feet, then she heard a rustling noise as if he moved something.

“Give me back the light,” he told her softly.

She dug out the small plastic case in trembling hands. “Here.”

He caught her arm with one hand and took the light with the other.

A door at the top of the stairs squeaked again and slammed shut. Footsteps pounded downward much more quickly than those of the woman who had chased them.

Carlos flipped on the light, showing Gabrielle the opening to the grate. “Be careful. Don’t rush.”

Was he kidding? Don’t rush. She swung around and he caught her under her arms as her feet floundered, trying to hit one of the spikes. Her toe caught.

The door on the landing one floor above opened and a man shouted, “Find anything?”

The answer he got was too muffled for Gabrielle to hear.

“Watch what you’re doing,” Carlos told her calmly as she pulled out of his grasp and moved to each lower step.

The door above slammed shut. Then the footsteps pounded downward again.

She dropped one foot at a time, clutching the spike above her as she made her way down what seemed like an endless ladder.