True Heiress Never Lies! novel · Chapter 5 of 24

Chapter 5: Open Gate

The inspector tilted his head.

"Behind the boiler?" he said. "What's behind the boiler?"

"Storage," the director said, still smiling, still holding my arm.

"Sonia has a vivid imagination. She spent a few days in quiet reflection in April, and she's never forgiven the boiler."

"I'd like to see it."

"Of course. After lunch. The boiler room is locked for safety."

"I can wait."

"We have a very full schedule today."

She steered him toward the cafeteria with her hand on his shoulder.

He looked back at me once.

He was a tired man in a tie with little blue ships on it, and I saw him weigh it.

Then I saw him decide it was not worth the argument.

I watched his gray head disappear through the door.

The director's fingers were still on my arm.

"You will not like what happens next," she said pleasantly.

She was right.

By morning I was back in the cold room, and the inspector's car was gone.

They kept me in it for nine days that time.

They let me out on a Sunday in July, and my wrist had set at an angle.

It would never lie flat again.

I went to the library and wrote it down.

For the next three months, I did not speak to an adult unless I was asked a question.

I did not argue.

I stopped looking for clipboards.

I learned which stairs the night officer used and which hours the cameras on the east wing were off for repairs.

I learned that the director kept envelopes in her top desk drawer.

I learned this because I was sent to scrub her floor on a Thursday, and a white envelope lay open on the blotter.

Keep reading free with an account. Start True Heiress Never Lies! from Chapter 1, then sign up free to read the rest of this chapter.