Liars' Games (Project Chameleon Book 1) (15 page)

Trust him? He wasn’t so sure about that. One thing he’d learned about her was that she was as aloof and distrustful as he was. “I’ll try, but I doubt she’ll budge.”

The doctor led Ron into the exam room to talk with her.

“I can’t do it,” she said. “I know you must think I’m crazy, but you don’t know, you can’t know, how it is. I’ve made up my mind. It has to be this way.”

The doctor and Ron exchanged looks, and finally conceded to her wishes. The doctor sent her home with instructions for changing the bandages covering her wound, where the attackers had stabbed her. “If you have any problems or develop a fever, call me here at the hospital.” She gave a pamphlet to Claire, and added, “Read this. And please consider making an appointment with a counselor.”

Outside, Ron helped her into his car and when she was comfortable, he said, “I’ll drive you to your home
. I need an address.”

She sat next to him, his coat wrapped around her like a blanket, slouching so that she was half-hidden
, and her purse was lying on the floor near her feet. “I don’t want to go home yet. Could you take me to your home? For a little while.”

He raised an eyebrow, and
was about to ask why, but changed his mind.

He started the engine and drove to his apartment in south Denver, and helped her get up the stairs. “You can lie down there on the sofa while I go in the kitchen and make some hot tea, okay?”

She took off her shoes and grabbed a plaid blue and white blanket that Ron kept on the sofa for cold evenings when he watched television.

While he was in the kitchen, he peeked into the living room at her. She was still sitting with her legs curled under her,
the blanket around her shoulders, and her bare feet uncovered. She looked younger than ever, and vulnerable. He’d never really thought of her like that before.

He handed her a warm cup and she responded with a feeble smile and pulled the blanket tighter around her neck. Feeling awkward, he
stood up and went into his bedroom and came out with an old sweatshirt and sweatpants his former girlfriend had left behind. “You can change into these,” he said. “There’s a bathroom down the hall.”

“Thank you, Ron. I owe you more than you can possibly imagine.”

After she changed clothes, they sat together, drinking their tea. As the sedative the doctor gave her took effect, she fell asleep. Ron puttered around the house and tried to keep quiet so he wouldn’t wake her. When she awoke a couple hours later, he said, “Will you be okay alone if I leave you for a little while? I need to go to the school and check on things.”

“You’re right. I should have thought about that.”

“No. I’m acting principal today. You’re supposed to be resting.”

She gave him another of those half-smiles, then said, “I’ll be fine. Go. I’m going to sleep some more. I think the doctor gave me horse tranquilizers.”

He grinned, and pulled the blanket up over her. Before he left her, he said, “Call me if you need anything. I’ll come back in a while to check on you.”

She nodded and said, “Go.”

“Okay, I’m going. But can I at least call Frank? He’s been great, helping with other problems. He should know about this.”

“No!  Please, don’t. Please promise me you won’t tell him, or anyone.”

He nodded, and left. Damn, she could be frustrating at times.

STEVE JENSEN SAT in the conference room at Cameron High School, along with the school board’s president and four of the six high school principals, waiting for the remaining two principals to arrive so that he could begin the Round Table Luncheon Meeting. Steve glanced at his watch again. Three minutes had passed since the last time he checked.

John was tapping his pencil on the table, clearly annoyed at the delay. “Well, it looks like they aren’t going to show.” He looked at Frank, and said, “They know they’re supposed to be here today, don’t they?”

Frank leaned forward in his seat and said, “Oh, definitely. I talked to both of them on Friday.”

“Well, then I suggest you get on the phone and
find out what’s holding them up. Tell them to get over here. But we’re not going to wait any longer.” 

Before John had a chance to say anything more, Liz
Olson burst into the room.

“Sorry I’m late
,” she said, taking her coat off and draping it over the back of an empty chair.

John glared at her, then said, “That’s it? Sorry I’m late. No particular reason for your tardiness,
Liz?” His voice had an edge to it that signaled to Steve that this was going to be a difficult meeting. John was not an easy man to get along with even when he was in a good mood.

“Believe it or not, I had another meeting prior to this one. It ran a little longer than expected.”

Frank left the room to call Claire. When he returned, he was frowning.

John asked,
“Well? Did you talk to her?”

“
Midland’s secretary said that Claire and the assistant principal, Ron Baker, are in a meeting off premises. She didn’t have any more information.”

John shook his head and said, “
What the hell! These meetings are mandatory.”

Frank nodded, then looked down at his notebook on the table in front of him.

As John turned his head and stared momentarily at Steve, Steve clenched his jaw. Whether or not John was right about Claire and the Senator, it was obvious John believed it and was not going to let it go. The man had it in for Claire. Sooner or later, Steve would need to talk about the issue with her.

WHEN RON ARRIVED at the school, Kim told him that Frank had called.

“Claire’s supposed to be at the Superintendent’s Round Table Luncheon,” Kim said.

Ron sighed, and rubbed his head. “Sorry.
We both forgot about that meeting. I should have called in to let them know she went home sick. I’ll call Frank.”

“Huh? She went home sick? I thought you were both at a meeting.”

“Yeah, we were. But she got sick and left.”

Kim nodded.

“Any problems here today?”

“Not so far.”

After Ron called Frank, he returned to his apartment at lunchtime to check on Claire. When he opened the door, she jumped.

“It’s me.
Ron. Don’t worry.” He stuck his keys back in his trouser pockets. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. What’s happening at school?”

“Believe it or not, it’s relatively quiet there today.”

“You mean if I’m not there, they behave. Is someone trying to tell me something?”

“Believe me, they were misbehaving before they ever met you. It’s not you. What you do or don’t know makes no difference.”

“Oh, that’s comforting.”

Ron winced. “Sorry. That didn’t come out the way I meant it.” He set his keys down on a table. “Can I get you something to eat? I haven’t had lunch. Would a sandwich be okay?”

“I’m not really hungry.”

“Won’t you at least try to eat something? You need to keep up your strength.”

“I guess
. I’ll try.”

He went into the kitchen
, returning a short time later with two plates and two cups of tea. After lunch he returned to school and sat in his office, thinking about the situation. He’d done the best he could with Claire under the circumstances, but was that enough? He didn’t think so. He certainly had failed with Celia. A female would know what to do; someone totally different from Ron and from Celia’s mother, someone stable and comforting. Decision made, he went to the faculty lunchroom to talk to Nancy Palmer, the English teacher whom he trusted and Claire liked. They went back to his office and Ron told her in strict confidence what had happened. Nancy assured him she would keep their secret.

After school let out for the day, they went to Ron’s apartment together.
When they arrived, Ron hesitated outside his own door. God, he hoped he was doing the right thing bringing Nancy here.

When Claire saw Nancy with Ron, she cried out, “You promised you wouldn’t tell anyone. How could you betray me like that?” She jumped up from the sofa, and paced, wringing her hands.

Ron grabbed her and tried to calm her. “Claire, I only told Nancy. I needed someone else to help. I’m not equipped to deal with this. You need a woman to talk to. Please don’t be angry.”

He coaxed her back to the sofa and she calmed down. Then he and Nancy talked to her at length and Ron was relieved that his decision to bring Nancy
proved right.

Late in the afternoon Ron said, “I’ll make us some sandwiches for dinner.” He stood up to head into the kitchen but stopped when Claire shouted “Oh no!”

He stared at her. “What’s wrong?”

“
I didn’t know it was dinnertime. I have to go home.”

“Huh?” Ron said. “You don’t have to leave. If you don’t want sandwiches, I’ll go out and get some takeout. Nancy and I planned to stay up with you all night, if you need us too.”

“I can’t stay here,” Claire said. “I have to get home to my son. He’ll be expecting me now.”

Ron and Nancy exchanged glances. “Your son? You never told us you had a child.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t like to discuss my personal life at work. Besides, it’s not like I have a lot of free time at the school.”

Well, she was right about that. They had little time to discuss their private lives, but still
, most of the faculty members knew the basics about each other. Until now, he hadn’t realized how little they knew about Claire.

“Where is he?” Nancy asked.

“At his nanny’s house.”

“His nanny? How old is he?”

“He’s three-and-a-half. I’m supposed to pick him up by six o’clock. The nanny goes to college classes on most weeknights and it’s a quarter past five now. I don’t have my car. It’s at the school.” Claire was back on her feet, pacing like before.

Ron
said, “I’ll take Nancy back to the school so she can get her car, and I’ll take you to your nanny’s house to pick up your son. Then I’ll drop you off at your home.”

Nancy said, “Someone should stay with her tonight. Do you have anyone who can stay with you, Claire?”

Claire’s face reddened. “No. But I’ll be all right.”

“I’ll stay,” Nancy said. “You can drive both of us back to school. We’ll take my car to Claire’s. That way, if we need anything, we’ll have transportation.”

Ron pulled up next to Nancy’s car and watched until they drove away, then he leaned his head on his steering wheel and wept, thinking about Claire and Celia.

CLAIRE WENT INSIDE the nanny’s house to get Marcus, while Nancy waited outside in her car. When they came out and Claire opened the car door, Marcus looked up at his mother and said, “This isn’t our car, Mommy.” Claire put her hands on his shoulders and said, “It’s all right. This is my friend, Nancy. She’s going to drive us home and spend the night because I’m not feeling well. She’s going to help out.”

Claire made the introductions, and then helped Marcus climb into the car.

“
Mommy, where’s my car seat?”

“
Oh, I forgot about that. We’ll have to make do without it tonight.”

“Okay.”

As Nancy pulled away from the curb, she said, “If you don’t mind, “I’ll make a quick stop at my house. I need a few clothes, toothbrush, and other necessities. We can stop and get something for dinner to take to back to your home on the way.”

After dinner
Marcus fell asleep on the sofa next to Claire.

A while later, Nancy came over to the sofa, scooped him up, and carried him
upstairs to his room. When she returned to the living room, she and Claire talked for a while, about kids and growing up mostly. Nancy had three grown kids of her own, and she shared some of her own experiences in child rearing. Claire was glad for the distraction from her own thoughts. Around eleven o’clock they decided to call it a night. They gathered up sheets and blankets and prepared the sofa bed for Nancy. After saying their goodnights, Claire retreated upstairs to her room and shut the door.

Alone again, Claire tried to push away pictures from her mind. She
almost succeeded until she laid down and her mind flooded with fragments of memories, ancient and new. Her body still ached, but it was the mental anguish that was almost unbearable. How would she ever be able to go back to work? She knew she didn’t really have a choice, but the thought was terrifying. Even walking into that office felt impossible. Her mind played games with her, tormenting, ridiculing, and blaming. Why did they do this? Why didn’t she see it coming? She was supposed to be brilliant, and yet she hadn’t anticipated this. She felt like a fake, not so smart after all. She hated them for the attack.

She hated herself
, too.

Tossing and turning
for what felt like hours, she looked at the clock on the nightstand, and sighed. Would she ever get to sleep? She began to doubt her effectiveness as a leader. Had John Richmond been right about her failing? Maybe she was living in a dream world. Maybe she couldn’t fix the problems at the school.