Lacuna(1)

Chapter 10

"Look," Connor said, shoving his phone in Pip's face. For some reason, Connor and Pip, mostly Connor, had deemed Evelyn important and she was now being dragged everywhere with them.

"I have," Pip said, moving around a group of students. "What was the one very important rule I gave you, Con?"

"Never read the comments," both Pip and Evelyn said. "Ever. Okay?" Pip added.

"I know," Connor sighed. "But that's a reply to your tweet with the episode link, and it's already got a hundred and nine likes. Does that mean a hundred and nine people think my brother's dead?"

"Connor—"

"And there's this one, from Reddit," he continued, ignoring Pip's attempts to get his attention. "This person thinks that Jamie must have taken the knife from our house on Friday evening, to defend himself, and therefore he must have known someone would try to attack him!"

"Connor."

"What?" he retorted. "You read the comments."

"Yes, I do. In case there are any tips or someone has spotted something I missed. But I know that the vast majority are unhelpful and that the internet, specifically Reddit, is full of morons," Pip said. "Did you see Jamie carrying a huge knife around at the memorial? Or in any of the photos from the calamity? No. Because he couldn't have, he was wearing just a shirt and jeans. Not many places to hide a six-inch blade."

"You get a lot of trolls, huh?" Connor said.

"Honestly," Evelyn said. "I completely understand what Connor's saying. It is pretty difficult to not read the comments especially when it's something regarding your family." Evelyn took a little stab at Pip with a reference to her ongoing documentation of her brother.

"I killed Jamie and I'll kill you too, Pip."

"Damn, Connor, I didn't know you were like that," Evelyn said with fake disappointment, watching a junior gasp and run away.

"I was just reading something!" Connor called out.

"Right." Following Pip, they stopped outside of Mr. Clark's classroom. Through the glass, Evelyn got a good view of him eating at his desk, alone. "Come with me," Pip told Connor and only Connor. "But if I give you the eyes, that means you need to leave. Got it?"

"Yes, I get it now," Connor agreed.

"I'll be out here," Evelyn mumbled, lifting her fingers slightly in a wave, the kind you'd see from someone you let go before you at a stop sign.

"Hell, Pip, Connor," Mr. Clark said as they entered the classroom. "What can I do for you both? Is this about the final?"

"Um, it's actually about something else," Pip said.

"What is it?" Mr. Clark's voice said.

"I don't know if you heard," Pip started. "But Connor's brother, Jamie, went missing last Friday and I'm looking into his disappearance. He was a former student here."

"Yes, yes, I saw that in the town newspaper already," Mr. Clark said. "I'm very sorry Connor, that must be really hard for you and your family. I'm sure the school guidance counselor would-"

"Okay." Pip cut him off, trying to get back on track. "We're investigating Jamie's disappearance and we've traced a lead to a particular individual. And, well, we think you might know this individual. Might be able to give us information about her."

"Is it a student that goes here? Is it one of my students?" he asked.

"Not exactly?" Pip phrased that more as a question. "Layla Mead," Pip said. There was a pause, probably where Mr. Clark's face shifted at the familiar name. "So do you know her?"

"No," he lied. "Sorry, I've never heard that name before. What did you mean by 'not exactly' a student?"

"Oh, okay," Pip said, her voice becoming too pleasant. "my mistake." There was shuffling as Evelyn felt someone moving toward the door. "It's just... it's strange, then."

"Sorry?" An annoyance rose in his tone.

"I mean, it's strange you've never heard that name before when you've liked and commented on several of her posts on Instagram. Maybe you forgot," Pip said, Evelyn hearing the sound of her fabrics swiping each other as she shrugged.

"I-I-I," Mr. Clark stammered.

"Yeah, you must have forgotten about it, right?" The unpleasantness rose back into Pip's tone, sounding more demanding. "Because I know you wouldn't intentionally lie about something that could help save a former student's life."

"My brother," Connor added.

"Um, I don't think this is appropriate," said Mr. Clark, his voice nervous and shaky. "Do you know how strict they are now, after everything with Elliot Ward and Andie Bell? All the safeguarding measures, I shouldn't even be alone with a student," he hissed.

"We aren't alone," Pip said, most likely referring to only Connor. "The door can stay wide open, if you want. All I care about is finding Jamie Reynolds alive. And to do that, I need you to tell me everything you know about Layla Mead."

"Stop," demanded Mr. Clark. "I am your teacher. Please stop trying to manipulate me."

"No one's manipulating anyone here." Pip's tone was dangerously controlled while Evelyn knew she was trying not to burst at the seams. "Although I do wonder whether you knew Layla was using the photos of a current student here at Fairview: Stella Chapman?"

"That's what you meant," he mumbled. "I didn't know at the time, okay? I don't teach her, I only worked it out a few weeks ago when I saw Stella walking down the hall, and that was already after Layla and I had stopped talking. I unfollowed the Layla account immediately after."

"Still." Pip sucked in a breath. "I wonder if that would get you into hot water if anyone found out."

"Excuse me?"

"Here's what I suggest, you record an interview with me in which I use a plug-in to distort your voice. Your name will never be mentioned, and I'll bleep out any identifying information. But you tell me everything you know about Layla Mead. If you do that, I'm sure no one will ever find anything you wouldn't want them to."

There was a pause, no sound coming from the classroom.

"Is this blackmail?"

Yes, it totally is.

"No, sir," Pip said. "It's just persuasion."