The Schoolgirl Affair (A Sherlock Holmes and Serena Norton Story #3)

Chapter Nine

Monday morning, Abby and I rose earlier to continue our quest. It was while we were studying one of the landscape paintings in the hallway outside of our room that a maid, Emma. approached. "Miss Norton, Miss Hunter would like you to come to her office," she said, her tone resigned.

What now? This was the second time Emma had been sent to summon me. I glanced at Abby and saw my friend turn pale. "Of course," I said, keeping calm. "I will go there directly."

The maid hurried away. Abby grabbed my arm before I could go a step. "What have you done this time?" she asked in a low, panicked voice. "I should have known we wouldn't be able to find the painting without causing some kind of trouble. You're going to be sent home if you keep getting sent to Miss Hunter's office!"

"I haven't done anything wrong. Nothing that would deserve being sent home, in any event. You mustn't worry about anything, Abby. Just keep checking the paintings in this hallway while I'm gone. I am relying on you to find the right one and we're running out of time to do so."

"Easy for you to say. How am I supposed to stop worrying when I don't know what's happening?" I heard Abby mutter as I left her.

There was no denying I hadn't been easy on her but I definitely would not have made any progress without her. As I walked to Miss Hunter's office, I tried to think of a reason the headmistress would be annoyed with me. Unless this was another instance of a visitor like Dr. Watson had last week.

"You asked to see me, Miss Hunter?" I asked when I entered the open door of the office.

"Close the door, Miss Norton." It was not encouraging that the headmistress's tone of voice was serious. I closed the door and moved to stand in front of her desk. "I received an interesting telegram this morning. Would you care to guess what it told me?"

"I couldn't even begin to guess," I said uneasily. I honestly had no idea. "I'm sorry."

She opened the paper in front of her. "It is from your father. While he acknowledges that I had no control over you being witness to the tragedy that occurred last week, he also expresses his concern about what I am permitting you to do in your free time. So, tell me, Miss Norton. What have you been doing these past few days?"

Dumbfounded, I stared at her. "I haven't done anything extraordinary. Does my father express any specific concerns in his message?"

"As he puts it, 'my daughter has a curiosity that is admirable but will lead her into trouble.'"

What would prompt my father to send such a vague, if true, statement to Miss Hunter? While he would know about the death, thanks to Miss Hunter notifying him, he would have no reason to suspect I had taken interest unless someone had told him. But who...

"Quentin Kennedy," I muttered. That idiotic boy must have sent a message to my father after I lost my temper and told him of my interest in Alice Woods' death. I was the idiot.

"What did you say?" Miss Hunter asked, ever alert. "Who is Quentin Kennedy?"

"A young man who works as an aide to a friend of my father," I explained as succinctly as possible. "I first met him in London months ago and then crossed paths with him a few days ago. He must have been in contact with my father since then."

Miss Hunter leaned forward. "And what, exactly, would he have told your father that would cause such concern?"

I cleared my throat and clasped my hands behind my back. "Well," I said slowly. "I may have expressed my...interest in how Alice Woods died, given that the facts of the case did not present as a suicide."

"How so?" There was a spark of interest in Miss Hunter's eyes.

At least she was willing to hear me out. "Well, as I believe I mentioned before, despite what Constable Miller believes regarding a lovesick girl who might end her life when her heart is broken, Alice Wood had no gentleman friend. Such would have been difficult to hide from her roommate, who was quite emphatic that she knew of no such friend."