Page 54 of Did You See Evie

I can’t stop thinking about everything that’s transpired since Friday night.

Evie’s disappearance.

My confrontations with Nadia.

The visit from Detective Fields, and Connor’s lie.

Why would Connor insist he was home all night on Friday? His visit to the school lasted a mere ten minutes, hours before Evie’s abduction. Why not be upfront about it?

The glass on my office door rattles. I’ve just sat down at my desk for my planning period, and the noise startles me. I’d been looking forward to a few minutes alone, even if that only means more time with my thoughts.

The door opens and Kelly pokes her head inside. “Cass, you have a minute?”

“Sure,” I say, sitting behind my desk. “The day is almost over.”

“Has it been as long for you as it has been for me?” she asks, plopping into the worn armchair across from me.

“Longer,” I say. I force myself to smile, to appear friendly.

That’s why I’m surprised when she says, “I want to talk about the team.”

“What about them?” I ask, noting the way she phrases the statement is odd. In the past few days, all anyone wants to talk about is Evie. Where did she go? Who is she with? What can we do to help find her?

The other girls on the team have been an afterthought.

“I know we’re all worried sick over Evie,” she says. “I still can’t believe it, and the more time that passes, the more anxious I feel. How do you think the girls have been holding up?”

Ah, there it is. Kelly is a compassionate teacher, always in tune with her students’ emotions. As difficult as Evie’s disappearance has been on the adults in her life, I can’t imagine how alarming it must be to her peers.

“I’ve spoken with some of them more than others,” I say. “They seem to be holding up as best as they can, given the circumstances.”

Kelly leans forward, lowering her voice, even though we’re the only two in the room. “Rumor is the family is off the suspect list.”

I nod. “The mother and boyfriend have a solid alibi for Friday night. Evie’s home life has its risks, but the police don’t think it’s anything tied to her disappearance.”

“If it’s not them, who could it be?” Kelly leans back again, almost as though she’s disappointed with that response. “Tell me. How were the girls treating Evie on the night of the lock-in?”

Again, the way she phrases her question strikes me. I sit up straighter, recalling, for what must be the dozenth time, everything I remember from that night.

“It was a normal night,” I say. “As far as their interactions went.”

“Evie didn’t seem bothered? They weren’t ganging up on her?”

I think back to the night in question, but all I feel is frustration. I shake my head. “Kelly, I’m not following what you’re getting at.”

“I take it Mr. Lake never came to you with my concerns,” she says, fiddling with the hem of her shirt.

“Concerns about what?”

She raises her head and locks eyes with me. “Some of the girls on your team were bullying Evie. They have been for weeks.”

“Bullying?”

It’s not a word that’s thrown around as flippantly as it was during my youth, especially in the educational setting. In years past, there have been situations where students have been expelled from school for targeting a particular student. Kelly—an English teacher—is careful with her words, and her tone conveys an added layer of seriousness.

“I went to him about it weeks ago,” she says. “It’s been constant and consistent. Their other teachers have noticed, too. You hadn’t picked up anything?”

“There’s always banter back and forth during practices,” I say, “but it’s harmless. Part of the game. I’ve never seen any behavior I’d consider cruel.”

---