Page 64 of Smoke Show

I shook my head. Not that I knew of. Security at the high school was generally tight. I kept the access to the roof locked at all times. Weather damage seemed most likely, but I couldn't rule out something more intentional. Not with the Winter Warmth Auction so close.

"Well, we'll get you patched up. But you need to keep everyone out of the gym for about a week. We'll reseal, then come back to inspect before we clear it for occupancy."

"Thanks, Bill."

The old man nodded. "No problem."

I returned to my desk after briefing my office staff and making arrangements to reschedule our winter break assembly. The students would be disappointed, but without the gym, we didn't have a space large enough to host the whole school.

I collapsed in my office chair, relieved to have a moment off my feet, before reaching for my phone.

Brady: What's the verdict? Move the event date, or shift to another space?

Eve: Do you think you'd overlook the auditorium food rules and let us host there instead?

It was doable.

Brady: Is there enough room for the ticket holders?

Eve: Barely. We'd do the auction on stage, but need different space for the silent auction. It might not get as much traffic.

Brady: We'll make it work. Let me know how I can help.

I wished I could see her, give her a hug, but we both had work to do if pivoting to the auditorium was going to work. I scrambled into action, meeting with Kristen in the auditorium to run through the revised plan. Together, we pulled tables from storage and staged them at the back of the auditorium, ready to pull into the hall for the silent auction.

The office texted me that a sheriff's deputy had arrived to meet me at the office as we finished, and I thanked Kristen before heading back to the front of the school.

"Hey, Principal Gleason," Terry Warren greeted me.

"Nice to see you, Terry," I said, extending a hand to the younger man.

He looked unbearably young with his babyface and bright blue eyes. The tan uniform did little to help, though he had the authoritative posture down pat.

I shared Bill's assessment of the roof, explaining my suspicions. Terry scratched his head.

"Not really sure what we can do, Brady. Sounds like it could have been natural causes, but I'll take a look around."

"I'd appreciate that," I said, biting back my frustration.

Maybe my suspicions were unfounded, but the timing of our roof collapse still struck me as suspect. If someone were looking to sabotage Eve’s event, damaging the school was one surefire way to wreak havoc.

I hated that my school and my students had gotten caught in the crossfire. Whoever was messing with Gwen and her crew was really starting to piss me off. I could excuse the pranks in the fall as silly. No one had been hurt. Other than a little bit of graffiti, no real damage had been done. The incidents had been more disruptive than dangerous. But if someone had compromised the roof, that was another matter altogether. Every protective instinct roared at the prospect that Eve might be in danger.

After school, I made a beeline for Fierce Ink. Seeing Eve, reassuring myself that she was fine, had become a driving need. Maybe it was silly, but I couldn't help myself.

She glanced up from a client, smiling at me.

"Hey, Brady. I'm just finishing up here. Give me a few minutes."

"Yes, dear. We're just about done."

I blanched. "Mom?"

A familiar hand waved at me, and I slowly recognized the rest of her. She was laying face down, reclined on Eve's tattoo bed. One shoulder was exposed, but I couldn't make out the design.

"You're getting a tattoo?" I asked, stating the obvious.

"It's a gift for your father," she said, as if that explained everything.

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