Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 96402 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 482(@200wpm)___ 386(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96402 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 482(@200wpm)___ 386(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
No one so much as coughed.
Afterward, I handed in my test and went out to the arboretum to hang out till my next exam. We got the same speech and modified test paper in Land Transfer.
It was official. The cheating ring was exposed before it could do a single one of the buyers any good. I hoped for their sakes they attempted to cram some studying in between whipping out their credit cards. Going by Nelson covering his sobs beside me, I’d guess not.
I dotted my last period. Gathering my things, I carried my test to the professor, catching him mid-conversation with a security guard.
“This is her,” she said. “Rainey, you need to go with Mr. Reynolds. The dean would like to see you.”
“Me? Why?”
“She’ll explain,” said Reynolds. He swept out his hand for me to go ahead of him.
I contemplated arguing and decided against it. I’d find out what was going on soon enough.
I trailed the guard outside and across campus to the administration building.
This was the quietest part of campus excluding the library. A broad staircase took us away from the hall of closed doors, all leading to a different office, and none of them letting a sound through.
At the top, Reynolds gestured for me to continue ahead. The dean’s office loomed at the end of the hall. I went inside—
“That’s a lie!”
Jeremy’s shout blew me back out. Dean Banks didn’t flinch.
“Mr. Ellis, I have told you for the last time to stop shouting and take your seat.” She flicked over his shoulder. “Rainey is here. Let’s hope she can clear this matter up.”
He spun on me. “Rainey, thank fuck. Get over here and back me up.”
I came into the room slowly, gazing around the grand space like something might pop out from behind the fern, or the wall of bookshelves would open up.
“You wanted to see me, Dean Banks?”
“Yes. Please, sit down.”
I claimed the chair next to Jeremy, darting between both of them for a clue to why I was here.
Dean Banks folded her hands atop a stack of folders.
“Rainey, as I’m sure you’ve heard by now, the school suffered a massive security breach and the midterms exams for multiple classes were stolen and sold. We had no idea this happened until the thief attempted to do it again. They tried to get into the room where we hold copies of the test, not knowing we went through a massive system overhaul after we discovered the arrow that almost killed Colton Binari was shot from the roof.”
“The roof?” I repeated, leaning in.
“Yes. Roof access is restricted to those with a code. Of course, I trust my staff completely, so the only explanation is an outsider got their hands on it. Hence why all were changed and the system upgraded.”
“Okay,” I drew out. “Then, why am I here?”
“Because while I don’t suspect Mr. Ellis of sneaking onto the roof with a bow and arrow, I do have reason to believe he and his friends stole and sold the midterms.”
“We didn’t do it!” Jeremy was up and out of his seat again. “How many times do I have to tell you we didn’t even know this shit was going on?”
“We reviewed the security cameras and noted multiple instances of a person with a Crow tattoo on their neck giving a red card to students. We questioned one such student and got them to hand it over. When I called the number on the card, they asked for my email and PayPal address. An hour later I had the answer key to the Chemistry II midterm.”
“We had nothing to do with it,” Jeremy gritted.
“My security team tracked down the number and it comes up as registered to a Jeremy Ellis.”
“Someone bought a phone in my name. That’s not proof.”
“We’ve also identified there were six people of differing heights and builds handing out red cards,” the dean plowed on. “They were careful not to look directly into a camera, but dear me, six people on this campus refer to themselves as Crows and have such a tattoo on their neck. Can you name them for me?”
I almost whistled. Damn, this lady does not play.
“I don’t give a shit what was on their necks. Anyone can slap on a crow sticker and hand out cards, but this time I can tell you exactly who they were. Your precious boy and his buddies. And Rainey can back me up.” He bent over me. “Tell her who really stole those tests.”
“Excuse me?”
Dean Banks took something out of her desk. “This is the clearest photo of the person who broke into administration. Mr. Ellis believes you can identify them.”
She held up a photo of a broad figure, half a face, and a baseball cap pulled low. A blur of black ink covered his neck. The resemblance struck me immediately.