Chapter 15 - The Bigger Fish.
Two weeks later, the Crestwood scandal was the biggest news story in the country.
Victor Hale was in federal custody, and the school was shut down pending a massive criminal investigation.
My mother and I were packing our tiny apartment, getting ready to move to a real house using the massive settlement the school board had been forced to pay us.
I was putting my old cardboard folder into a box when there was a soft knock at our front door.
I opened it to find a woman in a perfectly tailored white suit standing in the hallway.
She wasn't a reporter, and she didn't look like police.
"Ava Moore," she said, her voice smooth and chillingly polite.
"You caused my employers a great deal of trouble by closing down our little testing facility at Crestwood."
I felt a cold spike of dread in my stomach as I realized Hale hadn't been acting alone.
She handed me a black, unmarked envelope.
"The people I work for are very interested in a mind as sharp as yours," she whispered, leaning in close.
"We can be your greatest allies, or we can make sure you and your mother never see tomorrow."
Before I could say a word, she turned and walked away, disappearing into the shadows of the stairwell.
May you like
I looked down at the black envelope in my hands, realizing the war hadn't ended at all.
It had only just begun.
