Chapter 7

My phone rang.

It was an unknown number.

I answered, and Betty's voice came through. "Mrs. Bennett, I'm at the back door of the Nolan residence. Ms. Emily asked me to make her some herbal soup for her pregnancy.

"I noticed a bottle of medicine in her bag. It looked exactly like the one I found in the kitchen trash the other day."

I stood up.

David immediately asked, "What's wrong?"

Betty's voice was shaking. "I took a photo, but she caught me. She said she's going to call the police and accuse me of stealing. Mrs. Bennett, what should I do?"

Emily's voice came through the phone. "Betty, what are you doing hiding here with my things?"

Betty panicked. "Ms. Emily, I didn't."

Emily's voice was gentle. "Your son's teacher called me. Someone reported your family for bad behavior. Betty, if people hear about this, do you think your son will still be able to compete?"

Betty started crying. "Ms. Emily, my son is innocent."

"So, isn't my child innocent?"

I gripped my phone tightly. "Betty, give her the phone."

Betty hesitated, afraid to do it.

Emily heard me and let out a laugh. "Claire, who are you trying to save now? You can't even keep your own child safe."

Olivia rushed over and snatched the phone. "Emily, watch your mouth."

Emily stayed calm. "Olivia? So, you're here too. That article you published really cost the Nolan family a lot. James says he's about to sue you."

Olivia shot back, "Let him try. I'll be waiting."

I said, "Emily, you'd better keep that bottle of medicine safe."

Her voice softened. "Claire, are you going to accuse me of something I didn't do again? The Nolan family's security cameras will prove I'm innocent."

The call ended.

David had already grabbed his car keys. "Are we going to the Nolan residence?"

I shook my head. "We're going to Betty's son's school."

Olivia looked surprised. "Why?"

I said, "Emily always goes for the jugular. She won't go after Betty tonight. She'll go after Betty's son first."

My grandmother looked at me and nodded. "Go. The Bennett family's car will follow you."

At the school gate, Betty's son was being brought out by the dean of students. A few parents stood nearby, gossiping in hushed voices.

A woman in a fur coat jabbed her finger at Betty's son and yelled, "Kids from families like theirs shouldn't be allowed in the competition at all.

"If the parents steal from the people they work for, how can the kid be any better?"

Betty stood off to the side, crying so hard she couldn't even get a word out.

I walked over. "Who said she stole anything?"

The woman in the fur coat looked me up and down. "Who are you?"

I said, "She's taken care of me in the past."

The dean of students frowned. "Ma'am, we're handling a parent complaint right now."

I asked, "Where's the evidence for this complaint?"

The woman in the fur coat pulled out her phone. "Mrs. Nolan said it herself. How could it be fake?"

On the screen was a voice message Margaret had sent to the parents' group chat: "Betty's been caught stealing and has already been fired by the Nolan family. If her son participates in the competition, it'll damage the school's reputation."

Betty buried her face in her hands. "I didn't steal. I didn't."

I turned to the dean of students. "You're really going to kick a kid out because of a rumor?"

The dean of students hesitated.

The woman in the fur coat sneered. "The Nolan family? You really think they'd accuse a maid of something she didn't do?"

I pulled out my phone and dialed the number David had found. "Mr. Cox, this is Claire. Mrs. Bennett wants to know. Do you pick students for their talent, or because the Nolan family says so?"

The dean of students' face changed instantly.

On the other end, Adams's voice was rushed. "Ms. Winters, you're at the gate? I'll be right there."

The woman in the fur coat's expression froze.

Olivia folded her arms and smirked. "Weren't you so loud? Go on, keep talking."

A few minutes later, the principal, Adams Cox, hurried over, his tie crooked. "Ms. Winters, this is all a misunderstanding."

I said, "Don't give me that misunderstanding excuse. Put the kid back in the competition right now. And if anyone's accusing Betty of stealing, they'd better have some real evidence."

Adams nodded immediately.

The woman in the fur coat protested, "So, whatever she says goes now, Mr. Cox? What about the Nolan family?"

Adams gave her a sharp look. "This school doesn't belong to the Nolan family."

Betty hugged her son, sobbing.

The boy looked up at me. "Ma'am, can I still compete?"

I crouched down. "Yes, you can. Do your best."

Betty shoved a photo into my hand. "Mrs. Nolan, this is the bottle I snapped a picture of."

In the photo, the white bottle was half-hidden by Emily's bag.

There was a handwritten label stuck to the cap. It read: [Sleeping Pills.]

I stared at those words.

David suddenly spoke up, "This isn't something you'd find at a regular pharmacy."

I asked, "Where did it come from?"

He glanced at me. "The hospital's internal pharmacy."

The photo was a clue, not real evidence.

David said we needed to get our hands on the actual bottle, or find the pharmacy records.

The next day, I went to the hospital.

Olivia insisted on coming with me, cursing under her breath the whole way. "Emily's got a mind filthier than a sewer. Bet she's already trashed that bottle."

I said, "She won't."

Olivia asked, "Why?"

"She'll hang onto it. She's not done with it yet."

Olivia went quiet for a few seconds, then cursed even louder. "She's such a bitch."

In the hospital lobby, Emily was sitting in a wheelchair, with James pushing her. Margaret was carrying a thermos, looking nervous.

When they saw me, their faces fell.

Emily spoke first, "Claire, what brings you here?"

I glanced at the blanket covering her legs. "You're in the hospital, so I came to see how you're doing."

Margaret stepped in front of her. "She doesn't need you here. Don't upset her."

James looked at me, sounding exhausted. "Claire, can you stop stirring things up? Emily was so freaked out last night that she didn't sleep a wink."

I asked, "What's she so afraid of?"

Emily clung to James's hand. "Claire, I'm scared you'll hit me again."

I said, "There are cameras here."

She lowered her head, her voice even softer. "Even with cameras, it might not clear my name. You always manage to have someone in your corner."

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Sounds like you're talking about yourself."

James frowned. "Olivia, if you keep badmouthing Emily, I'll have security throw you out."

Olivia smirked. "Go ahead, let's see if the Nolan family's security can actually run the hospital."