Inner Demons

30. Anything For Drake's Girl

Mrs. Ashworth knocked on the door to the study.

"Harper? Is everything okay in there?"

Crap.

I zipped the bag and stood. "Just finishing up," I said. I made sure everything looked exactly the same as when I'd come in, then opened the door. My heart was racing. "Thanks again for the clothes. I really appreciate it."

"Oh, it's no problem at all," she said. "Anything for Drake's girl."

I almost gagged. Could this night possibly get any worse?

"Here, let me take that dress. I'll have it dry-cleaned for you," she said. She tried to take the plastic bag from my hand, but I pulled it away.

"No thanks," I said. "I've got it."

She pressed her lips together and folded her arms across her chest. "All right, dear. Let me know if you need anything downstairs. Are you hungry at all?"

The thought of food made me nauseated. "Why are we here?"

She raised her eyebrows. "We just want to make sure all of you are safe, that's all."

"You don't think Jackson killed that girl, do you?"

"I hardly think now is the time to discuss this," she said. "Miss Carr, will you escort Harper back to the basement, please?"

"Wait," I said. Obviously my ultra-direct questions weren't going to work. "I'm just really scared. You have to understand that. Why would you bring us here unless you thought we were in some kind of danger? Please, can you at least tell me what's going on out there?"

Mrs. Ashworth sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Everything is going to be okay. In time, I promise I'll explain everything to you, but not tonight. Miss Carr?"

I made my way back down to the basement, my mind full of new questions. The dagger from the black bag was an exact match to the one that killed Morgyn. I'd been so certain the dark figure in the gym was an Other, but now I couldn't be sure. How would the Others have gotten hold of one of the Order's sacred ritual daggers?

The actual dagger that killed Morgyn had been taken into evidence by Officer Grey at the school. I saw him put it into a large plastic bag. That meant there were at least two daggers that looked exactly the same. Possibly more. If I could figure out the significance of the dagger, maybe I could also figure out who killed Morgyn Baker.