Revealed Read Free

dimensions didn’t concern me any more than the stale smell of coffee that hovered over everything. All I cared about was the answer to my question, and it stood directly behind the chair I took.
    A door.
    A door that, given what I knew about the location of Thornhill’s office, could only lead to one place.
    â€œSo—Henry Bennett.”
    â€œHal,” I corrected him. “Nobody calls me Henry.” When I’m in trouble with one of my parents, I get called Henry, so what I’d just said wasn’t entirely true. But I had the feeling I was going to be telling Officer . . . Nick Marciano (according to his name tag) many things that weren’t entirely true in this interview.
    â€œHal,” he repeated, but it was clear he couldn’t have cared less what my name was. Leaning back in his chair, he crossed his arms in front of his chest and looked up at the ceiling, like he was reading a script off the fluorescent light that buzzed above us. “So . . . Hal.” His voice was casual, almost friendly. “Why do you think I’ve called you in here? You and your friends Nia and Callie?”
    â€œUm . . . you’re lonely?” I offered.
    In a nanosecond, laid-back-musing-at-the-ceiling Officer Marciano was replaced with scary-finger-in-Hal’s-face Officer Marciano. “Don’t get smart with me, Hal Bennett. A man was nearly killed in that room on Friday night.” He pointed to the door behind me. “Someone smashed the security cameras, entered the building, and attacked the vice principal of the school. I want to know what you know about it.”
    â€œBut, sir, why would I know anything about Mr. Thornhill’s attack?” I asked. It was true. I may have known some things about Thornhill that I wasn’t supposed to know. And I’d definitely done some things I wasn’t supposed to have done. But I had no idea who’d attacked him or why.
    â€œYes, why indeed, Hal Bennett. Why would the three people who created ‘The’”—he looked down again at the sheet in front of him—“‘Amanda Project’ know anything about a mysterious attack on Roger Thornhill.”
    I was so surprised I couldn’t not react. “What!?”
    I’d expected to be asked about breaking into Thornhill’s car or maybe even the downloaded surveillance footage we took from his computer (could they tell that when they did forensics on his computer? Can they even do forensics at the Orion Police Department?) but what did The Amanda Project website have to do with the vice principal getting clobbered?
    Officer Marciano was pleased by my surprise, you could tell. “Oh, now we’re getting somewhere, aren’t we?” His voice was both threatening and sickly sweet, a honey-dipped switchblade. “Yes, Hal ”—there was something so creepy about the way he said my name that I wished, suddenly, I’d just let him go on calling me Henry—“you and your friends thought you could put one over on us, didn’t you? You thought—”
    â€œOh my god, I can’t take it anymore !” The voice that came from the outer office was high-pitched and hysterical, and I immediately recognized it as Callie’s. For a second, I wanted to push Officer Marciano out of the way and run and comfort her, but just as my leg muscles tensed, I realized what was happening.
    My diversion.
    â€œYou have to relax! It’s going to be okay.” Despite her calming words, Nia’s voice sounded almost as hysterical as Callie’s. “Callie, don’t!”
    â€œGirls! Girls!” the secretary cried.
    Officer Marciano was on his feet and out the door in a split second. “What is going on out here, ladies?” The door closed automatically behind him.
    All I heard was the first part of Nia’s response, “Callie’s completely—” before I, too, was on my feet and out the