Chapter 5 - Leah Wakes UpLeah opened her eyes thirty-one hours after collapsing.
He was part of the investigation.
His brother, Marcus Whitaker, owned Ridge Educational Supply Services, the private contractor responsible for delivering laboratory equipment, cleaning chemicals, and medical supplies to all six schools in Franklin County.
Marcus also served on the Franklin Ridge School Foundation board.
His company donated equipment.
Sponsored science competitions.
Paid for scholarships.
Including the scholarship Sadie and Leah had both applied for.
Officer Keller ordered everyone into separate rooms.
Sadie sat inside the principal’s conference room with her mother while investigators photographed every page of Leah’s binder.
Through the glass wall, she watched Mr. Whitaker pacing.
He looked devastated.
Megan leaned toward her.
“Do you trust him?”
“I don’t know.”
“Yesterday?”
“I did.”
“And now?”
Sadie watched him.
“Now I think he’s scared of his brother.”
Keller entered twenty minutes later.
He closed the door.
“Evan has given us a statement.”
“What did he say?”
“Leah began investigating missing supplies about two months ago.”
“Why?”
“She works part-time in the nurse’s office during free period.”
Sadie remembered.
Leah was planning to become a nurse.
“She noticed prescription medication quantities weren’t matching the sign-out sheets,” Keller continued. “At first she thought it was a clerical error.”
“But it wasn’t.”
“No.”
He placed copies of two documents on the table.
“According to these records, the district purchased far more medication than school nurses reported receiving.”
Megan frowned.
“How much more?”
“Potentially tens of thousands of dollars worth.”
Sadie stared.
“So someone was stealing it.”
“Possibly.”
“And selling it?”
“Possibly.”
“Why would chemistry supplies matter?”
“Some chemicals can be used for illegal manufacturing.”
Megan immediately raised one hand.
“Let’s not get into technical details.”
Keller nodded.
“Fair enough.”
Sadie thought of the black liquid Leah had consumed.
“Was Leah poisoned?”
“We’re still analyzing the vial.”
“Did she take it voluntarily?”
“We don’t know.”
Evan apparently believed Leah had been gathering evidence because she did not trust administrators.
Sadie now understood the notebook message.
DO NOT TRUST THE SCHOOL OFFICE.
“Why didn’t Leah go to police?”
“She planned to.”
“When?”
“Yesterday afternoon.”
Sadie’s stomach tightened.
“What stopped her?”
Keller looked at her.
“She received a message saying someone had photographs proving her father was involved.”
Sadie frowned.
“Her dad?”
“Greg Benson drives delivery trucks for Ridge Educational Supply.”
Everything connected too easily.
Leah’s father worked for Marcus Whitaker.
Whitaker’s company delivered suspicious supplies.
Leah discovered missing medication.
Then someone threatened her family.
Keller continued.
“Evan says Leah arranged to meet someone in the chemistry lab this morning before class.”
“Who?”
“He doesn’t know.”
Sadie remembered arriving early.
The room had been empty.
Or she thought it had.
“What time?”
“7:30.”
“I got there at 7:41.”
“Did you see anything?”
Sadie replayed the morning.
The lights had been on.
One stool was overturned.
Mr. Whitaker’s preparation room door had been slightly open.
She had heard a sound.
At the time, she assumed it was the ventilation system.
“A cabinet closed.”
“What?”
“When I walked in, I heard something in the prep room.”
Keller’s eyes sharpened.
“Did you check?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“I thought Mr. Whitaker was there.”
Keller stood.
“Stay here.”
He left.
Ten minutes later, two forensic technicians entered the chemistry wing.
Sadie watched them disappear into the laboratory preparation room.
Mr. Whitaker approached the conference room.
Keller stopped him.
“You’re not going in there.”
“This is my classroom.”
“It’s a crime scene.”
Whitaker’s jaw tightened.
“I have taught here for nineteen years.”
“And your brother’s company is connected to evidence recovered from a student who nearly died.”
“Marcus is not me.”
“Then help me separate you.”
Whitaker looked toward Sadie.
She could hear every word through the partly open conference room door.
“My brother and I haven’t spoken outside family obligations in almost two years.”
“Why?”
Whitaker hesitated.
“Because I accused him of stealing from the district.”
Sadie stood.
Keller stared.
“When?”
“Last October.”
“And you didn’t report it?”
“I had no proof.”
“So you did nothing.”
“I confronted him.”
“That is not the same thing.”
“He threatened to destroy my career.”
“With what?”
Whitaker looked toward Sadie again.
Then away.
“My history.”
Megan stepped into the hallway.
“What history?”
Whitaker removed his glasses.
“Fourteen years ago, I became addicted to prescription pain medication after back surgery.”
Sadie stared.
“I got treatment. I’ve been sober thirteen years. But Marcus knew the district would never look at me the same way if he exposed it publicly.”
Keller’s expression remained hard.
“So he blackmailed you.”
“Yes.”
“About stolen medication.”
“Yes.”
“And yesterday Leah told you she had evidence.”
Whitaker nodded.
“She asked whether I would help her understand the chemistry inventory.”
“Did you?”
“Yes.”
“What did you discover?”
Whitaker looked shaken.
“Several shipments were fake.”
“Meaning?”
“The purchase orders showed supplies arriving that never entered my laboratory.”
“Who signed for them?”
Whitaker’s voice dropped.
“I did.”
Sadie frowned.
“But you said they never arrived.”
“They didn’t.”
Keller stepped closer.
“Then how did your signature get there?”
Whitaker looked toward the floor.
“Because someone copied it.”
The forensic technician appeared in the doorway.
“Officer Keller?”
Everyone turned.
“We found something.”
They entered the preparation room.
Inside, one metal cabinet had been pulled away from the wall.
Behind it was a narrow maintenance panel.
The technician held up a small plastic evidence pouch.
Inside was a burner phone.
Keller looked at Whitaker.
“Yours?”
“No.”
The technician pressed the power button.
The phone came alive.
Only one conversation appeared.
Four messages.
The first had been sent at 7:18 that morning.
LEAH KNOWS.
Second:
USE SADIE. EVERYONE ALREADY THINKS THEY’RE COMPETING.
Third:
THE SIX PILLS ARE IN PLACE.
And the fourth had been sent at 8:04.
The exact minute Leah collapsed.
IF SHE TALKS, WE ALL GO DOWN.
Sadie looked at the sender information.
The messages came from a contact saved under one name.
M.D.
Principal Margaret Danner stood behind them in the doorway.
She saw the screen.
Then quietly said:
“My husband’s initials are M.D.”
Nobody moved.
Principal Danner’s face slowly changed.
“My husband is Marcus Danner.”
Officer Keller stared at her.
Sadie felt the room tilt.
The principal’s maiden name was Danner.
Her married name had never been used professionally.
May you like
And suddenly Leah’s warning made terrible sense.
DO NOT TRUST THE SCHOOL OFFICE.
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