Chapter 13: The Vice Principal Vanished
Chapter 13: The Vice Principal Vanished
The words echoed through the gym.
"Vice Principal Reeves disappeared less than thirty minutes ago."
No one reacted immediately.
The statement was so unexpected that it took several seconds for everyone to process what they had heard.
Dr. Evelyn Brooks stood up instantly.
"What do you mean he disappeared?"
The investigator checked his phone again.
"After giving his statement, he was escorted to the administrative offices to wait for formal questioning."
He swallowed.
"When another investigator returned to bring him to the conference room..."
"...he was gone."
A murmur swept through the gym.
Jonathan Vale's expression became serious.
"Were officers assigned to watch him?"
"Yes."
"They reported that Reeves received what appeared to be an emergency phone call."
"They looked away for less than a minute."
"When they turned back..."
"...he had vanished."
Richard Carter frowned.
"So he ran."
The investigator slowly shook his head.
"We're not certain."
Anna remained silent.
She stared toward the open gym doors as if replaying every moment in her mind.
Jonathan noticed.
"What are you thinking?"
Anna answered quietly.
"People who intend to confess don't usually run away."
Everyone turned toward her.
"They run before confessing."
She looked toward the flash drive lying on the table.
"But Reeves confessed first."
She paused.
"That doesn't fit."
Dr. Brooks nodded thoughtfully.
"I was thinking the same thing."
One of the investigators stepped forward carrying a printed map of the campus.
"We've already searched the main administration building."
"The library."
"The parking lot."
"The athletic fields."
"No sign of him."
Jonathan tapped his silver cane lightly against the floor.
"What about security cameras?"
The investigator sighed.
"That's another problem."
"What problem?"
"The cameras covering the east hallway stopped recording for exactly six minutes."
The room grew quiet again.
"Technical failure?"
Jonathan asked.
The investigator shook his head.
"No."
"They were manually disabled."
Another investigator hurried into the gym carrying a laptop.
"Superintendent."
"I've finished reviewing the access logs."
Dr. Brooks looked up.
"What did you find?"
"The security system wasn't hacked."
"It was accessed using an authorized administrator account."
Principal Howard frowned.
"But only a handful of people have those permissions."
"Correct."
The investigator enlarged the report.
"Three accounts attempted access."
"The first belongs to the former principal."
Howard immediately answered.
"That wasn't me."
"The timestamp shows my account was already logged out."
"We know."
The investigator nodded.
"The second account belongs to Vice Principal Reeves."
Everyone looked toward the empty hallway where Reeves had last been seen.
"And the third?"
The investigator hesitated.
His fingers stopped above the keyboard.
"The third account belongs to someone who wasn't even on campus today."
Confused whispers spread through the gym.
Dr. Brooks narrowed her eyes.
"Show us."
The investigator pressed Enter.
A name appeared.
Martin Graves
Silence.
Mrs. Foster frowned.
"I've never heard that name."
Neither had most teachers.
But Jonathan Vale immediately recognized it.
His expression hardened.
"Martin Graves..."
Richard Carter looked surprised.
"You know him?"
Jonathan nodded slowly.
"Unfortunately."
Anna looked toward her grandfather.
"Who is he?"
Jonathan took a long breath.
"He served on the District Partnership Office for nearly fifteen years."
"He oversaw relationships between private donors and public schools."
Dr. Brooks' face changed.
"That's impossible."
"He retired three years ago."
Jonathan looked directly at her.
"Officially."
The investigators quickly searched the district database.
One of them looked up in disbelief.
"Mr. Vale is correct."
"Martin Graves retired..."
"...but his administrator credentials were never deactivated."
A stunned silence followed.
Someone who officially no longer worked for the district...
Still possessed access to its highest-level systems.
Anna quietly looked at the screen.
"That means someone wanted him to keep access."
Jonathan nodded.
"Exactly."
The lead investigator suddenly raised another issue.
"There's something else."
He displayed a second report.
"Martin Graves' administrator account has been active twenty-seven times during the past six months."
Dr. Brooks stared at the screen.
"But according to personnel records..."
"...he shouldn't have been able to log in even once."
The realization struck everyone simultaneously.
Someone had been secretly using an inactive executive account.
For months.
Perhaps years.
Richard Carter folded his arms.
"So this Graves person is responsible?"
Anna shook her head.
"No."
Everyone looked at her.
She stepped closer to the screen.
"If someone wanted to hide..."
"They wouldn't use their own account."
She pointed at the monitor.
"They'd use an account nobody would question."
Jonathan smiled proudly.
"Good observation."
Dr. Brooks nodded.
"She's right."
"This account may be the disguise..."
"...not the person."
Just then, one of the security officers entered the gym at a brisk pace.
"Superintendent."
"We found Vice Principal Reeves' car."
"Where?"
"In the staff parking lot."
"And Reeves?"
The officer shook his head.
"The car is still there."
"The keys are still inside."
"But there's something unusual."
"What?"
The officer held up a transparent evidence bag.
Inside was Reeves' mobile phone.
Its screen was cracked.
There was dried dirt along one edge.
And taped to the back...
Was a folded piece of paper.
Dr. Brooks carefully unfolded it.
Only one sentence had been handwritten.
"Stop looking for me."
She turned the note over.
On the reverse side was another message.
Short.
Uneven.
Written in obvious haste.
"They know I talked."
A cold silence swept across the gym.
No one doubted it anymore.
Vice Principal Daniel Reeves hadn't simply disappeared.
Someone else now knew he had confessed.
May you like
And whoever that person was...
Had made the investigation far more dangerous than anyone had imagined.
