Sally Singletary's Curiosity (The Sally Singletary Book 1) (3 page)

Yasif was silent for a moment.

“I know you don’t like him, but we’re going to need his help right now.” She glanced up as they drove deeper into the city.

“I’ll do what I can.” He sounded reluctant.

She knew she could count on him though. “Oh, and, Yasif…”

“Yeah?” he responded expectantly.

“You think you could get into Billy and Daniel’s room before they go in and clean it out?”

Silence passed for a moment. “I can try. It shouldn’t be hard, considering Shayne was usually the one watching the halls at night.”

“I’m sorry I’m not there with you, Yaz. You know I’d be at your side if I hadn’t already made plans to see Mom.”

“It’s okay.” His tone wasn’t terribly convincing, but she understood; the stakes were much higher than usual. They had exposed a few minor scandals at the school—at least by teenage standards—but this was potentially more dangerous than anything they had done before.

Sympathetically, she said, “Text me later, okay?”

“Okay.” The phone clicked, the connection broken.

She immediately checked her Facebook page, scrolling through the list of posts to see if anyone was talking about the events at the school—a couple random comments, but nothing substantial. She would have to keep a sharp eye out.

She flipped over to Twitter to see how much information had leaked to the media. The hashtags #hiddenlake and #missingkids were already trending. As soon as Lani’s story had aired, there was a sharp increase in mentions. This was something the stations would milk for a few days, especially if they kept playing the angle that a female teacher kidnapped three boys. “Disgusting pigs.”

“I’m sorry?” The cab driver’s eyes appeared in the rearview.

“Nothing. Just something on my phone. Sorry!”

He smiled politely.

She scrunched her nose. How could they think Mrs. Conley would do such a thing? Anything for a story, right? It was stuff like this that made Sally question being a journalist. Sensationalistic news seemed more important than the truth these days

She slipped her phone into her pocket and ran her fingers through her hair, glancing out of the window as evening settled over the city. The taxi merged onto the Downtown Connector that went straight through the heart of Atlanta. Reflections cast off the buildings, giving everything around her a reddish hue. She felt detached, the scene before her surreal as if she were looking on the city through someone else’s eyes. The disappearances had rattled her; she hadn’t truly faced what she had seen.

They exited at Peachtree, and Sally took to watching the people walk along the sidewalks as the vehicle inched through evening traffic. The cab stopped at a red light. Sally’s gaze settled on a man staring at his phone. But what caught her attention was the fact that he wore a top hat. It seemed jarringly out of place. It wasn’t the oddest thing about him, either. Something seemed off, as though he simply didn’t belong. Still glued to his phone, he passed a black cat in an alcove and nearly stepped on the poor creature. Sally screamed out, but stopped herself, realizing he couldn’t hear her anyway. How can people be so careless? The poor animal had been minding its own business.

But wait…the cat wasn’t just simply sitting there. It was watching the man, giving him the evil eye even for almost trampling on its tail. Then the animal stood and followed. Sally narrowed her eyes. She swore it moved after him as though with a purpose. In fact, it looked as if it was following him. Sally shook her head, sure she’d begun to lose her mind, but sure enough, the feline continued after him. It didn’t follow the way a pet would after an owner. It was more calculated, the way a predator would stalk its prey. It crouched low, as though readying to pounce.

This was crazy! It was just a stupid cat!

Traffic slowed.

Sally moved to get a glimpse at what was causing the problem and saw a construction worker directing traffic. It would take a while to get through. She sat back and returned her attention to the strange cat.

Her eyes bugged out. Had it gotten bigger?

She stared in disbelief. The cat was at least twice its previous size. A moment later, it had grown even more. Its body began to swell, its legs lengthen. A moment later, it stood upright on two legs.

“What?” She rubbed her eyes.

“Pardon?” The cabbie’s eyes once again appeared in the mirror.

“Oh, never mind, just a purse that I wanted.” She didn’t want the cabbie to think she’d completely lost her mind, though she wasn’t sure herself she hadn’t.

The driver shook his head.

First the disappearance at the school, now this? She seriously considered making an appointment with the counselor, Mrs. Stone.

As if to confirm her insanity, the cat had taken a form identical to the man with the top hat. It continued after him, following about two steps behind.

Sally wanted to scream at him, to tell the man in front to get his nose out of his phone! A nearby woman glanced at the twin men with mild surprise. Sally was happy to know she wasn’t the only one who saw them. The woman, however, must have figured the two were merely brothers. She shrugged and continued on her way.

The urge came upon Sally to tell the cab driver to pull over and let her out, but what would she do? Confront the man? What if it really was his twin and she’d just hallucinated the cat? What if it had just been a trick of the light? What would she do then? Go up to him and say, “Hey, mister, did you know you have a cat behind you who looks like your twin?”

Now that would be embarrassing!

Once they’d passed the construction, the cab sped up, and she lost sight of the man. A small part of her wanted to go looking for him, but her mother was expecting her, and she still wasn’t completely sure of what she’d seen.

When the taxi stopped again, Sally got out, glanced up at the familiar slim building in front of her, and forgot all about the man and the cat. She was home.

She pushed her hair behind one ear and leaned into the cab, handing the driver her card. After retrieving her bag and the card, she went in.

The Spire was a bit fancy for Sally’s taste, the entrance sitting area consisting of polished marble floors and peach columns. Expensive paintings and artwork hung on the muted tan walls. Half-circle areas of carpeting on either side gave space for guests to sit on couches in the lobby. None of it had changed in the ten years they’d lived there. The familiarity of it was oddly calming.

The elevator was full of passengers. Several more crowded in after her, and Sally found herself pushed toward the back. She let out a breath as the doors slid closed, feeling safe behind so many bodies. Just before they touched, though, the doors stopped abruptly—a hand appearing between them, causing them to slide open again. She couldn’t see the person who was rude enough to stop the elevator, and he might have gone unnoticed altogether if not for the reflection of his top hat in the mirrored walls of the lift.

Sally froze, her eyes wide, her muscles refusing to budge. Could it be? Shifting as best she could, she caught a glance of his face in the reflection.

She shuddered, the oddness of his features more apparent now that she’d gotten a closer look—though no one else seemed to notice. His eyes were a bit off, his nose a bit too small, his skin a bit too pale. The others were just annoyed at his attempt to squeeze into the already full elevator.

What was he doing there? She stared at his image in the mirrored surface as if she could read his life history from the reflection. Was this mere coincidence that he lived in the same building as her mother? The thought made Sally shudder.

The doors closed again and the elevator began its upward journey, leaving Sally’s stomach on the first floor. It stopped several times, people sliding around as one by one they exited. Sally couldn’t take her gaze off the man.

At floor fourteen, the doors slid open and the man stepped off. Just before passing out of view, he turned and glanced at Sally—a subtle look? It could have been just a passing glimpse, but it was enough to send chills up her spine. She wrapped her arms around her bag, pulling it close to her body as though it would protect her from harm. For no reason other than her own irrational fear, her heart pumped like mad. By the time she arrived on the twentieth floor, only three passengers remained, but her nerves still buzzed with fear.

Sally stepped out of the lift, moving quickly down the long hall toward her mother’s apartment, her gaze darting back and forth as though she expected Mr. Top Hat to pop out from each and every doorway. She jabbed the doorbell with her finger, shifting nervously on her feet. An echo from the opposite end of the hall made her scream out. To her embarrassment, it turned out to be an old man with a cane entering the hall.

“Calm down,” she said aloud. “Why are you being so stupid?” Pausing to take a deep breath, she remembered her keycard and wondered why she’d bothered with the doorbell in the first place. Swiping her card, she pushed the door open and swooped inside. For the moment, she was safe.

“WELCOME HOME!”
Her mother’s voice rang out.

Sally let out a yelp, grabbing her chest in fright. She could feel the pounding of her heart along with the embarrassment over being afraid of an empty hall. She took deep breaths to calm her nerves.

“What a way to greet your mother!” The woman smiled and held out her arms.

“I’m sorry, Mom, it’s been a really weird day.” Sally dropped her bag and embraced her mother.

“We can talk about it over some nice hot chocolate.” Her mother looked old—older than she should have, anyway. It was clear she still wasn’t sleeping well.

“Are you okay?” Sally asked.

“Of course, dear.” She put on a big smile. “You know me.”

Sally knew. Her mother spent most nights watching television or reading magazines—not doing the thing most people did at night, sleep.

“I’m so glad to see you, honey! I wish you’d come by more often.” She had been smoking again, the rasp in her voice more defined. Sally caught herself before commenting; now wasn’t the time.

“I know, Mother. I have a lot of responsibilities with the Hi-Li and I’m graduating soon, remember?”

Her mother put her hands on her face and started crying. “My little girl!”

“Please, Mom! I’ve had a really rough day.” She kissed her mother on the cheek and then escaped to her bedroom, not in the mood for hysterics. As soon as her bag hit the floor, she fell onto the bed, letting her mind relax for the first time since she had left the school.

She stared up at the ceiling for a while, trying to force the strange things she’d seen from her mind. She kept expecting the guy with the top hat to show up any second.

She didn’t know what to make of the man or the disappearances. How could something as ridiculous as a shape-changing cat exist? She felt insane. How would she tell Yasif? He barely believed her about the disappearances.

After a time, Sally felt ready to face her mother and made her way back into the living room. Darkness had consumed the city visible through the large windows behind the couch. As expected, her mother was buried in the cushions, watching TV. She rose without saying a word, offering up a spot as she retreated into the kitchen. A few minutes later, she returned with steaming mugs of hot cocoa and handed one to Sally. They sat together with the view of the city at their backs, sipping the creamy warm beverage for a while without a word.

“I started smoking again.” Her mother’s voice broke the silence like the crack of a whip.

Sally jumped slightly. “I could tell.”

“I’m sorry,” her mother replied.

“It’s your life, Mom. I just had hoped that you’d be around long enough for me to enjoy it with you.” Sally sipped her hot chocolate.

Her mother nodded. “I’ll quit again.”

“You said that the last three times.” Sally sighed. She didn’t mean to be dismissive of her mother’s efforts; she just didn’t have much patience after everything that had happened.

Her mother lowered her mug. “If you visit more, I promise I’ll quit for good.”

Sally’s mug cracked against the glass table as she set it down. “Is that how it works now? You’re bribing me?”

Her mother stared into her beverage as if she could pull words from its midst. “I just meant…”

Sally sighed. “No, I’m sorry, Mom. I shouldn’t have said it like that. I’m just a bit on edge.”

Her mother gave her a worried look.

Needing to change the subject, Sally pulled the acceptance letter from her pocket.

Her mother looked at it, slightly confused. Sally motioned for her to open it. She unfolded the piece of white paper, her eyes moving back and forth as she read the words on the page. “Oh, my goodness! Honey, I’m so proud of you!” She immediately leaned over and hugged Sally.

They talked for a time about graduation plans, preparations for college, and visiting the campus, until a news story came on the television that distracted the conversation. A Republican senator had been chosen as running mate for the frontrunner in the upcoming presidential election.

Sally rolled her eyes with disgust. “He’s actually going to be our vice president?”

“The election is still a few months away,” her mother commented. “No matter what he’s done in the past, he’s still your father.”

Sally scoffed. “Some father!”

Her mother gestured around the apartment. “We have all these things because of him.”

“What good are all these things when I don’t even know the man and can’t tell anyone who he really is?” Sally crossed her arms. “I wish I’d never found out about him.”

Because of her obsessive curiosity as a child, Sally had discovered a letter that revealed the truth about her father and mother’s affair, the result of which was Sally. Her mother had been working as his secretary at the time, and after his wife found out, he fired her mother, but in exchange for their silence he made sure they were well taken care of; it was what allowed Sally to go to Hidden Lake School.

Sally stared at the man on the TV with an angry expression. “If it weren’t for him, maybe things would’ve been better.”