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been a sham, hiding the true person inside. But now she was certain, Mr. Williams had been a good man, inside and out.
She just hoped she had lived up to his expectations, educating young people as he had, helping them see their true potential. It was too bad he wasn’t around to see the difference he’d made in her life and in so many other people’s. Maybe even Tiffany’s, who seemed to have come out better than most young girls in her situation.
Allie was ashamed of herself for once again falling for Meredith’s rumors—or nearly so. But on the heels of discovering those letters and Mr. Williams’s affair with Elizabeth Fratto, she was going to give herself some slack.
But thinking about those letters just depressed her. Sam actually thought she’d broken her promise and gone to the police. After everything they’d been through together, she’d have hoped he’d understand she could never betray him. If she had gone to the police, she wouldn’t have been so sneaky about it. So dishonest. She would have told him.
The coffee maker beeped loudly. She came to her feet and filled her mug. She’d barely returned the pot to the burner when the history teachers walked up, filled their mugs, and left without so much as a thanks. Sighing at their lack of manners, she sweetened her coffee per her usual ritual and returned to her seat.
A big question was hanging over her from her musings. If she hadn’t called the police, who had? There weren’t many people who knew about the affairs or the letters. Just her, Sam, and his mother—and it wasn’t as if Mrs. Fratto would have made an anonymous tip instead of just going to the police herself with the information. Jeremy hadn’t mentioned anything about the possibility that Mr. Williams had had an affair with a student, and she’d given him several opportunities to reveal that knowledge.
She was missing something.
She looked up to find Señora Sanchez staring at her from over the rim of her tea cup. Not just staring at her, more like…studying her. Carefully.
A prickle of alarm hit Allie. When had the room cleared?
Señora Sanchez didn’t look the least bit guilty at being discovered observing her. If anything, she seemed amused.
A new suspicion hit Allie. Could the señora have been the person who tipped off the police? It certainly hadn’t been Allie, Sam, or his mother.
It made sense. It was Señora Sanchez who’d told them Mr. Williams had been having an affair with a married woman—the only one who’d ever mentioned it. What better way to deflect attention from herself than to shift attention to this other woman? And regardless of how little Señora Sanchez claimed to have known Mr. Williams, there had been bitterness in her voice when she’d made the accusation. Bitterness Allie hadn’t recognized until now.
My God. She needed to find out if her suspicion was true.
“Hola Señora McBride. I trust you are well?” the other woman asked.
Startled, Allie took a large swallow of coffee, the scalding heat tearing down her throat and bringing tears to her eyes. But the pain was nothing compared to the sudden fear creeping up her spine. Señora Sanchez never opened a conversation up with anyone, least of all Allie.
“Y—yes. Thank you,” she managed.
“Your video of that English teacher is coming along? You’ve made some progress, no?”
Allie forced a smile. “Better than I expected in light of our recent rash of accidents.” Did she dare ask her about—
Footsteps coming from the hallway snapped her attention toward the door. Marie popped in and filled her mug with the last of the coffee. The normalcy of the act made Allie relax a little.
The fear that had prickled her skin only moments ago now seemed silly.
Just ask.
“Señora, the oddest thing happened over the weekend,” she said before she could change her mind. “The police received an anonymous tip about the case. Someone reported that Mrs. Fratto might be a person of interest. You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”
Señora Sanchez set her cup down and gave Allie a puzzled smile. “Not at all. Señor Fratto’s mother, you are referring to?”
“Yes.” Allie studied the older woman, who shrugged.
“That was all so long ago. It means nothing to me or anyone else now. Except for maybe Señora Fratto.” The words were said with nonchalance, but there was a flicker of something in her golden brown eyes when she looked at Allie. Almost like…anger. Loathing. Then it was gone, and she smiled. But her smile felt almost predatory, sending a flush of goose bumps down Allie’s arms.
She stood and grabbed her still full mug, fighting an overwhelming urge to run from the room. But she managed to stroll casually to the door. “I better get going. I still have to finish that video before I pick up my daughter.”
“Yes, of course. Good-bye. Send your daughter my best.”
Allie didn’t look back or make any more attempts at politeness. Once out of the woman’s sight, she sprinted down the hall, trying not to spill the hot coffee. When she reached the sanctuary of the newsroom, she took a steadying breath, her hand over her heart.
Despite Señora Sanchez’s earlier denial that she knew Jackson Williams well, Allie was certain the woman wasn’t being honest. And there was only one reason she’d have had to lie about that…
Jeremy believed Mr. Williams had had an affair with one of the teachers. And he’d hinted at an ensuing human resource nightmare because of the breakup. And it was worth noting that Jeremy hadn’t mentioned anything about an illicit affair with the teacher—just that the dating wasn’t prudent in such a small work environment. Which would imply the teacher had been single.
