AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I suppose we shall see about that.”
I reached into my right cloak pocket to retrieve the bolt cutters I used earlier, along with a sheathed knife. I set the bolt cutters down in front of Piper. Then I slowly unsheathed the knife, turning it in my hand so the blade glinted in the firelight.
Piper’s chest began to heave with terror. “Please don’t hurt me!” she cried, cowering against the stone bench.
“I do not wish to hurt you,” I said. “But I need you to be aware that I have my ways of extracting information from people. I will not hesitate to use them if I suspect you of telling falsehoods.”
“I won’t lie. I’ll tell you everything. I swear!”
“Please calm down, Miss Prescott. We won’t get anywhere if you continue to panic. Take a deep breath.”
She sucked down a deep breath, bulging eyes still fixed on the knife in my hand. “Please just tell me what you think I did wrong,” she said. “Tell me why someone accused me of that stuff.”
“I suppose I will have to be quite specific,” I said. “This year, we’ve sent a large number of second-degree members on missions to aid the society. You and your friends, for instance. You’ve been helping with the Amerie Warnock scheme. Correct?”
“Yes.” Piper’s voice was barely above a whisper now.
“Every so often, we send an invitation to one of these members for a check-in meeting, just to see how they’re getting along. Some of your acquaintances have already had theirs. One of them made the claim against you.”
Piper’s brows shot up. “Who?”
“You know I can’t tell you that.”
“It was Hillary, wasn’t it?” she said, eyes narrowing. “That big-mouthed bitch.”
“As I said, I cannot reveal the accuser’s identity to you. All I can tell you is what she said.” I waved the knife around in a slow, taunting gesture. “She claims you revealed the location of the Playground to an outsider.”
Piper’s eyes widened again. “What? That’s not true!”
“But you do know where the Playground is, don’t you?” I asked, cocking my head.
“Well… yes. But that doesn’t mean I told anyone!”
“I’m sure you can see the problem here, Miss Prescott. You know the location, which means you definitely could have told someone if you wanted to. Now you stand accused of doing exactly that.” I lifted the knife again. “Why would someone make that up?”
“I don’t know!” Piper’s voice was on the verge of cracking, and her face had turned ashen. “I’ve always known the rules. Even before I knew the farm was the Playground, I always knew I wasn’t supposed to talk about it! I’ve never told anyone!”
The farm. I furrowed my brows beneath the mask. A penny was rolling around in the back of my mind, getting ready to drop.
I crouched down to Piper’s level. “I’m going to need you to elaborate on that,” I said. “The whole story in your own words. I need to see how it matches with your accuser’s version of events.”
“Okay.” She took a deep breath and nervously licked her lips. “So, sometimes when Hillary and I are doing our volunteer stuff at the market stall, people come up to us and ask where the farm is, because they want to visit it. I always tell them the exact same thing—the farm isn’t open to the public, but they can order the products online and they can also buy them from certain local retailers. After that, I give them the website URL and the list of retailers. Then I end the conversation or change the subject. That’s all I’ve ever said to any outsiders. I swear.”
I drew in a sharp breath, heart pounding with excitement. Holy fuck.
The mention of a farm had shaken something loose in the back of my mind a moment ago. Now I knew exactly what it was. Piper—along with a couple of her friends—occasionally manned a stall at local markets and festivals for extracurricular credit. The stall sold locally-made organic jams, sauces, and ciders, if my memory served me correctly. I’d posted about it a few times on the school paper’s social media accounts after Addy demanded writeups from the staff about local events.
It was all a giant cover. The farm that supposedly produced artisanal jams and organic wines was actually a fucking baby farm.
“Are you certain that’s all you’ve ever said to anyone?” I asked, cocking my head. Even though I had the Playground location now, I couldn’t let Piper off the hook just yet. That would make my scheme far too obvious.
Piper swallowed audibly. “Well… there’s something else. But it’s not a big deal.”
“I knew it. Tell me.”
“A few times, other students at my school have asked if they can volunteer at the farm or market stalls. But I always give them the same sort of brushoff that I give to the customers. I tell them there are no spots available, and I’ll let them know if any become free. That’s exactly what my mom told me to say from the very start.”
I nodded slowly. “And that’s all?”
