Chapter 4 - The Answers Came From UpstairsThe next morning, Westbridge Middle School looked ordinary.
That bothered Cameron more than chaos would have.
Buses arrived.
Students laughed.
Teachers carried coffee.
Someone complained about homework.
The building had not changed.
But Cameron had.
He returned with his mother.
Not because he wanted to.
Because Superintendent Rebecca Sloan had requested a formal meeting.
Laura insisted Cameron could leave whenever he wanted.
Daniel came too.
He looked as though he had not slept.
Inside the conference room sat Superintendent Sloan, Principal Helen Park, Officer Ruiz and Nolan Vance.
Mrs. Donovan was absent.
Good.
Cameron did not want to see her.
Sloan began.
“Cameron, I want to say clearly that the district takes yesterday’s allegations seriously.”
Laura interrupted.
“Which allegations?”
Sloan looked at her.
“All of them.”
“That teacher struck my child twice.”
“The matter is under investigation.”
“She gave his property to her son.”
“Also under investigation.”
“Her son was cheating.”
“Laura,” Daniel said quietly.
She looked at him.
“Do not manage me today.”
Daniel stopped.
Principal Park pushed a box of tissues toward Cameron.
He didn’t need them.
Superintendent Sloan asked about the benchmark video.
Cameron explained again.
Then Officer Ruiz asked:
“Tessa says Brayden claimed someone else gave him the answers. Did he identify that person?”
“No.”
Vance leaned back.
“Students say many things when frightened.”
Cameron looked at him.
“You know who did it.”
Vance’s eyebrows lifted.
“Excuse me?”
“Yesterday, when Officer Ruiz found my phone with Brayden, you kept trying to make it a school issue.”
“That is my job.”
“And my dad says you worked in procurement with Mrs. Donovan’s husband.”
Daniel stiffened.
Vance’s expression changed.
Only slightly.
But Sloan noticed.
“So does that matter?”
Cameron asked.
Vance answered carefully.
“No.”
Daniel finally spoke.
“It may.”
Everyone turned.
He told them about the old tablet inspection.
Not every detail.
Enough.
Sloan’s face became rigid.
“Why has the district never seen your preliminary report?”
Daniel looked toward Vance.
“I sent it to procurement.”
Vance smiled without warmth.
“Two years ago. I don’t remember every vendor email.”
Daniel opened his laptop.
“I do.”
He displayed the email.
TO: Nolan Vance.
SUBJECT: Donovan Digital Hardware Discrepancies.
Vance’s eyes stopped moving.
Laura noticed.
Officer Ruiz noticed.
Sloan read the first paragraph.
Then looked at Vance.
“Why wasn’t this retained with procurement records?”
“I would have to check.”
Daniel opened another email.
FROM: Nolan Vance.
Let’s resolve this informally before creating unnecessary documentation that could disrupt vendor continuity.
Sloan read it twice.
Vance’s face hardened.
“That sentence is being taken out of context.”
Daniel said:
“The context is in the email.”
For the first time, Vance looked afraid.
Not terrified.
Calculating.
Superintendent Sloan ended the meeting thirty minutes later.
She ordered an independent review of the Donovan Digital contract.
Vance was temporarily removed from procurement-related access.
Mrs. Donovan remained on leave.
The benchmark scores from her class would not be used until reviewed.
Brayden’s score was invalidated pending investigation.
Outside, Cameron felt no relief.
Only exhaustion.
Then Officer Ruiz caught up with them.
“Cameron.”
He turned.
“We recovered school hallway footage from yesterday.”
Laura stopped.
“What does it show?”
“After class, Brayden entered Vance’s office.”
Daniel stared.
“When?”
“Four minutes after the 911 call ended.”
“And?”
“He stayed forty-seven seconds.”
Cameron asked:
“What did he do?”
“We can’t see inside.”
Ruiz paused.
“But when he left, he no longer had the folded paper classmates described.”
Cameron remembered Tessa’s words.
Brayden wasn’t the person who got the answers.
Someone upstairs had supplied them.
May you like
Now the answer sheet had gone upstairs too.
And the man upstairs was Nolan Vance.
Related Stories
