Chapter 4 The Principal's Nephew
Arthur Thompson, the principal of St. Thomas Academy, was a busy man who lived mostly in rumors. Students and faculty only got to see him during the opening and closing ceremonies each semester.
But Alison was at ease when it came to meeting this important figure.
Steve looked at her, his left eye swollen badly, creating an asymmetrical appearance that looked somewhat comical. "Alison, do you understand what you did wrong?"
Alison apologized with practiced ease. "I shouldn't have hit a student."
"What else?" Steve pressed.
"There's more?" Alison asked.
"Matthew suddenly had a manic episode. You should have evacuated the other students immediately, then contacted security, the school doctor, and me—not gotten into a fight with Matthew while letting other students watch!" Steve lowered his voice, concerned she might get him in trouble too. "Mr. Thompson is Matthew's uncle. Remember what I said when we get to the principal's office. You need to show proper remorse."
Alison first looked surprised, then nodded obediently. "I understand."
Taylor asked curiously, "Steve, how is that student Matthew doing? Does he really have bipolar disorder?"
"Matthew only suffered minor injuries. The students in the Thomas Special Program differ psychologically and mentally from normal children," Steve explained diplomatically. "We've always managed them strictly and educated them patiently. Incidents like this morning are actually quite rare."
Oliver smirked, "You should have adequate security personnel and medical staff. That would be more useful than blaming teachers."
Taylor was somewhat surprised. Was Oliver defending Alison?
Steve smiled bitterly. "We've tried that before, but the children are very resistant to seeing guards and doctors." He glanced through the open door into the reception room, noticing untouched coffee on the table, and politely invited Oliver and Taylor. "Would you like to come to my office for coffee?"
Oliver declined. Once back in the car, Taylor commented, "The Special Program is basically a psychiatric facility for teenagers. Alison must have it tough."
The Thomas Special Program had only 22 students, yet occupied an entire floor. Besides classrooms and bathrooms, it had its own cafeteria, dormitory for afternoon naps, reading room, audio-visual room, and even a sizeable sports area!
Such large space for just 22 students seemed excessive, but from another perspective, their activities were confined to that area from morning to evening. Regular students who saw the foam-padded desk corners and windows barred from the inside wouldn't feel envious. Rather, wouldn't the Special Program students, looking down from the top floor at others running on the sunlit playground below, long for that freedom?
Taylor glanced at Oliver in the rearview mirror. Oliver, who had just defended Alison, responded flatly while checking messages on his tablet. "Her problems are none of our business. Just remind her to send the materials quickly."
Meanwhile, Alison never actually met Arthur in person.
Arthur was away on another business trip. Alison spoke with him via his secretary's phone.
"First, welcome to St. Thomas Academy," Arthur said rapidly. "I already know about Matthew's episode. He's not actually an orphan. Because of his bipolar disorder, his parents gave up on him, and as his uncle, I used some privilege to place him in the Special Program. This isn't the first time he's forgotten his medication and caused trouble. While I don't entirely approve of your handling method, I'm grateful neither of you was injured. If you need compensation, you can request it."
Alison began, "That won't be necessary—"
Arthur interrupted her. "Steve is usually enough to manage Matthew. Don't interfere too much. My only requirement is that Matthew not be injured. Finally, please correct your teaching methods soon and use gentler approaches."
Airport announcements for boarding passengers came through the phone. Arthur hurriedly ended the call. Alison returned the phone to the secretary and said glumly, "I barely got to say anything."
The secretary's expression remained impassive. "Mr. Thompson doesn't need you to speak. You just need to listen to what he says and execute it."
The secretary told Alison she could leave, then took an empty cup to the break room. Alison noticed another young female assistant in the office. Once the secretary left, the assistant heaved a sigh of relief.
Alison struck up a conversation. "Mr. Thompson and his secretary are really intimidating."
The assistant nodded repeatedly in agreement. "Tell me about it!"
Alison inquired. "Does Matthew cause trouble often? I can't be the first teacher called in here, right?"
Perhaps because they were both young women, the assistant answered without caution. "Matthew does cause trouble frequently, but you're indeed the first one called in for hitting a student."
"I heard Matthew has clashed with many teachers. Was the missing teacher bullied by him?" Alison asked, feigning casual interest.
She suspected Lucy's disappearance was connected to the Special Program. Matthew was the most emotionally unstable student; if he had bullied Lucy, this assistant would likely know.
"You mean Lucy?" The assistant waved dismissively. "I don't think so. I saw Matthew sitting in Lucy's car once. They seemed to be getting along well."
Alison froze momentarily. "When was this?"
The assistant said uncertainly, "Late May? School had ended, and I think Matthew needed to go somewhere, so Lucy gave him a ride. Why do you ask?"
"Just curious. Lucy's desk is right next to mine, and I can't help wondering about her," Alison deflected, leaving before the secretary returned.
This unexpected information made Matthew Alison's primary person of interest.
The next day in class, Matthew sat with his legs crossed, playing on his phone. Alison casually walked past him.
Matthew flipped his phone face-down on the desk and glared at Alison until she walked away.
Though he moved quickly, Alison caught a glimpse of his phone screen. The man in the video looked familiar.
Alison soon recognized him as the small-time streamer who had discovered the triple hanging corpse case.
Several days had passed since the incident, and videos and images circulating online had been banned, yet Matthew showed keen interest in the case.
After class, Alison received a call from Oliver.
Without pleasantries, Oliver went straight to the point. "You only sent a few images and some cryptic poems. What do they mean?"
"Want to know? That'll cost extra," Alison said lazily, leaning back in her chair.
Oliver sounded annoyed. "Name your price."
"I don't want money," Alison said. "I'm interested in this case. In exchange, tell me about the investigation progress."
"That violates confidentiality protocols." Oliver considered for a few seconds. "Since you're interested, why not investigate together? Let's discuss when we meet."
Alison remembered that Matthew was picked up by Steve after school, leaving her no opportunity to approach him outside class. She agreed. "I finish work at noon. Where should I meet you?"
Oliver replied, "I'll send someone to pick you up. See you later."