Chapter 6 - The Price of Protection
Savannah did not speak to Laura on the drive home.
Owen drove separately.
Their house stood on three acres behind stone walls and iron gates, but for the first time Savannah felt exposed inside it.
Her phone had been confiscated.
Her school account was suspended.
News of the auditorium incident had already spread across social media.
One video had reached ninety thousand views before the school day ended.
Savannah sat at the kitchen island while Laura paced.
“You will not speak to investigators without Daniel Pierce present.”
Their attorney.
Savannah stared at the marble countertop.
“Did you offer her money?”
Laura stopped.
“You misunderstood.”
“I heard you.”
“I was trying to contain damage.”
“To me?”
“To everyone.”
Savannah laughed once.
It sounded hollow.
“You told Mercer to delete the video.”
“I told Mercer the situation had to be handled appropriately.”
“The message literally said he handled the recording.”
Laura’s face hardened.
“Your father had no right to expose private family communications.”
“Did he delete it?”
Laura said nothing.
“Mom.”
“I don’t know precisely what Colin did.”
Savannah looked up.
“Did you ask him to?”
“I asked him to prevent one stupid mistake from destroying your entire life.”
The answer landed heavily.
Savannah remembered the service corridor.
Water spreading thinly across gray tile.
Brooke dragging the yellow sign into the prop closet.
Savannah holding her phone, angry and exhilarated.
She had imagined Amanda Foster slipping, cursing, maybe landing awkwardly while students laughed.
She had imagined a fifteen-second video.
She had not imagined bone breaking.
The sound had been horrible.
Amanda had screamed once.
Savannah had gone cold.
For weeks, she had told herself the fracture had been bad luck.
That Ms. Foster could have fallen anywhere.
That Brooke had moved the sign.
That Mercer had handled everything.
That her mother had promised no one’s life needed to be ruined.
Then Ms. Foster returned to school.
Still teaching.
Still refusing to change Savannah’s plagiarism grade.
Still treating Savannah with maddening civility.
That had become unbearable.
The wheelchair seemed to accuse her every time she entered English class.
So Savannah had turned guilt into anger.
And anger into cruelty.
Today she had meant to prove Ms. Foster was pathetic.
Instead, she had exposed herself.
The front door opened.
Owen entered.
Laura turned on him.
“You’ve done enough.”
“No,” he said. “I haven’t.”
Savannah looked at him.
“Are you going to have me arrested?”
Owen flinched.
“I’m going to tell the truth.”
“You’re my father.”
“Yes.”
“You’re supposed to protect me.”
He came closer.
“I should have protected you years ago.”
Savannah stared at him.
“From what?”
“From believing protection meant never facing consequences.”
Laura laughed bitterly.
“Spare us the moral awakening.”
Owen looked at her.
“How many times did we fix things?”
“Owen.”
“The suspended license.”
Savannah stiffened.
“The cheating complaint in sophomore chemistry.”
“That was never proven,” Laura said.
“The restaurant incident.”
Savannah looked between them.
“What restaurant incident?”
Owen ignored her.
“How many times did we tell ourselves she was young? That people exaggerated? That she deserved another chance?”
Laura’s voice lowered.
“You participated.”
“I know.”
That silenced the room.
Owen looked at Savannah.
“That’s why I took the tablet to Harris.”
Savannah’s eyes burned.
“So this is your apology? Sacrificing me?”
“No.”
“Then what is it?”
“Finally being your father instead of your defense attorney.”
Laura slapped the countertop.
“Enough.”
Savannah pushed back her chair.
“No. I want to know something.”
She looked at her mother.
“Did Mercer erase the plagiarism report because you asked him to?”
Laura hesitated.
Savannah laughed in disbelief.
“Oh my God.”
“I told him the report was unfair.”
“You told me Ms. Foster withdrew it.”
Laura said nothing.
“You lied.”
“I protected you.”
“You keep calling it that.”
Savannah’s voice cracked.
For the first time that day, tears came.
Owen moved toward her.
She stepped back.
“Don’t.”
Then the doorbell rang.
Their attorney stood outside.
Beside him was Colin Mercer.
Savannah stared through the glass.
“What is he doing here?”
Laura’s face changed.
Not surprise.
Fear.
Owen saw it too.
Mercer entered without waiting to be invited.
He looked at Savannah.
Then at Laura.
“We have a much bigger problem than the messages.”
Laura went pale.
“What?”
“The district recovered part of the deleted surveillance file.”
Savannah stopped breathing.
Mercer continued.
May you like
“And it shows more than the fall.”
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