Let’s go, Darlene,” Darius said. “You’re coming with me to report your AWOL attempt.” He laughed. “Wouldn’t be surprised if you’re out of here by morning.”
Ms. D tried to pull me away from Darius.
“Karla Di Genta,” he said. “Are you interfering with procedure?”
She let go. “Don’t worry, Darlene. I’m not leaving you.”
Darius about dragged me to the superintendent’s office. My teacher stood next to me.
“Mr. Seymour,” Darius said. “I caught Darlene trying to run again. I followed her to the pool. When I tried to grab her, she fell in. No way will she escape a second time on my watch.”
“How did you get in there?” Seymour asked. “It’s locked during the summer.”
“My keys were missing,” Darius said. “She must’ve picked my pocket. Darlene’s an expert at getting ahold of keys. Isn’t she, Ms. Di Genta?”
Ms. D shook her head—her mouth twisted.
I almost cried. “He’s lying. Darius said he was taking me to see Mrs. Brownell. Instead, he brought me to the pool. He wanted pictures of me. Sophie and Genie were there too. They tried to drown me.”
Seymour grimaced. “Darius, are there pictures of inmates on your phone?”
“No, sir.” He opened up his photo gallery and showed nothing but pictures of his motorcycle and his dog.
I turned to Ms. D. “You believe me. Don’t you?”
She squeezed my arm. “It’s okay, Darlene.”
Nothing was okay. Darius and those girls set me up. I was looking at time in women’s jail.
Darius was allowed to leave.
Before Ms. D left, I raised my finger. “Can I ask my teacher something?” The superintendent nodded. “Ms. D, why weren’t you here this morning? I needed you to read my journal.”
“I had a doctor’s appointment. But I came in for my afternoon classes.”
“Did you read my journal on your desk?”
“I didn’t see it.” She saw the look on my face. “Can we have a few minutes to talk?”
“Sorry, Ms. Di Genta. I’m sending Darlene out with the officer to get into some dry clothes. You’ll need to wait.”
I took my last shot. “There was a note in it from Cherry. She said that Darius was taking pictures.”
“We’ve never had a complaint against any of our staff in all the years I’ve been superintendent.”
Of course not. Who would risk getting hurt or extra time for whistle-blowing? “I understand you wouldn’t let this happen if you knew—”
“Miss Mills, your claim could ruin a man’s life. If it’s unproven …”
Ms. D remained silent.
“We go to great lengths to ensure the people we hire measure up to the highest standards.” Seymour turned to Ms. D. “Isn’t that right, Ms. Di Genta?”
She slowly nodded.
“And one more thing …” He paused. “Darius has never been written up for anything until you went AWOL on his shift. Maybe you have it in for him.”
“I needed to see my mom in the hospital.”
Ms. D brushed my arm with her hand. “Remember, you don’t have to say anything until your attorney is present. I’ll make a call to the lawyer who’s working on your case,” she said. Then she left and closed the door.
“But I didn’t do anything wrong this time.”
“It’ll all come out in the wash,” Seymour said.