Episode 28: Worn Keys and Unwanted Witnesses

Aubrey Lance, S.S. (Supernatural Sleuth) -- Season 1, Episode 28: Worn Keys & Unwanted Witnesses

“It’s a key.” I reached inside the locker, picking up a single, tarnished silver key—like a house key, but smaller and old-looking. 

“That’s it?” Collin asked. He was standing at an angle where the locker’s open door blocked his view. 

“That’s it,” I answered. The rest of the locker was empty. I didn’t know what I’d been expecting… but a key barely bigger than my pinky wasn’t it. I turned the key over in my fingers. “Another clue, I guess. There’s nothing here to say what it goes to.” 

“Hey,” Lockley said, peering over my shoulder. “It reminds me of the key to a jewelry box I used to have.” 

I looked at her. “Do you think—”

“No.” She shook her head. “I got rid of that long before I met Emery, and there was nothing of value in it. I’m not saying it’s the same key, just that it reminds me of it.” 

Collin moved closer. “Mind if I check the locker, make sure there are no trap doors or whatever?” 

I looked up at him. “I hadn’t thought of that. Yeah, go for it.” 

I stepped back, and he moved where I’d been standing, running his hands carefully over the inside of the locker.

A student appeared at the entrance of the locker alcove—a senior I’d seen around a few times. He stopped short, like he hadn’t been expecting us. “Oh. Hey.” 

I subtly closed my hand around the key.

Lockley smiled at him. “Hey, Owen,” she said. “Are we in your way?” 

“Hey, Lockley. Your locker’s in here?” He looked confused. “Don’t usually run into you here.”

“Um—oh, not this year, but this one is.” She nodded to the locker Collin still had open. “We’re, um, almost done here. Let us get out of your way.” 

I noticed she hadn’t exactly said the locker was Collin’s. 

Owen didn’t seem to care about the details. He just looked like he wanted us to move.

Lockley nudged me to the side near Collin, making room for Owen to come in. 

“I’m… actually in the locker right under the locker he’s standing at,” Owen said, still staring at us. 

“No worries,” Collin said, slamming the locker shut. “I’m done. Sorry for the wait.” 

Lockley gave Owen another innocent smile, then dragged me out into the hallway with Collin right behind us. 

Students still crowded the hallway, either heading to classes, accessing their lockers, or standing around chatting.

Lockley pulled Collin and me toward a somewhat-empty corner near the entrance to the chemistry lab. There obviously wasn’t a class in there this period—the lights in the room were still off.

“That was awkward,” I whispered when we were out of the flow of traffic.

“Only to us,” Lockley shrugged. “I don’t think he cared why we were there, he just wanted to get to his locker.” 

“Nothing else was in there that I could find,” Collin said softly, looking at me. “I guess it really was just that key.” 

I opened my fist, and we all looked down at it.  

“What do you think it—” 

“Aubrey?” 

A familiar voice made me jump. I shoved the key in my pocket and turned around. 

“Oh! Hey, Mr. Pierce.” My heart was pounding, but I tried to put on a normal smile. 

“Aubrey. Lockley.” He smiled at us both, then gave Lockley a raised eyebrow. “You never came back for the second volume of Lord of the Rings. Are you still working on the first?” 

She gave him a smile that looked far more calm than I felt at the moment. “It’s, like, long, Mr. Pierce.” 

He chuckled. “Gotcha. Well, I’m keeping a copy in reserve for you whenever you’re ready.” His gaze slid to Collin with a friendly smile. “I’m sorry; I don’t know your name—I get to know most, working the library, but not all.” 

“This is my brother, Collin,” Lockley said. “He recently transferred.” 

“Oh!” Mr. Pierce’s smile widened. “It’s lovely to meet you, Collin. I hope you’re settling in okay?” 

Collin nodded. “Yes, sir. Thank you.” 

“Mr. Pierce is the school librarian, but he also runs the media center in the library and organizes the after-school radio show,” I added, hoping to diffuse some of the tension I felt coming off of Collin. “He’s the one who gave me the slot for my show.” 

“Oh! That’s cool,” Collin said, relaxing a bit. “It’s a great show.” 

I stared at him. He’d actually heard my show? 

Mr. Pierce’s smile widened. “Indeed. Aubrey does a fantastic job.” 

I felt myself blush. “Um, thanks. I really enjoy it.” 

I expected Mr. Pierce to wrap up the conversation then, but he peered at me. “I don’t usually see you in this part of the hallway in the morning, Aubrey.” He glanced at Collin and Lockley, then looked back at me. “Everything okay?” 

I swallowed. “Oh. Yeah. We’re just talking.” Honestly, I’d never seen Mr. Pierce outside the media center before, except when he was walking to his car in the afternoons while I waited for Lockley to finish practice. I knew he must leave the media center and go other places in the school occasionally, but honestly I’d wondered if he only left to go home at night.

The warning bell for first period rang. 

“Well, we’d better go,” Collin said quickly. “Aubrey?” 

I nodded. “Yeah. See you later, Mr. Pierce!” We slid past him toward the open hallway, where the traffic was already thinning as students rushed to class. 

Mr. Pierce called after me. “Aubrey, a second, please?” 

I gave Collin and Lockley a wary glance, then turned back. “Yeah, sure.” 

Mr. Pierce waited until I was a few steps away from the others, then looked me right in the eyes. 

“Aubrey, I know you and Chloe were close,” he said in a low voice. “Are you doing alright?” 

His face held genuine concern.

I released a breath. “Oh. Well… not really, to be honest. But I’m holding it together.” 

Mr. Pierce gave me a sad smile. “Please ask for help if you need it. There’s no shame in that—none at all. No one should have to face hard things alone. Okay?” 

“Thanks,” I said.

The second bell rang—the last warning. If I didn’t get to first period within the next two minutes, I’d be tardy.

Mr. Pierce smiled. “I hope I didn’t make you late. Sorry for keeping you. But think about what I said, okay?”

I nodded, then hurried back to the others. 

“What was that about?” Collin whispered as I reached the others. 

“He was just checking on me, about Chloe,” I said. 

Lockley squeezed my arm. “We’ll talk more soon. Act normal, remember? I’ll see you this afternoon!” She rushed off to class.

“I gotta—” Collin said, gesturing the opposite direction I was headed. First period wasn’t one of the classes we had together.

“Yeah, sure. See you next period.” 

He jogged away. 

I hurried to my own first-period classroom, but even once I made it to my desk—just in time to avoid the tardy bell—I couldn’t shake a strange, unsettled feeling. 

Mr. Pierce was great. He was just concerned about me, and he hadn’t seen us at the lockers or shown any curiosity about what we were talking about or what I may have slipped into my pocket as he arrived. He had even shown genuine interest in Lockley and Collin that had nothing to do with why we happened to be in that part of the school. He had acted like the normal, kind Mr. Pierce.

So then why couldn’t I shake the feeling that something about him had just felt off?

***

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