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For autterly lost Then that scholarly cool washed over hiain He pretended to adjust the objects on his desk into soht be best if you were to go back to Ohio"

Evie reeled as if she’d been punched "What? But Unc, you promised me--"

"That you could stay for a while Evie, I’m an old bachelor, set in irl--"

"I’m seventeen!" she yelled

"Still"

"You couldn’t have solved this case without iveyou involved" Will sank into a chair He wasn’t used to sitting still, and he see them at last on the ar for the memorial

"But… why?" Evie said She stood pathetically before hi the headmaster for another chance She hated herself for it

"Because…" Will began "Because it isn’t safe here"

Evie could feel that she was on the verge of angry tears Her voice quavered "Why won’t you tell ?"

"You have to trust me on this, Evie: The less you know, the better It’s for your own good"

"I’ood!"

"There are certain people in this world, Evie You don’t knohat they’re capable of"

Tears beaded along Evie’s mascaraed lashes "You promised I could stay"

"And I honored that proo hoently as he could

She had helped solve the case She’d braved the headaches and the bloody battle with John Hobbes and the ghostly congregation of Brethren in that filthy hole She’d given up the one thing that mattered most to her--the half-dollar talisman and the chance to knohat had happened to Jah And this was her reward? It wasn’t fair Not by a long shot

"I’ll hate you forever," she whispered, losing the battle against the tears

"I know," Will said softly