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"I found these files shoved in his pillowcase," I said, relaying all the details of my trip to Gideon’s roo through Cassandra’s file "Or Basiu to do with the tie"

But Nathaniel ignored h his stuff?" he said in disbelief

I blinked Had he not heard me? "Benjamin was murdered," I said quietly "And Cassandra is dead I don’t kno, but she’s definitely dead and the school is covering it up And now Eleanor’s gone She could be dead too Does thatto you?"

Nathaniel shrank back in his seat "Of course it does But how exactly do you think Gideon is involved? Do you think he killed Eleanor?"

"I don’t know Why else would he steal her file? And I did see hi out outside the dorhed "I know And he never would have killed Cassandra They were friends Or Benjamin I mean, ould he do that? And there’s definitely no connection between him and my parents" It was hopeless

"Maybe he has the files for the same reason you wanted the to do?" Nathaniel probed when I didn’t respond

"I have to tell so them back in the files "I have to tell Mrs Lynch Or a professor Or so me back "You can’t First of all, why do you think Mrs Lynch would believe that you didn’t steal these files yourself?"

"Because I didn’t I found them in Gideon’s rooood What are you going to tell her, that you snuck into Gideon’s roos, and found these hidden in his pillowcase? She’s going to think you’re lying And even if she does believe you, you’ll still be in trouble"

My shoulders dropped He was right Minnie’s drawing of Cassandra’s burial flashed through ht Cassandra died? If we couldn’t hold another séance, there was only one other person I could go to

"Renée? Hello? Earth to Renée"

I shookthe files back between the two books, I grabbed ered around the showers in the boys’ dorm until almost everyone had cleared out of the bathroo for Minnie Roberts to show up; I knew froht The bathrooed up the es and condensed into droplets on the faucets and door handles A few rehosts, their presence heard but not seen--the toilet flushing, the faucet running, the stall door creaking on its hinges But Minnie never showed Giving up, I hopped into a shower stall and turned on the water

I was just about to rinse the bubbles from my hair when I heard the sound of a showerhead turn on across fro to no one

I peeked out, my head lathered in shampoo The curtain across from me was only half closed, and a skinny silhouette hovered behind it I leaned out to get a better look

Minnie Roberts was standing under the shower in her bathing suit If it were anyone else, the bathing suit would have been weird, but Minnie was already so eccentric that I wasn’t surprised Everyone said she was a hypochondriac and a ger her hair across her face Every so often her body pulsed forith the change in water pressure

Stepping out of the shower, I dried off and waited until I heard her turn the water off, followed by the sound of her feet padding against the tile floor "Wait," I said

Minnie gavearound the roo, as if she didn’t want to be seen talking to me She rapped in a towel, her skin red fro?"

Minnie seeuard by my request "I u away