Shirley’s eyes went red as she faced Beck on stage, his questions sharp and relentless. She felt helpless, completely cornered.
“The book was…”
“I gave it to her.”
Before Shirley could finish, a calm but clear voice floated up from the back of the room. Everyone twisted in their seats, searching for the source. In the last row, a girl was sitting quietly against the wall.
“Isn’t that Charlotte?” someone whispered. The whole room started buzzing.
“Wait, are they saying Charlotte gave Shirley Dr. Cole’s book?”
“Then how did Charlotte get it? Does she know Dr. Cole?”
“I’m not sure if she knows Dr. Cole, but she and Mr. Lane are super close. I saw him grinning from ear to ear when he walked her out of the lounge earlier.”
“So Charlotte’s tight with Mr. Lane, and Shirley’s her best friend. Does that mean…”
Nobody really had an answer. If anything, it just made things even murkier.
Charlotte?
Even Mr. Lane looked thrown off. There was no way Charlotte knew Dr. Cole. It was impossible.
Charlotte met all the curious, suspicious stares around her. Her voice was cool, her words coming out with a kind of quiet confidence. “I gave Shirley Dr. Cole’s book. What’s the problem?”
Shirley nodded right away. “Yeah, Charlotte gave it to me. The book’s at my place. I can go grab it if you want.”

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