Read The Academy (Moving In Series Book 6) for Free Online Page B

from the cafeteria called me last night, told me all about it,” Bruce said. “Shame. She was a nice lady. Never would have figured her to off herself. You know?”
    “Yup. I was surprised, too. Pity.”
    Silence fell over them and lasted for several minutes before Bruce broke it when he asked, “What’s the plan for today?”
    With a sigh, Larry leaned forward, scrolled through his emails and spotted one from Mitchell. He opened it, read it, and frowned. “Looks like there’s a meeting for everybody.”
    “About what?” Bruce said.
    “Marilyn,” Larry answered.
    Bruce groaned. “Is it all that crap about therapists and whatever?”
    “More than likely,” Larry said. He drank some of his coffee. “Can’t be helped. It’s the way things work, now.”
    Bruce snorted. “Well, it’s stupid.”
    Larry nodded in agreement. “Doesn’t mean we can skip it, though. Mitchell says everyone, so we’re there too, right?”
    “Yeah,” Bruce agreed sulkily. “Listen, I got to go to the john, I’ll be right back.”
    “Okay,” Larry said, waving a hand dismissively.
    The younger man got up and left the room. Larry checked the time on the assembly and finished his coffee.
    When Bruce hadn’t returned twenty minutes later, Larry stood up, concerned. He went out into the hall, looked up and down it, but didn’t see the man anywhere. Frowning, Larry headed to the bathrooms and opened up the men’s room. The lights were off. He flicked them on, walked in and checked each stall. Bruce wasn’t there. Larry hurried out of the room, knocked on the door of the women’s room, and when no one answered, inspected it as well.
    Where the hell is he? Larry thought worriedly after the search revealed nothing. He went back to the office to see if Bruce had returned, but the man hadn’t.
    As his concern increased, Larry went up the stairs to the first floor and found Bruce. The young man stood in the center of the hall. Bruce had a happy, childlike smile and he rocked gently from side to side.
    He was staring at a large display case. In it were various items from the history of the school. Each month, the theme of the case was changed, and June’s was service. A graduate had mailed the school a road sign from Afghanistan. Another had sent in a picture of a Buddhist Temple in Cambodia where the former student was with the Peace Corps. There were older items as well. Memorabilia from the Civil War, the letters of Congressmen and Senators, Judges and Attorneys who had all graduated from the Academy.
    And Bruce stood gawking at it all.
    Larry shivered, thinking, AC must be on the fritz. Too damned cold in here.
    Then aloud he said, “Bruce, what the hell are you doing?”
    Bruce glanced over at him. His smile never changed, his eyes dull.
    “Bruce?” Larry said.
    Bruce turned back to the display case and stepped closer to it.
    “Bruce,” Larry said sharply, “you okay?”
    Bruce nodded once, dropped his chin to his head, and ran forward.
    The man’s skull shattered the glass of the case, and an alarm rang out shrilly. As the glass cascaded down, slivers and shards scattering across the marble tile of the floor, Bruce stumbled backward. Larry leapt forward and caught him as he started to fall. Above them, footsteps rang out.
    He eased Bruce down onto the floor, only a few scratches on his face.
    “Jesus H. tap dancing Christ,” Larry muttered, “what in the hell did you do that for, Bruce?”
    Bruce whispered something, but it was lost when the hall door was thrown open. Mitchell raced in, looking around frantically. When they saw Bruce, the two men came over to kneel beside him.
    “Is he alright?” Mitchell asked. “Do I need to call an ambulance?”
    “I don’t’ know yet,” Larry answered. Turning his attention back to Bruce he asked, “Why did you break the case, Bruce?”
    Without opening his eyes, Bruce smiled. In a low, sweet voice he said softly, “I had to get them ready.”
    “Ready for what?”