Mrs. Hartsell continued talking, but it seemed they were done talking about me. I was relieved that my pictures hadn't come up, but now I was left with the question—why didn't Mrs. Hartsell tell on me? Why mention my staring, but not the rest?

With this new mystery to dwell on, I crept back away from the stair opening. I still needed to grab the bowl for Drew, but I didn't want to walk down right after the pair had finished talking about me. The timing would be too suspicious.

And so, I made a quick detour to the bathroom. I didn't actually have to go, but I passed the...