Waddell kept the red tape on the floor and made everyone work around it.
The tape looked stupid in the middle of a haunted laundry corridor. Waddell could use stupid. People respected doors, seals, warning lights, and men with guns. They argued with tape until their shoes touched the line, then their bodies remembered kindergarten and stopped.
He used that.
"Anyone who needs to feel important can carry cots away from the wall, and anyone who wants to investigate can do it after Jade clears their name, hands, shoes, and breathing habits."
The teacher with the mop handle moved two cots without complaining.
Tyree stayed near the laundry doors with his fire reduced to a heat shimmer against his knuckles. His offended look told Jade he was obeying the order instead of negotiating with it.
Kieran watched the vent cover.
Jade watched Kieran.
