Inside Noelle's room, they found the same snakes, rats, and toads scattered about. However, the room itself was empty.
"Where did Ms. Quinn go?"
"It's the middle of the night. Why isn't she in her room?"
The members of Flame Speed Racing exchanged puzzled looks.
Tina's eyes lit up as she seized the moment. "See? All the evidence is right here! If it wasn't her, then who else could it be? No one else would pull something like this!"
Elijah frowned deeply. Irritation flashed across his face as he said, "Has anyone found Ms. Quinn? It's the middle of the night. If she's nowhere to be found, something might have gone wrong."
There was no way he would back Tina's accusation. Without evidence, throwing the blame on Noelle was something Flame Speed Racing would never accept.
Hazel muttered unhappily, "Still, Ms. Quinn picked the worst time to disappear. Isn't that irresponsible to everyone here?"
Alexis shot her a warning look, silently telling her to stop. Hazel lowered her voice, but her words had already stirred unease among a few of the team members.
Just then, headlights cut through the darkness from the mountain road. Before long, a car pulled up behind the villagers' houses.
Everyone assumed it was the two injured apprentices being driven back from the hospital.
"That was fast," someone murmured.
It hadn't even been half an hour.
The car door opened, and to everyone's surprise, Noelle stepped out.
Noelle pulled a pile of supplies from the trunk and carried them over.
The sight of her returning alone from the mountain in the middle of the night looked more than a little suspicious.
Hazel couldn't resist a jab. "Ms. Quinn, what were you doing down the mountain in the middle of the night? Who were you meeting?"
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