Avery shook her head. I filed a complaint online with the state police. But honestly, I'm scared. She pulled out her phone showing them a string of text messages from blocked numbers. Each one was more threatening than the last.
"You could stay with us," Malik offered. My mom wouldn't mind. I appreciate that, but I can't let them drive me from my home. Ms. Avery straightened her shoulders.
We need to focus on getting the truth out. I've been documenting everything. A commotion near the front desk interrupted them. The librarian was answering her phone, her face growing pale. What?
When? She turned toward their table. Ms. Avery. Your house.
There's a fire. They raced outside. Smoke was visible rising above the trees just a few blocks away. Ms. Avery's legs gave out.
Malik and Rosa caught her arms, helping her into Rosa's old Honda. They sped through the quiet streets. Rosa taking corners too fast. When they arrived, flames were already shooting through Ms. Avery's roof.
She stumbled from the car in her sensible flats, watching helplessly as firefighters battled the blaze. The heat was intense even from across the street, and the acrid smell of burning plastic filled the air. "Everything," she whispered. "All my lesson plans, my mother's photos, my cat," her voice broke. A firefighter approached, leading a sootcovered orange tabby.
Found this little guy hiding in the basement window. Well, Ms. Avery clutched her cat, tears cutting tracks through the ash that had settled on her face. Neighbors gathered on their porches, murmuring and pointing. Some brought blankets, offered spare rooms.
Malik called his mother. Within minutes, Darlene's car pulled up. She took one look at Ms. Avery standing barefoot in the street with her smoke smelling cat and said, "You're staying with us. No arguments. " Back at their house, while Ms.
Avery showered and borrowed clean clothes, Malik and Darlene went to check the ledgers. Darlene opened her bedroom closet, reached behind a row of hanging clothes, and froze. "They're gone. " Her voice was hollow. She pushed hangers aside frantically. The whole box is gone.
Malik's stomach clenched. Without those ledgers, they had no proof of the payments between Halford and Cedar River Security. No evidence of the corruption. But Darlene's fear transformed into a small, fierce smile. She went to her dresser, opened her jewelry box, and removed a false bottom.
From the hidden compartment, she pulled out a tiny thumb drive. I didn't trust paper, she said. Not after working for Halford. I photographed every page the day after I quit 3 years ago. High resolution shots of every transaction, every note in the margins.
Malik took the drive, turning it over in his hands. It was smaller than his thumb, but it held enough evidence to expose years of kickbacks and fraud. He slipped it into his pocket, padding it to make sure it was secure. Moving to the window, he peered through a gap in the curtains. A dark sedan was parked halfway down the block, its engine running.
The street light gleamed dully off its tinted windows. Behind him, he could hear Ms. Avery talking softly to her cat in the guest room. Darlene making up the bed with fresh sheets. Normal sounds that felt surreal against the weight of the thumb drive in his pocket and the watchful presence of the car outside.
The fire had been a message. The stolen ledgers were a warning. But somehow their enemies had underestimated Darlene's foresight and Ms. Avery's determination. They thought they were dealing with a trouble-making student, a nosy teacher, and a single mom.
Instead, they'd created a team that grew more dangerous with each attack. Rosa texted, "Fire marshal saying electrical fault. BS. You okay? " Malik typed back, "Safe. Ms.
A with us. Got evidence they tried to steal. Call you tomorrow. " He watched the idling car, memorizing its shape and position. Whatever came next, they had to move carefully. One wrong step, and it wouldn't just be a house fire or stolen papers.
But they had the truth now, safely digitized and hidden. All they needed was the right moment to use it. The cat wandered over, rubbing against his legs. From the street, the flash of brake lights suggested the watching car was finally leaving. Malik let the curtain fall back into place, feeling the hard edges of the thumb drive press against his leg through his pocket.
Their evidence was safe, even if they weren't. In the kitchen, Darlene was making tea. The familiar routine, a thin cover for her tension. Ms. Avery sat at the table, her wet hair wrapped in a towel, looking small in borrowed clothes, but her eyes were still when she looked up at Malik.
"They think they can scare us into silence," she said quietly. "They have no idea who they're dealing with. " Rosa burst through the front door early the next morning, her backpack stuffed with papers and her laptop balanced precariously on top. Her dark hair was messy from the wind, and she hadn't even bothered with her usual camera gear. "You won't believe what I found," she said, spreading documents across the kitchen table. "Ms.
Avery's cat watched from the windowsill as Rosa arranged property records, zoning maps, and printed emails in neat rows. Malik leaned over the papers, still nursing his first cup of coffee. What are we looking at? Property transfers. Rosa pointed to highlighted sections.
Look at the dates. Halford's company has been quietly buying up land around the school for months, but this is the big one. She tapped a document dated just 2 weeks ago. He's got an option to purchase the athletic fields. All of them.
Football stadium, baseball diamond, track, everything. Darlene came closer, frowning. Those fields have been school property for 50 years. They can't just sell them. They can if the school goes into state receivership, Ms.
Averyy said quietly. She'd spent the night in their guest room and looked tired but determined in the morning light. If there's enough documented violence and instability, the state can take control. Then they can liquidate assets. Malik picked up one of the papers studying the fine print.
The option is worth millions. Prime location right by the river. Perfect for luxury condos, Rosa added. Halford's company already has the architectural renderings. I found them on a developer's website.
They just hadn't gone public yet. The pieces started falling into place in Malik's mind. So, the fight in class was bait. Ms. Avery finished.
They needed incidents, documented problems they could point to as evidence the school was failing. The edited video, the arrest, even the fire. Malik's hands clenched. It's all about making the school look dangerous and out of control. Rosa nodded.
Once the state takes over, they can bring in Cedar River security full-time. Private security, private management, and private profits, Darlene said bitterly. Those ledgers make more sense now. Halford was paying people off to look the other way while he set this up. Gio appeared in the doorway, impeccable in another tailored suit, despite the early hour.
He'd been staying at a hotel in town, but his presence seemed to fill the kitchen. He studied the documents without touching them. This is bigger than a schoolyard fight now, he said. Real estate deals, corrupt officials, millions of dollars at stake. These people won't just back down if you expose them.
We have to try, Malik insisted. They're trying to steal our school, turn our fight into their profit. They'll come at you harder, Gio warned. Not just threats. They'll try to destroy your reputation, your mother's job, anything they can use.
Rosa straightened up. Let them try. We have proof now. The property records, the security contracts, the doctored video. Once people see how it all connects.