Disguised As A Boy To Attend Belmont High School
Chapter 156: Searching For The Truth.

Chapter 156: Searching For The Truth.

"I’m not interested in any of your damn excuses but let me tell you something, if you still refuse to come clean and report yourself to the police officers and face the consequences of your actions but instead you choose to keep playing dumb, whereby dragging me into your dirt. I’m fucking going to go after you and kill you. You said I’m from the street right? And I know the way of the street. You better don’t let me show you the real meaning of street or you’ll curse the day you’re born." Jessica declared with a stern expression.

Her words hung in the air like a threat, and the room fell into a heavy silence.

__________

A month had passed since Louise’s death, and yet the case remained unresolved. The golden sun shone brightly over Belmont, signaling the start of a new day.

Olive, Lucas, Mark, and Lara sat together at the scholarship students’ cafeteria.

"I guess the case is never going to get solved. I can’t believe Louise’s phone and system were destroyed even before his death. It’s definitely the culprit who did that, erasing all the evidence," Olive said with a serious expression. "It’s got to be someone who knows the ins and outs of Louise’s house. The police are saying he killed himself because his handprints were found on the knife, but I don’t buy it."

"Exactly!" Mark chimed in with a frustrated sigh, folding his arms over his chest. "The CCTV camera was trashed too. Everything was wiped out. And why would Louise want to kill himself? It’s stupid. He would’ve spent some time in jail, but he’d be out soon enough."

"Anabella and Peace were questioned like everyone else, but at this point, I don’t think they know anything about Louise’s death," Lara interjected, frustration etching her features. "Everything’s so complicated."

"Why would anyone stab themselves in the chest just because they were scared of being arrested?" Lucas added with a smirk. "This isn’t even the first time Louise has been arrested. Why would he kill himself now? The police are just trying to close the case by claiming it was suicide. They aren’t investigating this like they’re supposed to. I can’t believe they haven’t found any evidence to track down the culprit. There has to be something! But we never found anything all those times we went to Louise’s apartment."

"I know, right?" Olive agreed. "It’s like the killer wanted to make it look like Louise took his own life. But I’m not buying it. Only a fool would."

"Exactly!" Mark exclaimed. "And the lack of security footage? That’s just too convenient."

Lara shook her head. "I’ve been thinking... maybe we’re looking at this from the wrong angle. What if it’s not about the video?"

Lucas raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Lara leaned in, her voice barely above a whisper. "What if it’s personal? Someone close to Louise wanted him dead."

Olive’s eyes widened. "You mean like a family member or a close friend?"

Lara nodded. "Yes. Think about it. Whoever did this knew Louise’s habits, his schedule, and his security system. They knew exactly how to cover their tracks."

The group fell silent, considering her words.

"But his family doesn’t even live here. And him and Anabella, well, they’re just stepsiblings. It’s obvious Anabella doesn’t know anything about Louise’s system. Maybe she did before, but I don’t think so anymore," Lucas said, his expression a mix of puzzlement and worry. "Ever since Louise came back from prison and arrived in Belmont, he hated Anabella and her friends to the core."

"Exactly! Louise wouldn’t have recorded the girls’ sex video if they knew his system passwords. If they did, they wouldn’t have waited all this time without deleting the video from his phone before it got leaked," Mark added, his voice serious. "Anabella and her friends are out of the suspect list. But who was close to Louise?"

"The 3RM used to be, but that was before he got arrested. Aiden was the closest to him, but just like Mark and I, he didn’t know much about Louise’s system either, even though they were tighter than we were."

"Exactly! Aiden’s name shouldn’t even be mentioned here. None of us would ever do something like that," Mark said, biting his nails in thought. "Maybe Louise had a friend we don’t know about."

Just then, Jessica walked into the cafeteria, her eyes scanning the room until she spotted their table.

"Hey guys," Jessica greeted as she joined them. "You’re still talking about Louise’s case, huh? The police saying he stabbed himself? It’s unbelievable."

"Right! There’s no way he killed himself," Lara agreed.

Jessica leaned forward, a smile dancing on her lips. "Exactly what I think, too. That’s why I’ve been doing some investigating on my own. And I think I’ve found a clue."

Her words sent a wave of shock through the group.

Olive’s curiosity piqued. "What is it, Jess?"

"Yeah! Did you figure out who the killer is?" Lara asked, raising her eyebrows in surprise.

Jessica hesitated before answering. "I’ve noticed some strange behavior from Henry lately. He’s been acting secretive, disappearing during lunch or after school."

Mark narrowed his eyes. "Henry? What’s suspicious about that? People skip lunch and leave school all the time."

"That’s what I thought, too, until I discovered he’s always going to bars where he would get himself totally drunk and wouldn’t return to school until night time. One time, I went to check on him in his dorm, and he was calling out Louise’s name in his sleep, sounding terrified. I had to wake him up to snap him out of it," Jessica explained, her expression determined.

"Since then, I’ve had his roommate keep an eye on him, and I’ve had people outside of school tracking his movements whenever he leaves campus. Henry is very suspicious, and I believe he knows something about Louise’s death, or maybe he’s the killer."

The group exchanged nervous glances, swallowing hard.

"This is surprising. Henry was the last person we would’ve considered suspicious," Lucas said with a frustrated sigh. "I guess everyone’s a suspect now."

"But what if he’s calling Louise’s name in his sleep because he feels guilty about his death?" Mark suggested, looking puzzled. "Everyone’s still in shock. Louise didn’t just die, he was murdered. Stabbed in the chest and left on the floor until the next day."

"Louise and Henry were never close. They hardly interacted. What kind of feelings would Henry have about his death?" Lucas countered with a smirk.

"I thought about that too, but then I saw Henry sneaking into Louise’s house. At first, I didn’t want to jump to conclusions, since we’ve all been going there secretly to look for evidence," Lara replied with a heavy sigh. "But something about the way he was acting, it just felt off."

Lara leaned forward. "We need to investigate Henry. See if he has any alibis for the time of Louise’s death."

Olive nodded in agreement. "Exactly. If we don’t figure this out, the case will stay closed forever. Louise didn’t kill himself, that much is clear. We need to work together and uncover the truth, like we always do as a team."

Mark chuckled, his gaze directed at Olive. "I once said you should be a judge but I think you’d make a better police officer. You could solve crimes and bring criminals to justice."

The group burst into laughter, momentarily breaking the tension.

Just then, Mark’s phone rang in his pocket. He quickly pulled it out and saw Aiden’s name on the screen.

"What’s up, man?" Mark greeted with a smile. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, but we need to go to the hospital today to see the treatment results. Whether it’s gone into remission or not," Aiden replied, his voice shaky.

"Calm down, man. Don’t be scared. Everything’s going to be fine. Olive, Lara, and I will come get you now so we can head to the hospital," Mark assured him, noticing the fear in Aiden’s voice.

"Okay. I’ll be expecting you," Aiden replied before ending the call.

Mark turned to Olive and Lara. "Aiden needs us right now. We’ve got to get him to the hospital."

"He’s not treated yet? What exactly is wrong with him?" Lucas asked, raising an eyebrow as he watched them pack up. "And since when does Aiden go to the hospital so often? I thought he hated the place."

"He’s sick, but he’s undergoing treatment. If you want to know what’s wrong, you’ll have to ask him yourself," Mark said with a smile before storming out of the cafeteria, Olive and Lara following closely behind.

__________

Meanwhile, Aiden sat in the 3RM’s special room, his face filled with sadness and agony as he stared at Louise’s picture on his phone.

"I told you to be careful, but you ended up getting killed," Aiden muttered, keeping his gaze fixed on the image. "If I hadn’t gone to your house that night to delete every trace of you sending me that video of the girls, I would’ve been the one blamed for your death."

Tears rolled down Aiden’s cheeks as he continued. "Who would’ve thought that calling you to school to meet the principal would give me the chance to ruin your system? And who would’ve thought someone else would kill you?"