Chapter 5 - THE LOCKER
Mark called the police.
Officer Dana Ruiz arrived first.
She photographed the window, the brick and the note.
Then she watched Jake’s video.
Her face remained professional, but her eyes changed.
“Do not post this online,” she said.
Jake frowned.
“Why not?”
“Because once it’s public, whoever’s involved starts destroying evidence.”
Maya crossed her arms.
“They probably already are.”
Ruiz looked at her.
“Then we move faster.”
Mark handed over copies.
Not originals.
Jake noticed.
So did Ruiz.
“You don’t trust me?” she asked.
Mark met her eyes.
“I trusted cops nineteen years ago.”
Ruiz nodded slowly.
“Fair enough.”
The next morning, the school felt different.
Too quiet.
Harlan wasn’t there.
Neither was Principal Voss.
A substitute stood outside Room 214.
Jake found Maya near the vending machines.
“They’re cleaning up.”
“Probably.”
“Where’s Dylan?”
“He texted me. Said he was checking something.”
Jake frowned.
“Checking what?”
Maya’s face changed.
“Oh no.”
They ran.
Dylan was standing outside Coach Bell’s office near the locker room.
“What are you doing?” Jake whispered.
Dylan pointed inside.
“Bell left ten minutes ago.”
“That doesn’t answer my question.”
“Eric Salazar’s old locker.”
Maya went pale.
“No.”
Dylan already had bolt cutters from the maintenance cage.
“Dylan.”
“If Bell planted drugs on Eric, maybe he kept something.”
“Or maybe breaking into school property gets us suspended.”
Dylan looked at Jake.
“My dad’s brother died over this.”
That ended the argument.
The lock snapped.
They opened the locker.
Empty.
Jake exhaled.
“Great. Felony for dust.”
Dylan ran his hands along the inside.
“Wait.”
He knocked on the metal back panel.
Hollow.
Maya helped pry it loose.
Behind it sat a plastic bag.
Inside were three student ID cards.
A flash drive.
And envelopes filled with cash.
Jake stared.
“Oh my God.”
Maya grabbed the flash drive.
“We need to go.”
Footsteps echoed down the hallway.
Heavy.
Fast.
Dylan pushed the panel back into place.
“Move.”
They ran through the locker room.
The exit door was chained.
“Why is this locked?”
Jake pulled at it.
The footsteps got closer.
Maya pointed to the showers.
They ducked behind a tiled wall.
Someone entered.
Coach Bell.
He walked slowly through the locker room.
“I know you’re in here.”
Nobody breathed.
Bell stopped near the broken locker.
Silence.
Then Jake heard metal scraping.
The locker opening.
Bell cursed.
“You stupid little thieves.”
His footsteps moved toward the showers.
Closer.
Closer.
Jake grabbed a mop handle.
Dylan clenched his fists.
Bell rounded the corner.
And stopped.
He stared directly at them.
“Give me the drive.”
Dylan stepped forward.
“No.”
Bell reached into his jacket.
Jake’s stomach dropped.
But instead of a weapon, Bell pulled out a phone.
He showed them the screen.
Live video.
Mark Cooper was standing outside his repair shop.
A man in a dark hoodie was watching him from across the street.
May you like
Bell smiled.
“You really want to find out how much worse this can get?”
