Page 121 of The Forbidden Note

“The night Sloane was murdered, she got a call from Harris.”

I feel a ripple of surprise tear through the room.

None of us expected a Harris name drop in association with this.

“He was the vice principal at the time. Which makes him calling Sloane that late at night even weirder.”

“You think Harris called Sloane to attend one of these…” Cadey waves a hand at the screen, “off-the-books ‘Grateful’ parties.”

“I do. And I think that’s where she met the guy who eventually killed her.”

A chilling hush fills the room.

We’re not dealing with a missing best friend, trying to kick the New Girl out of school, or surviving dad’s underhanded power plays anymore.

This is real life.

This is murder.

Sorrow fills Grey’s eyes. “She was my best friend. She didn’t deserve what happened to her. I want the world to acknowledge that Sloane was a victim of more than just the guy who took her life. She was a victim of the system. She was a victim of Redwood.”

Soft golden lamps shimmer in the wetness of her eyes. I hate seeing Grey in pain, so I start to get up, but Cadey beats me to it. She leaves her place between Dutch’s legs and wraps an arm around Grey’s waist.

“We’ll find everyone involved in this project and bring them to justice. I promise.”

Dutch meets his wife’s eyes and nods.

Sol snarls at the shadows. “Those sick bastards. Back then and now, nothing’s different. Nothing’s changed.”

Finn pushes his hands through his hair. He’s the quietest of us, but I can tell he’s invested.

“What do we need to do first?” I ask.

Grey looks at me. “There’s a basement under the school. Harris put it under lock and key after our talk. I need to get back in there. I can use all the hands I can get.”

“Done,” Dutch says.

“You said there’s a lock?” Finn purses his lips. “If Harris went so far as to put a lock on the door, he’ll notice if it’s been tampered with.”

I consider it. “What if we steal the key?”

Dutch frowns. “We snuck into Redwood to steal something once. It didn’t turn out well.”

“This is different,” I argue.

“Harris has something to lose. He’s not going to leave the key somewhere we can find it,” Grey points out.

Cadey arches a brow. “She’s right. It’s too risky. If Harris sees that things have been shuffled around in the basement, he might do something even more drastic.” She shakes her head, dark hair spilling around her shoulders. “We need to find another way.”

Grey makes a frustrated sound. “I don’t care if Harris finds out, but I can’t afford for him to destroy that room before I have a chance to go through everything.”

We all fall into thoughtful silence again.

“I have an idea,” I murmur.

Everyone turns to look at me.

“It’s a little crazy,” I add.

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