Caught

Chapter 6: Break-in

As soon as I parked in the school parking lot, I was relieved at the sight of empty parking spaces. With Luke disabling the security cameras, we hurried into the entrance of the school.

As I fiddled with the lock, Luke stayed behind to make sure that we weren't being followed. "The coast is clear," he said. I twisted the knob and the door opened. We entered inside the school then shut the door behind us.

We reached into our black knapsacks then pulled out our taser flashlights. I switched on my flashlight then shone the white circle on the untouched lockers.

I walked over to Madison's locker then tried the lock, but it was hopeless. Luke turned the dial a couple of times before opening the locker.

After the locker was open, he lets me take a peek in there while he tried the passcode for the office door. Waving my flashlight at the contents, I was annoyed with what I saw: pink covered everything from textbooks to the chandelier.

I put on some rubber gloves then rummaged through the items until I found Madison's diary. It was a large pink book with sequins.

Flipping the pages, I searched through gossips, fashion wear, until I found something very unsettling. Red pen scribbled the Hate List: Jenette Carter... Alyssa Jorge.. it kept going on and on until I saw Kimberly's name in red pen.

There were hateful words beside it, like squealer, traitor, and I hope she dies. This Hate List took place last month, before the Kidnapped case to place. I reached into my pocket and pulled out my IPhone.

I quickly snapped a photo then put the sheet of paper back in its place. Suddenly, there was something lodged inside of Madison's textbook. As I examined the object, it turns out to be a voodoo doll of Kimberly.

I took a photo of the doll and put it into the textbook. Carefully, I closed the door and locked it shut. "Cole," Luke whispered. "Time to go." I turned to see him leaving the door open behind me.

Smiling, I entered the office and closed it with a tiny slam. The room was very dark like the corridors of the school. It was starting to feel like the time where I was trapped in the mansion, wondering if Satan was there to take me to Hell.

Luke left the flashlight on the floor and took out his lockpick kit out of his bag. Thin silver instruments were tucked under the rough black fabric of the case.

He carefully took the tools out the tried to fit the sharp tips into the small lock of the top box. The file cabinet was under the letters K-T. "How did you know-" I began. "The office calls me a couple of times to organize their files."

I looked back at the small office besides the room. The huge desk was covered in piles of dust, the computer was shut off, and most importantly there was a plastic cup surrounded by a puddle of brown liquid.

My guess that the liquid was coffee. "Got the files," Luke beamed, waving two brown folders full of papers and documents. One of them was Kimberly's and the other one was Madison's.

"Good," I said. Luke put them in his bag then zipped it up with enthusiasm. "What did you find?" I showed him two pictures of the Hate List and the voodoo doll of Kimberly.

"Good grief," Luke breathed. "Madison must hate her so much." "I know," I said. "What I don't understand is why befriends with Madison when she's twisted?"

That's when I heard someone else's footsteps. I stashed the phone into my pocket while Luke opened the window then leaped out of the office. I took his flashlight with me then leaped after him.

"Ouch!" I whined as my knees hit the concrete. I slammed the window then followed Luke to my car. "You okay?" Luke asked, looking at me uneasily. He noticed that I was rubbing my knees.

"How in the world, do you manage to leap out of a window and not get scratched?" I hissed. "Years of practice," Luke shrugged. "Show off," I muttered.

Luke kissed my cheek then started the car. He drove until he parked into my driveway. "I'll read the files," Luke promised. "While you get some good night's sleep."

"You play a terrible Mom," I sighed. Luke leaned over then kissed me passionately on the lips. I kissed him back. "I love you, Toby Cavanaugh." I breathed. "You too, Spencer Hastings." Luke whispered.

He kissed me again then left the car. Shaking my head, I hurried into the house and quietly closed the door behind me. "Hey Cole," Mom said. I jolted when I saw her sitting on the couch, drinking a glass of water.

"Where were you?" she asked. Busted, I thought miserably. "I took a long drive, to ease off the adrenaline." I lied. Mom nodded slowly then gulped down her water. "Then why are wearing black clothes?" she asked.

"Black is the new accessory," I shrugged. "Get to bed," she sighed. Nodding very eagerly, I hurried upstairs, changed into my pajamas, then tossed my knapsack onto the floor.

With my homework already done, Physics terms being memorized, and my room being clean, I reread the Captured and made some corrections.

Speaking of the Captured, I still have the remaining cash from Alexander Hilton. Putting the notebook away, I went into my drawer and ran my fingers through the wad of bills.

With the money I have saved up from my old job as a library volunteer, I now have at least twenty thousand dollars. I hope this money will be good enough for Princeton. I checked on the calendar then sighed.

It will be two days until the Great Gatsby prom. Since Luke and I both have plans to find Kimberly, it was stupid to even go to the prom as well as hanging out with Madison.

Unzipping my bag, I took out my flashlight then then studied it. It was a good thing the flashlight saved Luke from that low life monster.

Still, that wouldn't make me feel good now that Zach was gone. Maybe after this case, I could find something about him. Not only to find some closure, but to honor Zach.

But spending time with Zach makes me think of all the times I shared with Luke: the times I beat Luke in chess, the day I took him to an ice cream parlor, make snide comments of Madison.

Just then, I just received a text on my phone. I groaned when I saw the message. Please help me, Cole. The only person who sounds like a whiny dog, was my cheating father. Sighing, I turned the phone off and set it on my nightstand.

The next thing I knew, someone was flashing a light on my window. I looked through the window and saw Dad's car parked on the driveway.