Chapter 29
I stare at the dramatic method by which Noah moves the chip in his hand in front of our eyes. Then he pulled the chip towards his own eyes and squinted as if to examine it. Ivy snatched the chip from him and raised it towards us.
"This is a tracer. And a bad news." She placed the chip flat on the table.
"Tracer?" My mind was unable to process any further.
"A tracer is another word for tracker by which-"
"I know what a tracer is for God's sake," I cut off Noah from giving an elaborate speech. "I mean what the hell is it doing inside your phone?"
"Funny story," he picked up the front part of his phone, "this isn't my phone at all."
Skyler and I, both were glaring at Noah for making this so dramatic. Judging by Ivy's face, she doesn't know anything further either. She folder her arms over her chest and tightened her jaws. She feels exactly like I feel, like smacking Noah on the head.
Noah cleared his throat and put on his serious face. "Jokes apart, this is really not my phone. I had a tiny scratch over the top right corner of the screen. Now it isn't there." He tossed the front part of his dissembled phone and clearly there was no sign of any scratch or whatsoever on it. "Remember, my phone stopped working after we came back from the woods. There is no doubt agent Savvaro swapped my phone to keep a track on us."
"How can you not notice that it isn't your phone?" Skyler asked warily.
"Because unlike you, I don't have any pictures in it or much apps. So it was very easy for the FBI to hack my phone, copy all data and create a duplicate. They didn't think this through. the magnetic field of the tracer jammed any signal coming or going out of the phone. So I couldn't call or receive any. That would have made anyone else believe that the phone is broken. So, it was our good luck that I noticed the scratch today. Or else I would have never thought about prying it open either."
"Now the point is, why would she put a tracer on us?" Ivy asked.
"To keep our trace. Duh. Remember she said she would follow us and break in if anything goes wrong?" I pointed out.
"Nope." We whipped our head towards Noah. "I think she still suspects Luke. She only needs the brand to give the case a finality. That is why she is letting us break Luke out. So that he takes us to the Cove mansion and takes out the brand. Then they'll arrest him again and get the brand as well."
"But he didn't do it," Skyler squealed.
"That is why our mission would be just suicidal. No outcome," Noah sighed.
"But Riley too is a strong suspect. We can't just blow off the theory Savvaro gave us," Ivy looked like she was super excited about going for a jail break.
"No," I said realizing what I missed in agent Savvaro's theory. "There is a big flaw in her theory. How on earth would Riley know about hidden compartments in the Cove mansion? As far as we know, we all went there for the first time."
"But the bracelet?"
"That could have been on her wrist just like it was on Jenny's. Random." Noah chirped in. "But I got some other news too. Have a look at this." He pointed to the opened computer beside him on the table. I went to the other side and stared at the screen. It was a case detail of an illegal drug dealer about 5 years ago. It showed a very handsome man with eyes two different colors who supposedly was the head of the dealership.
"Look at the brand name," he pointed to the lower right corner. My mouth fell open as I saw the brand with an inverted cross and an infinity sign beside the name Cavanaugh's Pharmacy.
"This is Thomas Cavanaugh. he dealt with illegal drugs in Evergreen High. Once he was caught," he gave a pause and looked at me for a while. I raised my eyebrows at him and he sighed. Ivy too was staring at me. "Once he was caught," he continued, "Reyna's dad was the lawyer who fought against him. The man from the mall was a prime witness in the case and for Genevie's dad, he was the one who shot Thomas Cavanaugh in a gun fight in Brooklyn after he broke out of jail."
I remember how Mr. Stone died in a gun fight in Brooklyn 4 years ago. "So that guy is dead? Then who could be attacking now? It is clear that they are getting revenge," I started.
"He had a son. Andrew Cavanaugh. He was one of the bad boys of dark alleys from middle school. He was ruthless and oppressive," Noah scrolled down to a picture of a very good looking young boy with brown hair which fell down on his eyes.
"Does it mean that he has returned to Evergreen Wood to take revenge?"
"Not possible. Look at this," he scrolled further to show us a picture of a burnt house. "Andrew Cavanaugh and his mother moved to Iceland after his father died. Then she married a guy named Liam Friar. Though they had a huge wealth left by Thomas Cavanaugh by his business, Bethany Cavanaugh decided against it and started a new life for her kid in Iceland. The day Bethany Cavanaugh died, Andrew burned down their wooden house with him and his step father inside."
I wince at the thought. How much hollow must he feel inside to do something like that. I recall my mother dying, would I have done the same thing if not for the people around me?
"So we found the background of the symbol. What next?" We all turn to Noah.
"Why are you all staring at me?" He grinned wanting to hear it from us.
"Cuze you're the brain of this operation, dude," Ivy punched him on the shoulder.
"Yeah," he was grinning like a maniac. "We do as agent Savvro says. But at a different time frame so that she cannot trace us. We'll lay out the plan tomorrow."
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I was going to my locker to gather my stuffs after being dismissed from the gym where principal Hay announced that the school will remain closed till further notice for the safety of students. I passed by the girls bathroom and heard someone sobbing. I considered going in. Then again whoever she is, she might want some privacy. Then I remember Skyler's support that day and figured out she could use a shoulder to cry on.
So I barged in and the scene in front of me was both terrifying and sad at the same time. Riley was sitting on the floor haphazardly. Her eyes bloodshot and cheeks cover with black stains from her mascara. I stepped towards her and my sneaker knocked something off. I saw an empty wine bottle rolling on the bathroom floor. It was no news that kids drank in school hiding from everyone. But Riley was known for her drinking levels. Considering her family situation, it was not so shocking.
I stare at her for sometime and lost all the confidence I had in me. She might be the attacker. A lot of evidence is against her. No matter what Noah says about agent Savvaro trying to lure us in, there is something wrong about Riley, just wrong. What was I thinking? I can't help her. I'm the one who needs help. So, I started texting Skyler to come to the girls bathroom right away.
After short moment Skyler and Ivy walk through the door. Skyler bends down beside her and asks, "Riley, what have you done?" Riley raises her head a little to process all three of us and then looks down again. Skyler dabs her eyes with kneelex and keeps rubbing her arm. Riley lets out a giggle. Skyler stops wiping her cheek and Riley starts laughing like a maniac.
"It's all your fault," she points her index at me. "I told Alex to date Hannah. She liked him a lot. But no, he had to go for you. When you ran away, Hannah tried to talk to him. He shoved her so hard, she hit the counter. She's broken as hell. She does all the drama at her house and my dad runs off to sooth her. And my mom is a raging. my life is a total hell, just because of you." She was screaming at me.
"But, we thought your dad liked Mrs. Stone," Ivy chimed in and received a glare from Skyler.
"What? No. Mrs. Stone is my dad's cousin. Hannah's mom is the real witch. And Hannah is no better than her. She'll do everything to get the attention she wants. She told me to pursue Alex in to dating her or else my family will be broken forever. I even blackmailed saying that I'll tell everyone that he and Noah stole Luke's blood sample for the hockey team from the nurse office."
"Noah did what?" I couldn't believe my ears at all. He would have never done something like that. All his life he tried to play fair wherever it was supposed to be fair. But looking at Riley, I wasn't so sure about that.