Rose And Aaron : Shadows Of Rosewood

Chapter 16: Unanswered Questions

Even with Mr. Blackford and his accomplices behind bars, an unsettling sense of unfinished business gnawed at Rose and Aaron. Rosewood High buzzed with the fallout of the scandal, but the pair knew that the full story had yet to be uncovered.

Rose sat in the school's library, her eyes flicking over the stacks of documents they'd collected. Aaron sat opposite her, his laptop open, fingers flying across the keyboard. The quiet atmosphere of the library felt incongruent with the storm of suspicion and intrigue that swirled in their minds.

"There's no way this ends with Blackford," Rose murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. "He wasn't smart enough to run this whole operation alone."

Aaron glanced up, a smirk playing on his lips. "No kidding. I mean, the guy thought using a physical ledger was a good idea. Who does that in the 21st century?"

Rose couldn't help but chuckle, though the humor quickly faded. "We need to dig deeper. There are more players in this game, and I bet they’re still out there, thinking they’ve dodged a bullet."

"Or a soccer ball," Aaron quipped, earning an eye roll from Rose. He sobered quickly, his gaze locking onto hers. "You ready for another round of cloak and dagger?"

"Always," Rose replied, her determination solidifying. "But we need a plan. We can’t just waltz into this blind."

Aaron leaned back, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Let’s start by retracing our steps. We missed something the first time around. Maybe the clues were right under our noses, but we didn't recognize them."

Their investigation took them back to the scene of their initial discovery—the abandoned warehouse. As they approached, a sense of foreboding settled over them. The place looked even more sinister in the daylight, its dilapidated exterior a stark reminder of the darkness that had transpired within.

"Déjà vu," Aaron muttered, shivering slightly. "I was kind of hoping I’d never have to come back here."

Rose flashed him a grin. "Afraid of a little adventure?"

"More like afraid of running into more shady characters," Aaron replied dryly. "But hey, anything for you."

"Flattery will get you everywhere," Rose shot back, her eyes scanning the surroundings for any sign of movement.

They slipped inside the warehouse, the familiar musty smell assaulting their senses. Rose switched on her flashlight, the beam cutting through the gloom. Aaron followed suit, and they navigated the labyrinth of crates and debris, their footsteps echoing in the cavernous space.

"Let's start with the office," Rose suggested, leading the way. "There might be something we missed."

The office looked just as they had left it—papers strewn about, the safe wide open. But now, they examined it with a more critical eye, searching for any hidden compartments or overlooked documents.

Aaron tapped a wall, his ear pressed against it. "You ever see those spy movies where they find a secret passageway by tapping on walls?"

Rose laughed softly. "Sure, but this isn’t Hollywood. Still, it doesn’t hurt to look."

Their thorough search yielded a surprising find—a hidden drawer built into the underside of the desk. Rose pried it open with a triumphant grin, revealing a stack of envelopes, each marked with a different date.

"Bingo," Aaron whispered, reaching for the topmost envelope. He pulled out a series of photographs, his eyes widening. "These are surveillance photos. Of students. Leana’s in some of these."

Rose's heart pounded as she sifted through the photos. "This is sick. He was keeping tabs on them. But why?"

Aaron examined the dates. "These correspond with the dates in the ledger. Maybe he was using them for leverage, threatening to expose their secrets if they didn’t comply."