Eat the Rich

Chapter 11: We're not Sherlock

"We're conducting room inspections as part of the investigation," one of the officers said, his voice cold and authoritative. "We'll need you all to step out."

"Oh shi-"

Grey and Miles sprang into action, motioning for the girls to hide. "One day, just one day of not being involved with the police." Miles whispered urgently.

Sage hurriedly lied behind the couch, her back to the floor. Dina and her small frame hid behind the curtains while Auburella ran to the bathroom, locked the door, and lied in the bathtub. Grey grabbed a pile of blankets and tossed them over the cushions to make the dorm look like they'd been alone.

Yuto cleared his throat, loudly declaring, "Yes, officer!" He made sure his voice was steady and a little louder than necessary.

Miles threw a quick thumbs-up to Grey before settling onto the couch with his game controller in hand, and Miles went back to his desk, glasses on, looking as casual as possible. Yuto approached the door, pausing to look back, then opened it with an easy, polite smile.

"Afternoon Officers," Yuto said smoothly, stepping aside to allow them entry. "Feel free to look around."

The officers stepped in, their eyes scanning the room. One held gun tightly, another squinted at the pile of blankets on the couch. Grey draped an arm over the side to cover the fact Sage was behind it. The officer carefully looked at Grey while he just saluted.

"Thank you for your service." Grey smiled.

Miles held his book up to his face, pretending to be deeply absorbed, hoping it would stop the officers from bothering him.

After a tense minute of inspection, one officer turned to Yuto. "As a reminder, we're looking for any information related to recent events. You're sure there's nothing unusual to report?"

Yuto shook his head. "Nothing out of usual."

Grey nodded, managing a slight grin. "We're just trying to get through this lockdown like everyone else, sir."

Seeing the officer heading straight for the bathroom, Grey's heart skipped a beat. He sprang to his feet, a friendly but firm smile plastered on his face.

"Uh, actually, sir," Grey interjected, stepping between the officer and the bathroom door, "that door's stuck. Maintenance was supposed to fix it, but, well, you know how that goes." He gave a light shrug, trying to seem calm.

The officer paused, his hand still on the handle. He raised an eyebrow, clearly sceptical. "Is that so?" He gave the door a testing shake, disappointed it didn't budge. He walked to the boys room, where Dina hid behind the curtains.

Yuto, seeing the officer's intent, quickly followed him. With a stride, he stepped between the officer and the window, pretending to straighten a picture on the wall next to it. "Oh, excuse me, sir," Yuto said smoothly, doing his best to sound like he hadn't noticed the officer's path. "This is a very special picture; I wouldn't want anyone to touch it, no?"

The officer sighed, a glimmer of suspicion in his eyes. "Yall have quite a big window, huh? Seems like it'd be a good escape route if anyone was trying to sneak out."

"I assure you no one would be crazy enough to climb three stories. Officer sir."

The officer paused and considered his words. "Alright," he left the room.

Another officer looked around and saw Miles at his desk; silently he called for him, "You there, boy, you seem smart; have you seen anything weird lately?" 

Miles turned, caught off guard, but quickly forced a neutral expression as he set his book down.

"No, sir," he replied, keeping his tone respectful and steady. "I haven't seen anything unusual—just the regular routine."

The officer gave him a hard look, clearly trying to see if he'd crack under pressure. "You're a sharp one. We're aware students like to keep secrets."

Miles swallowed, but his tone remained steady. "No secrets." He let a slight, respectful smile cross his face. "After all, we want this lockdown to end too."

The officer continued to patronize him, and Miles forced himself to stay calm, not letting his gaze waver. Finally, the officer seemed satisfied and moved on, muttering something under his breath as he rejoined his partner at the door.

"Everything seems clear here; stay safe, kids. There's a killer on the loose; you might want to get that bathroom door fixed." 

When the officers finally left, Grey gave Miles a hard pat on the shoulder. "Nice going, smart boy,'" he teased.

Miles let out a shaky breath, slumping in his chair. "I swear, one more question and I'd have cracked."

Sage stood up and adjusted her braids.  "Please clean your floor." She walked to the kitchen, then mummering while removing the dust from her skirt. 

Auburella walked out of the bathroom. "Thanks for covering us up, guys." 

Dina walked out of the room and said, "Too close for comfort; if we don't leave now, we'll go to prison."

The group huddled around the table in silence. Miles scribbled a few rough notes on the paper, his brows furrowed in concentration. "Okay, so let's break it down. First, we're dealing with two deaths in a matter of weeks. Both Kelly Owen and Michael Hart."

Grey crossed his arms, tapping his fingers on the table. "And somehow we were pulled into this."

"Framed," Auburella muttered, her expression dark. "We were framed."

Miles nodded. "Micheal, quiet rich kid, Kelly scholarship poor kid."

Poor kid, two words that describe Auburella life right now.  Her mother kept leaving her class, telling her to come back and do homeschool. Even if she did, she knew she wouldn't have enough money to even stay at home.

People would stare at her a times, and The Watch wouldn't spread more information about her. This wasn't the first time a kid at La Rose High would get teased or worse for being poor. The only reason she's not considered bully material is because of her friends.

And that's when she realized that society will base you on your background. 

"Kelly Owen had debt to pay." Auburella blurted out.

"Wait really?" Dina asked. Auburella looks solely to the ground. 

"Kelly Owens had debt to pay to Damon's father."

The room went silent, and quickly Yuto spoke. "Are you sure?" Auburella nodded.

"I know this because I know Damon's father; he's a con man who takes from the poor. I should know." Auburella referred to the recent situation of slush funds. she continued. "I think one of Damon's men or accomplices... killed Kelly Owens." 

Yuto looked at her. "Are you sure? That's a heavy accusation."

"You calling me a liar?!" she shouted, getting defensive.

Yuto raised his hands. "No, I didn't mean it like that, Auburella," he said quickly, trying to calm the tension. "But you've got to understand, accusing someone like Damon's father, especially with everything going on, is risky. We're talking about a lot of people with power behind them."

Auburella took a deep breath, her anger still in her heart. "I'm not lying, Yuto. I'm just telling you what I know. Damon is aware of his own father."

"Okay, then we should ask him; we should talk to Damon." Sage said.

"Woah, let's calm down... With the way Auburella speaks of Damon's dad, he sounds like a dude who's part of the mafia, and I don't want to die." Miles spoke.

"We could buy guns." Grey suggested, and Sage rolled her eyes. "No one killing anyone," she said to Grey, then turned to the other. "And no one will die."

"Auburella knows Damon, right? Talk to him; try to reconcile." Dina asked.

Auburella scoffed, "You think I'm crazy?"