Discovered

Chapter 17: The Truth

After I had showered and did my homework, I took the yearbook then rushed downstairs where Uncle Seth is busy typing on his laptop in the dining room. When he saw me, he gave me a wave. "Hey niece," he greeted. I joined him on the table and gazed at him.

"Dad told me what you did," I explained. Uncle Seth nodded as if he is being punished. "Yeah," he admitted. "Figured you need some help." Corners of my mouth lifted into a smile. "Thanks," I said. "Anyway, I have looked through Grandpa's yearbook and saw Grandpa's, Mrs. Jade's, and Xavier's names on them."

"Cool," Uncle Seth whistled. "Can I see it?" I handed him the book and watched as he saw the page. "Whoa," he said, looking at the pictures. "Your grandpa and Mrs. Jade were once lovers." I looked at him for a moment. "How did you know about this?" I asked. "Your grandfather likes to tell me stories about his childhood," Uncle Seth said.

"Summer Nights were their favorite song from like, the sixties. Every now and then, they go out on dates until he broke up with her for dealing and taking drugs." I stared at the picture of Mrs. Jade then thought of something.

"Xavier Rodgers is in the yearbook? Shouldn't he be old?" I asked. Just then, Uncle Seth thought of something else. "Wait a minute," he began. "I heard of this guy. Your grandmother told me that he used to be the Zodiac Killer."

My eyes widened in response. "The Zodiac Killer?" I shrieked. Uncle Seth shook his head. "No, he killed a couple of people in the seventies until he decided to end his life by jumping off of a bridge." My mind traced back to the cop, who arrested Justin Gerald. "You're saying that Xavier Rodgers is dead?" I asked. "Then, what about the police chief?" 

Silently nodding, Uncle Seth rummaged through his pockets for his cellphone and called Dad. Meanwhile, I marched back to Grandpa's room, ignored the other yearbook, and tried the lock to the rusty box, but failed.

It is a black with a variety of numbers. It will take me days to figure it out, but then it hit me: I remembered something from my dream and flipped the dials. 3...2...8...9...7.. I took off the opened lock then peered inside. Like my dream, it had blank sheets of paper and old pictures of my mother.

Taking out the paper, I set it on the floor then inspected the second yearbook. Flipping the pages, I scanned my eyes at the after school clubs, kids, and the teachers until something caught my eye. On the right page, it was a picture of the entire staff. There were three rows: all five teachers were sitting together, smiling at the camera, except Mrs. Jade and 'Xavier Rodgers', who were on the end of the third row, staring menacingly at Grandpa.

He is standing next to a brunette woman with a purple dress and heels. Curious, I glanced down at the page until I found Mrs. Jade's name, only to be listed as an English teacher while a man, who looked like Chief Rodgers, is named John Clemons. This guy was a football coach. So, a drug dealer is teaching at a high school and coach is an arrogant police chief. I glanced at the pages then back at the yearbook.

This explains why Grandpa is killed, not only for trying to keep him quiet, but also for wanting to be at the top of the food chain. My guess is that the school board and the teachers didn't complain about Grandpa, nor he is indulgent on kids. Maybe they hated Grandpa for his success and plotted his death. What if the guy who left the gun on purpose was John Clemons?

Maybe, Mrs. Jade lied in order to make him the bad guy, maybe she was the one who grabbed the gun on the ground and killed him herself. What if she and Clemons were the ones who framed Wallace and Justin?

She must have been the anonymous tip. "Cleo and Seth," Grandma called from downstairs. Her voice was wobbly and distraught "Come down, please." Quietly, I took my pepper spray that was resting inside my knapsack then walked downstairs. "Are you okay?" I asked. I instantly heard her sobbing. "Well-" Grandma began. "Shut up," I heard someone muttered. Tucking the spray in the back of my jeans, I trudged downstairs and saw Clemons, pressing a gun against Grandma's temple.

Grandma wore a neon pink jogging suit and instead of wearing a police uniform, Clemons wore dark clothes and black boots. His eyes stared at me with pure hate. "Well, if it isn't Mia?" John Clemons sneered. "It was pretty clever of your uncle to mess up the security cameras." I looked at him silently, but didn't say anything.

"I know your name isn't Xavier Rodgers," I sneered back. "You used to be Langston Hughes football coach, you knew Mrs. Jade, and you even knew my grandfather." John Clemons' triumphant smile faded. "How did you know?" he growled. "I read his yearbook, genius." I snorted. "To be honest, I don't understand what an shady guy like you is hurting my grandfather for helping out children?"

Clemons looked at me as if I was joking. "Are you kidding?" He shrieked. "That man ruined my life!" "Like how?" I snorted, staring at my grandmother. She is closing her eyes very tightly, wanting to forget the gun pointing to her head. "Where's Seth?" he demanded, looking around the house. "What is taking him so long to get downstairs?"

I checked for Uncle Seth, but he wasn't there. Maybe, he is getting the police or calling Dad, but there is no way I am going to tell the monster his whereabouts. "Leave Uncle Seth and my grandmother out of this," I said calmly. "Unless you want add first-degree murder on your jail sentence, the least you could do is tell me why."

John Clemons thought about it for a moment then reluctantly let  my grandmother go.