Here In Rosefalls | √

Twenty Seven: Jacques the Forgotten

"Tim Falkov? The principal?"

"You idiot, I said keep it down!" Layla hissed, her hand clamped my mouth as she looked around making sure no one was eavesdropping on us.

This dramatic girl...

She then retrieved her hand from my mouth, looking defeated. "Who else, Stells, there could only be one Tim," she sighed. "One and only."

Trap. She was talking about someone setting a trap, with her Pa.

"Then? How is he even involved in this?" It was a bit hazy, I couldn't comprehend the relation of one person with another. The motive was too vague, irrelevant and distorted.

Why would anyone murder Gwen?

Layla bit her cheek, probably unsure of how to explain the case wholesomely to me, knowing that I had the shortest attention span ever.

"How can you not get it?" she circled around me, tapping her chin. "We pried into Falkov's office to thieve the goddamn file, like—" she gestured her hands around the air, "If it's so important, why did he placed it there in the first place?" she asked.

"Why not place it in a more, secluded inaccessible place?"

I have no idea.

She glanced at me, noticing my dumbfounded look and sighed. "You're usually pretty fucking good at guessing. What happened to today?"

I shrugged, "It is a hard day..."

Layla was taken aback by my statement, quickly realizing today's hectic chronology. Where it gets complicated as the time passes by. My eyes were still puffy from crying out loud earlier, and my throat a bit sore; where Layla hastily dragged me out of the manor's lounge and into Piper's room.

"Geez. There aren't better days for us anymore, are they?"

I didn't nod, nor did I shook my head. She was by my side right now, both of us scared of how tommorow would turn out.

"Because it's illegitimate, the file." she chuckled bitterly. "I don't think we can call it a file either, it might be fucking dangerous. The copy we made went missing already. And—" she breathed out, calming herself.

But still, how the hell would our copy got stolen?

"Just why the fuck would our principal get involved in a crime?"

And that too.

"He did bought nice things for Miss Amy, that's generous. I don't think he fits in the scandal anyway." I backed, a bit hesitant. Layla rolled her eyes at me.

"I forgot you're quite naive at times, but no, Falkov's a goddamn creep," she shuddered.

My phone rang, and it was Bronte. Terrified, my heart skipped a bit realizing all the possibilities once I answer the call. I exchanged looks with Layla before sliding my finger to answer the call.

This could be it.

"Stella? Where are you?" she sounded a bit panicked, accelerating my heartbeat.

"What, who is it?" The brunette pried, snubbing for an answer as I tilted my phone to show her Bronte was calling.

I heard her exhaled a relieved sigh, "You're with Layla?"

"Geez, I forgot to tell you that, sorry. I— did Nic called you back?" I managed to slid in the question, eventhough it pained me. Nate's sister hummed, "I handed it to the nurse, I couldn't form a single word whenever  I'm reminded of Nate's condition," she sobbed sorrowfully. The Denovos' had a bad relationship with everything that involves addiction.