Chapter 13 - Gabriel's Last Letter

The letter was six pages long.

Gabriel admitted that Gordon Mercer had offered him a "consulting fee" to approve change orders on the west gym renovation.

At first, Gabriel convinced himself it was ordinary side work.

Then he saw the fake invoices.

Then the unsafe materials.

Then Mercer asked him to certify steel he knew could fail.

Gabriel refused.

He tried to return the money.

Mercer told him the money made him part of the crime whether he signed or not.

So Gabriel started collecting evidence.

The final page was harder to read because the ink had smeared.

MAYA IS NINE AND STILL THINKS I CAN FIX ANYTHING WITH A TOOLBOX. I WANT HER TO GROW UP KNOWING THAT WHEN YOU MAKE A BAD CHOICE, YOU DON'T KEEP MAKING IT JUST BECAUSE SOMEONE CAN USE IT AGAINST YOU.

Maya covered her face.

Luis walked outside.

Elena kept reading aloud.

IF ANYTHING HAPPENS TO ME, GORDON MERCER WILL SAY I WAS CORRUPT. HE WON'T BE COMPLETELY WRONG. THAT'S WHY THE EVIDENCE MATTERS MORE THAN MY REPUTATION.

The last line said:

TELL MAYA I WAS SCARED, AND I DID THE RIGHT THING ANYWAY.

For a long time, nobody spoke.

Then Maya folded the letter carefully.

"He knew," she said.

Elena nodded.

"He knew he might not come home."

The anger inside Maya changed shape.

It had been wild before.

Now it became precise.

She returned to school the next Monday after the district officially canceled her suspension.

Students clapped when she walked into the main hall.

Maya hated it.

She was not a celebrity. She wanted a normal locker and a normal day.

But normal was gone.

Ryan was suspended indefinitely. Coach Danner remained under investigation. Hargrove was still missing. The school board hired an outside attorney.

At lunch, Chloe sat beside Maya.

"You okay?"

"No."

"Same."

They ate in silence.

Then a freshman approached their table.

His name was Eli Grant. He looked around before speaking.

"Ryan made me carry stuff for him sometimes."

Maya put down her fork. "What stuff?"

"Cash. Envelopes. Phones."

"Why?"

"Because he caught me vaping and said he'd tell my dad."

Chloe sighed. "Of course."

Eli handed Maya a locker key.

"He made me hide one bag in the old wrestling storage room. He never came back for it."

"What's in the bag?"

"I don't know. I was too scared to open it."

After school, Detective Ruiz opened the locker with them watching from the hallway.

Inside was a red duffel.

It contained cash, burner phones, and a leather-bound ledger.

Seth whispered, "That's it."

Ruiz opened the first page.

Names and dates filled the paper.

Halfway down one column was an entry from seven years earlier.

PIKE - CRASH CLEANUP - 25,000.

And beneath it:

DANNER - TORRES MEETING - 5,000.

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Maya turned toward Seth.

His father had lied again.