The Lie Beneath

Chapter 21 : The missing piece of the library

I blinked. "I'm sorry, are you following us?"

"Nope! Just hanging around the library. I like the silence. And mysteries. I mean, you two are basically the talk of the whole school right now because of the last case about my classmate Maria. And especially you," he said to Lazarus. "You solved, what, five this semester alone?"

"Six," Lazarus said proudly. "And this one's shaping up to be my favorite."

"Thought so!" William clapped once, then offered a hand to me. "Anyway, I just wanted to say is i think what you're doing is awesome. And if you ever need an extra brain or two working on this, I'd love to help."

Lazarus looked at him like a kid who just found a new toy. "You're a fan of puzzles, William?" but i can see something in his eyes i can't put into words.

"I live for them," William grinned. "I mean, I'm not some super detective or anything, but I'm really good at organizing timelines, digital tracking, stuff like that."

"Wait," I said, crossing my arms. "You want to help us? You're not scared?"

"Of course not! Okay, a little, maybe. But mostly excited. I mean, this is like... real life murder mystery!" He laughed. "I mean, how often do you get a front row seat to this stuff?"

Lazarus beamed. "See, this guy gets it. Rhianne, can we keep him?"

I rolled my eyes. "He's not a puppy, Lazarus."

"Says who?" he smirked. "He's got puppy energy."

William just laughed, clearly not bothered. "Seriously though. If you guys need help digitizing records, data, checking archives, analyzing student patterns, I've got time. Lots of it."

"Why?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Why offer now?"

He shrugged. "Because people are dying. And it's not random. Everyone can feel it. And honestly? I'd rather be on the side doing something about it than just waiting to see who drops next."

That hit. I looked at Lazarus. He was still smiling but behind it, I could tell he was thinking seriously.

"Alright," I finally said. "William Ozfear, you can step in."

"Finally!" he fist pumped, then glanced around. "So what do we do now?" he asked.

Before we could answer, a loud buzz echoed through the library's speakers.

"All students, please remain in your rooms. This is an official security advisory. Do not wander outside designated areas. Stay alert."

William whistled. "That sounded ominous."

"Yeah," Lazarus muttered. "And oddly timed." before looking at william.

"Looks like we're not the only ones making a move," I added, already turning toward the door. "William, we'll contact you. For now, lay low. Keep your ears open."

He gave us a thumbs up. "Copy that, boss. And anyway this is my number, just call me!" We exchanged contact numbers. "Stay alive, detectives." he said before turning his back on us.

Lazarus laughed as we stepped out. "I like him."

"He's trouble," I said.

"Exactly why I like him." he said while a smirk curved in his lips. We walked down the hallway in silence for a while, until I felt Lazarus stop beside me. "You think the list was removed today?" he asked.

"I think it was taken the moment we started asking questions. Someone's watching." He nodded slowly, then looked at the paper again. "Seven letters. Seven names. Seven deaths."