Chapter 5 - The Hidden Ledger
Caleb was completely consumed by guilt as he sat alone in his bedroom that night.
Malik had sacrificed his entire future, and the corrupt police force was protecting the teachers.
Caleb knew he needed something far more damaging than a blurry video of a cash drop.
He needed the physical records, the master ledger of every bribe the school had ever taken.
At midnight, Caleb dressed in dark clothing and snuck out of his house.
He bypassed the school's perimeter cameras, using the blind spots Chloe had mapped out for him.
He picked the lock on the back gymnasium door and crept silently through the empty, echoing halls.
He reached Mr. Harrison's classroom and slipped inside, turning on a small, red-filtered flashlight.
He searched the filing cabinets, the desk drawers, and the supply closet, but found absolutely nothing.
Frustrated, Caleb leaned against the large bookshelf behind Harrison's desk.
He noticed that one of the heavy encyclopedia volumes was glued firmly in place.
He pulled the fake book forward, revealing a digital keypad hidden in the wood paneling.
Caleb thought about Harrison's massive ego and the arrogant quotes he repeated daily in class.
He typed in the founding year of Yale University, Harrison's favorite obsession.
The keypad beeped green, and a small metal safe hissed open.
Inside rested a thick, leather-bound ledger filled with hundreds of handwritten transactions.
It detailed every grade changed, every bribe accepted, and every parent extorted over the last ten years.
Caleb took out his phone to photograph the pages, ensuring the flash was turned completely off.
He was halfway through the book when a shadow fell across the classroom doorway.
"I knew you were too stubborn to quit, Caleb," a deep voice echoed in the darkness.
Caleb slowly turned around, shining his red flashlight toward the door.
Standing there was not Mr. Harrison, but Caleb's own older brother, Marcus.
Marcus had been expelled from this very school five years ago under mysterious circumstances.
"What are you doing here?" Caleb gasped in absolute shock.
May you like
Marcus stepped into the room, pulling a heavy wooden baseball bat from behind his back.
"I am here to clean up the mess you just made," Marcus said coldly.
