"We need to talk," she said. "Something big is coming. This isn't just about the past; it's about the future."
ChapterEighteen
Matt steered Haley and Jason toward a quieter corner of the terrace, away from the crowd gathering for the awards ceremony. The mountain view provided perfect cover for their conversation, making it look like they were simply admiring the scenery.
"What did you hear?" he asked.
"Jill and Brooke were arguing in the locker room. Jill told Brooke to pull herself together, that people are starting to worry about her," Haley said, keeping her voice low. "Brooke is scared, Matt. She wants to leave town, but Jill told Brooke all she had to do was hang on for a few more weeks."
"A few more weeks until what?" he asked.
"She didn't say. She just reminded Brooke it wasn't about the past but the future, that it was all going to be worth it."
His pulse quickened. "Anything else?"
"Nothing specific. But whatever is happening now is about more than protecting secrets; it's about some big plan that's going to make them all rich."
"I don't like the sound of that," he murmured. "Brooke is clearly the weakest link. We need to put some pressure on her, see if we can break her."
"That needs to be done soon," Jason said. "They have a habit of getting rid of anyone who makes them nervous. And it sounds like that's what she's doing."
"We'll follow her home, get her alone," he said.
"Good idea," Jason replied. "Since you don't need me here, I'm going to head back to the office now and see if I can help Derek open that drive."
"Thanks," he said as Jason walked away.
"We need to stay close to Brooke, make sure she doesn't leave without us noticing," Haley said.
"Agreed, but it looks like that might have to wait," he said as Trent Adler approached them.
"Haley, Agent Lawson," Trent said. "Since I saw you yesterday, I've been thinking a lot about our conversation." He cast a quick look over his shoulder, then said, "I spoke to Landon the day before the party. And you were right when you suggested there was some sort of grading scheme in play. I didn't want to acknowledge that in front of Henry."
"Because he was involved in the scheme?" he asked.
"Because a bunch of us were, including me, and I didn't want to betray anyone."
"But you're willing to do that now?" Haley challenged.
"I couldn't sleep all night. I never thought the grading issue had anything to do with Landon's death because I believed that it was an accident. Now you're saying it's not, and I can't keep quiet anymore."
"What was the scheme?" Matt asked.
"Landon told me the professor he worked for was pressuring him to bump up grades for certain students. Landon didn't want to do it, but after he refused, he found out that Professor Harrington did it himself. But when Harrington changed the grades, he used Landon's access code for the computer. That way, if anyone went looking, they would think Landon had done it."
"What?" Haley asked in shock. "Why didn't you say this before? The police could have talked to Professor Harrington. Maybe he's the one who killed Landon."
"I'm sorry. Like I said, I didn't think it was relevant, but I didn't know that Landon's death was anything but an accident."
"But now you believe it was murder?" he asked.
"I think you both believe it was murder, and I don't know anymore. Maybe what I told you doesn't matter, but I had to say it." He blew out a breath. "I have to go. They're about to announce the awards."
"Are you going to let him walk away?" Haley demanded, turning to him with fire in her blue eyes.
"For the moment. He said what he wanted to say. We need to confirm it through other sources, like Brooke."
She slowly nodded, her gaze still a bit uncertain. "Okay, but why do you think Trent suddenly decided to open up? Was it genuine remorse? A sudden realization that Landon was killed, or…"
