Confidential Scheme 1

Chapter 15: Finding T Coordinates

Chloe's POV

Looks like Minji can't still believe what happened to Derek. She didn't expect it. No one expected it. Even Lorcan who always use deduction and probabilities to connect things from one another can't seem to find a single dot.

The night Minji get to enter Derek's condo, he wanted to take Minji home and make sure that she's safe. I honestly don't know if it was just an act but not gonna lie, Derek sounds so sincere about it. I am not going to be biased just because someone accused him of blackmailing people.

If he really blackmailed people, then there must be a reason behind it. Lorcan once told me that every crime has a motive and that works with this as well. If a person is doing bad then there's a reason why that person have to be like that.

Best example for this is Madeline and Ricanne. They were probably so innocent amd so sweet when someone ruined their dignity and rights as a human. As a woman.

It's so sad to think that people had became what they had become because of someone else's fault or doings. It wasn't supposed to be like that.

Who burned Derek's condo and what was that person's reason or reasons?

"Guys." Minji called us out and we all turned to her.

She took out a tiny black thing with a shade of blue on the other half. It looks like a flashdrive.

"I found this on my locker yesterday. Someone also texted me to check on my locker. I don't know who might be behind that." She explained.

I remember the time when a secret admirer putting gifts inside a girl's locker. Why do they always opened our lockers without permission?

Lorcan hold it with his thumb and index finger. "This might be it."

"What?" I asked.

"Files that Derek used to blackmail people might be on this device."

"But how? Derek's de-"

"Whoever killed Derek, that person wanted to be a samaritan."

~~~

"See you tom, class." Our professor bid farewell after he gave out sheets of paper about the homework. My mind is preoccupied with all the recent events that I didn't expect in the first place.

Yeah, I know that everything can possibly happen without us even noticing or being aware with it but... This one hits differently.

I wanted to know the person behind all of this. But instead of getting clues about it, we're getting infos that makes things kore complicated which is not good.

"Chloe." I flinched as I heard someone's voice from my left ear.

"I- sorry." Blaze apologized but he doesn't need to.

"I'm sorry, Blaze. I was just... there's a lot going on at the moment. Well... In my situation." I explained to him.

Not gonna lie, doing multiple tasks is quite challenging especially if you are struggling both physically and mentally. Set asiding, the school works and all other stuff wouldn't make the situation any better. The things we solved and take care of in ARC club alone exhausts us a lot.

"Anything I can help you with?" He sounds so genuine about it.

Oh my god! I almost forgot.

"I am recruiting you on the club!"

"What?"

Freak. I didn't realize I said my thought out loud. Never mind.

"Are you interested in joining our club?"

"Uh-"

"Listen... we accept one or maybe two members. You'll definitely be a big help in us! So are you in?" I asked him straight forward. I can't let go of this oppurtunity.

First of all, Blaze's uncle is literally a police officer. We can negotiate with him regarding the cases outside the school premises or help us with the case even inside. But we currently have the campus police so that's not really an important thing.

Second, he proved a lot since the first time he rescued me that during a man trying to steal my phone. I can see the way he effortlessly dodged and suppress the thief's attack. That's not all, the thief is also grounded. In short, he's good at hand to hand combat. He can just poke the enemy's forehead then we win.

Lastly, I just wanted to have him in the club. Blaze looks a bit lonely and distant when it comes to people around him. He's not even interested in girls even though they're literally showing him the signs, if you know what I mean. I just have a feeling that I should consider him in the ARC club.

"Let me think about it. I'll inform you when I already have decided. But in the meantime, let me help you with what you're going to do."

I smiled and nodded.

~~~

Even though he offered to help me without return of anything else, I still rejected him. I just don't want him to be burden with the club's mission especially if he's not a member of the club like seriously, why would I do that?

Some people may say that, "Oh, you're missing the opportunity" but that isn't an opportunity for me at all. Blaze helps me everytime I needed one. I didn't ask him to help or to be there whenever something happens but he did.

It's definitely not a coincidence that he's there everytime something bad happens. But he's not following me either. It's like fate's way to made me realize that I have someone that makes me feel safe whenever I'm anxious of the danger around.

I'm grateful about that. It's just that this is too much for Blaze. And also, we can't let him know about the case. I trust him but what's said to be confidential needs to be confidential. If the enemy sees him walking with any of us, he might be targeted and worse...

Sigh.

"Chloe? Are you with us?"

"Yes, of course. What do we do next?"

"We're going to list out all possible suspects that might be the man I've been hunting for months." Lorcan firmly said.

"How are we going to do that? As far as I know most of the cases that we have solved involving men... You know..."

"We're going to turn around and see if we missed any breadcrumbs from behind. No matter how little it is, that would help us knowing what that person's identity."

He went to the desk and took two long folders with papers in it.

"This is the list of the cased I solved from the past." He put down the folder with lots of inside it. "This the case we've done from months when there's only two members of the club."

Compared to the other one, this one has less papers inside of it. So that means, he can do more case alone than him being woth someone else in the club? Or there's another reason?

Whatever that is, I have no idea about that.

We need to collect information from these people. One of them possibly wants to take revenge on Lorcan. For knowing something that they thought nobody will find out.

"It will take us years before we would finish this, so I want us to split and go one by one."

"Isn't that a little bit dangerous? That man you're talking about definitely has minions in this university. One of them is probably the one whose been spying on us amd worse... One of them might be him."

"As much as I am concerned about everyone's safety. I don't think they will harm us inside. We just need to be cautious. I know for a fact that this university is full of his goons but if his goal is to harm us, he should've killed us the moment we solved his case full of errors."

I looked down on the floor. He got a point. Nothing happened to me since the abandoned place incident where I was the victim. Lorcan told me that it's just that person's way of warning me because I am now taking place on the club.

I didn't believe him at once but it's been weeks and nothing worse happened to me except when there's a thief trying to steal my phone. But that's definitely not a part of this case.

"If anyone disagrees, you can definitely not do this. But among us, I know that you guys also wanna see this case concluded."

He's probably talking about the reason why we joined the club. To think about it, I only know Lorcan's reason why he have to deal with this but not really. On the other hand, I do not know a single thing about Minji and Dustin's membership on the club.

The reason. It's probably because I didn't ask them about it or they don't want to open it up.

I already said this before but the moment I joined the club and knew what they were doing, I am interested.

I told Lorcan that I want to go ahead and reveal the person who abducted me. And the person behind it. But right now, it isn't the only reason at all. To be honest, I could just leave the club and live my life without worrying about risks and danger but I didn't.

It is because there's something that keeping me on this club. And I'm fully aware of that.

"No one? Well shall we start?"

~~~

"Good afternoon!" She just looked at me with furrowed eyebrows.

"I found out that you're Timmy Clart's friend.

Is that true?" I need to confirm it first.

"What do you want?"

"I just wanted to ask a few questions about him."

"I'm sorry but I deny answering any of your questions." She then turned around but U stopped her.

"Wait... Timmy has been kidn*pped, right?" I caught her attention and she looked at me.

"How did you know that?"

"I wanted to help you with it. I'm from ARC club. And we solve cases. We might help you with it."

She laughed. "Club? Solving cases? Are you some kind of lunatic who believes that you solve everything when you're not?"

"We just wa-"

"Shut up." She cut me off. "You know nothing. And timmy... I've already moved on."

Her voice cracked a bit and I felt the emotion that she have when she said Timmy.

Looks like the fourth man on my list isn't the one one we're looking at all. I don't know what happened to him buthe must've been really dear to her.

I walk on slowly pace and sat on the stairs between the 2nd and 3rd floor.

Sigh. I didn't even collect any information.

I cannot say they're not cooperative. It's their right if they want to talk or not about a certain topic. This move is a little bit desperate to be honest.

Maybe because Lorcan badly want to solve this case amd reveal that person's identity badly so he resort to finding something when in reality there's nothing much of it.

I can't believe that I'm bothering people's mind by reminding them what had happened to their friends, classmates and ones that they shared relationship to. Some of them were dead. I didn't looked at it earlier in the clubroom because we're on a rush.

It just doesn't work at all.

"Can find anything?"

I heard a female voice from behind. I feel like I heard that voice before, I just don't know who it belongs to.

When I turned around I saw the student council vice president. Kelsie Yoo.

She walked down the stairs and stood where I was sitting.

"Why can't you just leave the club? You still have time, you better decide as early as possible."

I stood and faced her. "Why would I do that?"

"Why not? You don't have the reason to stay in that club as far as I know."

"I do have a reason."

"What is it then?"

I don't know if I can tell her that I once been abducted.

"Why do I have to tell you?"

She frowned. "Lorcan can solve cases on his own as he boasted. I don't know if that's true but I don't care anymore. Leave. The. Club. As soon as possible."

"Who are you to say that?"

"I'm just the person who's contented with my life. Enjoying it with my friends and loved ones not until someone entered the scene and ruined it."

Her face is so serious and I can tell that there's a hint of anger on her voice.

She took a step closer to me.

"I'm telling you, Chloe. Once you know the reason behind it. You will look ont hings differently the way you did before."

She then walk on a normal pace down the stairs but...

"Wait." I stopped her and she looked at me.

"What is the reason?"