The atmosphere was suffocating as they stood before Jesse's ex, Adrian Stone, now an assistant to the head of the district's education department. He looked the part: sharp suit, cold eyes, a face too clean for someone with so many secrets buried under the surface.
Eli could feel the pressure building in his chest, the familiar unease returning. They had spent days tracking down leads, pushing through layers of half-truths, and now they stood at the precipice of everything Jesse had been trying to expose.
Adrian's office was pristine, a cold, corporate space. His gaze flickered over to Eli and Noah as they stepped inside, though there was no sign of surprise. He'd known they were coming.
"I assume this is about Jesse?" Adrian's voice was clipped, businesslike.
Eli didn't waste time. "We know what happened," he said, his tone sharp. "We know about the scandal. About you."
Adrian's eyes flickered, but only for a moment. He straightened in his chair, folding his hands in front of him. "I don't know what you think you know, but Jesse was—"
"Jesse was going to expose you," Noah interrupted his voice hard. "He found out about the illegal funding, the money laundering, the way the school was being used as a front for something much bigger. And you—" He took a step forward, his eyes blazing. "You killed him to cover it up."
The words hung in the air like a thunderclap, and for the first time, Adrian's composure cracked. He clenched his jaw, the tension radiating from him.
"You have no idea what you're talking about," Adrian said through gritted teeth, but there was a tremor in his voice that betrayed his calm exterior. He leaned back in his chair, trying to regain control. "Jesse was reckless. He didn't understand the consequences of what he was trying to do."
"Consequences?" Eli's voice was low, cutting. "Jesse didn't deserve to die for digging into your lies. You knew what he found, didn't you? That's why you made sure he couldn't tell anyone."
Adrian stood abruptly, his hand pressing against the edge of the desk, his eyes flashing with panic. "I didn't kill him! You don't know what you're accusing me of! But Jesse… he wouldn't stop. He couldn't see the bigger picture. If he had gone public, it would have destroyed everything. The school, the people who'd worked so hard to ensure everything ran smoothly…"
Noah's voice was a razor's edge. "You silenced him. You killed him to protect your career."
Adrian's hands balled into fists. "You don't get it. The school was never meant to be used like that, but there were people with more power than you can even imagine, Eli. The administration, the board—they knew. Jesse didn't know how far this went. He wouldn't have backed down, and neither would I. So I did what had to be done."
Eli's heart pounded, his anger rising like a tidal wave. He could feel the weight of Jesse's memory, the injustice done to him, pressing down on him with every word that left Adrian's lips.
"You tampered with the car," Eli said, his voice cold. "You knew the brake lines were cut."
Adrian's face went pale at the mention of the car crash, his eyes shifting nervously as though the truth had finally caught up with him. "You can't prove that," he said quickly, his voice losing its earlier confidence.
"We don't need to prove it," Noah said. "We know it was you. You made sure the crash looked like an accident, so no one would question it."
Adrian's back stiffened. "You're making a mistake. I didn't kill him."
"Then why did you run?" Eli pressed. "Why haven't you spoken about him? Why didn't you come forward if you weren't involved?"
Adrian faltered. His eyes dropped to the ground. "Because the people I was protecting would have destroyed me. I couldn't risk it. I was too deep in, and Jesse… he wasn't meant to find out about the rest of it. About the money. The way the school was being funded through shady backdoor deals with private investors."
Eli's mind raced, piecing everything together. "And you thought if you kept him quiet, everything would go back to normal."
"It wasn't about normal," Adrian said, his voice breaking for the first time. "It was about survival. Do you think I wanted this? Do you think I wanted Jesse to be… gone?"
Eli stood still, his gaze unwavering. "I think you wanted to keep your reputation intact, Adrian. I think you were willing to let someone else take the fall—someone you knew wouldn't have a chance to fight back."
Noah moved closer to the desk, his eyes locked on Adrian. "You were willing to throw Jesse's life away to save yourself."
Adrian's silence spoke volumes. He didn't deny it. Didn't try to defend himself further. His shoulders slumped as though the weight of everything he had done was finally too much to bear.
Eli stood there for a moment, his heart racing, his breath shallow. Every part of him wanted to walk away, to leave Adrian in the mess he had created. But there was still one thing that needed to be said.
"Jesse was the only one who saw through your lies. He didn't deserve to die for it," Eli said, his voice breaking.
For the first time since they entered the room, Adrian's expression softened, guilt washing over his face. "I never meant for any of this to happen. I never meant for Jesse to die."
But Eli didn't believe him. Jesse had been a casualty of a system that didn't care about the truth about justice. And the price had been his life.
"We have everything we need," Eli said quietly. "The truth will come out, Adrian. You can't bury it anymore."
As they turned to leave, Eli felt a strange mixture of relief and sorrow. The truth had been uncovered, but it hadn't brought Jesse back. It hadn't erased the pain that lingered, the hole that would never be filled.
But one thing was certain: Jesse's death would not be in vain.