The handle turned slowly, the faint creak echoing in the dark room. I held my breath, gripping Ireti’s hand so tightly I was sure I’d cut off her circulation. She didn’t flinch, but I could feel her breathing, quick and shallow, in sync with my own panic.

The door swung open just a crack, enough for a sliver of light from the hallway to cut across the floor. I could just make out a pair of shoes at the threshold. Whoever was there lingered for a moment, not moving, as if waiting for us to make the first sound.

I held back a whimper as I pressed myself further into the corner, pulling Ireti down beside me. We stayed there, crouched in the shadows, waiting, hoping whoever it was would just give up and leave. My heart was pounding so loudly I was sure they’d hear it.

Finally, the footsteps retreated, the door closing softly behind them.

We didn’t dare move. I looked over at Ireti, her face barely visible in the darkness, her wide eyes locked on mine. She mouthed, Are you okay? I nodded, exhaling shakily. We waited a few more minutes, listening for any sign of footsteps or voices, but the hallway was silent.

Finally, Ireti broke the silence with a whisper. “That was too close.”

“Tell me about it,” I muttered. “But we need to hurry. We might not get another chance.”

I took out my phone and turned on the flashlight, angling it to cast a dim glow across the shelves of files that lined the back wall. Mr. Bello and Mr. Austin had been working at the school for years, which meant there had to be something—anything—tucked away that could help us understand their connection to Alessia's murder.

I scanned the labels on the folders, my eyes darting from one name to the next. There were years of student files, disciplinary records, lesson plans… but I finally spotted what we needed: the personnel files.

“Here,” I whispered to Ireti, pulling out the file marked “Staff Records.” We flipped through the folders until we found the names we were looking for—Mr. Bello and Mr. Austin.

I opened Mr. Bello’s file first, my hands shaking as I rifled through the pages. There was his resume, copies of certificates, evaluation reports—nothing unusual.
I checked Mr. Austin's file next, same thing with Mr. Bello until my eyes caught something shocking.
Home Address: 12 Odogbawojo Street, Eredo, Epe, Lagos.
I remembered so vividly when we tracked the number that sent me that threatening message, it was from Epe.

I stared at the address, a sinking feeling in my stomach. “Do you remember the threat message I received when Pamela died?”
Ireti nodded. Kayode said nothing about that and it was further increasing my doubt in his hand in those two murders. "The message came from Epe and Mr. Austin lives there. Does this make sense?"

“I don’t know,” Ireti replied, her voice barely audible. “But this can’t be a coincidence. Alessia had to be connected to him somehow, and maybe Kayode got dragged into whatever was going on between them.”

A sudden noise cut through the silence—a door slamming from down the hallway.

My heart leapt into my throat. “Someone’s coming!”

Ireti shoved the files back onto the shelf, and I quickly took a picture of the address just as the footsteps approached, louder and faster this time.

“There’s no other way out,” I whispered, panic rising.

But Ireti’s gaze darted toward the window at the far side of the room. It was small and looked like it hadn’t been opened in years, but it might be our only option.

Without hesitating, we sprinted across the room, grabbing onto the window latch and pulling. It creaked but held firm. I gave it one more desperate tug, and it finally gave way with a loud, rusted groan.

Ireti slipped through first, squeezing her way onto the ledge outside, and I followed, just as the door swung open behind us. We didn’t dare look back as we scrambled down the narrow ledge and dropped onto the grass below, the cold night air stinging our cheeks.

“Run!” Ireti whispered, and we dashed across the school grounds, not stopping until we’d reached the edge of the street, hidden in the shadows of the trees.

We stood there, breathing heavily, my mind racing.I looked at the picture of the address I took. The more I looked, the more questions filled my mind. Was Mr. Austin the teacher I was looking for? Why had Kayode been dragged into it?

And what was the real story behind the murders?

I looked over at Ireti. “We’re not done yet. This is just the beginning.”

She nodded, her expression resolute. “Let’s find out what really happened.”

"We're going to Epe" I said