Episode 13 :"Suspect or Victim?"

The room was eerily silent. Everyone was too stunned to speak. Even Kayol and Jade's parents were in complete shock.

The officer's sharp gaze swept across the room. "Now tell me, did you all really not know, or are you just pretending?" He fixed his eyes on Mark, waiting for an answer.

Mark hesitated, his fingers twitching. "No, sir. We didn't know about their relationship, and I'm sure no one could have predicted it. They always acted like they hated each other."

The officer shifted his attention to Ama, but she wasn't even listening. Her mind was elsewhere—her parents, her thoughts, her prayers. She just wanted this to be over. She was so lost in her head that she didn't even register what had just been revealed.

"Miss Ama? No answer?" The officer's voice cut through the haze.

Atlas nudged her, shaking her shoulder. She jolted back to reality, flabbergasted.

The officer smirked slightly. "This new information really shocked you, I see." He gestured to his assistant. "Nick, get Miss Ama a glass of water."

Nick returned with a bottle, and Ama grabbed it, drinking the entire thing in one go.

The officer leaned forward. "Now, tell me, Miss Ama—why would someone want to kill both Jade and Kayol?"

Ama stammered. "I… I don't have any guesses, sir."

"What about you, Atlas?" The officer's eyes flicked toward him.

Atlas hesitated, rubbing his chin. "Maybe… some personal issue?"

The officer hummed, as if considering the possibility. "Hmm. That could be a reason." He then turned to the grieving parents. "Did Jade or Kayol ever share anything about their personal lives? Any mention of someone troubling them?"

Through their tears, both sets of parents shook their heads. "No," one mother sobbed. "They never said anything like that."

Atlas, Ama, and Mark exchanged glances. They couldn't help but feel sorry for the parents, who were completely shattered.

The officer sighed. "That's strange. No enemies, no grudges…"

His eyes sharpened as he continued, "Alright, let's move on. When Jade's body was found, you two—Ama and Mark—were there, correct?"

Both nodded.

"So, Mark, tell me—where exactly was Jade's body found?"

Mark blinked, confused. "Uh… in the storeroom, sir. But you already kn—"

"Just answer the question."

Mark exhaled. "Sir, it was found in the storeroom."

The officer then turned to Ama. "Miss Ama, when you arrived, was the storeroom door open?"

"No, sir. It was locked, so our math professor sent someone to get the keys from the principal's office."

The officer leaned back, tapping his fingers on the table. "So, the door was locked… from the inside?"

A wave of realization crashed over the room.

Parents gasped. Atlas straightened. Mark's grip on the chair tightened.

"Is the storeroom usually locked?" the officer asked the principal.

The principal shook his head. "No, sir. It's usually open since our cleaning staff needs access."

"And who has the key?"

"Only me. If the staff needs it, they borrow it from me and return it immediately after."

A slow, cold smile crept onto the officer's face. "So… if Jade was locked inside, the killer must have had time to return the key after the murder?"

Atlas, deep in thought, muttered, "But that's impossible to do so quickly."

The officer snapped his fingers. "EXACTLY! For one person, it's impossible. But for two…?"

Silence. The room went dead quiet.

The officer's eyes flickered toward Ama and Mark.

A sharp chill ran down Ama's spine. Mark visibly tensed.

Both were horrified. Ama quickly protested, "But sir! We were their friends! We could never even imagine doing something like this to them."

The officer smirked. "That's what I believe, Miss Ama."

Mark's jaw clenched. "Sir, it's wrong to accuse us without any proof."

The officer's expression darkened as he stepped closer. "Mr. Mark, keep your voice down." His tone was dangerously low. "I didn't accuse you. You're just suspects—just like your principal, the cleaning staff, and a few other students. But you disturbed my train of thought. Now, where was I?"

"Sir, two murderers," Nick reminded him.

"Right. Two people. One did the killing, the other helped. Hmm… wait. If the door was locked, then how did the killer escape?"

Nick chimed in, "Maybe through the window?"

The officer's eyes gleamed. "That fits. So, here's what might have happened—someone pushed Jade into the storeroom and locked the door. Meanwhile, someone was already inside, waiting. he killed her and escaped through the window."

The room fell into an eerie silence.

It made sense. Too much sense.

Ama felt her heartbeat pounding in her ears.

The officer smirked slightly, enjoying the weight of his words. But then, his eyes narrowed.

"But that still doesn't explain one thing…"

He turned to the group, voice dropping to a chilling calm.

"How did Kayol's suicide turn into a murder?"