"Excuse me?" I ask.

"I'm going to help."

"Why?"

Elliot shrugs. "The same reason you're sat slaving over a word document at midday. I care."

"About Sienna?"

"About our safety. Twenty bucks says the killer isn't done. Not by a long shot."

I quirk a brow, agreeing by a long shot. Elliot seems legit. Genuine. And as I stare into his honest eyes, I think over my options. It's another doomsday situation. If I say no to his help, I'm essentially embarking on this Everest-sized investigation on my own. Say yes, and I'm putting two brains on the job. Surely, we have a better chance at figuring this out by working together?

"Fine. Let's swap notes," I suggest, beckoning him closer.

I don't particularly want anyone listening in.

"What do you know?"

"I know Sienna had her secrets," he replies. "She wasn't as innocent as everyone thought."

"Oh?"

"I don't know specifics but the killer clearly did."

"You think whoever did this knew her?" I question.

He nods. "I guarantee it."

I shift my gaze and momentarily focus on the librarian stamping books like the things themselves have wronged her. Her aggressiveness is uncalled for. Abrupt. The exact opposite of what we're dealing with here.

"It was planned," I state. "Calculated."

"I agree."

"But why send a message to every senior student?"

"And teachers," he adds.

Huh?

"What?"

"Teachers got the messages too."

"I didn't know that." I admit, quickly typing out the additional information.

"What do you know?" he asks, inching even closer.

I take to whispering. "According to Lewis, the messages have been traced to someone in Ohio."

"Ohio?"

I nod.

"Traces can easily be manipulated," he informs, flexing his arms.

Elliot is part jock, part computer nerd, so I believe him when he says that. And whilst I don't pretend to understand how, I do appreciate the logistics behind such a move. Does the killer want us to think they're working with someone from Ohio? Or are they simply toying with us?

"We need to establish a motive. Why would someone want to expose her 'truth'?" I ask, flipping to a fresh page in my planner.

"What's with the notebook?" he enquires, gesturing towards my 'get shit done' organiser.

My pride and joy!

"I prefer pen and paper when brainstorming," I inform, releasing the pen of its lid using my teeth. "We'll use the word document for concrete facts only."

"You mean to say I get my own copy?" he asks, grinning. "I'm flattered."

"You should be. I don't share my findings with just anyone, ya know?"

"Can I add to it?"

"No."

He laughs as I write 'Truth or Death?' at the top of my page and underline it with a swirl. I then add 'Motives' as a subheading and get straight to it.

"So, we think the killer has the potential to strike again..."

"It seems likely. I mean...why go to all that trouble of hacking the school's system to get contact details for a one time use?" He pauses. "I could be wrong. I hope I'm wrong."

"But you're probably not," I offer.

It's a morbid thought but it's important to remain realistic and vigilant at all times.

"Revenge?" he suggests, taking hold of my pen and scribbling the word down, followed by three question marks.

"Jealousy?" I add, watching him jot away in my planner.

Why does this feel so intimate?

"It's fair to say whoever sent those messages is making an example of Sienna," he says.

"Like a warning?"

He shrugs, writing it down. "Potentially."

His handwriting is a jumble of flicks and swirls and yet, I can read it perfectly. It's not messy but rather, chaotic. He's fast and I silently relish such skill.

"I think I know what we need to do next," I inform, turning to the computer screen and clicking save on my–our–document.

I take back my pen and write down, 'What was Sienna's secret?', underlining it three times before pushing the page towards him.

"We won't know the true motive until we find out what that secret was," I state, tucking a stray hair behind my ear. "We need to do some digging."

"I know just the place."

He smirks and turns to my calendar, pencilling in a meeting two days from now.

Meet Elliot @ Rockaby park entrance!!!

Sienna's memorial. I don't know why I didn't think of it but here we are–Elliot and I–making our way through Rockaby park. According to Facebook, a few of her friends decided to plant a tree for her and although I find it slightly out of taste doing so in the very place she was killed, I say nothing. I simply follow Elliot, matching his longs strides as best as I can.

"Keep up!" he chuckles.

"Stop running and I might," I counter, breaking out into a jog.

We continue down the winding path until he abruptly stops and I collide full-force into his solid back.

"Ouch!"

"Helena, look!"

I peak over his shoulder and instantly zoom in on the scene displayed before me. Lewis is making out with Chloe–Sienna's best friend.

"What the hell?"

"Lewis was cheating on Sienna," whispers Elliot, pulling me behind a tree. "How's that for a motive?"

"A little extreme, if you ask me."

"You don't think they did it?"

"No, do you?" I ask.

He stretches his neck to look at the embracing couple once again.

"I don't know. We can't rule anything out," he replies.

The rest of Sienna's group suddenly walk by, prompting Elliot to duck down. We end up butting heads and in doing so, I lose my footing on the tree roots beneath us. Elliot grabs me, resulting in us both tumbling to the floor and face-planting the snow. It's an ice-sharp blast to the cheeks and hurts like hell, but still, I laugh.

"Oh my God!"

We both cover our mouths, muffling the laughter escaping. I push Elliot's face away from mine, unable to look at him without giggling. We're day three into our investigation and moments away from blowing our cover.

"Shut up! They'll hear us!"

"You're the one laughing!" he defends, jumping to his feet and helping me up.

I brush the snow off of my jeans and straighten up, glancing towards the huddled group. There's a bush to our left and I crouch beside it, securing myself a better view. Elliot follows and positions himself next to me, peaking through the gaps. Lewis and Chloe are no longer together, separated by the arrival of their friends. Lovers, forced apart.

"Look for anyone else acting out of character," I whisper, taking out my phone.

"What're you doing?" he asks, motioning towards my cell.

"Documenting the evidence."

He smirks. "Smart."

I offer him a smile and turn back to the group, spotting Chad crouched to the side. He has a small spade in his hand and digs a hole, big enough for Chloe and a few others to place the small tree inside. Afterwards, they each stare at it, saying nothing. I snap a few photos and look for anything out of the ordinary. Only, nothing happens. Apart from Lewis and Chloe kissing, nothing seems suspicious. But I don't believe they're responsible for this. Call it instinct–whatever–I can't picture it. Why plot to kill Sienna when they could've just told her? Sure, it would've been messy but not this messy. Besides, Chloe was in my chemistry class when we got the text messages and from what I remember, her reaction was pretty standard.

"You're in my chemistry class," I whisper. "Do you remember Chloe acting strangely at all?"

"No, but does that look like a heartbroken boyfriend to you?" he asks, pointing towards a distracted Lewis looking towards his phone.

I'm about to comment on his behaviour when the others begin pulling theirs out. A wave of dread washes over me, planting itself deep into my stomach, exactly how I imagine Sienna's tree will take to the ground in Rockaby park. It grips my insides, making it difficult to breathe. To think.

"Elliot..." I whisper, clutching my phone.

His vibrates, followed swiftly by my own, both of us succumbing to the inevitable. Typing in my password is a mission I like to think is prolonged by the freezing temperatures seizing my hands, though I know it's really because I can't stop shaking.

The red notifications pop up; two unread text messages.

Unknown:
Your hair blows golden,
Your eyes gleam green,
You better chose truth,
Or I'll make you scream.

Unknown:
Thomas Jackson,
Truth or death?

Shit!

We knew this would happen. Elliot and I both predicted the killer striking again. We just didn't anticipate how soon. And now, we're faced with two very important questions.

What connects Tom Jackson to Sienna Michaels?

And better yet, what secrets are they hiding?

****

What secrets indeed?

Any ideas...