Chapter 9 Evidence in a book
Mia stood frozen in the empty aisle, the image of that biology textbook burned into her mind. Advanced Cellular Biology. The words kept echoing in her head, louder each time.
This was real evidence. Silas was connected to Ethan through that very subject that defined Ethan’s whole life. And he was hiding it.
She needed to find out more.
Her eyes swept the alcove where Silas had cornered her. His bag was gone, but the tension in the air was still thick. The library’s old circulation desk stood at the far end, manned by a tired-looking librarian who seemed like she’d been there forever.
This was the old library—most records were still physical, written in ledgers. A fact that suddenly felt like an opportunity.
Mia approached the desk, plastering on her most convincing flustered-student expression. “Hi, I’m so sorry to bother you,” she began, her voice carrying apologetic urgency. “My study partner…Silas Voss—was just here, and I think he accidentally grabbed my notes when he packed up. Is there any way to check what books he checked out? Maybe I left them tucked inside one by mistake?”
The librarian looked at her skeptically over her half-moon glasses. “We don’t give out patron records, young lady.”
“Please,” Mia said, letting genuine desperation creep in. “It’s for our biology midterm tomorrow. I’ve been working on those notes for weeks.”
The librarian sighed and gestured reluctantly to a large leather-bound ledger on the counter. “Check-out records are in there. Make it quick.”
Mia’s heart hammered as she pulled the heavy book toward her. Her fingers trembled as she flipped through recent pages, scanning the handwritten entries.
There under his name…Voss, Silas. Student ID #748392.
Her eyes locked onto the list of titles beneath his name, and her breath caught.
It wasn’t just Advanced Cellular Biology.
Below it were two more entries:
Principles of Forensic Toxicology
Chemical Interactions and Adverse Drug Reactions
Toxicology? Chemical interactions. Adverse reactions.
This wasn’t casual curiosity. This was specialised knowledge—how poisons work, how substances interact in the human body sometimes with deadly results that left no visible trace.
Mia’s hands gripped the desk edge as the room tilted. Ethan’s face flashed in her mind—alive, bent over a microscope, his face bright with passion as he explained cellular processes she barely understood. His major, his passion, his whole world was now tied to Silas’s secret studies.
The official report echoed in her memory: “Accidental drowning. No signs of external trauma.”
But what if there were no signs because the trauma wasn’t physical? What if the drowning wasn’t the cause but the result—the final act of a body in deadly distress? What if Ethan had been driven into that lake, his body system compromised by something that left no mark?
The pieces slammed into place with brutal clarity.
Silas hadn’t just pushed him. He’d done something worse, something calculated. He’d used his knowledge to engineer a death that looked like an accident. The fight, the rumors—maybe it was all misdirection to cover up the real method.
“Are you finding what you need?” The librarian’s voice cut through her thoughts.
“Yes,” Mia managed. “Thank you. They’re not listed, so they must be somewhere else.”
She carefully closed the ledger and stepped back, her mind racing. This changed everything. She had real evidence now—concrete proof that Silas was researching stuff that could have killed Ethan.
But evidence alone wasn’t enough. The police had closed the case. They wouldn’t reopen it because some girl claimed the suspect was reading suspicious books.
She needed more. She needed something undeniable.
Walking through the dim stacks toward the exit, Mia’s mind churned. Following him passively had only gotten her this far, but it was reactive. She was always one step behind, chasing shadows.
To prove what he’d done, she needed to change tactics. Stop reacting and start acting. Stop following and start leading.
She needed to set a trap.
The cool evening air hit her face as she stepped outside, students laughing and walking past, totally unaware.
Mia pulled her jacket tighter and headed toward her dorm, her mind working through possibilities. She needed something subtle enough that he wouldn’t see it coming, but provocative enough to make him act. Something that would make him think she knew more than she did, force him to either cover his tracks or confront her.
Either way, he’d have to reveal something.
The question was what bait would work on someone like Silas? What would make him nervous enough to slip up?
Back in her dorm room, Mia sat at her desk with the play script open, but she wasn’t going over lines about betrayal.
Instead, she was staring at the wall, going over everything she knew—physics major studying biology, toxicology, chemical interactions, that mysterious photo, the warning, the fight, Ethan’s supposed accidental drowning that couldn’t have been accidental.
Somewhere in all of that was the key to making Silas reveal himself.
Her laptop sat open, the school forum login page glowing. The forum—where students gossiped, shared rumors they’d never say out loud. Maybe there was something there, some thread she could pull.
But as her fingers hovered over the keyboard, her phone buzzed. A text from Elara about tomorrow’s rehearsal, asking if Mia could help with something related to the play.
Mia stared at the message, her tired mind struggling to focus, before responding with a simple “sure.”
She set the phone aside and stared at her laptop screen, at the forum page waiting for her search. There was so much gossip, threads and information. It was confusing, and for a moment, she felt lost. She didn't know where to start.
Only one thing was clear to her: just following Silas wasn’t enough anymore. If she wanted to uncover the truth, she would have to force him to reveal it.
Mia closed her laptop with a soft, final click.
Tomorrow, she'll definitely make him slip up.