CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR
"What are you guys doing here?" he asked, incredulous.
"Xeno, sit down." Jess commanded. "I've been trying to get through to you over the phone for the last week. We have huge news."
He did as she asked. "What's been happening at the museum since I've been gone? You've been all right, right?"
"The sabotage war's worse than it ever has been, and we're almost certain they're going to cut both astronomy and palaeontology.
" Jess' lips pressed together into a line.
" Everyone in palaeontology thinks that you were the one that threw all that paper mache on the ground, some even think it was you that destroyed that pterodactyl in the first place. "
"Not everyone in palaeontology." Haiden piped up. "I don't."
Xeno turned around to face him. It felt like it had been years since they'd last talked, like this. Jess continued; "Ms. Pepper basically forced Aruda to become the head of astronomy, and the sabotages basically mean that she's never free."
"How did you know I'd be here?" He asked.
"We'll get to that, I have a lot to explain to you." She pulled out her sketchbook. Clearly, she'd been making notes.
"Well go on then." He stated. He didn't mean to come across as rude, in actuality he'd really missed the pair of them, but seeing their faces brought back unpleasant memories from his last day.
"After you left, I got to thinking. What kind of museum's security cameras don't have night vision?
I mean, night's when all the crimes are going to happen, right?
" She paused, sipping a coffee that she'd ordered beforehand, possibly just to add dramatic effect to her words.
"So I asked Dr. Aruda; she's good with that kind of thing, you know?
And we found the exact make and model of the security cameras in the hall.
I looked them up on their website, and their main selling point is their night vision. "
"Maybe they broke; why would-" He began.
"Don't interrupt me, I wasn't finished." Jess cut him off, clearly engrossed in her thoughts. He imagined that she'd perhaps rehearsed this speech beforehand.
"I knew you had this whole investigation with Haiden, so I went to ask him if you'd found any leads." She said, gesturing to the other man with her pen.
Haiden perked up. "Yeah, she asked me about the cameras. The only thing that we found out was from when we asked Mr. Crossley. He told me Ms. Pepper has all the camera footage linked to her computer in her office. Remember, Xeno?"
He looked at him, confused. "Yeah, I remember that. But I don't get it. Why would she lie?"
"Ahem?" The three of them turned around to see Robin with a notepad in his hand. "Are the three of you going to order?" It was jarring for Xeno to go from the worker to the customer so quickly.
"Uh, could I get another latte?" Asked Jess.
"I'll have what she's having." Continued Haiden.
"Could I have a-"
"Double mocha latte with a chocolate chip biscuit." Finished Robin. "Great, your drink'll be here soon."
"Anyway," Jess continued, after he was out of earshot. "We had the same question, so we got to thinking. That night, did you take the front museum entrance?"
"No, I took the back astronomy entrance. Ms. Pepper gave me the key so that I-" He trailed off. "And she was the last person to go through the hall. She locked the door behind her."
"Exactly," Jess continued. "And isn't it really convenient for her that the cameras that were linked to her office just "conveniently" didn't have night vision? The same cameras that were "conveniently" looped during the first party?"
"I don't.. Why would she want to frame me?" Xeno racked his brain for anything that he'd done wrong, or against the museum.
"Maybe she worked out that you and I were working together to find out who killed Steve at that first party?" Haiden piped up again. "I mean, if she's doing all this, we can assume that it was her the first time, right?"
Oh.
"Yeah, I kind of told her." Xeno felt immensely embarrassed. In his defence, he'd been trying to win her favour.
"Did you tell her it was with me?" Haiden asked, anxious.
"I didn't say your name. For all she knows, I could be working with any of your friends from palaeontology."
"Xeno's questionable decisions aside," began Jess, "I knew that wasn't enough proof to go on, so I got Haiden to ask Mr. Crossley about that whole overtime thing."
"And he said that.." He continued her statement, "that he hadn't had to do anything like that, and it was weird that she'd said it was a museum tradition when no one else had had to do it."
"Wait; does that mean that she was the one who destroyed Steve, as well as the one who dumped his.. remains on the floor of the main hall?"
"It seems likely." Concluded Jess.
"But most of this evidence is hearsay; we don't even have a motive. We'd need something concrete if we wanted to prove she was guilty." Xeno mused. "If we're even right, that is."
"We'd probably also stop the sabotages, and maybe even save our departments." Haiden added.
"Why'd you both come here anyway? How'd you know I was here?" He reiterated.
"It was a lucky guess on my part." Haiden admitted. "I remembered you telling me about your dad's bakery, and I thought you might come back here. Also, I saw your car outside."
"And why are you here?" He turned to Jess.
She turned her head up from her sketchbook and looked right at him, annoyed.
"Where's our "thank you"? We literally just teamed up to get you your job back, and prove that it wasn't you that dumped all that crap on the ground.
Not that you made it any easier for us, you didn't pick up a single one of my texts! "
"Or mine." Haiden added.
"Your drinks?" Their heads all whipped around to see Robin, holding a tray with three cups of coffee on it.
"Thank you." Xeno said, taking the tray from him and angling it on the table so they could all drink.
After he had left, he continued. "Thank you.
I'm sorry I didn't pick your texts up, I didn't want the reminder.
It was still too fresh in my mind. But as for saving my job, there's no way we could possibly get enough proof that it was Mrs. Pepper.
Not unless I could sneak into her office somehow and download that camera footage myself, but I'm banned from the museum, remember?
"We aren't." Haiden said. "Jess, you could distract her while I got the footage off of her computer. I could put it on a USB?" he suggested.
"That isn't a bad idea, Haiden." Jess continued.
"You'd do that for me?" he asked.
"Of course. What are.. friends for?" Haiden looked at him and smiled, weakly yet warmly, and Xeno could have sworn he winked a little.
"Guys, we don't know her computer password. It's a nice thought, but I don't think we could, anyway." Jess frowned.
"She doesn't have one." Xeno interjected.
"What?" asked Jess. "How do you know that?"
"I saw it when I was in her office. She just clicked, and her computer opened."
"Perfect. I can do it tomorrow. I know it seems sudden, but people are at risk of losing their jobs. Besides, then, we'll have the whole weekend to discuss what to do next." Haiden replied.
"Guys, about that.." Jess began, her brows furrowed.
"Are you okay, Jess?" Xeno asked.
"My school starts really soon; I've already submitted my notice. When I told Ms. Pepper about it, she seemed ecstatic. Like, weirdly so."
"That's great news. Why is that a problem?" Asked Xeno, confused.
She fidgeted with her necklace. "Tomorrow's my last day working at the museum. I was going to tell you earlier, but you didn't pick up any of my texts."
He cursed himself for not answering his phone; but there was nothing he could do about it now.
"Still, I'll do my best to help tomorrow. It actually helps that it's my last day. I can talk her ear off all day about a party to plan, or something." She paused. "We all know how much Ms. Pepper likes a party." She added dryly.
"Sounds like a plan!" Haiden exclaimed.
"Haiden, are you sure you're okay to do this for me?" Xeno asked.
"The way I see it, she's gonna realise sooner or later that I was the one who was helping you with the investigation.
Plus, if palaeontology gets cut too, that's a lose-lose for everyone, right?
" Haiden shrugged. "And besides, you promised me that you'd help me find out who killed Steve- and in a way, you did. "
"Still, though, you don't have to do this for me." He replied, concerned.
"I want to, Xeno. I.. missed you."
"I missed you too." He replied. Their eyes met across the table, and he felt his cheeks getting hotter. After a couple of seconds, he broke eye contact suddenly; "I, uh, missed you as well, Jess."
"Yeah, yeah." Jess rolled her eyes sarcastically. "I'm still irritated with you for not answering your phone." She half-joked. "Don't do it again." She added, seriously.
"I won't, I promise." Xeno replied- Jess could be really intimidating when she wanted to be.
"Good. Anyway, I hate to cut this short, but I really need to go. I'm packing for university!" She said excitedly. "Bye, Xeno, I'll see you this weekend."
"Sorry, that means I have to go, too. Jess drove me here." Haiden explained. "I'll see you this weekend, too." As they left, he turned around, lingering at the doorway for a heartbeat, as if he was going to ask him something. However, he seemed to think better of it and kept walking.
Xeno realised that he'd have to tell his dad there was a good possibility he'd quit working at the bakery.