After school, they gathered at Jake's house, which was a stone's throw from Everwood High. His room, filled with posters of detectives and mystery novels, seemed the perfect headquarters.

"Alright, team," Jake began, adopting a mock-serious tone. "Let’s outline what we know so far."

Emily repeated the whisperings she had overheard, and they began brainstorming.

"We need to find out more about Mr. Evans," Alex suggested. "Maybe we can check his background or see if anyone else has noticed anything strange."

"And those noises in the science lab," Mia added. "We need to find out what's causing them."

Jake pulled out a whiteboard and started jotting down their ideas. They divided tasks among themselves: Alex would dig into Mr. Evans’ background, Emily and Mia would talk to students and teachers to gather more information, and Jake would find a way to access the science lab at night.

"Operation Fishy Business is officially underway," Jake declared, to much laughter.

The next few days were a whirlwind of secretive conversations and late-night planning sessions. Alex discovered that Mr. Evans had recently transferred from another school under mysterious circumstances. Emily and Mia found more students who had heard strange noises or seen odd behavior from Mr. Evans. Jake, with the help of his tech skills, managed to get a copy of the school’s master key from his uncle, who worked as a janitor.

With all the pieces in place, they decided it was time for their first covert operation.