The photograph trembled in Alice's hand long after the fog had swallowed the strange man whole. The cool air that blew at them was so strong but it was nothing compared to the storm that was in her heart. She didn't even notice that Grey was still speaking to her. Not until he slightly tapped her shoulder.
"Alice?" he said. "Talk to me."
She blinked, slowly lowering the paper and photo, as if anchoring herself back to reality. "I have to go," she muttered, already stepping back.
"Alice, wait—"
"I said I have to go." Her voice cracked like glass under pressure.
Grey's lips parted, maybe to beg, maybe to explain more. But he must've seen something in her eyes, something final, because he didn't follow her. He stood there watching her leave . He couldn't say a word. Cat got his tongue?
The wind blew harder across her as she left Grey and headed home. One arm on her chest and the other tightly holding into the envelope like only she could bear what was in it.
As she walked down to the road, there was suddenly a flash of light from the headlamps of the car, and in that car was Nora. She didn't remember texting or calling Nora but she went into the car without questions as she was desperate.
Nora pulled the door open from inside. "Get in," she said gently. No questions. Not yet.
Alice collapsed into the passenger seat and exhaled, shaky and raw. She didn't speak the whole ride back.
Nora's apartment was warm and dimly lit, the opposite of the night outside. Alice dropped her hoodie on the floor and sat on the couch like her bones weighed too much. The envelope never left her grip.
Nora returned from the kitchen with tea, her face calm but eyes wide with concern. "I didn't want to bombard you in the car. But you're freaking me out. What happened?"
Alice stared into the steam rising from the mug. Then, finally, she spoke.
"I met Grey."
Nora's brows shot up. "You what?"
"He said he had evidence. Something I needed to see. A flash drive, but…" Alice's throat tightened. "It was a lie. He just wanted to talk."
Nora blinked. "He tricked you?"
Alice nodded, her voice barely audible. "He just wanted to apologize. Explain. And then…"
She turned and her eyes darted around searching for where she kept the envelope. When she saw it she reached for it and removed the contents in it.
"While I was talking to David. A man came out of the fog and handed me this envelope, he knew my name. And then disappeared into the fog again."
Nora leaned closer, scanning the paper. Her eyes widened with every line. "Cassandra Thompson… isn't that…"
"David's mother."
The room fell into stunned silence.
"Filed under a private family archive?" Nora whispered, her voice low, reverent. "And… inconclusive toxicology?"
Alice passed her the photograph next.
Nora examined it like it was holy. "That's David," she breathed. "But the man… the one behind them. Who is he?"
"I don't know," Alice said. "But someone circled his face. And the caption on the back…"
Nora flipped it over and read aloud. "'The real heir. The shadow behind the throne.'"
She set the photo down slowly. "This… this is dangerous."
"I know."
"Are you okay?"
"I don't know."
For a moment, neither of them spoke. The heater clicked softly in the background. Alice leaned forward, cradling her head in her hands. "I feel like I'm standing in the middle of a web I didn't ask to be caught in."
"But you are," Nora said gently. "And maybe you were meant to be."
Alice looked up at her.
"I'm serious," Nora continued. "What if this isn't just about David? What if you're the one meant to unravel all this?"
Alice rolled her eyes and then looked back at Nora. "You sound like a detective who's been in business for years."
"Maybe, maybe not. Or maybe i'm just one who believes that no truth can stay hidden forever."
Alice gave a weak smile. "He told me the company was built on bones. That I was standing in a graveyard."
Nora's eyes widened again. "Jesus…"
Alice exhaled slowly. "I honestly think there's more to Cassandra's death than meets the eye. And I want to look into it."
"Do you even have a clue of where to start from?"
"No," Alice responded. "But if there's a will there's a way."
Meanwhile, Grey's car cut through the night like a knife.
He was still shaken.
Not from the conversation with Alice—though that hurt more than he expected—but from the man. The way he limped, the way he spoke, the way he appeared and disappeared.
He stopped the car outside Chloe's place and his head was bent towards the wheel as he tightened his fists. A beat passed. Then another.
The porch light flicked on. She'd been watching.
He sighed and got out.
Chloe opened the door before he could knock, arms folded, her expression sharp. "How was the pier?"
Grey flinched.
"I'm not stupid, Grey," she snapped. "You were with her."
He didn't bother denying it. "I had to talk to her."
"Why? Because she blinked in your direction after months of silence?"
"It's not like that."
Chloe's eyes burned. "Then what is it like? Because from where I'm standing, you lied to me."
Grey stepped inside, the door clicking shut behind him. "I didn't lie. I just… didn't tell you yet."
"Oh, that makes it better," she said, voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Chloe—"
"I trusted you," she interrupted. "After everything she did. After how she humiliated you. You said you were done."
"That was what I thought," he admitted, running a hand through his hair. "But it's not that easy. She was my everything. Plus we needed closure ."
Chloe stared at him, her jaw clenched. "Did you get your closure?"
Grey hesitated.
Just the fact that he hesitated even a little completely broke her.
"Oh my God," she whispered, stepping back. "You still care."
"It's not like that—"
"You're in love with her."
"I'm with you," he said, taking her hands. "You're the one I love now. You were there with me when I was broken. You stood by me… but love doesn't just go away like that."
Chloe yanked her hands free. "I'm not your rebound."
"I didn't say you were."
"But that's what it feels like," she said, tears threatening her voice. "You didn't come to me with this. You chose her. Again."
"I came back, didn't I?"
"And that's supposed to make it better?"
They stood in silence, emotions raw and so tense in the room.
Finally, Chloe turned away. "Go sleep on the couch. I can't look at you right now."
Grey didn't argue.
Because in the end, she wasn't wrong.
Back in Nora's apartment, Alice had moved to the floor, her laptop open, papers scattered like puzzle pieces she was desperate to assemble.
Nora brought over a small bowl of pretzels and dropped next to her.
"Found anything?"
"Her name's barely mentioned online," Alice said, frustrated. "One obituary. No photos. No funeral details. Just… blank."
"What about old newspaper archives?"
Alice's fingers danced over the keyboard. "Most public death notices are listed, but hers... it's like someone wiped it."
"What if you asked David?" Nora offered carefully.
Alice's hands froze.
"No," she said firmly. "Not yet. If he's part of this—if he's being protected or watched—I can't tip him off. I don't even know who's on my side anymore."
"You have me," Nora said gently.
Alice looked at her, heart swelling with gratitude. "That's the only reason I haven't lost my mind."
Just then, her laptop pinged.
A forum post, ten years old.
Someone talking about a woman named Cassandra T. who "died too young in a house too cold."
The user's handle: bonekeeper84
Alice clicked it, but the profile was gone.
Still, her breath caught.
"It's something," she whispered.
And then her phone buzzed.
Unknown number.
She hesitated, then answered.
A voice came through, deep and calm. "Stop everything you're trying to do Alice. Some secrets are better kept shut."
The line went dead.
Alice stared at the screen in horror.
Nora looked up. "What's wrong?"
Alice looked her in the eye. "I think someone's watching me."
A silence fell. H
eavier than before. The air became colder, despite the heat which was coming from the vents.
Outside, in the alley across from the window, a cigarette burned.
And a figure disappeared into the shadows.