Ace
I leaned back in my chair, running a hand through my hair. This whole situation was just... messed up. Nothing lined up. If the father was the killer, why wasn't his body found? Was he on the run? Or worse... was he dead too, and we just hadn't found the body?
Phoenix was flipping through old newspapers, his eyes scanning each page like he was trying to piece together a puzzle. I glanced at him, noticing how his hands were shaking just a little. I knew he was probably still freaked out from that dream—or memory—he had.
"Hey," I said, my voice softer than usual. "You doing okay?"
He looked up, giving me a faint smile. "Yeah. Just... trying to make sense of it all."
"Join the club," I muttered. "I hate this—feeling like we're just chasing shadows. If McAllister is on the run, how are we supposed to find him? There's no way to track someone who disappeared ten years ago."
Xavier cleared his throat, drawing my attention. "If he's still alive, there's a chance he changed his identity. I could use some of my connections to look into it. Businessmen don't just vanish without a trace."
I nodded. "Worth a shot. But we still need to figure out what's keeping the spirits tied to that mansion. If it's revenge... then who are they waiting for? Him?"
Atlas scoffed. "Would make sense. If he killed them all, they'd want him dead too. Maybe that's why they're stuck—they never got their revenge."
Phoenix looked uneasy. "But what about the little boy? He looked so... broken. What kind of revenge would a kid that young even want?"
I grimaced, not wanting to admit that some grudges never die—even in death. If that kid suffered the way it looked like he did... maybe he didn't want revenge. Maybe he just wanted someone to help him.
Kuro meowed again, jumping onto Phoenix's lap and curling up as if trying to calm him down. I rubbed my temple, trying to piece it all together. The little boy... the daughter... the business partner... and the unidentified male. Four bodies, but none of it made sense.
I didn't want to say it out loud, but part of me wondered if McAllister wasn't the only one responsible. What if the business partner was involved too? Or the unidentified guy? What if it was more than just one person doing the killing?
My gut twisted at the thought. Whatever happened in that mansion was more than just a family tragedy. It was pure madness. And we were caught right in the middle of it.
Atlas tapped my shoulder. "Hey, stop overthinking. We'll figure it out. You're not in this alone."
I shot him a look, but he just gave me a reassuring smirk. Xavier stayed quiet, but his eyes never left me—like he was studying my every move, making sure I wasn't about to snap.
"I know," I mumbled. "But we've got to be careful. If those spirits are desperate enough to possess or attack... it's only gonna get worse. And if McAllister's still out there somewhere..."
I didn't finish that sentence. The thought of a man like that walking free made my blood boil. I wasn't about to let his victims keep suffering while he roamed around, guilt-free.
Phoenix squeezed my arm lightly, breaking me out of my thoughts. "Ace... we'll get to the bottom of it. One step at a time."
I managed a small smile. "Yeah... one step at a time."
But deep down, I knew it wouldn't be that simple. The truth was buried under layers of lies and death. And we were just starting to dig.