CHAPTER 11
Unearthed A Nightmare
Mordrake.
The screen flickered, and then—finally—the digital void broke.
An archival scan of a nineteen forty-six newspaper front page filled the tab. The image was grainy, sepia-toned, and haunting.
Standing on the courthouse steps was a man who looked like a monochrome shadow of Malphas—the same sharp, lethal elegance and a gaze that seemed to pierce right through the decades. A spitting image.
The headline was a bold, jagged declaration of power:
“MORDRAKE WALKS FREE: SENATOR’S MURDER TRIAL DISMISSED FOR LACK OF EVIDENCE”
Rory’s eyes raced over the yellowed text.
THE DAILY GAZETTE Friday, October 14, 1946
“MORDRAKE WALKS FREE: SENATOR’S MURDER TRIAL DISMISSED FOR LACK OF EVIDENCE”
NEW YORK CITY — In a stunning blow to the prosecution, the Hi
