Twelve Years Ago 1
699 Words
The words refused to leave Amelia's mind.
YOUR FATHER STOLE MORE THAN MONEY.
She stared at the old photograph until the edges blurred.
Rain dripped from the ends of her hair onto the faded image, but she barely noticed. The little girl in the picture smiled brightly between her parents, completely unaware that one day her family would become nothing more than memories.
A gust of wind swept through the empty street.
Amelia slowly lifted her eyes.
"Dante..."
Her voice was barely above a whisper.
"What does this mean?"
Dante stood several feet away, facing the deserted road. His posture remained calm, but the muscles in his jaw tightened almost imperceptibly.
"What does my father have to do with any of this?"
No answer.
She folded the photograph and marched toward him.
"I asked you a question."
He finally turned.
His dark eyes met hers for only a second before shifting toward the abandoned sedan.
"This isn't the place."
"It never is with you."
She laughed bitterly.
"Every time I ask you something important, you say the same thing."
One of Dante's guards approached quietly.
"Boss."
Dante raised a hand, stopping him before he spoke.
"Clear the area."
Yes, Boss."
Within seconds, the guards spread across the street, checking rooftops, alleys and parked cars.
Amelia watched them disappear.
"You always expect an attack."
"I've survived because I do."
She crossed her arms.
"And what exactly are we waiting for?"
"The second move."
She frowned.
"The White Mask never makes only one move."
Almost as if his words had summoned it, a sharp metallic clink echoed behind them.
Everyone turned.
One of the guards drew his weapon.
"What was that?"
The sound had come from a nearby mailbox.
Slowly, another guard opened it.
Inside...was a black chess piece.
A bishop.
No note.
Dante stared at it for several seconds.
Then he quietly said,
"He's inviting us to play."
Amelia frowned.
"Who's 'he'?"
Dante slipped the chess piece into his pocket.
"The only man who's ever turned murder into a game."
Before she could ask another question, Dante's phone vibrated.
He glanced at the screen.
His expression changed.
Not fear.
Recognition.
He declined the call without saying a word.
"Who was that?" Amelia asked.
"No one."
"You expect me to believe that?"
"No."
"Then stop treating me like I'm stupid."
Their eyes locked.
For a brief moment, the world around them disappeared.
Only the sound of the rain remained.
Finally, Dante spoke.
"I knew your father."
The words landed like a stone.
Amelia's heartbeat skipped.
"You... what?"
"I knew him."
"How?"
Silence.
"Dante."
"He wasn't the man people believed he was."
Anger flashed across Amelia's face.
"My father was an honest man."
"I know."
"You don't know anything about him."
"I know enough."
She took another step toward him.
"Then tell me."
Dante looked past her toward the dark house.
"Twelve years ago, your father was investigating a series of disappearances."
Amelia blinked.
"What disappearances?"
"They were never reported."
"That doesn't make sense."
"Exactly."
She frowned.
"If they weren't reported, how could anyone investigate them?"
"Because the victims were people the world had already forgotten."
His voice had become quieter now.
"Runaways. Informants. Witnesses. Men and women who vanished before they could testify."
Amelia felt a chill.
"My father never told me any of that."
"He couldn't."
"Why not?"
"Because someone inside the justice system was leaking everything he discovered."
The realization struck her immediately.
"The corruption..."
Dante gave a small nod.
"He uncovered something he was never supposed to find."
"What was it?"
"If I knew that, none of this would be happening."
Amelia looked back at him.
A bitter smile crossed Dante's face.
"some of the people your father was investigating... were the police."
Before she could ask what had happened, one of the guards hurried back.
"Boss!"
"What is it?"
"We need to leave."
"Why?"
The guard swallowed.
"Someone's watching us."
Every head turned toward the rooftops.
The rain had grown heavier.
Lightning flashed across the sky.
For just a split second, Amelia thought she saw a figure standing on a distant rooftop.
A man dressed entirely in white.
Wearing a mask.
She blinked.
The figure was gone.
- Writer
