CHAPTER 36: A FACE IN THE MEMORIES
767 Words
Rain fell steadily over Noctis the next morning.
From the windows of Lawson Manor, the city looked distant beneath a blanket of gray clouds.
Kelvin sat alone in the library with Edward Romano's diary open before him.
He had read every page twice.
Yet the same question remained.
Who was Edward's son?
A gentle knock broke the silence.
"Come in."
Damien entered carrying a sealed envelope.
"Our investigators found something at the National Archives."
Kelvin looked up.
"What is it?"
"An old guest register from the Lawson Charity Gala."
He placed the envelope on the table.
"It lists every family that attended."
Kelvin opened it carefully.
Most of the names meant nothing to him.
Then he stopped.
Lawson Family.
Romano Family.
His eyes moved to the next line.
Under the list of guests was a handwritten note.
Children escorted to the west garden at 7:30 p.m.
Kelvin frowned.
"The west garden..."
A faint memory flashed through his mind.
Children laughing.
A fountain.
Someone calling his name.
Then...
Nothing.
The memory disappeared as quickly as it had come.
---
Across town...
Mackenzie was meeting with a client at Giovanni Events when Sophia noticed her staring absentmindedly out the window.
"You've done that three times in five minutes."
Mackenzie smiled sheepishly.
"I've just been thinking about Kelvin."
Sophia folded her arms with a grin.
"I knew it."
"I just worry about him."
"He's carrying twenty-two years of unanswered questions."
Sophia's smile softened.
"Then keep doing what you've been doing."
"What do you mean?"
"Reminding him he doesn't have to carry them alone."
---
That afternoon...
Mackenzie arrived at Lawson Manor carrying a basket filled with homemade pastries from her mother.
"I brought peace offerings," she joked as Damien welcomed her inside.
Damien smiled.
"I'll pretend they're for everyone."
"They are."
She paused.
"Mostly."
Damien chuckled and led her to the library.
Kelvin looked up as she entered.
"You didn't have to come."
"I know."
She placed the basket on the table.
"But I wanted to."
For a while, they sat together in comfortable silence.
She poured them both tea while Kelvin continued reading the diary.
Then something slipped from between the pages.
A faded photograph.
Kelvin picked it up carefully.
It showed two young boys standing beside a fountain.
One was unmistakably Kelvin.
The other boy's face was partly hidden behind a beam of sunlight, making it impossible to identify him.
Written on the back were just three words.
Best friends forever.
Mackenzie smiled softly.
"You looked happy."
Kelvin traced the edge of the photograph with his thumb.
"I don't remember this."
"But I remember..."
He paused.
"I remember laughing."
---
Damien entered a few moments later.
"Boss."
"Our forensic team examined the photograph."
"And?"
"They believe the second child's face wasn't damaged."
"It was simply overexposed when the picture was developed."
Kelvin looked hopeful.
"So it might still be recoverable?"
Damien nodded.
"The experts are confident they can restore it."
"How long?"
"A day or two."
Kelvin carefully handed him the photograph.
"Do it."
---
Meanwhile...
At Ricardo DeLuca's estate...
Vincent entered the study.
"They found the photograph."
Ricardo wasn't surprised.
"I expected they would."
"They're trying to restore it."
Ricardo slowly closed the book he had been reading.
"Let them."
Vincent frowned.
"You still aren't stopping them."
Ricardo stood and walked toward the fireplace.
"Because no photograph..."
"...can tell them what really happened that night."
His expression darkened.
"The truth isn't hidden in a picture."
"It's hidden in a choice."
---
That evening...
Kelvin walked Mackenzie to her car after dinner.
The rain had finally stopped.
The garden glistened beneath the moonlight.
"Thank you," Kelvin said.
"For what?"
"For reminding me that life isn't only about the past."
She smiled.
"And thank you..."
"For trusting me with it."
They stood facing each other.
Neither eager for the evening to end.
Finally, Kelvin reached into his pocket.
He pulled out a small silver charm shaped like a star.
"My mother gave this to me when I was a child."
Mackenzie looked at him in surprise.
"I can't accept this."
"I want you to."
She gently accepted it.
"I'll take good care of it."
"I know you will."
She smiled, closing her fingers around the charm.
"I'll give it back someday."
Kelvin shook his head.
"Keep it."
"Until I ask for it."
She understood what he meant.
It wasn't just a keepsake.
It was trust.
As Mackenzie's car disappeared through the manor gates, Kelvin remained standing in the driveway.
For the first time in years...
The memories of his childhood no longer brought only pain.
They also brought hope.
- Writer
