Pieces missing
1102 Words
The mansion was silent.
Most people were asleep.
Unfortunately, Elena wasn't one of them.
She tossed her phone onto the bed and stared at the ceiling.
For the last hour she had been trying to sleep.
For the last hour she had failed.
Every time she closed her eyes, she ended up thinking about Victor.
About Maria.
About the missing pages.
About the notebook.
At this point she was beginning to suspect the mystery personally hated her.
With a sigh, she got out of bed.
Maybe water would help.
Maybe food.
Maybe setting the notebook on fire.
---
As she walked down the hallway, a faint light caught her attention.
Adrian's office.
Elena stopped.
Then immediately changed direction.
Of course he was awake.
The man treated sleep like a personal enemy.
She knocked twice.
"Come in."
Elena opened the door.
The office looked like a war zone.
Files covered the desk.
Files covered the couch.
Files covered a chair.
One stack looked moments away from collapsing.
She stared.
Then stared some more.
"Wow."
Adrian didn't look up.
"What?"
"I wasn't aware paperwork could reproduce."
"It can't."
"Then explain this."
She pointed at the mountain of files.
Adrian glanced around.
"I know where everything is."
"That's exactly what chaotic people say."
"It isn't chaos."
"You spent fifteen minutes looking for a folder yesterday."
"I found it."
"Eventually."
---
Elena dropped into the chair across from him.
Victor's notebook rested on the desk.
Immediately she reached for it.
Still no answers.
Still missing pages.
Still annoying.
"What are you doing?"
Adrian finally looked up.
"Working."
"No, seriously."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"I am working."
"Normal people don't do this at midnight."
"It's one in the morning."
"See? Even worse."
---
She flipped through the notebook again.
The torn pages annoyed her.
Someone had removed them deliberately.
The more she thought about it, the more frustrated she became.
"Who tears pages out of a notebook?"
"Someone hiding information."
"Or someone who hates notebooks."
Adrian stared at her.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"No. Say it."
"That may be the worst theory you've had this week."
Elena looked offended.
"I've had excellent theories."
"You accused the gardener."
"He looked suspicious."
"He was planting flowers."
"Suspicious flowers."
Adrian closed his eyes briefly.
For a second Elena thought she saw him regretting every life choice that led to this moment.
---
An hour passed.
Then another.
The desk slowly filled with notes.
Dates.
Addresses.
Connections.
Elena rubbed her eyes.
"I'm tired."
"You should sleep."
"No."
Adrian didn't even look up.
"You just said you were tired."
"That was a statement, not a surrender."
"It sounded like both."
Elena pointed a pen at him.
"You know, for someone who claims to help people, you're surprisingly annoying."
"For someone who claims to investigate mysteries, you're surprisingly dramatic."
She gasped.
"Wow."
"What?"
"That was rude."
"It was accurate."
---
Elena grabbed a nearby file.
"Fine. If you're going to insult me, at least let me help."
"You are helping."
"I want credit."
"For what?"
"Existing."
Adrian looked genuinely confused.
"That's not how credit works."
"It should be."
"No."
"You're very negative."
"You're very strange."
Elena smiled.
"See? We're bonding."
"We're not."
---
For several minutes, only the sound of turning pages filled the room.
Then Adrian suddenly stopped.
His expression changed.
Immediately Elena noticed.
"There."
"There what?"
"That face."
"What face?"
"The face you make when you find something."
"I don't have a face."
"You absolutely do."
Adrian ignored her.
Which only confirmed her theory.
"See? That's the face."
"There is no face."
"There is."
"There isn't."
"There is."
Adrian slowly looked up.
"Do you want to solve this mystery or argue with me?"
"Both."
---
A few moments later, Adrian carefully opened the back cover of the notebook.
His eyes narrowed.
"Interesting."
Elena immediately sat up.
"What?"
Instead of answering, he tilted the notebook.
A small folded piece of paper had been hidden inside the cover.
Both stared.
Then Elena blinked.
"Please tell me we didn't miss that twice."
Adrian carefully removed it.
The paper was old.
Worn.
Faded.
Not a letter.
Not a note.
A receipt.
Elena stared.
Then groaned.
"A receipt?"
"You sound disappointed."
"I wanted secret codes."
"You watch too many movies."
---
Adrian examined the paper.
The ink had faded badly.
Most of the text was unreadable.
But one line remained clear.
Harper Storage & Archive.
Elena frowned.
"What is that?"
"I don't know."
"Helpful."
"You're welcome."
She resisted the urge to throw something at him.
Barely.
---
The receipt also carried a date.
And unfortunately, that part was still visible.
Elena immediately recognized it.
"The same week."
Adrian nodded.
"The same week Maria met Victor."
There it was again.
That week.
Everything kept leading back to it.
The notebook.
The missing pages.
The meeting.
The warning.
Whatever happened during those days had changed everything.
---
The clock on the wall ticked quietly.
Two in the morning.
Then three.
Elena stretched.
Her eyes felt heavy.
Very heavy.
Unfortunately, she refused to admit it.
"I'm fine."
"You just yawned."
"No I didn't."
"You literally did."
"It was a thinking yawn."
Adrian stared at her.
"A thinking yawn."
"Yes."
"I don't think that's a thing."
"It is now."
---
Ten minutes later, Elena lost her battle with reality.
She curled up on the couch.
Just for a minute.
Just to rest her eyes.
That was the plan.
A terrible plan.
Because less than five minutes later, she was asleep.
---
Eventually Adrian looked up from the receipt.
The room had become completely quiet.
His gaze shifted toward the couch.
Elena was asleep.
One arm hanging off the edge.
A file resting near her shoulder.
A blanket probably should have been there.
But wasn't.
For a moment he simply watched.
The stubbornness.
The determination.
The refusal to quit.
Even when she was exhausted.
A small smile appeared before he realized it.
Then immediately disappeared.
---
He stood.
Grabbed a blanket from a nearby chair.
And carefully draped it over her.
Elena shifted slightly but didn't wake.
"You're impossible," Adrian muttered.
Half a second later—
"So are
you."
Adrian froze.
Elena's eyes remained closed.
A faint smile tugged at her lips.
She had been awake.
At least for part of it.
"Go to sleep."
"Make me."
The response was barely audible.
Then she was asleep again.
This time for real.
Adrian shook his head.
Returned to his desk.
And picked up the receipt.
Harper Storage & Archive.
Tomorrow, they would finally see what Victor had hidden.
And hopefully...
Why someone had gone to so much trouble to erase part of the story.
- Writer
