Chapter 53 Chapter 53
“You can change your name, bury your past, and run into the dark but sooner or later, the truth starts walking then it learns to hunt.”
Mayor Brattfield stepped off the raised platform, the thunder of drums and distant cheers fading behind him as he moved toward the quieter edge of the festival grounds. The information coming from the other end was more important that the pleasure he got from watching what was going on in the forest...
He pressed the phone tighter to his left ear, his hand covering the other ear to muffle the noise.
“What did you say?” he demanded, his voice low
On the other end, the investigator cleared his throat. “We’ve identified the owner of the jewelry, sir. It indeed belongs to a lady"
Brattfield’s grip tightened until his knuckles whitened. “And who is this lady?"
“The Jewelry was purchased in the name of one Clara Voss.”
The name wasn't familiar hence it meant nothing to him, it could be just another civilian in a town full of forgettable faces but the investigator continued, his tone turning cautious.
“I did some digging, although the jewelry was registered under her name… it wasn’t paid for by her.”
The mayor’s jaw clenched, now this was getting interesting
“It was purchased using an exclusive Maddox card.”
For a moment, the sounds of the festival seemed to warp, Brattfield’s mind began assembling pieces faster than he could consciously follow.
Maddox exclusive card?, that means the jewelry was purchased by a member of that family and probably gifted to her. The connections were beginning to form a shape he didn’t like. He needed answers and he knew where to ask.
“Let's move" Brattfield snapped as he approached the waiting vehicle. “We’re leaving, now. Take me to Bryant.”
The car door opened immediately and he slid inside without another glance at the festivities he had orchestrated. Tonight’s hunt could continue without him. Right now, there was only one thing occupying his mind.
He returned the phone to his ear. “Does this piece of jewelry have any relevance to my son’s disappearance?"
“Maybe,” the investigator admitted. “Every clue is a string, sir. Or a missing puzzle piece. Sometimes you don’t know which until you pull at it"
Brattfield rubbed his temple slowly, anger blooming behind his eyes until it formed a dull, throbbing ache. “Keep digging,” he ordered. “Pull every string you find. I have this weird feeling but nothing must happen to my son.”
“Yes, sir.”The line went dead
The mayor leaned back into the leather seat, staring through the tinted window as the car sped away. His reflection stared back at him; composed, powerful, and simmering with barely restrained fury.
Bryant lounged in his office chair, one arm draped lazily over the side as he nursed a thick roll of tobacco between his fingers.
His plan had been unfolding beautifully, too perfectly then suddenly everything went wrong.
He exhaled a slow stream of smoke toward the ceiling, watching it curl and dissipate like a dying thought. Somewhere along the way, the structure had begun to fracture and Hale was the glue to fixing everything.
He needed him visible, controllable and predictable. His phone buzzed against the desk pulling him out of his deep thoughts.
Bryant glanced down, irritation blooming across his face before he unlocked the screen. A single message blinked back at him from Jason.
Reconstruction has been completed and burnt wing restored but all contents in affected room was destroyed beyond recovery.
The tobacco dropped from his fingers. Bryant’s fist slammed into the desk with a crack that echoed through the office causing papers to fly. The glass on the nearby shelf rattled. Rage surged through him hot and threatening to rip through the carefully cultivated composure he wore like armor.
Everything in that room was gone and it gut him like a knife to the throat. He inhaled once trying to calm his anger.
By the time the office door opened, his expression had smoothed back into something calm and vaguely amused. Mayor Brattfield entered without waiting to be announced.
Bryant leaned back in his chair, as though they were meeting for casual drinks instead of matching the glare of the Mayor
“Well,” he drawled “I half expected to see you here, especially since your hunt is still ongoing.”
The mayor did not smile, he crossed the room in three long strides and threw the necklace onto the desk. It skidded across the polished surface, coming to rest near Bryant’s hand.
“I want answers now.”
Bryant glanced down at the jewelry, brows knitting in confusion. “And what answers,” he asked slowly, “do you imagine I have about a piece of jewelry?”
“This was bought using your family’s exclusive card,” Brattfield said coldly. “Under the name Clara Voss. It is the only clue I have to finding my son.”
Bryant went still then he sat up straighter. “Repeat that.”
“I’m not here to joke with you,” the mayor snapped. “I want my son found. If I can't find him, I will...."
“Stop,” Bryant cut in “Don’t throw empty threats at me.” His eyes hardened. “You have no power over me, Mr Mayor, never forget your place.”
Before Brattfield could respond, Bryant picked up his phone and dialed a number
“Rome,” he said when the call connected. “Who is Clara Voss?”
On the other end, Rome’s breathing sounded uneven and strained. He was still recovering from the torture he endured for being unable to deliver.
Pain bled through every word he spoke. “She… was one of the first recruits,” he said slowly. “One of the few who lasted with no side effects, alongside Trinity George."
Bryant’s gaze flicked briefly to the mayor before returning forward. “Continue.”
“She was handpicked by Hale,” Rome added with a low grunt. “ and he had me assign her to serve him directly.”
Bryant nodded thoughtfully. “Yes....I remember now. Hale mentioned her progress to me before now." He paused. “Family background?”
“Her father is Sem Voss, a music teacher" another pained breath "He’s been in a nursing home for some time now.”
“Which college?” Bryant asked.
"Doesn’t show in the records.”
Bryant’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Doed his condition involve memory loss, Physical crippling, Cancer, Hallucinations?”
“Yes,” Rome replied. “Multiple complications. Clara couldn’t manage his care alone, that’s why he was placed in the facility.”
The mayor opened his mouth to speak, but Bryant lifted a hand without looking at him, silently commanding patience.
“Thank you, Rome,” Bryant said calmly. “That will be all.”
He ended the call before any further questions could be asked, for a moment, silence settled over the office like dust then Bryant opened a drawer. Metal gleamed inside.
He withdrew a gun checking its weight with excitement. Brattfield’s eyes flicked to it, tension tightening his shoulders as Bryant set the weapon on the desk, then picked up his phone again.
“Mobilize,” he told the person on the other end. “All units quietly, I want eyes everywhere.”
He ended the call and leaned back, fingers resting lightly against the gun as a wicked smile and satisfaction spread across his face
“I’ve finally found you, dare hide again” he whispered to himself.