The butler's shoulders sagged. "Thomas was a good boy. Worked hard, never caused trouble. It doesn't sit right with me, him leaving without a word.""You saw something, didn't you? Something that bothered you?"The butler hesitated before nodding slowly. "The night before Thomas disappeared, I saw Mr. Solomon in your father's study. He was reading a letter with a strange seal on it. Some kind of bird, looked like."Alice's pulse quickened. "What did the letter say?""I couldn't read it from where I was standing, but Mr. Solomon looked... satisfied when he finished it. Then he wrote something on the back and sealed it in a new envelope.""Do you remember anything about the handwriting?""Very distinctive. Sharp, angular letters. Almost looked like it was carved instead of written."Alice thanked the butler and retreated to her room, where she carefully documented everything in her hidden journal. The bird seal, the angular handwriting, Frank's satisfied expression—all of it pointed to

Mona's laugh was cold and calculating. "My dear Clara, Alice is too naive to suspect anything. She still thinks I'm just her bratty older sister instead of someone with real responsibilities to this family's future."The next day, Harry met Lydia Chen outside her temporary office—a cramped space above a downtown deli that she was renting by the week. As he approached the building, a familiar voice called out from a doorway."Well, I'll be damned. If it isn't little Harry Solomon."Harry turned to see a weathered man in his sixties, wearing layers of mismatched clothing and carrying a worn backpack. Recognition hit him immediately."Thom?" Harry said, using the name he remembered from his previous life."You remember old Thom," the man said with a gap-toothed grin. "Most folks walk right past me like I'm invisible.""What are you doing here?"Thom gestured toward the street corner. "Same thing I do everywhere, kid. Surviving. But more importantly, what are you doing here? This neighbor

While Alice continued her performance, Harry found Frank's office door unlocked. Inside, filing cabinets lined one wall, and a large desk dominated the room. He quickly began searching through drawers, looking for anything that might connect Frank to the Black Vultures or Thomas's disappearance.In the bottom drawer of the desk, he found what he was looking for—a leather-bound ledger with detailed financial records. Page after page showed payments to "BV Security Services" for various amounts, with coded descriptions next to each entry.Harry's hands trembled as he read through the entries. Most were mundane—"Protection services," "Consultation fees," "Security enhancement." But near the end, one line made his blood freeze:"Anderson servant—disposal. $15,000."Thomas hadn't just disappeared. He had been murdered, and Frank had paid for it to happen.Harry quickly photographed the relevant pages with his phone, then tucked the ledger under his jacket. As he prepared to leave, he heard

The warehouse district was shrouded in early morning fog as Harry approached with Lydia Chen and Sergeant Myles. The building they'd identified from cross-referencing the Black Vultures' financial records looked abandoned, its broken windows like dead eyes staring into the gray dawn."This feels wrong," Myles muttered, checking his weapon. "Too easy, too obvious.""We have to check," Harry replied, though his instincts were screaming the same warning. "If Thomas is in there...""Then Frank wants us to find him," Lydia finished grimly.They entered through a side door that had been conveniently left unlocked. Inside, the warehouse was empty except for a single chair in the center of the vast space, with rope scattered around it as if someone had been recently freed.On the chair sat a manila envelope and a handwritten note.Harry picked up the note, recognizing Frank's distinctive handwriting immediately: "Stop digging, or she disappears forever.""It's a trap," Myles said, scanning th

Harry crouched behind a shipping container, his lungs burning as Lydia and Sergeant Myles caught up to him. The sounds of pursuit were growing fainter, but the failure weighed heavily on all of them."Thomas is gone," Harry said through gritted teeth. "We had him and they took him back.""At least we're alive," Myles replied grimly. "Frank's network is bigger than we thought. Those weren't just dockworkers—half of them knew exactly who we were."Lydia checked her phone, scanning for messages. "Harry, Frank's reach goes beyond the estate. I'm getting reports from contacts across the city that people have been asking questions about you, about me, about anyone connected to this investigation.""Old contacts, trusted sources, even some of the Anderson staff we thought were clean," Myles added. "Frank's been building this network for years."Meanwhile, back at the Anderson estate, Alice was putting her intimate knowledge of the house's secrets to use. Using details gleaned from years of c