I dig through the priceless contents of the safe until I land on something larger.I pull it out.
An ornamental pin in the shape of a flower.Petals enameled in soft pink and pearl white, edged in rose gold.At its center, a single clear crystal sparkles.Delicate and elegant.
A brooch.In the shape of a lotus.
The gift Wade Gimble gave to Svetlana on her last night.
My heart pounds.
We suspected Rouge had something to do with Svetlana’s disappearance.Now we may have proof.
But I need more.I have to keep digging, see what I can find.
A few seconds later, I hit the damned jackpot.
A small notebook.Red, of course, with a golden spiral keeping it bound.
I open it.
Names.Hundreds of names.With dates going back several years.
I flip to the back of the notebook.There, written in neat, cursive handwriting, are two names.
Belikova, Svetlana(9D)
Thiên, May(7S)
Next to both names, an arrow.Written next to the arrow are the letters “S.C.”
Spades… Clubs…?
I don’t know.
There’s too much.
In the margin next to May’s name is a tiny drawing of a crown followed by “D4” written in the same tidy handwriting.
Dam Number Four, where we found May’s head.That’s what the little sketch of a crown must be referring to, just like in the riddle.
Next to Svetlana’s name, another crown.This one followed by “D1.”
My breath hitches.Was Svetlana beheaded as well?
When we were looking through Alissa’s Maps app last Sunday—just one week ago—Alissa mentioned that there was a Dam Number One as well.
This means… We can show this to the police.Lead them to the first dam in that nature preserve next to O’Hare.
And if we find a head matching Svetlana’s description…
It’s all over.
It’s all fucking over.
Oh my God.
We did it.
“Maddox?”
