Chapter 007:
Riddles of the Dark

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RAINE

Last night, I was up late and it was not the only time I did. I've been secretly doing some deep thinking, not wanting Zane to know about my mixed emotions.

It struck me that the woman imprisoned for my parents' murder had acted suspiciously. Just nights ago, I learned she had been moved to a private, locked hospital due to a critical illness, a troubling thought that lingers in my mind.

It was Friday, and Zane had gone out with his sister for a day of fun. Alone in the flat, I was surrounded by the sounds of life echoing from the building. From down the hall, the thumping bass of loud music vibrated through the walls. The tap dancing of an elderly couple's grandchild at 224C created a playful rhythm that mingled with the laughter of men next door at 222B. Outside, the bustling streets of the suburb added to the symphony of noise, giving me a peaceful feeling.

I stepped onto the balcony, my favourite non-fiction mystery book in hand, as the crisp autumn wind tousled my hair. Ready to escape into a new world, I opened my phone to play a soothing classical piece. Just then, a notification flashed across the screen: a text from a contact named Mister Indomitable.

Seeing that unfamiliar name and number sparked my suspicion. While I knew my phone number was listed on my blogging website for potential clients seeking my help with cases, I was certain that Zane was the only one consistently engaged with my posts. I read the message: ‘Were you thinking of me?’

I was about to block the number when another message came through: ‘I’m here to share another secret. But first, promise me you’ll keep this to yourself.’

At that moment, the memory of the man I had seen that morning resurfaced in my mind. “Why are you doing this?” I typed before hitting send.

"I don't need protection. I’m safe. I can handle myself," he replied.

“What should I do about my client?” I muttered to myself, staring at the phone. Ignoring them was an option, but my conscience wouldn't let me.

“Do you want to play a little game?” he asked.

“I don't have time for this,” I replied, tapping my phone's keyboard. He sent a link, and it led me to an online chess game.

“Oh, yes, you have,” he replied. “Win, and I’ll share my greatest secret. Lose, and you must promise to keep the first one and stop solving my case.”

“You really are a nincompoop,” I muttered to myself.

“Why are you meddling in what you call a case, anyway? Why come to me? Who sent you?” he asked.

“Who are those people, and what do they really want? Who are you?” I typed and sent the message.

“Then let’s wager for the answers,” he replied swiftly.

“Why?” I asked.

“I’m bored, and I know you are too. Now, I’m giving you a challenge,” he added. “So, do you want to go through with this?”

Deep down, I knew I was good at other board games, but chess was not one of them. My sister always bested me in this game, which fueled my disdain for it. Yet, my curiosity got the better of me. I clicked on my C2 white pawn and made my first move, pushing it forward to C4.

Zephyros's black pawn advanced next, charging from D7 to D6, poised to challenge my position.

“Are you aware of what you’re doing?” I asked him as I advanced my D2 pawn to D4.

“Of course,” he replied, moving his C7 pawn to C5. “How about you?”

“Your case... Do you know why we came?” I asked, moving my C1 Bishop to E3.

“Maybe, maybe not,” he replied, moving his E7 black pawn to E5.

“Do you have a clue why we came?” I asked, pushing my G2 pawn to G3.

“Because your senses are telling you someone is in distress,” he replied, moving his B7 black pawn to B6.

“You can be in distress,” I shot back, capturing his pawn as my white pawn advanced from D4 to E5.

“How can you be so sure about it?” he asked, his D6 pawn advancing to capture my pawn on E5. “Who sent you?”

I remained silent, moving my D1 King to C1.

“Who sent you, Missy?” he asked. “Tell me, are you enjoying it so far?” He shifted his C8 Bishop to B7.

“It’s just like any other case that bores me,” I replied, moving my C1 King to C3, positioning it behind a white pawn for cover from his black one.

“Am I boring you?” he asked, his B7 Bishop advancing to H1 to capture my rook.

“Yep!” I replied, placing extra emphasis on the letter ‘P.’ I quickly moved my King back to C1.

“How disappointing,” he replied, pushing his H7 black pawn to H6.

In response, I mirrored his move and advanced my H2 white pawn to H4.

Without a word, he moved another pawn from G7 to G5. I responded by shifting my B1 Knight to D2.

“Are you already impressed by me?” he asked, advancing his F7 pawn to F5, positioning it strategically between his other two black pawns.

“What are you up to?” I asked, moving my H4 white pawn to G5 to capture one of his aligned pawns.

“Because I like having fun with you,” he replied, as his H6 pawn advanced to G5, taking back his lost piece. Once again, he had three aligned pieces on the fifth rank.

I stepped back inside the flat and made my way to the bedroom, grabbing my notebook to take notes. If I lost, at least I could apply my mastery in the art of mind manipulation. Once I settled onto my warm bed, I made my next move, shifting my E3 Bishop to F4.

After a moment, he advanced his E5 pawn to F4. The alignment was finally broken, but I knew I was on the brink of losing to him.

I moved my pawn from G3 to capture his pawn on F4. “Is that why you know about the drug?” I asked.

“I suppose you’d do the same if you were in my shoes,” he replied, retaliating by advancing his G5 pawn to F4.

“I’d certainly do the same if I wanted to beat boredom. But if I were you, I’d avoid getting caught by them or leaving any witnesses who could ruin my life and others,” I stated, moving my C1 King to C2.

He remained silent, simply advancing his last unmoved A7 pawn to A5.

“He's certainly a nincompoop,” I jested to myself, moving my E1 Queen to D1. “I wonder if he even knows what that word means.”

“Has your best friend ever lied to you?” he asked, catching my interest in light of what had just happened with Zane. He moved his D8 King to H4.

I moved my King from C2 to D3, positioning my knight and queen beneath it. “I don’t believe I’ve ever had a best friend,” I replied.

“Zane?” he responded, shifting his King from H4 to F2, capturing my pawn and aligning with my last bishop below.

“Zane has plenty of best friends, and as far as I can tell, I’m just a regular friend to him,” I said, moving my King from D3 to F5.

He remained silent, moving his F2 King to G1 and capturing one of my knights.

The tension thickened in the air as I shifted my D1 Queen to E1, positioning it behind a pawn and beside a bishop on the right.

“You’re lucky you don’t have to put your trust in someone close to you,” he typed, moving his B8 Knight to C6.

A glimmer of hope broke through my dimming resolve as I advanced my King from F5 to F7. Check, the computer announced. “Who is this best friend of yours? How could someone betray you?” I asked.

Because I made a poor move, he swiftly moved his Queen from E8 to F7, capturing my King. “Dylan’s like a brother to me. We’ve been best friends since high school.”

“But betray you? Why?” I asked, moving my remaining Knight from D2 to E4.

“I told him my secret,” he replied, advancing his A5 pawn to A4.

I stayed silent, hoping to prompt him to continue, while I moved my Rook from A1 to C1.

“Wanna guess what it is?” he typed, moving his C6 Knight to E5.

“Let me guess,” I replied with a hint of sarcasm. “Is he the one threatening my anonymous client?” I shifted my Rook from C1 to D1.

“Kinda,” he responded, advancing his Knight from E5 to C4 and capturing one of my pawns.

“What does he mean by that?” I wondered, moving my D1 Rook back to C1.

“He knows my secret. I accidentally told him,” he replied, shifting his C4 Knight to B2 and capturing another pawn.

I moved my C1 Rook back to D1, stalling for time. “Define ‘accidentally.’”

“The drug was just something I discovered,” he explained, moving his B2 Knight to D1 and capturing my last Rook, with his Queen and my Bishop beside it.

“Yeah, but what do you mean by ‘accidentally’?” I asked, shifting my E4 Knight to D6 and putting his Queen in check.

“Have you ever drunk too much alcohol?” he typed, retreating his F7 Queen to E6, my Knight looming to the left.

“No, but I was sedated once by a serial killer,” I replied, smiling as I moved my Knight from D6 to B5, surrounded by his pawns from above and the right.

He advanced his Knight from D1 to E3. “Oh, right. I remember that you don't like to drink,” he typed. “Anyways, those drugs are not to be messed with. Trust me.”

“Does it have anything to do with those men earlier?” I asked, moving my Knight from B5 to C3.

“No,” he replied, shifting his E3 Knight to F1 and capturing my last Bishop, with my Queen now on the left. “They’re just working for me—to keep me safe.”

“I’m guessing they know about the potential scandal that could happen, which is why they’re being overprotective,” I said, advancing my pawn from E2 to E3.

“Pardon me for whoever sent you. They put you in grave danger,” he said, moving his F4 pawn to E3.

“So who might that client of mine be? Dylan?” I typed, shifting my C3 Knight to A4 and capturing his pawn.

“Dylan? I guess not!” he replied, taking his Rook from A8 to A4 and eliminating my Knight.

“Is he a bad person?” I asked, advancing my pawn from A2 to A3 to block his Rook.

“Maybe, maybe not,” he responded, moving his Rook from A4 to A3.

“How did he betray you? Did he tell others about your secret?” I pressed, shifting my Queen from E1 to D1.

He moved his Rook from A3 to A1, putting my Queen in check. “He did.”

I withdrew my Queen from D1 to C2.

He advanced his C5 pawn to C4. “I didn't expect he was a liar,” he added.

“Why would he do that?” I asked, moving my Queen from C2 to C3.

He moved his Bishop from F8 to B4, putting me in check. “I don't know,” he admitted.

“Perhaps it’s for money?” I suggested, advancing my Queen from C3 to B4 to capture his Bishop.

“What?” he replied, shifting his Knight from F1 to D2.

“Whoever you’re dealing with right now is not to be trifled with,” I warned, moving my Queen from B4 to C3.

“Do you think the drug manufacturers are involved in this?” he asked, taking his Rook from H8 to H2.

I might win this game, but the odds of losing remained significant.

“Dylan doesn't know about my discovery of the drug. He only knows my biggest secret,” he stated as I moved my Queen from C3 to C2. “I guess those men in black know about that discovery because they were ordered to spy on me.”

“Whoever sent those spies to Elizalde must be the same person who saved me,” I murmured to myself.

“I think I have a hunch about who might have sent you,” he replied, moving his Rook from A1 to A3.

I shifted my Queen from C2 to B2. “And I have a hunch about who sent those men in black,” I typed.

He moved his Knight from D2 to B1. “CHECKMATE!” he declared in all caps. “I’m sorry, but you need to figure things out yourself, Ms. Charlotte.”

“Look! I didn’t win—congratulations,” I typed sarcastically. “But why are you really doing this game?”

“I just want to make you happy,” he replied, adding a heart emoji.

I bit my lip, struggling to suppress my irritation towards him.

“And now, I’m honoured to make this day memorable for both of us—me as your fan and you as mine,” he boasted.

“What an idiot!” I exclaimed, exasperated.

“Finally, I have the pleasure of meeting, challenging, and beating the illustrious L.A.V,” he added.

“Just like my annoying sister,” I murmured, rolling my eyes.

“I thought Raine de Verra was truly skilled,” he boasted further. “Do you even know what happened in your first case before mine?”

“I’ve only just told you what happened,” I replied, irritation creeping into my voice.

“Shush, you only mentioned what occurred on the outside,” he countered.

࿐ ࿔*:･ﾟ

In front of us, the woman we were talking about earlier sipped the water given to her by my recent client who stood directly across from me. To my side stood Elizalde, remaining silent as I sat on the bed.

“So the water enters her system,” he began, pointing at the bottle in the woman’s hand. “It was all planned from the start. According to MY source, footprints were found both inside and outside the victim’s house. Whoever they belong to entered and exited twice—once to plant the drug, and again to remove it.”

I recalled the shadow of a figure entering the victim’s home, a memory sparked by the photos my sister had sent while Zane and I were en route to Elizalde's house. I also remembered Sir Aguilar’s record in his office when he suddenly doubled over in pain.

“It was an experiment with a tablet, and she was just a random victim,” he continued. “She took the tablet, swallowed it, and without knowing it was some kind of bomb, met a tragic fate.”

"Oh, so I presume he's just using his knowledge about the company he’s trying to investigate," I thought.

“The water enters her system because the bomb's coating is already dissolving inside of her,” he continued. “The person or persons who placed that tablet in her house had the power to detonate the bomb, and that’s when the guy from earlier left.”

In front of us, the woman did indeed explode after the man who rode in her car left. He stopped and then returned to the victim.

“It was the perfect place and time for the experiment, but that guy, without being part of their plan, showed up for a reason I don’t know,” he said.

"The car broke down," I spoke to myself.

“The combustion case must be designed to resemble one of those instances of spontaneous human combustion I once read about in my favourite book,” I reiterated from what I said previously.

“And you know what that means?” he asked me as I returned to Mrs. Nuñez's building.

“Fame. Money,” I replied. “Perfect time and place, indeed.”