Snow concealed New Syracuse's filthy secrets in layers, not even a crack or blemish could be seen in their snow-globe of a city downtown, where Mad Batter proudly stood out amongst the other ancient buildings. The sun struggled to provide warmth and Casey knew it wouldn't long before nightfall came. With the weather getting colder, each day seemed to fade away faster than the other.

Casey shivered with each step closer to their family's bakery; the key to the door wavering in his unsteady hand. Both Lani and Wyatt stayed glued to his sides and he was grateful to not be returning to the bakery all by himself. With a deep breath, Casey inserted the key and turned until a faint click gave away and the wind creaked it open.

A grating chime greeted Casey as he took cautious steps inside, inspecting the tables speckled with crumbs and empty counters, where sweets normally filled it. Lani walked ahead of him while Wyatt stayed at his side, reaching over to squeeze his hand tightly. Casey couldn't help but smile down at him as they made their way further inside.

"Where should we start?" Lani asked.

Casey shrugged. "You're the one who's bright idea was to come down here."

Lani shot him a displeased look, crossing her arms over her chest. "Well, I figured it would be a good idea to start at the scene of the crime. Dad already checked the money, and everything's been accounted for. The only time money was demanded is in his texts, from who we assume killed Mom. If it's not a group effort of some kind."

"You think more than one person is involved?" Casey asked.

"I mean, probably. I could be wrong, but it's weird how they made that ransom to Dad then killed her anyway. What was the point? Also, that Emmett guy said there's been a hit put out on our family. Which means one of us will be next."

"Come on, don't say that in front of Wyatt. You don't think that Emmett could be responsible, do you? Isn't it weird how he approached me like that? And how would he know so much about what happened with Mom? It all just feels... Weird."

"That's a good point. But why would he come tell you that? Is he playing some kind of game with us?" Lani asked as she went around the counter, crouching down to search around the area.

Casey shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe? It's just strange how he did that. It's not like he'd have known we were coming to his diner though, so it couldn't have been planned."

"Lucky opportunity, I guess," Lani said. "This is where you guys found Mom's badge, right?"

"Yeah, why? You find anything else?"

"No, it's just how we left it. Nothing is missing or out of place. Someone targeted Mom, not our money or the bakery. But that's why I'm confused about the ransom they asked of Dad."

"Maybe they tried to get money from Mom but she couldn't give them anything, aside from what was on her? We'd already taken the till out by then and Mom wouldn't have had access to it. Only Dad does."

"But Dad said they promised to let her go if he gave them the money, like he did."

"What if that was the original plan, but someone in their group decided to change things up? Or maybe Mom tried to fight back, and that ultimately got her killed."

Casey had no doubts in his mind that his mom would've done everything she could to escape them, especially if her family was in harm's way. But there were still too many unanswered questions. Like, why was Mom at the bakery? Did someone lure her out there? Perhaps she'd received threats like Dad did?

Part of Casey wondered if it was all gang-related. Either the Voiceless Rebels or the Black Vipers put a hit out on their family. Something deep within his heart screamed at him to contact Veronica, despite how he'd vowed to never speak to her again. It was odd how she'd called the day before he found his mom dead and while he wanted to keep his past buried, sometimes it comes back to haunt you.

"I want to check outside by the dumpster," Lani said. "Don't worry, I won't tamper with the crime scene or anything. I just... I need to see it for myself."

Casey froze. His mom's haunting face came to mind and he tried to shake the gory image aside. He couldn't step foot back out there again. Before he had a chance to protest, Lani yanked the heavy door open and stepped outside. A blast of chilly air pelted Casey as he waited for her.

"Sorry. I know you didn't want to go out there, but I had to see it for myself," Lani told him. "Let's check in the back and then we'll leave, okay?"

"Why did you want to come here?" Casey asked. "What were you expecting to find?"

Lani dabbed her eyes with her sweater sleeve. "I don't know. None of this investigating will bring her back, but we can't just sit around like fools. What if Emmett's right? What if he was warning us? We need to find out who attacked her before we're next. The cops might not figure it out in time."

Casey sighed. "You're right. I hate that you're right. There's been something else bugging me too and as much as I don't want to do it, I know I'll have to."

They made their way into the back room, where everything looked just as they'd left it the night before. While Lani scoured the room, Casey stayed near the door with Wyatt. Casey didn't think they'd find anything pertaining to their mom's case there the the detectives would've overlooked, but he followed his sister there regardless.

"Hey, check this out." Lani beckoned him over. "This doesn't belong to any of us."

Casey looked down at the small diamond stud earring in her palm, frowning. "What's it got to do with anything?"

"This might belong to Mom's killer," Lani explained. "Think about it. Who else would this belong to?"

"I mean, it could be a customer's that got swept in here," Casey pointed out.

"How would it end up by the oven? I'd understand if it was by the trash can or out front in the dining area, but how'd it get in here? I think it might belong to Mom's killer or an accomplice maybe," Lani replied. "Look, I know it's probably far-fetched but it's a possibility that we ought to look into. We should hand this over to Detective Bailey after we've reopened. That way it'll seem like we found it while baking."

Casey sighed. "Alright, we can do that."

After checking out the backroom, they made their way back outside. It felt weird not being open at that time. Normally, they'd have a nice crowd of customers lined up for their sweets, but nobody waited for them now. Casey locked the door behind him, wondering when he ought to schedule a visit to see Veronica.

🧁

Melancholy hung in the air that dreadful morning as Casey and his father made preparations to open the bakery. The police had given them the all clear, but it still felt strange to be back there after he'd found his mom dead in their dumpster. Mr. Lockhart handled trash duties, not wanting to force his son to go back to that awful alleyway and Casey appreciated him for doing that without making a deal out of it.

Just as Casey wiped down the counter, a young dark-haired man knocked on the glass and waved when Casey glanced up at him. Couldn't he read the closed sign? With a groan, Casey tossed his towel aside and went over to tell the guy they'd reopen tomorrow morning. But when he reached the door, recognition clicked and he couldn't stifle his gasp.

"August?" Casey unlocked the front door, letting in a rush of chilly air. "Sorry, but we're still closed. We open tomorrow at eight a.m. though."

Casey wondered if it was smart to open the door, but he couldn't take it back now. The thought of him killing his mother came to mind, and he wondered if the cops came after him Casey confessed to him dropping by, injured, in the dead of the night.

"Oh, I understand. I just wanted to talk to you." August gazed behind him, lowering his voice. "It's about the Voiceless Rebels. You need to be careful around them. Their leader wants to use y'alls bakery for their own business."

"What? I don't understand. Why are you telling me this?" Casey asked, stepping back to put some space between them.

"It would be a shame if you guys lost this amazing bakery. You helped me when I was in need, so consider this as me repaying you. Don't fall for their tricks or make any deals with those sketchy bastards, okay?"

Casey gulped. Who should he trust? Was August being genuine or was he trying to pull the wool over his eyes? Casey already had his suspicions about Emmett, but having August turn up at the bakery again was peculiar.

"Casey, you okay?" Mr. Lockhart emerged from the back storage area, coming behind the counter.

"Yeah, Dad. I'm fine. This is August."

August scratched the back of his neck. "Nice to meet you, sir."

"You're the guy who came in here that night, threatening my kids?" Mr. Lockhart asked.

"Dad, he didn't threaten us. I told you that," Casey said.

"Yeah, I never tried to hurt anyone. Just got myself into a fight and Casey here was nice enough to patch me up. I'm so sorry for the trouble. I only dropped by to warn y'all not to trust those Voiceless Rebels. They wanna use your business to launder money."

Mr. Lockhart came up beside his son, arms crossed over his chest. "You need to leave."

August nodded. "Yes, sir. I won't bug you or your family again. Again, I'm sorry."

As August stepped back outside and crossed the sidewalk, Casey couldn't resist chasing after him, ignoring his father's protests. He wanted to know more about him. He needed to know if he'd been in contact with Veronica and how much he really knew about his mom's murder.

"Wait, August!" Casey called out.

August froze in his tracks, turning back around. "What?"

"Thank you for the advice. Ignore my dad. He's just shaken up over everything that's happened these past few days. It's hard to trust anyone right now."

"What's up then?" August asked.

"Do you know Veronica?" Casey blurted out.

August frowned. "Why do you want to know about her?"

"She's my ex. Mother to my son," Casey replied. "I wanna know if she's behind the hit put out on my mom or if you're someone she sent to spy on us."

"I wasn't supposed to tell you." August sighed. "But yeah, Veronica sent me to check on you guys. She wants to make sure you and your family are safe. There was a hit put out on your mom and now the rumors going around are saying they want your whole family dead."

"Thank you for being honest. The day my mom went missing, Veronica called me. At least, I think it was. I got a call from the prison," Casey explained. "Then you show up at the bakery."

"Yeah, I wasn't supposed to show up like I did. But I hadn't expected to get shot. I guess they must've realized I was onto them and watching," August replied.

"Do you know who shot you?" Casey asked. "Maybe that person is the one who killed my mom."

"Sorry, man. The dude wore a ski mask and black hoodie. He was tall and skinny. That's all I know," August replied. "I wish I could help more."

"I've gotta help my father here with the bakery today, but maybe we can make plans to meet up and talk more." Casey pulled out his phone, handing it over. "Put your number in and I'll tell ya when I'm free."

August frowned. "I don't understand. Why? I'd expect you to want me to stay far away, like your Dad does."

"Don't take this as me trusting you. I'm just trying to figure out what Veronica's up to and I think you might have more information about my mom's murder," Casey explained. "If someone's trying to hurt my family, then I want to know who it is. I helped you that night. The least you can do is help me."

"You've got guts." August chuckled, accepting his phone. "I also told you not to tell the cops, but you didn't listen."

Casey's cheeks heated. "Sorry about that. I did mention how you didn't threaten us."

"No worries. I understand how those cops are. They would've pulled your bakery's security footage and seen it anyway. It's a good thing you were honest up front with them." August returned his phone to him. "I've gotta get going, but I'll look forward to hearing from ya."

"Yeah, same here. Tell Veronica I'm coming to see her soon too," Casey replied. "It's time I stop hiding."

August rose a brow, nodding. "I'll let her know."

As Casey glanced down at the new contact on his phone, he wondered if he'd done more damage than good. Something about August made it difficult to trust, but his connection to Veronica didn't surprise him in the slightest.