Page 41 of Whispers in the Quarter

It’s getting harder to ignore the uneasy feeling in my gut.

Lucas gets lost in his work all the time. It’s normal. Right?

Jazz: This plan of yours... it gonna keep you safe?

I look around Grandmother’s kitchen, at all the herbs and shadows that taught me both healing and harm.

Me: Trust me?

Jazz: Always, Melody. Even when I shouldn’t.

My chest tightens at Jazz’s trust. He and Lucas, both risking everything to protect me. And I’m about to use their loyalty to manipulate the one man who might actually be on the right side of all this.

My phone buzzes with another cryptic text from Lucas.

Lucas: Did you know certain compounds can completely rewrite a person’s moral architecture? The transformation is quite beautiful to observe. Like watching a saint become a sinner in real time...

I stare at the message, something nagging at the edges of my consciousness. Lucas’s texts are always strange, full of scientific tangents and brilliant madness, but today they feel... pointed. Like he’s trying to tell me something without telling me.

But I can’t focus on Lucas’s mysteries now. Celeste’s killers are still out there, growing more dangerous by the day. And if Lauren’s death connects to the same organization...

I move to my old room, pulling out the dress I wore the night Celeste and Ethan had their first date. Walking around New Orleans.

Time to give Ethan’s people what they want—a ghost to chase. One that will lead them toward Lauren’s real killers and away from my true identity.

Another text from Lucas makes my phone dance.

Lucas: My lab has become quite the confessional today. Amazing what truth serum and the right chemical catalyst can reveal...

Before I can respond, Jazz calls again. “Melody... you sure about tonight? Something feels wrong. Like we’re all dancing to someone else’s tune.”

“When aren’t we?” I try to joke, but his words hit too close to home. Through the window, I watch Ethan’s agents circling Grandmother’s property like sharks scenting blood.

But where is their leader?

My burner buzzes one last time.

Lucas: Whatever you’re planning, my beautiful Chimera... know that I’m already several steps ahead. The most dangerous experiments are the ones we can’t control, but oh, the results are proving extraordinary.

In the distance, thunder rolls across the bayou. Grandmother always said storms had a way of revealing hidden truths.“Like rain washing away masks,”she’d tell me,“showing what lies beneath.”

I check my weapons, my escape routes, my contingency plans. Tonight, I’ll dance on the edge of exposure, trusting in Jazz’s loyalty and Lucas’s brilliance.

Something about Lucas’s messages, about Ethan’s absence, about the whole perfect setup...

The storm clouds gather overhead, promising revelation or ruin. Perhaps both.

Let the game begin.

15

LUCAS

LABORATORY SECURITY FEED TRANSCRIPT Time: 02:33 Location: Private Research Facility B

Dr. Gautier observed talking to unconscious subject: “The most beautiful transformations, my Saint, are the ones that reveal what was always there...”

[Feed interrupts for 3 minutes] [Upon resume, second subject present—female, identity unknown] [Feed terminated by user: GAUTIER]

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