“That’s it. All my effort for nothing,” Luke said as he finished recounting everything he had discovered about Violet’s investigation and the memories he had read from Elizabeth, the real estate agent from Shadyside Realty.
Luke had returned home a few minutes ago after visiting the real estate agency. Natasha was at work, so he and Wednesday were in the living room, surrounded by papers, maps, and a couple of coffee cups.
Wednesday, sitting upright, flipped through a few documents with her usual blank
expression. “So, your mental powers are useless, and you’re already throwing in the towel?” she asked in a tone that was half reproach, half mockery.
Luke, who had returned to his male form, was lounging lazily on the couch. “Yeah, so what? Have you found anything?” he replied with a lack of enthusiasm.
Finding hidden evidence sucked.
“Even if you didn’t find what you were looking for, I admit Violet’s investigation was, in fact, interesting. Something’s off,” Wednesday said, looking at Luke.
“I thought the same. But I don’t have any more leads to follow. The real estate agency seems clean, the people who work there aren’t strange at all, and Elizabeth is just a normie with a monotonous life,” Luke said.
“We just need to find another lead to follow. Look at this,” Wednesday said, standing up elegantly and handing a piece of paper to Luke.
Luke sat up, albeit without much enthusiasm, and took the paper. It was demographic statistics for Shadyside. Wednesday pointed to a particular line with a slender finger.
“The population of Shadyside has been declining for decades,” she explained. “And it’s not something happening in other towns in the region. Look at Sunnyvale, for example,” she tapped another set of figures lightly.
“Steady growth. Normal, just as you’d expect. But Shadyside… it’s as if people are constantly abandoning the town,” she added.
“Are there any reports of deaths or anything weird?” Luke asked as he examined the data.
“No. Just abandonment. In all the newspapers and records I reviewed, there’s no significant incident where people have died, either naturally or due to crime. Not even during the time when your parents supposedly came to Shadyside,” Wednesday replied, shaking her head as she casually sat on Luke’s lap.
“Although I found some cases of natural deaths, they were all of very elderly people, so it’s not suspicious that they passed away,” she added.
“Then it’s very likely that someone is behind these disappearances…” Luke commented. “That’s what I suspect, and I’m even more certain now that you’ve told me about Violet’s investigation. Most of the people who leave the town do so in a completely normal way. They put their house up for sale with the real estate agency, organize a farewell dinner with their neighbors, and then move away. But there’s a small percentage that doesn’t fit,” Wednesday said.
“Oh, that’s true—there’s a small percentage that doesn’t follow that pattern,” Luke nodded. “Yes, in this small group, there are no farewell dinners. Just vague mentions that they left the town without a reasonable explanation. Violet noted those cases, but since they were a minority and no one in Shadyside seemed alarmed, she let it go,” Wednesday said as she rested her head on Luke’s chest, her fingers idly tracing circles on the fabric of his shirt.
Luke ran a hand down Wednesday’s back, deep in thought. “So, we need to find the whereabouts of these people, right?” he asked.
“Yes. That’s where we need to investigate. What happened to these people who left Shadyside suddenly without talking to anyone… whether they really left the town or were murdered and someone covered up their deaths,” Wednesday agreed, her voice calm but sharp.
“But if we find the ones responsible for these disappearances… what good will it do us? Making people disappear for so many years requires an organized group or someone extremely capable. And what we’re looking for isn’t directly connected to Shadyside,” Luke said, recalling what Natasha had told him.
“It’s true that there doesn’t seem to be a direct link to your parents or the Spellmans, but this criminal or criminals don’t just make people disappear. In Shadyside, there’s no record of any significant incidents or news of disappearances. It seems like they want to maintain the illusion that this is a quiet town,” Wednesday said.
“True. Then it’s possible that my parents’ brief arrival was hidden by them,” Luke said, and Wednesday nodded.
“Exactly. Your parents were powerful psychics, and the Spellmans who were chasing them were just as strong. It’s very likely that after hiding the evidence, they caused a scene at some point—a fight, a confrontation… something that wouldn’t go unnoticed. But if someone in Shadyside is interested in keeping the town under the radar, they would’ve done everything possible to cover it up,” Wednesday explained.
“Then, if this theory is true, we need to solve the mystery of the constant disappearances in Shadyside. Everyone here just assumes it’s people leaving the town,” Luke said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
“Yes, someone is carefully covering up these disappearances to make them seem normal. And if they have the ability to erase all evidence of your parents and the Spellmans, then we’re dealing with a very capable group… or an extremely methodical and skilled individual,” Wednesday said, nodding slightly.
Luke looked at Wednesday, and when she noticed his gaze, she returned it. “What?” she asked.
“You’ve literally put in check someone or an entire group-that has kept this hidden for years,” Luke said with admiration.
“Well, it wasn’t too difficult thanks to the information you uncovered about that girl named Violet’s investigation. It only confirmed my suspicions that someone is making people disappear. That made my job easier,” Wednesday said, letting out a faint, almost imperceptible smile-something rare for her, but she couldn’t help it when she felt Luke’s admiration. There was something strangely satisfying about him recognizing her abilities.
“I’m surprised by your modesty,” Luke joked.
“It’s not modesty. I just don’t take credit for things that aren’t mine. Now, give me ten names from the minority who disappeared without a farewell dinner, without selling their house, and without leaving any trace,” Wednesday demanded.
In Violet’s investigation, she had written about this minority that disappeared without a trace -no dinners, no discussions with the Shadyside real estate agency, nothing. They supposedly just left the town.
Luke sighed. “Alright, here they are: Michael Harris, disappeared three years ago. His house was left untouched, but no one heard from him again. Rachel Meyer, five years ago, same situation. Emily Carter, a teenager, vanished two years ago. Julia and Henry Reynolds, a middle-aged couple, seven months ago…”
Wednesday listened intently, memorizing each name until Luke finished listing the ten people.
“Good. I’ll visit the Shadyside police station. If there are this many disappearances and the police aren’t doing anything, they’re probably involved. There might be some trace, even if it’s minimal,” Wednesday said. By “visit,” she meant breaking in.
“As for me…” Luke said, a thoughtful look on his face. It would be pointless for both of them to go to the station; Wednesday was more than capable of handling it alone.
An interesting and morally questionable idea occurred to Luke.
“You said you found some cases of natural deaths, right? But they were all elderly people, weren’t they?” he asked, looking at Wednesday.
“Yes, and they weren’t suspicious. They were very old, which fit with natural causes of death. Why do you ask?” Wednesday replied.
“What if those elderly people didn’t die naturally? What if someone also abducted them? We don’t know why people are being taken, and it doesn’t seem to matter whether they’re young, middle-aged, children, or elderly. With these older people, it would be easier to cover up
their deaths,” Luke suggested.
“That’s not a bad theory,” said Wednesday.
“If the deaths were public, there must have been funerals. I’ll dig up the graves and confirm if there are bodies or if they’re just filled with dirt. If it’s the latter, we’ll confirm that someone is abducting people and covering up the murders,” said Luke with a slight smile. He had never dug up a grave before-it might be fun.
“It’s a good idea, and we’d confirm 100% that something bad is happening. Here’s the list I made of the elderly people who died of natural causes,” Wednesday said, getting up from Luke’s lap and heading to the table covered in papers.
She searched for a few seconds before picking up a sheet and handing it to Luke.
“Well, it’s too early to start missions like breaking and entering… Natasha will take another hour to return. So, now what?” Luke asked, looking at Wednesday.
“I don’t know…” Wednesday replied in a monotone, though her eyes had a different spark as
they looked at Luke.
“We could…” Luke began, leaving his intentions hanging in the air. He and Wednesday exchanged a look, and without saying another word, they both started walking toward their
room.
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