Chapter 2 - The Crest in the Wool
The silver pin gleamed faintly under the harsh amber glare of the newly ignited streetlamp, casting a long, skeletal shadow across the faded weave of the blanket. The councilwoman, whose name tag read Evelyn Vance, slowly withdrew her hand as if the metal had burned her skin. Her breath hitched in her throat, and her professional composure cracked instantly.
“Where did you get this?” Evelyn demanded, her voice dropping to a harsh whisper that commanded immediate attention. She pointed a trembling finger at the gold crest pinned to the corner of the ragged wool.
Leo pulled the puppy tighter against his oversized jacket, his eyes darting toward the alleyway behind them where a delivery truck rumbled loudly. “I didn’t take it. It was just... there. In the box when they put me out.”
“Put you out?” The old man in the trench coat muttered, stepping in closer, his earlier hostility replaced by a sharp, calculating curiosity. “Boy, do you have any idea what that pin represents? That’s not just a trinket. That’s the key to the municipal archives—the very floor where the city’s zoning fraud investigations are stored.”
“I don’t know about any box,” Leo lied defensively, though his lower lip trembled, betraying the falsehood instantly. He shifted his weight, trying to shield the puppy from the cold draft swirling around their knees.
“Listen to me very carefully, kid,” Evelyn said, her voice softening, though her eyes remained wide with panic. She glanced up and down the empty sidewalk, checking the shadows for anyone watching them. “Whoever put you on this pavement gave you something very dangerous. People are looking for that pin. Powerful people who don’t care about stray dogs or cold children.”
“I want my mom,” Leo whispered, a fresh tear carving a clean path through the dirt on his cheek.
“Your mother isn’t coming back anytime soon, kid,” a new voice chimed in from the mouth of the alley. A tall man in a dark hoodie stepped out of the gloom, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. He smiled, but his eyes were entirely dead. “Especially not if she’s the one who dropped you off with the stray.”
Evelyn jumped to her feet, placing herself between the stranger and the toddler. “Stay back! I’m calling the police right now!”
May you like
“Go ahead, Councilwoman Vance,” the man chuckled, taking a slow step forward. “Call them. Let’s see how fast the chief arrives when you tell him you’re standing over the mayor’s missing grandson.”
---
