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 be 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 the displays. 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.” Casey gave his son’s hand a reassuring squeeze when he gave him an anxious look, little lips quivering. “Don’t worry, I won’t let anything happen to us, okay?”

“Just being honest,” Lani replied.

“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 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. 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?” Casey suggested. “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 came 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 inside for her.

“Sorry. I know you didn’t want to go out there, but I had to see it for myself,” Lani told him, locking the door back up. “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 that the detectives would’ve overlooked, but he followed his sister 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 near the oven? I’d understand if it was by the trash can or out front in the dining area, but how’d it get back here? I think it might belong to Mom’s killer or an accomplice maybe,” Lani insisted.

“I don’t know,” Casey replied. “I think that’s a stretch. There’s a chance it could’ve gotten swept up in here when the detectives looked around.”

“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.