Edge of the Dark

Chapter 64: Chapter 63: Forgotten Memories

The sound of rain pounding against the windows filled the small, dimly lit room. Ethan sat in the corner, his back against the cold, stone wall, staring at the dim glow of the computer screen before him. It was late—later than he realized, the hours blurring together in his relentless pursuit of the truth. The files Daniel had unearthed were a revelation, but they only served to deepen the mystery. The names, the connections, the hidden agendas—all of it pointed back to one man: Nathaniel Bishop. Yet, there was still something missing. Something he couldn't quite place. Something that tugged at his memory.

The Architect. It was a name that had haunted him since he first heard it. It was a name that didn't just belong to one man, but to a shadowy network of power and corruption. The more Ethan dug, the more he realized that Nathaniel Bishop had been merely a pawn, a figurehead for something much larger. But the details, the connections that tied it all together, were still just beyond his reach.

Ethan rubbed his temples, trying to steady his racing thoughts. He had seen the shadowy figure in the video, the one entering the alley the night his father died. He had seen Bishop's name in the encrypted files. But why did everything feel so incomplete? What was the missing piece?

Suddenly, the phone on the table buzzed, breaking the silence. Ethan glanced at the screen and saw Zoe's name flashing. He hadn't heard from her in days, and a part of him wasn't sure he wanted to. But the urgency in the way she'd texted him made him reach for it anyway.

"Meet me at the old diner," the message read. "I found something." n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Ethan's stomach tightened. He didn't need to ask what it was. He had a feeling he knew. Whatever it was, it could be the key to everything.

The diner was nearly empty when Ethan arrived. The neon lights above flickered faintly, casting an eerie glow on the cracked linoleum floors. It hadn't changed much since his last visit—still the same cheap tables, the same coffee-stained countertops. But something about it felt different tonight. As if the ghosts of the past had returned, just waiting to surface.

Zoe sat at a booth near the back, her eyes scanning the room warily. When she saw him, she waved him over, a mixture of excitement and anxiety in her expression.

"Ethan," she said, her voice low, "I think I finally found the missing piece."

Ethan slid into the booth, his heart thumping in his chest. "What do you have?"

Zoe placed a folder on the table, its contents spilling out as she opened it. Inside were pictures—old photographs, some blurry, others clearer, but all strikingly familiar. Ethan's eyes immediately locked on one of the images—a young man, no older than sixteen or seventeen, standing in front of a crumbling building. His features were soft, his expression solemn. But it was the background that caught Ethan's attention. The building in the picture was the same one from the files Daniel had uncovered—the one in the warehouse district.

"I've seen this before," Ethan murmured, his fingers brushing over the photograph. "Where did you get these?"

Zoe swallowed, her hands shaking slightly as she sifted through the rest of the papers. "I've been digging, Ethan. I was looking through old public records, trying to trace connections between the people involved in this case. And then I found something. Something I shouldn't have."

She pulled out another document—a birth certificate, yellowed with age. Ethan's breath caught in his throat as he read the name at the top.

"Liam Bishop."

It was a name that shouldn't have existed. A name that was never mentioned in any of the files. A name that had been deliberately hidden.

"Liam Bishop? Nathaniel's brother?" Ethan asked, incredulous.

Zoe nodded, her face pale. "The records are sparse, but I found enough to confirm it. Nathaniel had a younger brother who disappeared when he was just a teenager. No one talked about him, and for good reason. But from what I can gather, Liam was involved in something much darker—something Nathaniel had always tried to keep hidden."

Ethan sat back, his mind racing. A brother. A forgotten family member. This was the thread that had been dangling just out of reach. It was the connection that tied everything together.

"Do you have more?" Ethan asked, barely able to contain his excitement. "What happened to him?"

Zoe hesitated for a moment before continuing. "From what I can piece together, Liam was heavily involved in some illegal activities. Drugs, smuggling, possibly even human trafficking. But his disappearance—there was no record of it. It was as if he just vanished."

Ethan stared at the photograph again, his mind flashing back to the video footage from the warehouse. The figure in the shadows. The man who moved with such precision, with such training. Liam. It had to be him. But if Nathaniel had been the one pulling the strings, what was Liam's role in all of this? Was he still alive?

"Do you think Liam is still out there?" Ethan asked, his voice tight.

Zoe nodded. "I do. And I think Nathaniel has been covering for him all these years. Liam wasn't just a casualty in the family. He was a part of the plan. And now, I think he's the key to understanding everything. He's the one who knows the truth."

Ethan's mind was reeling. He had been so focused on Bishop, so fixated on the powerful figures behind the conspiracy, that he had overlooked the most obvious answer: the missing Bishop. The one who had been erased from the narrative entirely. But if Zoe was right, Liam's reappearance—whether he was alive or dead—could change everything.

"We need to find him," Ethan said, his voice filled with resolve. "He's the final piece. The answer to all of this."

Zoe nodded, determination setting into her expression. "I've already started looking into it. There's a small town upstate—no one's been able to track down Liam for years, but there are rumors. I think he's been hiding there."

Ethan stood up abruptly, the decision made. They had a lead. They had a direction. And this time, they wouldn't let it slip through their fingers. "Then we're going there. Tonight."

The drive to the small town was long, the night stretching out endlessly in front of them. The rain had stopped, but the air was still heavy, as if the atmosphere itself was holding its breath. Ethan barely spoke during the journey, his thoughts consumed by the images Zoe had shown him. What kind of man had Liam Bishop become? Was he still the scared teenager who had run from his family all those years ago? Or had he become something far worse—something more dangerous?

As they neared the town, the landscape around them began to change. The towering buildings of the city faded into rolling hills, fields that stretched out under a sky heavy with clouds. The streets grew quieter, the buildings older, more dilapidated. This was a town that time had forgotten.

Zoe was the first to speak when they pulled up in front of a small, rundown motel. "This is it," she said quietly. "This is where the rumors pointed. Liam Bishop was seen here a few months ago, but after that... nothing."

Ethan's grip tightened on the steering wheel. They had no idea what they would find when they walked through that door. But one thing was certain: they were on the cusp of uncovering the darkest Chapter of the Bishop family's history. A Chapter that had been buried, forgotten, and hidden for far too long.

"Let's go," Ethan said, his voice cold and steady.

The door creaked as they stepped into the motel lobby. It smelled musty, the air thick with dust and decay. The receptionist barely looked up as they approached, her eyes glazed over as if the life had long since drained from her. Ethan didn't have time for pleasantries. They had no idea who they were dealing with here, or how deep the lies ran.

"We're looking for someone," he said bluntly. "Liam Bishop."

The woman's eyes flickered for just a moment—long enough for Ethan to catch it. And then, almost as quickly as it had appeared, the flicker was gone, replaced by a blank stare.

"I don't know anyone by that name," she replied, her voice flat.

Ethan didn't believe her. He didn't have to. They were getting closer. They were on the verge of breaking open the final mystery. The truth was within reach, but so was the danger.

And as the shadows lengthened in the small town, Ethan couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched—by someone who had been waiting for this moment for a long time.