I bought an antique mirror at a Newport flea market, but my reflection stopped moving and wrote "Save me" in blood—uncovering my cousin's $18M old-money crime.
👉 Previous Decision: You chose Option B – Use your phone to record the bleeding reflection and send it to Marcus Holloway, the glass specialist.
Marcus Holloway arrived at my studio a few hours later, a tall, quiet man with spectacles perched on his nose. He carried a bulky thermal imaging camera and a kit of chemical swabs. He didn’t ask many questions, just moved methodically.
He set up a tripod, aiming the thermal camera at the mirror. A red glow bloomed on the screen, centered on the etched “Save me” script.
“Impossible,” Marcus murmured, adjusting a knob. His fingers tapped the screen. “A steady negative four degrees Celsius. Right on the lettering.”
He carefully swabbed a section of the dried blood. The mirror itself felt cold to my touch, a deep chill radiating through the ornate frame.
“I recognize the frame’s unique carving,” Marcus said, looking up from his microscope. “It appeared in a 1954 auction catalog. Belonged to a Genevieve Montclair.”
My breath hitched. “Julian’s grand-aunt?”
“The very same,” Marcus confirmed. “She disappeared mysteriously that year. But here’s the curious part, Clara. This isn’t just a mirror. It’s a 19th-century spirit glass, imported from France. Designed to hold… impressions.”
The implication hung heavy in the air. This wasn’t just a spooky antique. It was a witness.
Just then, a sharp knock rattled the studio door. A man in a dark suit stood on my porch, a thick document in his hand.
“Ms. Devine?” he said, his voice clipped. “I’m here to deliver an emergency injunction from Montclair Estate Legal. This mirror is to be surrendered immediately as stolen estate property.”
I looked from the stern bailiff to the chilling message on the glass. Julian was moving fast, trying to leverage the law.
Choose your next action
Surrender the mirror to the court bailiff to avoid legal arrest. — Read CHAPTER 7 to continue
Hide the mirror in Marcus’s off-grid conservation laboratory overnight. — Read CHAPTER 5 to continue
More Stories
+ There are no comments
Add yours