My stepbrother is the Mafia King

29| Clue #1

I hold onto the bag as I walk down the road. The culture here is fantastic, the girls here are beautiful, perfectly tan skin. They remind me of Gracie, she would have loved it here... wait, that's right, she was probably born here. This is the Grimm family estate, I wonder why she wasn't in that painting, did they not view her as part of the family?

I look at an abandoned building off to my right, this is in the middle of town, yet it looks like no one even notices its here. I step closer to it, it feels like it's pulling me closer, I shouldn't venture off like this on my own. What if it's a sex trafficking house? I should turn around and continue to the cathedral. I turn my body around, taking one step forward, then another, one more and I'll be safe. But I wasn't safe, because I walked back towards the abandoned building.

I push on the slightly ajar door, it creaks open. It's dark in here, but the sun is beaming down, are there no windows in this place? I pull out my cellphone and hold down the flashlight button., scanning it around the entry way. It looks like this place has had squatters here in the past. I put one foot through the threshold, the sound of glass breaks beneath my shoe. I look at what made that noise, a needle, used it looks like.

"I should be careful." I mumbled under my breath. I release my grip from the door handle and continue through the shambled building. This place reeks of musty mold, I should cover my nose and mouth with my sun scarf. The sounds of the wind hitting some of the cracks through the wooden roof begins to scare me, if this doesn't give way soon, I'll be impressed.

 "Hey." I turn around, but no one is there. I quickly look behind me once more, it was like a ghost was mocking me. Making me think I'm going crazy, what is going on in this house. Once again, I step on something that shatters, but this time when I pick up the object it isn't a needle, it's a picture of what I assume to be young Gracie. She looks just like Shane, but obviously a girl. She's smiling, what I assume is her mother right behind her- that looks like... 

 "Hello?" I look at the figure standing at the door, a lady holding a rusted bucket, filled with water. Is that where that smell is coming from? Her small hands lit up a lantern, which brightens the room. She sets her bucket down on the cement floor, her eyes show so much sadness, is she grieving? She picks up the garbage with her bare hands, she isn't afraid of those needles. She mumbles something in Spanish, but I couldn't hear what she was saying. 

 "Are you Gracie's Mother?" I ask. She stares at me; does she speak English? She must, I mean she did say Hello, why is she looking at me like she doesn't know what I am saying. Before I knew, she was closer, and I mean close; I back up towards the wall.

 "What do you know about Gracie, you kidnap her?" Her finger now directly between my eyes. I shake my head, my tears threatening to escape. 

 "She was going to be my sister-in law." I cry. She was on the brink of tears too, but she drops her hands, almost like she was surrendering herself to the grief.

 "I'm her Aunt, the last one to live I guess. When I stopped receiving her letters about 8 months ago-" 

 "8 months?" I interrupted. she nods her head, her face is looking for the little gleam in my eyes, but all she is getting is worriedness. 8 months? 8 months was only a few weeks after I laid myself in her pool of blood watching the color drain from her face. Let me say that again; a few weeks after I saw her killed. I brush the hair behind my ear, I could feel my heart racing, I quickly walked out of the building, my pace keeping up with my speeding heart. I pull out my phone getting ready to write a massage to Shane. He'd get mad If I told him I walked into a abandoned building, what could I even tell him. I think my best friend faked her death or Gracie is alive and I need to find her. None of those scream 'I'm sane".  I have zero leads except for a letter that may have taken longer than normal to get there. I look up but it was too late, a crash into a man wearing a suit and tie. I look up, shit. He extends his hand out to me, his face furrowed and his eyes dark with anger.