Penance - Uncovering the truth, Secrets and confessions, and Twisted pasts

Chapter 80

Grayson couldn't keep lurking outside that door any longer. Just as he was about to crack it open, a peculiar sound drifted up from below.

Someone was humming.

His Hawthorne instincts kicked in, like a sixth sense, but he hesitated. Grayson knew he should be beside Alison, especially in such a critical moment. Yet, ignoring the humming was impossible. To most, it might seem like an itch Grayson needed  to scratch, but for a Hawthorne, it was like a siren's call, drawing him toward potential disaster.

Grayson made up his mind to track down the source of the humming, leaving the music room in his wake. He descended the dimly lit stairs, each step he took brought him closer to the source of the noises. Then, just as he thought he had it, it faded away into the silence.

Grayson paused on the last step, straining to listen for the humming again, but something unexpected caught his ear instead.

It was the sound of multiple people moving about, their hushed voices carrying up the stairwell. Ignoring the humming for now, he descended to the ground floor, staying concealed in the shadows, straining to listen to the whispered conversation.

"...shouldn't be here," one voice murmured.

"I know, but we have to find him," another responded.

Grayson's curiosity got the better of him, and he risked a swift, quick peek. It was a group of cops, no doubt searching for Mason. They exchanged more hushed words before dispersing into different rooms. He stayed hidden in the shadows, letting the police officers move past him, their voices and footsteps gradually faded away down the corridor.

Just as Grayson stepped out from his hiding spot, he heard it, the humming, coming from the far end of the corridor.

It was a low sound similar  to the mournful howl of a wolf.

Quietly and cautiously, Grayson  made his way in the direction of the humming, passing through the corridor and heading towards the library.

The library's door was slightly ajar, allowing a thin sliver of light to escape into the corridor. As Grayson pushed the door open just enough to slip inside, he saw him.

Mason sat alone at a table, his fingers tracing over the edge of a book as he continued to hum. His eyes were distant, lost in thought, and he seemed completely absorbed in his own world.

Grayson's footsteps, though light, seemed to echo loudly in the eerie silence of the library as he neared Mason. "You shouldn't be here," Grayson spoke, his voice low and cautious.

Mason's humming stopped abruptly, and he slowly raised his head to meet Grayson's gaze. Weariness clouded his brown eyes, turning them into deep pools of darkness under the dim light. "You shouldn't be here," Mason replied, his voice sounding strangely calm.

"It won't be long before Alison and the police come for you," Grayson shot back.

Mason sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping slightly as he closed the book gently. "You see, this book," he said, lifting it and weaving it in the air. "I wrote it myself. It happens to be the same collection of papers I dropped when I first met Alison."

Mason's gaze dropped to the book in his hands, and he traced his fingers over the leather cover.

"The book tells the story of a soldier, a young man who was forced into the army because his father believed he was good for nothing," Mason started. "He was told that if he couldn't provide for his family, he should provide for his country."

Mason tossed the book to Grayson, who deftly snatched it from the air.

Grayson flipped through the pages until he reached the back of the book. To his surprise, Mason had not only credited Alison as his editor but attributed everything to her. He even dedicated a page or two in acknowledgment of her contributions.