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

Chapter 76

Mason's eyes shifted between Cora and Grayson, and he couldn't help but roll his eyes as if he'd just pieced together the situation. But Cora's revelation left Grayson puzzled, his mind whirring with questions as the pieces of this complex puzzle continued to fall into place.

"You were the one who stole the Social Contract," Mason's voice remained eerily calm.

"Couldn't have done it without you, darling." Cora's smile lingered as she pulled a slender keycard from her dress pocket and tossed it to Mason. The card glided along the floor, coming to rest at his feet. "I've gathered enough evidence to put you behind bars for a lifetime."

Grayson silently wished that Cora would pick her words more wisely. He'd braced himself for a potential outburst from Mason, even fearing he might pull the trigger. Yet, to his surprise, Mason kept his cool, his firearm steady, his trigger finger twitching impatiently.

"You may have evidence, but I too have Lawers and not to mention over 30 armed men waiting outside," Mason calmly asserted. He tilted his head, his eyes smouldering like pools of lava beneath the moonlight. "What makes you think you'll get out of this unscathed?"

Cora's jaw clenched, and she took a step back while keeping her gun trained on Mason. She then called out loudly down the hall, "You can come out now."

A middle-aged man with bushy eyebrows and a bright yellow hat emerged from a nearby room. It was The Taxi Driver. He stepped into the scene and, to Grayson's amazement, ripped his face off, revealing it to be a mask. The pieces of the puzzle fell into place, and Grayson realized that this man was the same one he had seen with Cora at the party, the one who had given him an accusing look.

"Looking for this?" the man said as he produce a folder, which Grayson assumed contained the original Social Contract. "Here. You can have it." He casually tossed it to Mason, who reluctantly caught it with one hand.

The man cleaned off what was left of the mask from his face, tearing out fake eyebrows and scratching off the prosthetic nose. Catching Grayson's gaze, he offered a nod, insisting he used the opportunity to move. With a watchful eye on Mason's weapon, Grayson subtly adjusted his stance, cautiously moving out of the potential line of fire, all while hoping Mason wouldn't notice.

Mason stared at the folder in his hand, his emotions well hidden beneath a mask of calm. "Who the hell are you?" Mason finally demanded, his gaze shifting from the folder to the man before him.

The man seemed unfazed by the intensity of the moment. "My name is Gabriel Ferguson," he started, and Grayson knew exactly where he heard his name before. He was listed as a possible threat in his grandfather's List, now Avery's. He was one of many detectives, assuming one that had helped his own father, Sheffield Grayson, to investigate Hawthorne Island's incident.

"Me and Cora have been investigating you, Mr Valentine, under the name of Hudson Emrys." Gabriel shot a glance at Alison.

Alison stood frozen,her face drained of colour, her jaw dropped slightly, at a loss for words.

"Hudson gets his money from me. I basically paid both of you to do what, send me to jail?" Mason's voice oozed arrogance as he spoke. "If it's money you want, Cora, wouldn't you be a dear and get what's left in my Safe?"

Cora's stern expression didn't waver. "Your money won't buy your way out of this, Mason." 

Gabriel added, "We have all the evidence we need to make sure you pay for your crimes." With a deft motion, he retrieved a small recording device from his jacket and continued, "Or, in your own words..." He pressed a button, and the recording playback filled the corridor.