Torn and Restored

Chapter 20 - Four of Clubs

The man had left the door a little open. Light filtered in through the crack, washing the room in a light glow. Olivia studied her surroundings. It looked like an old store room but there weren't a lot of things in there. One particularly caught her eye. A portrait of John Waters, the same one she had seen in Will's house. So she had been correct at the museum. What was so important about that painting? She observed it closely. In spite of the dim lighting, two words stood out to her clearly, written one below the other. Love, hate. She hadn't noticed it the first time she saw the painting in Will's room. But now, she did and she thought that she knew what it meant.

The door opened suddenly and someone walked in. It wasn't the kidnapper. It was the man, whom the kidnapper had mentioned before. The Master. But there had to be a mistake because Olivia knew the man, who'd entered, very well.

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Will and Alyssa had never been to that part of the town before, so it took them a little while to find the address. They got down the car and walked to the door.

"Stay here", Will said.

"What? I'm not letting you go in alone. No way", she protested.

Will knew that it wouldn't be easy keeping her away. He had to protect her.

"I'm not going to lose you, again. I want you to stay here. When I need help, you'll know. We don't know what happened to Olivia. You can even call for help if things go wrong. You've spent a lot of energy and you're weak. Do not use your powers unless it's very essential. Got it?" Will asked.

Alyssa wasn't sure who the parent was. She knew that she was weak and Will wouldn't have to worry about her if he went in alone. She nodded.

"Stay safe", she told, as he prepared to enter.

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Detective Graves couldn't have asked for anything better. She had all the evidence she needed but she had to wait a little. Will's phone was dead and a guy from the tech department had come to help her. The battery was charged again and the guy had hacked into the data by decrypting the password. It had taken him hardly an hour. Emery took the phone and went through the messages. She did not find what she was looking for. She called Waldo, frustrated. He did not pick the call. She left her room to find his desk. He wasn't there either. She switched his computer on and it asked her for the password. She called the tech guy who had helped her a few minutes ago.

"It's a harder encryption, Madam. It might take a little more time", he said.

"Not a problem. I'll wait", she said. She had to know the details of the message. Will had deleted it on his phone and that was a clear sign that he was hiding it. She knew that the message was all she needed to get Will behind the bars.

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Will closed the door behind him and stepped into the house. The house was silent. He doubted if anyone even lived there. A voice broke the dead air.

"Hello, Will", it said.

Will stopped still. He looked around for the source. He found speakers lined up along the walls.

"That was a bit rude, son. I just greeted you", the voice said.

Will studied the voice again. It was coming from the speakers. It sounded like an old man. The voice was bold but a little shaky. But it was the way he talked. Will had heard that voice. It sounded like someone he knew.

"Okay. We'll skip that part. You have no manners. I wish your parents were alive to teach you some", he chuckled.

Will fumed. The man on the speaker could be the reason he had no parents. He wasn't sure of that though. That was the only thing holding him back. He wanted that man to make the move, first.

"Enter the room on your right. Go in and wait", he said.

Will listened to the voice. He opened the door and went in. It wasn't empty. He saw an old woman lying on a bed. He went closer and realised that she wasn't sleeping. Her eyes were open but she did not panic or move, on seeing Will.

"That's my wife. My real wife. Do you want to know what happened to her?" the voice asked.

Will remained silent. He went forward and sat on the chair beside the bed. He could see the woman's eyes follow him.

"You do not know about your father, do you? Wait. Listen to this. Your father is the reason for all of this. He did this to my wife. He did this so you could become the greatest magician" he said.

Will got the picture. It was Fade. Fade was The Master. He was the one speaking through the speakers.

"Yes. You heard it right. My wife, Clairvoyance, went to him to inquire about his great secret and must've gotten it right. That is the reason he did this to her", he said.

Will let out a long, high pitched laugh.

"Stop it", the voice thundered.

"Oh! So you can hear me too" said Will.

"Yes", he replied.

"Well, then. How are you sure that Clairvoyance was on your side. Nobody wants to join the losing side, Fade", Will smirked.

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Olivia heard the man talk over the microphone. Her kidnapper stood beside him too. All three of them were in the same room. She knew the identity of the old man. She wanted to scream at him for doing all this but she remained calm, plotting a way to let Will know all these things.

The old man threw the headphones away in anger.

"What is it, Master", the kidnapper asked.

"Will knows", Fade replied.

"How are you sure?" the kidnapper asked.

Fade got up and walked towards Olivia as he said," He called me Fade".

"You won't get away from this. I'll make sure you pay for everything you've done. Just wait till he gets to know.", Olivia said.

The old man came forward. The room was a little dark, but she could see his face clearly. It was Marcus, Mrs. Stone's husband. She was the lady who rented the theatre for Will's shows. Olivia knew both of them very well so it was too hard for her. She had always seen him as a calm man. More importantly, a good husband. But she had just seen her tell Will about his wife. His other wife. Will hadn't met Marcus many times. Olivia was sure that they both must've had their first deep conversation the other day at Stone's house. Ernest hadn't met him at all.

"You talk a little too much", Fade declared.

"These are the last things you'll ever hear from me. Once Will knows about you-" she started.

"Shhh!" he interrupted.

He came closer and whispered," A small correction, dear. Those won't be the last words I hear. That'll be the last thing you'll ever say."

He brought his finger towards her and touched her mouth. She felt a tinge of current pass through her body, through her lips.

She tried to speak. But no words came out.