Chapter 23 - The Empty House
Arthur's home looked untouched from the outside.
The curtains hung exactly as he had left them that morning. His small garden remained neat despite the previous night's rain. Even the old brass mailbox stood perfectly straight beside the front steps.
Chief Mercer frowned.
"Nothing looks disturbed."
Arthur unlocked the front door without answering.
The living room appeared almost identical to how he had left it. Books still lined the shelves. The antique clock continued ticking above the fireplace. Family photographs remained in place.
Yet Arthur stopped after only two steps.
"They've already been here."
Mercer looked around.
"How can you tell?"
Arthur walked toward a small wooden table beside the window.
On it sat a ceramic chessboard.
Every piece remained exactly where Arthur always kept it—except one.
The white knight faced the wrong direction.
"I never leave a game unfinished," Arthur said quietly. "And I never rotate the knight."
Mercer immediately called in the forensic team.
As investigators searched the house, Arthur moved slowly from room to room. Nothing appeared stolen.
His wallet remained in the bedroom.
Cash inside a drawer was untouched.
Silverware, watches, and valuables had all been ignored.
"They weren't looking for money," Mercer said.
"No."
"They were searching for information."
Arthur entered his study.
The bookshelves appeared normal until he noticed one history volume pushed half an inch farther than the others.
He removed it carefully.
Behind the book sat a small metal compartment built into the wall decades earlier.
It was open.
Empty.
Mercer's pulse quickened.
"What was inside?"
Arthur remained silent for several seconds.
"Only copies."
"Copies of what?"
"My personal investigation notes."
Mercer looked surprised.
"You made duplicates of Elena's evidence?"
Arthur shook his head.
"Not Elena's."
"My own."
He walked to his desk and opened its lowest drawer.
A false bottom lifted away, revealing another notebook wrapped in oilcloth.
Arthur smiled faintly.
"I learned many years ago never to keep every answer in the same place."
Mercer looked toward the empty wall compartment.
"So they found one hiding place."
Arthur nodded.
"But not the correct one."
Before either man spoke again, Detective Reeves entered carrying a sealed evidence bag.
"We found this in the kitchen."
Inside lay a single black chess piece.
A king.
Taped beneath its base was a handwritten note.
May you like
The next move belongs to you.
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