dead or alive

The room's energy shifted palpably, as though a veil had been lifted, revealing a tangled web of untold stories. Reid's eyes lit up with intrigue while Alex finally put an end to his restless survey of the house, plopping down on the well-worn sofa next to him.

"Ah, that's why they looked strangely alike."

"Ah, so you're done assessing the real estate value of the place, huh?" Uncle Jem quipped, shooting a playful glance at Alex.

Caught off guard, Alex fumbled for words, but Reid interjected with a chuckle, deftly steering the conversation back on course. "Speaking of which, can you tell us more about Vienne's story?"

Uncle Jem hesitated, his face crinkling like a discarded piece of paper as he braced himself to recount the heartbreaking tale. "When Nessie's parents died, all she and Vienne had was each other, at least until I took them in. They had their spats, sure. Vanessa had this straight-arrow ambition, while Vienne, well, she became rather cynical, started running with a rough crowd. But they were sisters; the bond was there. 

"All was well - Nessie was studying hard at the local school while Vivi was around playing. I was alright with that since we just needed one of them to succeed. And hey, if Vivi wanted to play, I'll let her since you only have childhood once. When they reached of age to get the Blessing, we queued in the local town square - mind you, many children like Nessie and Vivi were hoping it would change their lives. After all, getting a special or Excellent Ability would automatically enroll them into the special school ran by the government. Alas, they both received average Abilities. This made Vivi even more cynical. 

"Then one day, Vivi left. Nessie and I thought nothing of it. It wasn't the first time Vivi up and left. I would have gotten worried but the little girl's tough. Nessie said that she was fine and I trusted Nessie. A few months later, some of her lowlife friends showed up and told us she was gone—dead."

Uncle Jem's voice broke as he uttered the final word, the room plunging into a stifling silence that Reid interrupted with a deliberately casual tone. "I'm sorry for prying."

Reid's eyes met Archer's. The silent man's eyes narrowed subtly—a non-verbal cue that spoke volumes to Reid, making it clear he sensed more to this story.

Ignoring Reid's non-apology, Alex leaned forward, eyes probing. "Did you ever confirm Vienne's death? Officially, I mean?"

The old man shook his head despondently. "Given our social standing, who'd listen? Vivi was Blessed, legally an adult. She left of her own accord."

Archer's eyes darted toward Reid, who was submerged in thought, visibly piecing together this newly discovered corner of Vanessa's complex puzzle.

Seizing the momentary lapse in conversation, Alex inquired further. "Speaking of being Blessed, what's Vanessa's Ability?"

Uncle Jem chuckled. "You must be joking! Asking someone about their Ability is as forward as asking a lady her weight!"

Laughing in tandem, Reid patted Alex on the back. "Uncle Jem, you'll have to forgive him. The man's so smitten with Vanessa, he's losing his marbles in front of her family."

Grinning, Uncle Jem shot a teasing look at Alex. "Is that so?"

Seizing the opportunity to ease the tension, Reid chimed in, "In fact, Vanessa once morphed into a clown during a Halloween party. Hilarious!"

Uncle Jem's eyes twinkled. "Ah yes, that's one of her favorite tricks!"

Alex's eyes narrowed as he exchanged a discreet, scrutinizing glance with Archer, who had subtly averted his gaze. The atmosphere in the room had changed, tinged with the shadowy hues of intrigue and unspoken agendas.

From behind a closed door, a muffled dog's bark resonated through Uncle Jem's living room. The room itself seemed to sigh, its worn carpet and fraying curtains imbued with histories not yet fully revealed. The old man's eyes flicked upward, a mix of relief and resignation.

"Time flies when you're unraveling family secrets, huh?" Reid quipped, standing up and smoothing down his jeans. "I think we've overstayed our welcome."

Uncle Jem shook his head, rising from his armchair with a groan that spoke more of emotional weight than any physical strain. "It's been good to have company," he said, his voice tinged with an undertow of loneliness.

The trio followed Uncle Jem to the front door. Before Uncle Jem closed the door, he said, "could you ask Nessie to come home soon?"

A tinge of sadness flickered across Reid's face before he smiled, the smile not quite reaching his eyes, "of course."

Once back in the car, a tension you could almost touch filled the air. Reid sank into the passenger seat as Archer revved the engine. Alex, perpetually cool and stoic, took his place in the back, his gaze drifting out the window.

Alex gripped the front seat, eyes narrowed. "Alright, spill. How'd you know about Vanessa's Ability?"

A small chuckle slipped from Archer's lips—his version of a laugh riot. "You rummaged through all those frames and didn't put it together?"

Reid swiveled in his seat, facing Alex with a grin that bordered on mischievous. "Come on, didn't you notice? Vanessa looks ever so slightly different in each of those pictures. Plus, the Halloween photos? Always dressed as a clown with an exaggerated nose? It's like she was asking us to guess."

Alex bristled. "That could mean anything! Doesn't confirm her Ability is feature-changing."

"Well," Reid stretched the word out like a magician before the final reveal, "it was a pretty educated guess. Her Ability is active and physical, not passive. Plus, did you catch Uncle Jem's reaction? While he had laughed it off, it was slightly tensed. Nothing to write home about, but still unique enough to warrant a response. You just have to connect the dots."

"But how did you know it was active—"

Alex halted, his eyes widening as realization dawned. "You had Lana dig into the government files, didn't you? Jesus, Reid, that's illegal. We could all lose our—"

Before Alex could finish, Archer, with a fluid grace that belied his size, reached forward and slammed his foot onto the accelerator. The car lunged forward, pressing Alex into his seat and cutting off his tirade.

"As you were saying?" Reid's eyes twinkled as he leaned back in his seat, visibly pleased at Archer's timely intervention. "Alex, if Lana's so talented at acquiring confidential information, maybe you should put those skills to better use. Like, you know, solving crimes?"

Alex, his face flushed red, exhaled a deep breath, finally letting go of the steering wheel as if he were releasing a chokehold. "You're playing with fire, Greenfield."

"And yet," Reid paused, "you've got to admit, sometimes you have to bend the rules to get to the truth."

Archer glanced at Reid through the rearview mirror, a sliver of a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. No words needed; his expression said it all.

The hum of the car's engine filled the space between the three men as they navigated the winding streets, steering away from Uncle Jem's house and toward uncertain terrain. City lights flickered in the distance, ephemeral and elusive, much like the truth they were chasing.

Alex finally broke the silence, his fingers drumming impatiently on the steering wheel. "Fine, Reid, I'll drop the whole Lana-hacking-the-government thing. For now. But let's get down to brass tacks. What did we actually learn from that visit? Other than Vanessa had a twin, which is basically useless info since Vienne's supposedly dead."

Reid's eyes gleamed in the rearview mirror. "Ah, but is she?"

Alex glanced at him, intrigued. "Oh?"

Alex's eyes lit up, "you mean she… isn't?"

"Bingo," Reid repeated, enjoying the melodrama. "Our dear Uncle Jem might not have seen a body, but I'm betting that Vanessa did—just not in a coffin. I suspect Vienne's still alive. And I won't be surprised if she's met Vanessa recently, though we'll have to turn Vanessa's house upside-down to confirm that."

Alex's eyes narrowed skeptically. "Big claim."

"Indeed," Reid leaned into the car seat, "Vanessa and Vienne are twins. And they were extremely close even when Vienne decided to play around and let Vanessa do all the work."

"Uh-huh," Alex nodded, not knowing where Reid was going to.

"If your brother suddenly died, would you pretend he never existed?" Reid prodded Archer.

Archer's eyes darkened, "I'll make sure whoever did that to him would be flayed."

"Exactly!" Reid snapped his fingers, "if Vanessa and Vienne were really that close, you would think Vanessa would have tried to chase down whoever off-ed Vienne. That said, there are a few possibilities why she acted as she did."

Alex pursed his lips, "well, she could have found out? Perhaps Vienne died in an accident?"

Reid nodded, "of course. But if Vienne died in an accident, would Vanessa remove every single thing about her and even tell everyone that she was the only child?"

"What if she was really really really upset?"

"Huh, good question but I doubt so. For one, if Uncle Jem was telling the truth, Vanessa was someone who would probably still kept a photo of Vienne somewhere. The fact that all of it was gone? Strange."

"If that's the case, does this mean Vanessa knew why Vienne had left and 'died'?"

Reid nodded slowly, "probably. My guess was that Vienne actually told Vanessa why she left and wanted to fake her death. Why Vanessa decided to pretend Vienne did not even exist would be probably be because…"

Alex interjected, "it was something that made Vanessa angry!"

"Yep," Reid nodded, "Vienne probably told Vanessa a reason she could not accept and decided to cut ties altogether."

"Then why did you say that they saw each other recently?"

Reid threw his hands up carelessly, "lucky guess. I mean… there had to be a reason why she suddenly quit her job, right? Or at least, was prepared to until she was fired."

Alex hummed in thought before sighing, "So, what's next, genius?"

Reid sighed dramatically and pretended to yawn. "Sleep. That's what's next. My neurons are on strike until they get some rest."

Archer, who'd been the embodiment of silence until now, leaned forward, his voice a low rumble. "What about Ray? Any progress on him?"

Alex sighed, exasperated. "You think I'd be grilling Reid here if we had a lead on Ray? Lana could've been on that, you know, if someone hadn't distracted him."

Reid shrugged, feigning innocence. "Oh, come on. My little favor took Lana all of what? Five minutes? You can't blame the world's failures on me."

Alex shot Reid a glare, on the cusp of a retort, when Reid made a zipping motion across his lips. "Shutting up. Your wish is my command."

Still glaring, Alex continued. "We're at a dead end, guys. We don't know what Ray looks like, Diane's never seen him, and nothing in Vanessa's house gives us a clue. We're stumbling in the dark here."

Archer merely nodded, his stoic demeanor undisturbed.

"But you know what bothers me?" Alex's voice took on a softer note, more introspective. "Why didn't you tell Uncle Jem about Vanessa? The man deserved to know."

Reid's snarky façade melted away; his face turned as solemn as an overcast sky. "Telling an elderly man living alone that his niece was brutally murdered isn't my idea of a casual evening chat. Let's first figure out what really happened. Then we can decide how to drop that emotional bomb."

Archer looked at Reid, his eyes communicating a level of respect that words couldn't match.

"And by the way, Mr. senior investigator - wasn't that supposed to be your job?"

Alex grumbled and decidedly remained mum.