Mercy

Commination

To remember you must die,is to remember you must live. - L a r a

Commination - noun
Threatening divine vengeance.

                       Chapter 6
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As Matteo made his way out of Alex's house, Alex followed, escorting him to the door. Alessandra, not wanting to be noticed, ducked down behind a parked car. Her pulse quickened as she waited. Though she’d never had a proper conversation with Alex, he would likely recognize her face if he caught sight of her.
When Matteo finally entered his car and drove off, Alessandra waited for a few more seconds before standing, her body tense.

"Where are we headed now?" she asked Matteo, her voice edged with determination as she settled into the passenger seat.

"I need to drop the DNA samples at the forensic lab and check Alex’s alibi more thoroughly," he replied,

his eyes focused ahead.

Alessandra hesitated. "There’s something I need to tell you—" She was interrupted by the sharp beep of her phone. She glanced at the screen;

it was a message from Agatha.

Please, I need to talk to you. I'm at XXXX.

Without hesitation, Alessandra typed a quick response. "When?"

Today, if possible. Agatha’s reply was almost instant.

A knot of unease formed in Alessandra’s stomach. She decided she had to meet Agatha before revealing anything to Matteo.

After Matteo dropped her off at the hotel, Alessandra headed straight for her room, intending to change her clothes and grab something to eat. The only thing she’d eaten all day was a plate of pancakes, and now, hunger gnawed at her.

But the moment she stepped into her room, something felt... wrong.

A cold, creeping sensation crawled down her spine. She stood still for a moment, scanning the room.It’s nothing, she told herself, shaking off the feeling. After a quick shower, she ordered room service and sat down at her dressing table to wait.

Her eyes instinctively drifted to where she had left her necklace—a familiar piece she never left out of her sight. But it was gone.Panic flared in her chest.Alessandra tore through the room, checking every possible place, even the most absurd spots. Her necklace had vanished. There was no mistake. Someone had been in her room, and someone had taken it. The walls seemed to close in around her.Her mind spun with the implications, but there was no time to dwell.

She changed into her usual long-sleeved clothes, pulling on gloves and a mask as Agatha had instructed her to be discreet. Still, a deep unease settled over her.

Agatha had always been unpredictable, but this... something didn’t feel right. Before leaving, Alessandra sent a quick text to Mike, giving him her location and instructing him to stay on alert.

As Alessandra arrived at the remote location Agatha had mentioned, an overwhelming sense of dread washed over her.

The secluded spot was eerily quiet, with only the faint rustle of leaves breaking the stillness. Her footsteps were muffled by the damp ground, and her nausea grew with each step. What if this was a trap? Her mind replayed every encounter she’d had with Agatha, searching for clues, but found none.

Suddenly, a sharp crack echoed through the silence, like the snap of a twig. Alessandra spun around, her breath catching in her throat. Agatha emerged from the shadows, her figure hunched and trembling. She looked like she hadn’t slept in days—her eyes sunken, her skin pale.

"Agatha, are you okay?" Alessandra’s voice wavered, her concern barely masking the rising fear. "Where have you been?"

Agatha’s wide, frantic eyes darted around. "I don’t have much time," she whispered urgently. "They’re coming for me."

A chill settled over Alessandra. "Who’s coming for you?"

Agatha ignored the question, pacing in the dim light. "After you left that day... it happened. Mr. Conti... he—" Her voice cracked as she looked down at her trembling hands. "He... Raped me."

Alessandra’s heart sank, the full weight of Agatha’s words settling in. She had known Leonard Conti was a monster, but hearing this from Agatha twisted a knife deep inside her.

Agatha had worked for the family for years, and Leonard had always treated her as disposable—like an object he owned."I ran to my room," Agatha continued, her voice hollow. "I knew I had to get out. I grabbed whatever I could... clothes, money. I didn’t care. I just wanted to leave."

Alessandra could picture it all—the chaos, the fear—the broken woman before her, fleeing from a man who had tormented her for so long.“And then I heard him scream,” Agatha whispered, her eyes distant, as though she was reliving the moment. “It was Mr. Conti. I... I didn’t go to help him. I couldn’t. But I heard the sound. It was... terrible.” Her voice faltered, and she looked up at Alessandra, her gaze haunted.

"When I went to the back door, I saw blood."Alessandra’s breath hitched. The scene Agatha was describing felt like a nightmare."I couldn’t help it," Agatha said, her voice trembling. "I looked. I had to know. And that’s when I saw them. Two people... standing over Mr. Conti’s body.

"Alessandra’s heart raced. The missing pieces of the puzzle were beginning to fall into place.

“Did you see their faces?” she asked, her voice thick with urgency.

“It was dark. I couldn’t make them out. I wanted to get closer, but I knocked over a vase.”

Agatha’s voice cracked, and her eyes widened in fear. “They heard me. I knew if I didn’t run, I’d be lying next to him, dead. But... before I left, I grabbed this.”

Agatha reached into her coat pocket, her hand shaking as she pulled out a small, carefully wrapped item. “I... I don’t know what it means. But I need you to promise me something.”Alessandra’s brow furrowed as she looked at Agatha’s trembling form. “What is it?”“Promise me... promise me you’ll keep me safe.

”How could she promise that? Alessandra wasn’t sure if she herself was safe.

But the urgency in Agatha’s voice, the terror in her eyes—it was real. And Alessandra couldn’t afford to lose this lead.“You have my word,” she said, her voice steady despite the chaos swirling in her mind.

Agatha hesitated, her eyes flicking between Alessandra and the wrapped object. Finally, with trembling hands, she handed it over.

Alessandra, wearing gloves, carefully unwrapped the item. Her heart pounded as the layers of cloth fell away to reveal a small, plain golden locket. It was unassuming, simple even. It didn’t look like anything Alessandra had seen before. She cautiously opened it, and inside, engraved in the metal, were two haunting words:

Memento Mori.

For a moment, Alessandra felt the weight of the phrase crush down on her. Remember you must die.

Death had shadowed this investigation from the start, and now it felt closer than ever.Agatha’s voice broke the heavy silence. "When I ran into Mr. Conti’s study that night, I found that locket lying on the floor beside him. I don’t know who it belonged to, but I knew it wasn’t his."Alessandra’s mind reeled as she tried to piece together the significance of the locket. Whoever had been in the room with Leonard had left it behind—perhaps by mistake, or perhaps as a message. Memento Mori. A warning, a reminder... or a threat?