Almond flipped through the files again, this time vigorously. For the past week and a half, 16 participants had gone missing. His daughter, Walnut, mysteriously disappeared along with the other participants, and he'll go to any length to find her and the others.
He grabbed the file case and skimmed through it. "Sixteen participants mysteriously disappeared on 7/3/XXXX . One of the participants was last seen coming back from a magician performance."
Such ambiguous information.
He studies one of the missing postersβhis daughter. He last saw her when he tucked her into bedβshe couldn't have fledβor...
The doorbell goes off.
Almond set the papers down and headed to the front door. He cautiously unzipped it and discovered a package on the floorβa fairly large parcel with a white ribbon tied around it.
The detective reluctantly picked up the thing and returned inside.
He placed the present on the cleaner side of the desk and cautiously unwrapped the silk ribbon before opening the package.
A...Telegraph.
He had worked with them beforeβbut why did someone send him one?
Almond noticed a note besides the opened wrapping.
"I see you're on the case. Consider this. It is none of my business whether or not you understand how one of these works. However, you must move swiftly since your daughter may still be alive...or deceased [by now]."
His daughter can't be dead...She cannot be dead.
He takes up the telegraph and inspects it. The sender was kind enough to include a letter chart, despite the fact that he hadn't used one in five years.
Almond presses down on the morse keyβthen released.
Hm.
He pressed down a couple more times, each time looking at the letter sheet.
[ .. ... / - .... ... / --. --- .. / - .... .-. .... ..--.. ]
Well... There was a strong likelihood he misspelled a few words, but it was still a message! (And, thankfully, he understood how to deliver itβthough he doubted it would get anywhere..)
He just wanted his daughter back.
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