Chapter 183: The Party Man

Roman The Lawman. The Medicine Man. The Party Man. The General. The Professor. Those names circled my head like music on repeat. The house was silent, too still for night. It was as if the kitchen respected the gravity of what Reese had just said. “Tell me what this Professor’s real name is.” My voice sounded like it belonged to someone else. Too rough. Too hollow. Too stretched thin. Reese didn’t look at me at first. His fingers rested loosely on the table, as though he wasn’t sure if he was supposed to keep holding himself together or fall apart. “I don’t know all their names. I only ever knew one. If anyone knows more than me, it’s The General. He was the one with rank. The one with all the power. The one they answered to.” His throat bobbed. “The only thing I know for certain is that he kept tapes.” My heart stopped mid-beat. “Tapes?” My voice cut through the air. “Tapes of Dahlia?” His eyes flickered up to mine. “Yes. But the tapes were not exactly about Dahlia. They were for the