Total pages in book: 125
Estimated words: 124836 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 624(@200wpm)___ 499(@250wpm)___ 416(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 124836 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 624(@200wpm)___ 499(@250wpm)___ 416(@300wpm)
Rose put her view on me. “But what is the Bandit’s treasure. Do we know?”
TT crawled over daggers, searching for more that would fit. “No one knows. They just know it’s stolen stuff from some of the White people that came down to Crownsville to kill them, but. . .”
Rose watched her. “Yeah?”
“Some say lots of the stuff was things that proved those people were Nazis. Gold and jewels stolen from Jewish people that they had killed during the war and maybe even documents or reports that they didn’t want getting out.”
Rose nodded. “Which would make sense why those people would unite together, make up some fake rape crime, blame one of the Crownsville citizens, gather everyone else, and go down to kill them. They didn’t know that the Bandit was a woman. And they didn’t know what the Bandit and the rebels looked like.”
TT looked up from the puzzle daggers. “All they knew was that the Bandit was from Crownsville.”
A chill ran down my spine.
But what did it all mean?
My mind raced with possibilities, each one more unsettling than the last.
The Bandit had gone to great lengths to hide this map, scattering its pieces so that no one could find it alone.
When did she do that?
Before the Week of Blood?
Or after?
It must have been long before.
Then after her death, her ghost for some odd reason had entrusted Lei with the key.
Why?
What role did he play in this decades-old mystery?
I glanced at Dima, who was practically buzzing with excitement as he scribbled in his notebook. There was no doubt in my mind that he’d throw himself into this mystery headfirst just like TT, eager to unravel the secrets hidden in those wooden blades.
Chen, too, seemed drawn in, his usual calm demeanor replaced with an intensity I rarely saw in him. He kneeled down and stared at the daggers. “I’ll help solve the puzzle with you, TT.”
“Thanks.” She smiled and connected two more.
Chen grabbed a dagger and studied the edge. “Hmm.”
Rose looked excited too. Surely, her journalistic instincts were undoubtedly kicking in. She’d want to know everything, to uncover the story behind the Bandit and the treasure.
They’d all help TT, that much was clear—Lei, Dima, Chen, and Rose.
Together, they’d piece together the clues, follow the map, and—what?
What would they find at the end of it all?
I shivered as a cold wave of fear washed over me.
The Bandit’s treasure wasn’t just some long-lost fortune—it was tied to a dark and bloody history, one that had left deep scars on Crownsville and Paradise City, especially in the South and West. The people who had committed those atrocities were long gone, but their descendants weren’t.
And many were still racist fucks that would do anything to keep their family secrets buried.
Would revealing those secrets be worth the treasure?
Would it even be safe to find out?
A knot of anxiety twisted in my gut as I thought about Dream Lake.
The mere mention of that place made my skin crawl.
It was notorious—a place where countless people had met their end under mysterious circumstances. Locals whispered that it was haunted, that vengeful spirits of the past roamed its depths, luring the unwary to their doom.
Lei had confirmed that those locals were right.
And if the map pointed to Dream Lake—if the treasure were hidden somewhere within its cursed waters—then my little sister would be heading straight into the heart of danger. In fact, she would dive right in with not a worry in her mind.
Fuck. I’m not letting that happen.
And why did the Bandit want Lei to have this map’s pieces?
That question nagged at me, digging deeper with each passing second. The ghost could have entrusted it to anyone—Chanel even—yet she’d chosen him.
Why?
Was it because of his connection to the East, to the Jones Estate that bordered Dream Lake?
Or was there something else, something more personal?
The more I thought about it, the more it all creeped me out. We were dealing with something far bigger than just a hunt for treasure. This was about history, legacy, and the power that came with unearthing the past.
It was about secrets that had been buried for a reason—and the dangers of bringing them back to light.
I looked at my little sister, TT, so full of life and energy, so eager to dive headfirst into this murky, haunting mystery. But I couldn’t ignore the dark clouds gathering on the horizon. She was smart, yes, but she was still just an eleven-year-old kid.
What if this led her into something she couldn’t handle?
Lei must have sensed my unease because he grabbed my hand and squeezed it. “Everything will be fine.”
I met his gaze, searching for reassurance, but all I found was the same uncertainty reflected back at me.
He seemed to be proud of TT too, but he didn’t have the answers either.
None of us did.
Then, Dima closed his notebook and whistled. “This is going to be an interesting month.”