Staring at her in disbelief, I asked, “Imploding like how, Syd?”
“Hitler, for one example. They had an Alchemist who was planted within his close circle. They were able to keep weapons from being brought into Germany that eventually led to the end of the war. An Alchemist kidnapped Abraham Lincoln and kept him from being murdered. They were able to get important information from him that kept the South from winning and he lived and was kept safe. They have people in government positions all over the
world. In large corporations. They are everywhere.”
“And the Truth-seekers?”
“They’re good, too. But they have been influenced by the bad apples in the Alchemists and misled by their foul actions.”
“And you believe all of this, Syd? Wesley, an alchemist? Lincoln wasn’t killed, but lived out the rest of his life on some farm somewhere under a secret name? Is that what he’s saying?”
She nodded and took my hands in hers. “I know it’s hard to believe, Mike. I know. Wesley told me they have other people here, in Salem, that are part of the group. They’re probably on the city council, as well. They’re going to be watching us, making sure we don’t keep looking for answers or other clues. I would bet there’s at least one of them on the police force.”
That made me stop and take pause. It would explain how the evidence had been stolen so easily.
“What about the coin your grandfather left you? Or the letter we found in the bookcase?”
Sydney chewed on her lip again. “Well, that is where it gets… weird.”
“That is where it gets weird?”
She gave me a sweet smile. “Yes. You see, Leslie planted the coin. She knew Wesley was going to pursue me and was considering asking me to marry him. She wanted Wesley. So she planted the coin and the letters from Quinn. She knew from the little bit Wesley had told her about me that they would pique my interest, and would have the Alchemists looking into why I was snooping around. Wesley found out about it, and that was when he had the evidence taken. He hoped that would stop me from looking. Especially since we’d found Vickie. He assumed I would put it all to rest.”
I held up my hands. “Whoa, wait a minute. He was going to pursue you? Ask you to marry him?”
“Yes. But I told him I could never love him like that. He realized that when he saw me with you.”
That was a relief. Especially since she hadn’t even told me she loved me yet.
“Wesley erased everything from my computer and phone. We’ll need to do the same to your computer since you searched on it. I made him a promise we would stop looking into this, Mike. He said it was life or death. He was able to help me this one time, but if we keep digging into the Alchemists, he won’t be able to stop what could happen.”
I jerked my fingers through my hair as I tried to get my thoughts straight. A part of me wanted to shake her and tell her this was insane, but the other part believed this crazy tale of nonsense.
“So, let me get this straight. Wesley is an Alchemist. He claims they’re good people, yet they lie about historical events, twist things around so people believe what they want them to believe, and then he says if you keep looking into them, you could be hurt? Sydney, how in the world does any of that make any sense?”
“I know! I don’t think they go around looking to hurt people, but they believe so strongly in their cause that if they see a threat…”
“They’ll take care of it.”
“Yes,” she whispered. “Wesley is moving into a higher position within the group. He’s leaving. It sounds like for good.”
“He’s leaving? Leaving Salem?”
Tears filled her eyes. “Yes. He told me I’m supposed to say that he has been offered a position with a law firm overseas that he couldn’t refuse. I’m so worried I’ll never see him again, Mike.”
She threw herself into my arms and cried. I held her against my body and ran my hand over her soft hair.
“Shh, it’s okay, Syd. It’s okay.”