Vincent pulled his expensive dark coat tighter around his chest as he walked into the diner.
The rain outside was coming down hard against the tall glass windows.
He had spent months tracking down a quiet lead regarding his family history.
His mother had vanished from his life when he was just a little boy.
The official family story always claimed that she had passed away from a sudden illness.
Yet strange bank transfers and old property records suggested otherwise.
Vincent stood near the doorway and adjusted his gold pocket watch chain.
Two security guards in matching dark suits stepped inside right behind him.
The small diner was nearly empty on this cold rainy afternoon.
An elderly waitress in a beige uniform froze the moment she noticed Vincent's face.
Her hands began to shake violently against her front apron.
She dropped the coffee pot she was holding onto the soft rubber floor mat.
Vincent took a slow step forward toward the worn wooden counter.
He noticed the deep terror filling the woman's wet eyes.
Vincent: Why are you afraid of me?
Waitress: Because... I knew your mother.
Vincent paused in total silence as the air grew heavy between them.
He had not heard anyone speak his mother's name in over twenty years.
Vincent: She died thirty years ago.
Waitress: That is what they told you so you would stop asking questions.
The woman reached deep inside her uniform pocket with trembling fingers.
She pulled out a brass keyring stamped with old vintage numbers.
She placed the keys down onto the polished metallic counter between them.
Waitress: No, Vincent! I was the nurse who helped her escape.
Vincent stared down at the rusted metal keys lying before him.
The brass stamped numbers matched the old family estate in the countryside.
Vincent: Why are you telling me this now?
Waitress: Because time is running out for both of us.
Vincent: Who sent you here?
Waitress: And the man who tried to kill her is standing right behind you!
Vincent felt his entire body go cold as her words echoed through the room.
He slowly turned his head to look at the men he had trusted for years.