The Little Leather Book

Cameron St. Patrick was like no other girl. She was born during the civil rights turbulence of the '60s. The hatred that Cameron witnessed as a child in her mind was commonplace. She remembered hearing stories of how blacks were under attack by whites, jews, and pretty much everyone. When Cameron witnessed violence in her neighborhood, it had no apparent effect on her as she lived a pretty sheltered life. It was just normal behavior on the dead-end street that Cameron grew up.

Cameron was always curious, most times too nosy. She loved investigating things. She was always asking questions. Most of which went unanswered; some even resulted in punishment for her.

Cameron mysteriously lost her mother at the age of nine. The officials told her that her mother's death was a homicide based on a few shreds of questionable evidence and several even more questionable witnesses. But her mother's body was never found. While going through her mother's belongings (the few she had possession of), she found a little black leather book. It was well preserved and looked expensive.

Cameron never knew what her parents did for a living as they were very enigmatic figures in her childhood. While at the same time, their presence was evident as she watched them from afar due to their secretive lives. Strangers raised her as they were of no biological ties to Cameron. They were very open in allowing Cameron to see her parents, but her parents were always moving. Her caregivers said her mom did what was best by asking them to look after Cameron, even changing her name to name St. Patrick. What Cameron didn't know was it was for safety. Cameron knew nothing about the lifestyles of her parents.

This little black book would be the beginning of the end for Cameron as she answers the most pressing question in her life, who were her parents?

Cameron opened the book in the study of her childhood home. In anticipation, she read the first page, and it read.

"To my future self, these cards were dealt with hands of stealth, and all that remains is GAIN."

To a child, that sounds like a silly riddle. But the real mystery was yet to be revealed as this book contained a secret. A secret that would take Cameron a decade to unveil. She began at a young age trying to make sense of this book. She tried all sorts of methods of decoding. Nothing added up. Just like her mother, this book was mysterious.

Within this book, a list of names. Next to each name, a set of coordinates, and an unknown dollar amount. Only the first digit was visible. At the bottom of the page were instructions on how to use the list. The names were not real names; they were account numbers encrypted as names. The individuals did not exist because, over the years, Cameron traced every single name and could not find a single piece of information on any of them. That's what led her to apply numerology to the names hence the discovery of the accounts.

There were ten accounts, all online. Someone had withdrawn the funds. However, each one had an address linked to it. Cameron copied the information and started her journey to track these accounts.

It was a journey she would never forget.

Cameron rented a vehicle and set out on a mission that took her 3000 miles across the country to a small town near Phoenix A.Z. Cameron was excited and nervous upon her arrival at the first location on the list. After driving for what felt like an eternity on back roads through trees and dirt, she finds the first home. It was on a dark culdesac with ten victorian style homes that appeared abandoned based on the unkept lawns and dark windows with no lights on in any of the houses.

Cameron exits her vehicle with caution. Palms sweaty and her pulse racing, she takes a deep breath and begins to walk up to the address on the list. As she approaches, a light comes on in the foyer of the home. Cameron stops in fear, frozen. Suddenly, a black leather envelope falls from the mail slot on the door. Then the light goes out. Confused and startled she, pondered her next move. The fact that the envelope was unlike any she had ever seen before immediately intrigued her, the confusion vanished. She grabbed the envelope and proceeded down the block to the next house. Surprisingly Cameron discovered that all of the addresses in the book were here on this culdesac. Before approaching the next place, she returned to her vehicle and drove to each remaining house. Each encounter was precisely the same. Foyer light, black envelope then, lights out. There was no human interaction at all.

Cameron completed the 'U,' and upon reaching the tenth house, she discovered all of the lights were on in this house. She was elated as she was hoping to speak to someone. Cameron had so many questions. She walked up on the porch, and there was no bell. She began to knock, and the door just opened. Her first thought was to run like hell! But she was no coward. She had to know how this all ends.

Cameron steps inside and closes the door. There were only silence and the buzz of electricity flowing through the halogen bulbs above her head. She takes out her mother's little black book and turns to the page of instructions. Here she finds one last requirement. The book says to open each envelope at this time. In obedience to her mothers' orders, she opens them in order. Each envelope contained millions of dollars and a note that reads "FORGIVEN." That's it? Just one word! Yes, and enough cash to live three lifetimes. Cameron almost lost her soul at that moment. Cameron did not know of the people involved. It turns out that her mothers' little book was a real-life mob-list of debts that her mother had paid by doing work for powerful bosses in their circle.

Her mother paid the ultimate price of love for stupid financial choices that her father made during his addiction which he seemed prone to making. Her mom was an assassin who cleaned up behind her dad to prevent Cameron's danger in retaliation for his shady choices. The last envelope was in this house on the mantle over the fireplace. She opened it, and tears of joy began to stream from her eyes. Inside was a key and a postcard, a postcard with a picture of a woman on it. On the back were another address and the words,

"...See you in the SUNSHINE...BURN THE BOOK..."

Could it be her mother?