Detective Jones arrived at the doorstep of Katherine White's former friend, Drew Lakes, with a heavy heart. He couldn't shake the feeling that there was something sinister lurking in the shadows of this case. As he rang the doorbell, he couldn't help but feel that he was stepping into a nightmare.
"Who is it?" a voice called out from inside the house.
"This is the police. Open up," Jones replied, trying to keep his voice steady.
The door creaked open, and a young woman appeared on the other side. "Good day, officers," she greeted them with a smile. "Please come in."
Jones and his partner Denzel stepped inside, taking in their surroundings. The air was thick with a sense of unease, and the house felt like it was holding its breath. They made their way into the living room, where Drew sat nervously on the couch.
"We're here to ask you a few questions about Katherine White," Jones said, trying to keep his tone calm.
"Katherine?" Drew's eyes widened in shock. "What about her?"
"We found Katherine's dead body a few days ago, and she had been dead for over three years," Jones replied gravely.
"Three years?" Drew gasped, her hands trembling. "I can't believe it."
"When was the last time you saw her?" Denzel asked, his voice firm.
"It's been longer than three years," Drew admitted. "We only communicated over the phone."
"Why?" Jones asked, his eyes narrowing.
"Katherine's boyfriend was abusive," Drew said, her voice barely above a whisper. "Whenever he was around, she couldn't hang out with me. He was jealous, and it was like she was a completely different person around him."
"Jealous?" Denzel repeated, his tone incredulous.
"Yes, jealous," Drew confirmed. "Katherine changed so much after she met Daryl. When she finally left him, she changed her number and ID to escape him. But then he showed up at my house three years ago, saying he wanted to apologize to her. I gave him her number, and he called her from my phone. They met up, and she said she ended things with him. But then...I never heard from her again."
"What do you mean?" Jones asked, a chill running down his spine.
"After they met up, she promised to call me back. But she never did," Drew said, her eyes haunted. "I assumed it was because she got back with Daryl and didn't want to tell me. But when I called her number a few days later, it was disconnected. I went to her office, but she had already moved away."
"Moved away?" Denzel repeated, his expression growing more serious.
"Yes, her secretary told me she had moved to escape a stalker who had been following her," Drew said, her voice trembling. "She was scared and didn't want anyone to know where she went. I was so angry and hurt that she didn't trust me enough to tell me what was going on."
Jones and Denzel exchanged a glance, their minds racing with the possibilities. Had Daryl been the stalker? Had he killed Katherine and been stalking her even after she died? Or was there someone else involved, someone even more dangerous?
"Thank you for your cooperation, ma'am," Jones said, standing up from the couch. "We'll be in touch."
As they left the house, Jones couldn't shake the feeling that they were getting closer to the truth...but that the truth might be more terrifying than they could imagine.