Aiden Ravens took a slow drag from his cigarette, his gaze distant as he stared at the car being pulled from the murky depths of the lake. His fingers trembled slightly, betraying the anxiety that clung to him. He couldn't shake the haunting image burned into his mind—a pale, bloated corpse slumped inside the vehicle.
This wasn't what he'd signed up for.
Aiden thought he had some kind of lucky streak, a "koi fish blessing" from whatever mysterious force had granted him this power. But now? Now he was seriously reconsidering.
"Is this supposed to be good luck?" he muttered to himself, shaking his head. "Or is this some twisted curse from the underworld?"
He took another drag, his mind racing. When he'd imagined using the super-strong magnet to fish things out of lakes, he'd pictured himself pulling out lost treasures or maybe some valuable scrap metal—not... this.
If this counted as luck, Aiden thought, he'd gladly eat his own shoe while standing on his head.
"Ridiculous," he sighed, flicking the ash off his cigarette.
Across the way, Detective Donovan cast a curious glance in Aiden's direction, sensing something significant but choosing not to engage just yet. Donovan had bigger fish to fry.
The forensic team was already on site, pulling the bloated corpse from the car. Despite the body's horrifically decomposed state, Donovan recognized it at a glance. The victim was one of the missing—a local man known for his flamboyant personality. This was the break they'd been waiting for.
"Doc," Donovan called over to the coroner, his voice gruff but controlled. "Give me the rundown again."
The coroner straightened, although they'd already briefed Donovan once. "The victim has ligature marks on the neck, eyes bulging—definitely strangled. Based on the pattern, the killer was likely sitting behind the victim when they did it. The body, car and all, was then dumped into the lake."
Donovan nodded, piecing it all together. The final nail in the coffin? A length of fishing line found in the backseat, matching the strangulation marks. The murder weapon.
That was all Donovan needed to hear. With this, the evidence they'd been compiling was now airtight. The wealthy kid they'd been investigating wasn't just under suspicion anymore—he was guilty as sin.
"Got him," Donovan muttered to himself, allowing a brief smile.
Time was running out. Without the body or the murder weapon, they would have had to release the suspect by midnight. But now? There was no way that spoiled rich kid was walking free.
Donovan quickly snapped a few photos of the scene, a satisfied smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. He cast one last glance toward Aiden before heading back to the precinct at a brisk pace.
"You just saved this case, kid," Donovan thought, still marveling at how Aiden's seemingly random magnet fishing had cracked the case wide open.
Back at the precinct, the air was thick with tension. The clock was ticking down, only thirty minutes left before they'd have to cut the rich kid loose. Donovan burst into the monitoring room, his expression serious.
"How's the suspect?" Donovan asked.
One of the officers, tired but alert, sighed. "Still mouthing off. Says once we let him go, he's going to get every one of us fired. Smug bastard."
Another officer chimed in. "Can't say I blame him. We've got nothing solid on him—no body, no weapon, just circumstantial stuff. He knows he's about to walk."
Donovan's lips curled into a small, knowing smile. "Well, that's about to change. We've got both the body and the murder weapon now."
A stunned silence fell over the room.
"Wait… what?" one of the officers blurted out, disbelief plastered across their face. "You're serious?"
Donovan nodded. "Dead serious. The kid's not walking out of here tonight."
The room erupted into cheers and laughter, officers high-fiving and slapping Donovan on the back. "Man, this is unreal!" one of them exclaimed. "We were ready to throw in the towel!"
Another officer grinned. "Can't wait to see that prick's face when he realizes he's done for."
Donovan raised his hand to quiet them down. "Save it for later," he said, though he couldn't hide his amusement. "We still need to wrap this up."
With the room still buzzing behind him, Donovan made his way to the interrogation room. As soon as he entered, the suspect—a cocky young man with a trust fund and a bad attitude—grinned widely.
"Well, well, back again so soon, Detective?" the suspect sneered. "Time's ticking, right? Gonna let me go now? Or are you still chasing those invisible clues of yours?"
Donovan's expression didn't waver. He leaned forward, fixing the kid with a cold, hard stare. "You've got one last chance to come clean."
The suspect laughed, a harsh, condescending sound. "Come clean? What, you think I'm stupid? You've got nothing, Detective. Absolutely nothing."
Donovan leaned back, his smile growing colder. "You sure about that? Because I've got some news for you: we found the body."
The rich kid's smirk faltered, just for a moment. He quickly recovered, though, crossing his arms defensively. "Bullshit. You're bluffing."
"Oh, I'm dead serious. In fact, I think you'll recognize where we found it—does the name 'Lake Yttrium' ring a bell?"
The suspect's pupils dilated, his face twitching involuntarily. For a split second, Donovan saw the fear flash in his eyes before the kid tried to mask it with more bravado.
"I don't know what you're talking about," the suspect muttered, though his voice had lost its confident edge. "You've got nothing."
Donovan chuckled softly, pulling out a stack of photos. "Why don't you take a look for yourself?"
He tossed the pictures onto the table. Each one was a clear shot of the crime scene: the car being pulled from the lake, the lifeless body inside, the incriminating fishing line.
The color drained from the suspect's face.
Donovan leaned in closer, his voice a low whisper, dripping with satisfaction. "Looks like your 'invisible' clues weren't so invisible after all."
The suspect's breath hitched, sweat beading on his forehead. His cocky facade shattered into a thousand pieces, replaced by sheer panic. He stared down at the evidence in horror, mouth dry, as reality crashed down around him.
"You… you found it…" he stammered, eyes wide with disbelief.
Donovan gave a slow, satisfied nod. "We did. And now? Now, it's over for you."