The morning after Jack's murder, everything feels heavier. I can feel it in the air, a shift, like we're teetering on the edge of something we can't control. And then, I get the call. The one that might change everything.
"Detective Kane," the voice on the other end says, sounding jittery. "I—I think I saw something. Something... strange. You need to hear this."
It's a woman, her voice tight with nerves, her words stumbling over each other like she's afraid she'll say the wrong thing. I take a deep breath and try to keep my voice calm.
"Slow down, ma'am. What did you see?"
She hesitates for a moment before speaking, and when she does, I can feel the tension in her words. "It's about the guy you're looking for. The one who killed Jack. I saw him. Before it happened."
My heart skips a beat. "Where? When?"
"In the days before," she continues, her voice shaking. "He was watching Jack, like he was studying him. At first, I thought it was nothing, you know? But then, when I saw the news, I—"
"How do you know it was him?" I cut her off, a lump forming in my throat. My gut tells me this is big.
"I'm sure. He stood across the street, just staring. He followed him a few times, like he was waiting for the right moment."
I jot down the details, trying to make sense of it. A witness. Watching the victim. It doesn't make sense. The killer's been careful, leaving no trace of familiarity. But this—this is different.
"Do you know who this man is?" I ask, trying to keep my voice steady.
She swallows hard before answering. "I think so. I've seen him before. He used to come by the shop, a few years ago. He... he was always with someone. A woman."
A woman. The key. My mind races, piecing together a possible connection. Was this man someone close to Jack? A friend, a coworker, maybe even a relative? Someone he trusted?
"Do you have a name?" I press.
She hesitates, then finally gives it to me. "Tobias. His name's Tobias. He was always around, but then he just... vanished. Like he disappeared."
Tobias. The name feels like a trigger, a sudden spark of recognition. I don't know why, but I feel like I've heard it before. And in this case, that's not a good thing.
---
Back at the precinct, Vera meets me with a sharp look, knowing something's shifted in me. I throw the name at her.
"Tobias. The witness saw him watching Jack before he died. She says he was close to him once, but vanished a few years ago."
She raises an eyebrow. "Vanished, huh? Sounds like our guy's got some serious history with these victims."
I nod, rubbing my temples. "If he's been in and out of their lives, it means he's someone they trusted. Maybe even someone who betrayed them."
Vera leans back in her chair, her eyes narrowing. "And if that's the case... we're dealing with something far more personal than we thought."
Exactly. Personal. This isn't some random spree. This isn't just about killing people at 25. It's about something deeper, something darker. The killer isn't just picking victims—they're picking people who were close to them, people they loved and lost. Betrayal runs deep.
---
I can't shake the feeling that we're close, that the answers are just within reach. So, I do what I've always done when I'm digging for answers—I start looking into Tobias. I pull up every scrap of information I can find, every trail he's left behind.
What I discover chills me to the bone.
Tobias isn't just a name from the past. He's a ghost, someone who was once intertwined with the lives of these victims in ways I never expected. A year ago, he was in a relationship with someone close to Jack—someone who, for reasons unknown, disappeared without a trace. A woman named Ivy.
Ivy.
The same Ivy who was murdered, the same woman who was 25 when her life was taken.
My head spins as the realization hits. Tobias, the one who vanished, was once the person who betrayed Ivy, the person who caused her pain—just like the killer had been betrayed at 25. And now, I'm starting to see the pattern clearly. It's not just random vengeance. This is a twisted cycle of hurt and rage, one that's been festering for years, just waiting for someone to crack open the wounds again.
The killer didn't just lose someone. They were betrayed by someone they loved and trusted. And it was that betrayal that shattered them, that set them on the path of vengeance. It's no coincidence that they're targeting people who are exactly 25 years old. This is personal.
---
I sit in my office, staring at the evidence, piecing together the broken story of the killer's life. I can feel my mind slipping further into the chaos, chasing the twisted logic behind each murder, each confession.
The killer wants us to understand their pain. They want to show us what it felt like to be broken by someone you loved, someone you trusted. It's not just about revenge. It's about retribution, a way to punish everyone who's ever been the age they were when their world fell apart.
The killer isn't just a stranger, a faceless murderer. No, they're someone who's been shattered, just like the rest of us. They're a broken soul, searching for redemption in all the wrong places.
And now, it's my job to stop them before they hurt anyone else. Before they find the next victim in their twisted search for closure.
But I can't shake the feeling that we're too late. The killer's always one step ahead, and the more I dig into Tobias's past, the more I realize—this isn't just about a single betrayal. This is the aftermath of a whole life destroyed. And we're just now catching up to the wreckage.