Elise hadn't slept in 48 hours. She didn't even remember the last time she had eaten. The case had consumed her—twisted her thoughts, her every waking moment spent chasing shadows. She stared at the pile of notes before her, every page a fragment of a broken puzzle, pieces that seemed to fit but didn't quite align. The mysterious figure at the pier had sent a chill down her spine, but it was the photograph that had haunted her. Mia Rutherford's smile was untouched, but the shadow behind her felt like an omen, like something was lurking just beyond the edges of the frame.
She ran her fingers through her hair, her eyes flickering between the notes and the photograph. The figure's cryptic warning kept repeating in her mind: "You're part of it."
Her phone buzzed on the desk. She didn't want to look at it. Every call, every message felt like another thread pulling her deeper into this abyss, but she couldn't stop herself. She reached for the phone, unlocking it with shaky hands.
A message from Greg:
"Elise, you need to come in. There's something you should see."
She frowned. What could possibly be more important than this? She had barely scratched the surface of the case. Still, something in her gut told her she couldn't ignore Greg. With a heavy sigh, she stood up, leaving the cluttered apartment behind.