Elise barely slept that night. Her thoughts kept racing, the face she saw in the shadowy figure, Mia's twisted smile haunting her every waking moment. Was it Mia? No, it couldn't be. The woman standing before her had eyes that lacked the warmth Mia once held, the innocence gone, replaced with a darkness that chilled Elise to her core. But then, if it wasn't Mia, who was it? And why had she spoken in Mia's voice?
The early morning light crept through the blinds, casting long shadows across her small apartment. Elise stared at the wall across from her, her mind fixed on the events of last night. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was about to break—something huge, something that would change everything. She had always trusted her instincts, and right now, they were screaming at her. She wasn't just hunting a missing person anymore; she was on the precipice of a far more dangerous game.
The case had already consumed her, but the letter, the shadowy figure, and now that face—it was as if the case had morphed into something more personal, something she wasn't prepared for.
She stood up abruptly and paced across the room, rubbing her forehead. The pressure in her chest felt unbearable.
A knock on the door snapped her from her thoughts. Elise glanced at the clock on the wall—it was too early for anyone to be here. Who could it be?
She opened the door, expecting to find nothing, but standing there was Greg, his expression dark, serious.
"Come on," he said, almost too quietly. "I think I know who's behind this."
Her heart skipped a beat. "What do you mean, Greg?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Greg stepped into the room, his eyes never leaving hers. "I've been doing some digging, Elise. There's someone in the shadows, someone pulling strings—more than just a missing person case. This is bigger than we thought."
Elise's breath caught in her throat. She was about to speak, but Greg held up his hand.
"No time to talk. We need to go now."
Elise followed him without a word. She didn't need to ask where they were going. There was only one place Greg would take her now: the Rutherford house.