A police car pulled up in front of the alley where the murder had happened. A woman stepped out first, followed by a man. Both wore serious expressions as they walked toward the scene.A small crowd had gathered, but the police had already taken control. Yellow tape was stretched across the area, clearly marked DO NOT ENTER – OFF LIMITS, keeping people back.The woman walked up with her colleague and showed her ID.“Sia Jenkins,” she said. “The victim was my partner.”The officer in charge checked her ID and nodded. “You can go in.”Sia stepped under the tape and looked around. “Do we have any leads? Any evidence at all?”“No, ma’am,” the officer replied. “We didn’t find much. Just the body. He had about forty-two stab wounds.”Sia’s jaw tightened. “Where exactly?”The officer sighed. “Most of the wounds were to the chest and stomach. Some were on his back, his arms, and a few on his neck. Whoever did this wasn’t trying to scare him. They meant to kill him.”Sia muttered a curse under

Bernard walked slowly across the prison yard, his mind far away from where his body was. Everything around him felt dull and distant. The noise, the shouting, the heavy footsteps, it all blurred together.His son was dead.The thought hit him again, sharp and painful, like it had the first time he heard the news. No warning. No chance to say goodbye. Just gone.His chest felt tight as he walked, his fists clenched at his sides.Suddenly, someone bumped into him.Bernard stopped. Before the other man could even step back, Bernard grabbed him by the collar and slammed him against a nearby table.“Are you blind?” Bernard yelled. “Didn’t you see me?”The prison yard fell silent.Every conversation stopped, every movement froze.The inmate’s face went pale. His hands shook as he raised them slightly.“I…I’m sorry,” he stammered. “It was a mistake. I didn’t mean to…”Bernard didn’t let him finish.He picked up a thick wooden stick from the table beside him. Without a word, he grabbed the m

After crying for what felt like forever, Sia finally stood up and went to the bathroom. She turned on the tap and splashed cold water on her face. When she looked up at the mirror, she barely recognized herself. Her eyes were red and swollen, her face tired and broken. She looked like a mess, but she didn’t care. She had just lost someone who wasn’t just a partner, but family.She walked out of the bathroom and went straight to her locker. She grabbed her bag and headed out into the office. As she passed her coworkers, she didn’t greet anyone. Normally she would at least nod or say a quick hello, but today she had nothing in her. No energy, and certainly no words.She dropped her bag beside the desk she and Joe had shared for years.Their desk.It sat in the middle of the police office, worn down by time and hard work. It wasn’t fancy or modern, just a plain desk with two chairs facing each other. The chairs were close enough for quiet talks, close enough to argue, and close enough to

Cherry slowly woke up to a strange smell. The air around her smelled clean and sharp, like medicine. She could also hear soft beeping sounds somewhere nearby.Her head felt heavy.For a moment, she didn’t understand where she was.She tried to open her eyes.But everything was dark.Cherry frowned slightly and blinked again, expecting the darkness to disappear. Sometimes when you wake up, your vision takes a few seconds to adjust.But nothing changed.It was still dark.Her heart began to beat faster.She lifted her hand slowly and rubbed her eyes, thinking maybe something was covering them. Maybe a cloth. Maybe a bandage.But when her fingers touched her face, there was nothing there.Just her skin.Still, the darkness remained.“Hello?” Cherry called weakly.Her voice sounded small in the quiet room.“Where am I?”Footsteps quickly approached.“Miss Hale,” a gentle female voice said. “Please try to stay calm.”Cherry turned her head toward the voice, relief washing over her.“Why i

Kendrick walked beside Sainz as they left the police station parking lot. The evening air was quiet, but the tension between them still lingered after everything that had happened.They stopped beside Sainz’s car.Kendrick crossed his arms and looked at her. “I still can’t believe you did all that back there. I used to think you were always calm and collected.”Sainz didn’t answer immediately. She only gave him a brief sideways look while unlocking her car door.“Being calm and collected goes out the window when someone you love is hurt,” she said quietly.She opened the door and slid into the driver’s seat.Kendrick stepped closer to the car. “Where are you going?”“Back to the hospital,” Sainz replied as she started the engine. “I left earlier when I was angry. I didn’t even stay to check on Cherry. I need to know how she’s doing.”Kendrick nodded slowly. He understood that feeling.“I get it,” he said. “I’ll be right behind you.”Sainz looked at him and gave a small, grateful smile