Chapter 06: The Edge of Despair
Victor stood frozen, the photograph gripped tightly in his hand. His mind raced, trying to piece together what he had just seen. The image of him, the stranger in the surveillance footage, was too perfect, too calculated. Someone had been watching him. They knew exactly what he had been doing. And now, Julia was missing.
His heart pounded in his chest as he dropped the photograph back onto the coffee table. He couldn’t afford to panic, not yet. He had to think, had to figure out what had happened to her, and fast. The room felt suffocating as he scanned the apartment once again. Nothing about the place looked disturbed—no sign of forced entry, no obvious clues as to where she had gone. It was as if she had simply vanished.
Victor’s thoughts raced back to the conversation he’d had with Greg. The warning. The threat. His mind clung to the memory of Greg’s cold eyes, the way he had taunted him, as if he knew exactly how this would play out. The realization hit him like a punch to the gut. Greg hadn’t just been a part of the investigation. He was one of them. He had been orchestrating this all along.
With grim resolve, Victor pulled out his phone and dialed the number of the only person who might have information on what was going on. Detective Ava Matthews. He had worked with her before—she wasn’t part of this twisted web, and she might still be trusted. As the phone rang, his nerves sharpened.
“Ava, it’s Victor,” he said when she picked up, his voice low and urgent. “I need your help. Julia’s gone. I need to find her, now.”
There was a pause on the other end, the silence thick with tension. “What do you mean ‘gone’?” Ava asked carefully.
“I don’t know where she is. I was just at her apartment. It’s empty, but it looks like someone’s been watching me. I think—” Victor hesitated, the weight of his next words heavy in his chest. “I think Greg’s involved. I think he’s behind this.”
Ava’s voice hardened, the concern evident. “Victor, slow down. Are you sure about Greg? He’s a good cop. He’s been with the force for years.”
“Yeah, and that’s the problem,” Victor snapped. “He’s been hiding in plain sight. He’s the last person I thought would be behind something like this.”
There was a long pause, and Victor could almost hear Ava’s wheels turning. “Okay,” she said, her voice steady. “I’ll help you. But we need to move fast. If Greg’s involved in this, we’re dealing with something much bigger than just a few murders.”
Victor closed his eyes, the exhaustion creeping in. But he couldn’t afford to rest. Not now. “Where should we start?”
“Meet me at the old warehouse by the docks. I’ve got a lead. I’ll send you the coordinates.”
Victor didn’t hesitate. He hung up the phone, his mind still spinning. If Greg was behind everything, then that meant he had to know exactly where Julia was. And whatever was happening, it was only going to get worse.
As he left the apartment, the photograph still burned in his mind. It was a warning. Someone was watching him, and they knew everything.
Victor’s car roared down the dark streets as he made his way to the warehouse. The rain had started to fall again, drumming on the roof of his car in a rhythmic pattern that seemed to match the pounding in his chest. He didn’t want to admit it, but the fear was settling in. Julia was the last person he could afford to lose. She had been his anchor, the one person who kept him grounded in a world that felt like it was slipping further and further into madness. If she was gone…
No. He couldn’t let himself think that way. Not yet.
The warehouse loomed ahead, an imposing structure against the stormy sky. The flickering streetlights cast long shadows, making the place feel even more abandoned than it already was. Victor parked his car and stepped out, his coat flapping in the wind. He had to keep his focus. This wasn’t just about him anymore. This was about Julia, about the people who were behind all of this.
He stepped inside the warehouse, his footsteps echoing in the vast emptiness. He spotted Ava almost immediately, standing in the center of the room, a single lightbulb casting a faint glow over her figure. She looked up as he approached, her expression grim.
“You got something?” Victor asked, his voice urgent.
Ava nodded and handed him a thick manila folder. “This came from one of my sources. It’s about Greg. There’s something you need to see.”
Victor took the folder and flipped it open. Inside were photographs—grainy, taken from a distance, but unmistakable. Greg Sullivan, standing outside the very same warehouse. In another, Greg was talking to a man Victor didn’t recognize, someone who looked out of place. There were more pictures—each one showing Greg at different locations, always with the same man, always looking over his shoulder, as if he knew he was being watched.
“This doesn’t make sense,” Victor murmured, staring at the photos. “Why would Greg be here?”
Ava crossed her arms. “It’s not just here. Look at the dates. The man he’s meeting—it’s the same person from the surveillance footage. The one who’s been tracking you.”
Victor’s blood ran cold. “You think Greg’s working with him?”
Ava’s jaw clenched. “I don’t know, but this goes deeper than we thought. Whoever’s behind this, they’ve been planning it for a long time. And they’re not just after you, Victor. They’re after everything.”
Victor felt the weight of her words sink in. This wasn’t just about a series of murders. It was about something much bigger. Someone was orchestrating a game, and he—and Julia—were pawns in it.
The photo in his pocket—the one of him—burned against his skin. He had been right. Whoever was behind this had been watching him, waiting for the right moment to strike.
And now, with every piece falling into place, Victor knew that the real nightmare was only just beginning.
