get there.


    The police had uncovered something new, and I was anxious to o


    My memory of my own death was fading. It was all a blur, the moments of consciousness sandwiched


    between bouts of unconsciousness.


    All I knew was that I had been drugged and taken from Tangle Lane, then I woke up in a dimly lit


    warehouse, dumped inside a makeshift wooden crate that seemed to have been used for shipping


    fragile items like porcin.


    Robin had stumbled upon a hidden gate at the southeast corner of the old orphanage, concealed by


    overgrown weeds. The gate was rusty, but the well–worn path and the shiny new padlock suggested


    frequent, recent use.


    “We’ve searched here before, but we missed it. The overgrowth hides it well,” Robin’s partner


    remarked in surprise.


    Robin nced around, then at Colin, who had somehow managed to slip into the yard unnoticed.


    “When did he get over there?”


    “Who knows? That kid’s like a ghost, one minute he’s here, the next–poof–he’s over the fence,” his


    colleague said, half–exasperated, half–impressed by Colin’s agility. It was like something straight out of


    a parkour video.


    Ste and I followed Robin as he broke the lock and we entered the yard.


    This inner courtyard belonged to the abandoned orphanage, once reserved for the warden or others


    with privilege.


    The yard was deste, its neglect and emptiness adding to the eerie atmosphere.


    Clinging to Ste, I was frightened. She was always braver than me, always walking ahead no matter


    what.


    “I think… this is where they brought me when I was knocked out,” I murmured, starting to suspect that


    the serial killer wasn’t working alone.


    Colin had to have aplices. He was a murderer, a master of disguise. His innocent facade. had


    fooled everyone.


    “He’s the killer! He is!” I screamed uncontrobly, rushing into the room.


    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.


    The room was barren, save for several wooden crates that turned it into a makeshift storage


    area.


    My breathing turned ragged as I searched frantically. This was the ce; I had been locked up here


    when I came to.


    It was here I had seen Colin’s face.


    15:03


    He was looking around the room in panic, searching, then his hand reached for an axe on the Hook.


    In my frenzy, I spotted the axe in the corner, its de crusted with dried blood..


    “Officer Robin, there’s an axe here.”


    Robin walked over and surveyed the scene. “There are drag marks here, but this isn’t the primary


    crime scene.”


    “There are zip ties, fragments of clothing. And in this crate, there are strands of hair.


    The forensic expert, Ste’s senior, scrutinized the scene with utmost care, eager not to overlook any


    evidence.


    On the crate that had once imprisoned me, he found strands of hair torn out by the rough wood. I


    remember wing my way out, desperate to escape, only to be grabbed by a hooded figure who


    smothered me into unconsciousness once more.


    When I awoke again, I was on something cold and hard, like an operating table, feeling my blood drain


    away as some other fluid was injected into my body.


    I couldn’t see the killer; I could only despair as my life ebbed away, my soul peeling away from my


    body.


    When I came to again, I was already dead, my spirit wandering to the Fitzgerald family’s home.


    The location of the first crime scene, where my life was taken, remained a mystery.


    *Officer Robin!” Dexter’s voice called from outside.


    Robin stepped out to see Dexter, pale as a ghost, pointing to a corner.


    Therey a pair of blood–stained shoes and socks haphazardly tossed aside. “These are… Phoebe’s,”


    he stuttered, his voice trembling.


    He was calling me Phoebe now, not with disdain, but it still made me feel sick.


    “With the evidence we have so far…” Robin hesitated, ncing at Ste. “I’m sorry… but ording to


    our findings, it’s highly likely that Phoebe Caldwell has been harmed.”


    Ste’s breath caught, her knees buckled, and she copsed.


    The forensic expert caught her in the nick of time. “Ste, Ste!”


    I stood there sobbing, unsure how tofort her.


    I’m okay, Ste, I wasn’t in much pain. I just experienced an unprecedented level of despair.


    Meanwhile, Dexter seemed unsteady, his form swaying.


    I wasn’t sure if he was acting, but it made meugh bitterly.


    15:03


    “It can’t be… She can’t be dead.” He was muttering to himself, barely a whisper.


    “Officer Robin! We’ve found a significant lead!” A policewoman burst in, her voiceced with panic. “All


    the known female victims, they were all adopted from this orphanage, all were orphans or abandoned


    by their parents.”


    In that revtion, I felt a chill run down my spine as pieces of a horrifying puzzle began to fall into


    ce.