CHAPTER 7 — The Voice Behind the Calls
The interrogation room was silent.
The arrested officer sat perfectly still, his wrists locked in handcuffs.
Detective Ethan Carter placed the old family photograph on the table.
"We know you worked with him," Carter said.
The officer looked at the picture for several seconds before smiling.
"You already know more than you should."
"Where is he?" Carter demanded.
The smile disappeared.
"I've never met anyone more patient than him."
"What does that mean?"
The officer leaned forward.
"He never rushes."
"He studies."
"He waits."
"And when everyone believes the danger has passed..."
"That's when he strikes."
Hours of questioning produced almost nothing.
The officer refused to reveal the stranger's name or location.
But one sentence haunted every detective in the room.
"He isn't hunting Sofia anymore."
"He's hunting the person who ruined his plans."
Detective Carter.
That evening, Carter returned home for the first time in three days.
As he stepped onto his front porch, he noticed something unusual.
His mailbox was open.
Inside was a plain white envelope.
No stamp.
No address.
Only his name.
He slowly opened it.
Inside was a single photograph.
It showed Sofia walking home from school...
Taken weeks before she had ever noticed someone following her.
Another photograph showed Sofia playing in a park.
A third showed her entering school with her father.
The final picture made Carter's blood run cold.
It was taken only the day before.
Someone had been watching her the entire time.
On the back of the photograph, three words were written in black ink.
"You're too late."
Before Carter could react, his phone rang.
An unfamiliar voice whispered,
"You protected her once."
"Can you protect every child?"
The line went dead.
At that exact moment, emergency dispatch reported another call.
A frightened parent claimed a man dressed in black had been seen watching children outside an elementary school across town.
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The nightmare wasn't over.
It had only begun.
