Chapter 11 - The Shadow in the MirrorDetective Miller’s footsteps faded down the private hallway, but the chill she left behind lingered in the air.
I looked down at the silver lighter resting on my mahogany desk. The engraving of Audrey’s initials caught the morning sunlight, gleaming with a sharp, accusatory brilliance. Miller hadn’t come to arrest me; she had come to test me. She knew something about the night Audrey died—something the official police reports had conveniently buried eight years ago.
“Markus,” I said, not turning around.
“Boss?”
“Pull every case file Detective Miller has handled over the past five years. I want to know who trained her, who funded her academy placement, and who she meets with after midnight.”
“Right away, sir,” Markus muttered, his boots clicking sharply against the floor as he hurried out.
I walked over to the glass wall, watching the distant cranes of the harbor load shipping containers onto colossal freighters. For eight years, I thought my biggest enemy was Julian Vance. I thought the tragedy of my past was a simple story of a jealous partner and a fatal car crash.
Now, looking at the city below, I realized Julian was merely a pawn in a much larger game. Someone else had pulled the strings, orchestrating the betrayal, the warehouse fire, and perhaps even Audrey’s final, fateful drive.
My phone buzzed on the desk.
An unknown number. No caller ID.
I picked it up and pressed it to my ear. “Speak.”
“Caleb,” a distorted, digitized voice whispered through the receiver, cool and mocking. “How does it feel to stand on two feet while walking on a foundation of lies? The game isn’t over, Harbor King. The queen was just the first piece off the board.”
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The line went dead with a sharp click.
A cold shiver raced down my spine. The voice wasn't Julian’s. It was calmer, sharper, and dripping with an institutional power that money alone couldn't buy.
