Chapter 5 - Whispers from the GraveThe next morning, Julian arrived at the central police precinct to file the official missing person report. He put on a masterclass of acting, sobbing hysterically into his handkerchief, telling the lead detective how his beloved wife had wandered off into the heavy mountain fog during their anniversary walk.
"We are launching a search and rescue operation immediately, Mr. Vance," Detective Miller assured him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "If she’s up there, we will find her."
"Please... find my Eleanor," Julian wept, hiding his grinning face in his hands.
However, the moment Julian stepped back into his luxury Mercedes in the underground parking garage, his phone buzzed. It was an incoming video call from an encrypted, unknown number.
Expecting Vector demanding his final payment, Julian clicked answer.
The screen stayed pitch black for three seconds. Then, audio began to play—not Vector’s voice, but Eleanor’s voice, recorded live from inside his own home just twenty minutes ago:
"Julian, darling... you forgot to turn off the security system before you left. Don't worry, I checked the vault for you. The insurance papers are right where you left them."
Julian dropped the phone in absolute terror. His breath hitched in his throat. "No... no, that’s impossible! She’s dead! She fell off the cliff!"
He scrambled to pick up the phone, but the screen had changed. It showed a live video feed of his private digital vault. The steel door was wide open, and sitting on his executive desk was a single item: the blood-stained crimson silk scarf from the mountain.
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"Sophia!" Julian screamed into his car console, frantically speed-dialing his mistress. "Get out of the house! She’s alive! Eleanor is alive!"
"Julian, what are you talking about?!" Sophia’s terrified voice screamed back through the speaker. "I’m in the master bedroom... the doors just locked from the outside! I can't open them!"
