Reborn in the Enemy's Embrace

"I suspect the killer may be secretly staying in Sophia’s house, though I lack evidence. If you trust me, we could arrange for someone to keep an eye on him," I said nervously.

Even Violette seemed unconvinced, and I could imagine Zion’s skepticism.

Without their trust, the murderer might persist, posing a continued threat to potential victims.

"I’ve got this feeling that the murderer’s victims are connected to the people from that orphanage, not just those women in red dresses from the photos. Perhaps... it’s just the beginning." I nervously glanced at Zion. I held off on bringing up the class monitor, Howard, for now.

I needed to find out more.

Zion gave me a skeptical look. "Are you saying the murderer might be staying in Sophia’s house?"

I nodded firmly, anxiously looking at Zion.

Zion furrowed his brows. "How do you know?"

"L... Well, I did some digging." I hesitated.

"And where’s the evidence?" Zion demanded.

"If you trust me, just keep an eye on him. He’s bound to strike again," I said urgently.

"Why are you still fixated on someone living in Sophia’s house?" Violette emerged from the office, giving me a glance.

"Sofia, after you told me, I went to her house. Everything was normal. There were no signs of anyone there. I checked the surveillance from the past few months too, and the only frequent visitor was you. Before Sophia passed away, you were always sneaking into her house!"

Violette’s stare turned icy. "I’m curious. How did you obtain Sophia’s house keys? How did you unlock the door, and what exactly were you doing there? Sophia never mentioned you to me."

"L..." I tried to explain, but it was surprising that Sofia used to come to my place often. What was she doing there?

I wasn’t living there anymore. Yet, Violette’s and Zion’s intense stares made it feel suffocating.

Despite knowing the truth, voicing it out loud seemed futile.

"And I searched through Sophia’s belongings. Her diaries were all kept in that house. But now they’re all gone. You took them, didn’t you?" Violette was furious.

"Violette, you’ve got to believe me. Trust me, I really want to help Sophia catch the killer," I said, feeling a bit anxious.

Did Sofia take my diaries?

How many secrets did she hold?

Violette eyed me with suspicion and then exchanged a glance with Zion. "I’m suspicious of her. She knows too much about Sophia, and in too much detail... It seems like she’s intentionally imitating Sophia to mislead us."

Zion also gave me a skeptical look. That look wasn’t just showing mistrust but also carried a sense of suspicion.

"If you don’t believe me, I’ll just go," I stated briefly. Too much talk would only deepen their suspicions.

Since trust seemed elusive, my only option was to gather evidence.

"She’s definitely fishy," Violette remarked, furrowing her brows and exchanging a glance with Zion.

Zion didn’t say a word, but his gaze held a depth of contemplation.

In the car, my mind wandered as I stared outside. I watched the drizzly, overcast sky.

It hit me all of a sudden–the serial murderer always seemed to pick days like this.

The rain provided a perfect cover. With people wearing raincoats, even if he was captured on camera, nothing would be clear. It was easy for the killer to strike and dispose of the body.

"Dexter... head to my place!" I said, trying to keep my emotions in check. I was desperate to find evidence to make them believe me.

That feeling of not being trusted, especially by my best friend, was overwhelmingly crushing.

"Driver, take us to Harmony Road."

Dexter knew I meant Sophia’s house.

The car pulled into a cozy alley off Harmony Road, slipping in seamlessly among other parked vehicles. It was a perfect hideaway.

I anxiously peered out of the car window, my gaze fixed on the direction of my house.

The advantage of these vintage buildings was the open corridors on each floor, offering a clear view of any doors opening or closing.

I told Dexter to stay in the car and slipped out, finding a hiding spot in a corner. I kept a vigilant watch on the entrance. After a while, I finally spotted a figure in a raincoat coming out of my house and descending the stairs.

I quietly followed.

"Zion... I saw the murderer. He’s about to strike again," I sent a voice message to Zion, urging him to come over.

If we got to catch this person in the act, that would be the evidence.

Once that happened, Zion and Violette would have no choice but to believe me. The rain poured down, intensifying. The sky gradually darkened.

I followed that guy for what felt like ages. He was super paranoid as he checked over his shoulder multiple times. But luckily, I managed to stay hidden.

Finally, he stopped in front of an apartment. Holding a photo, he started looking around.

I could tell he had a new target, a fresh victim. No doubt, his target was inside that apartment.

Just as expected, a fancy car pulled up. A woman in a red dress with an umbrella stepped out, heading into the apartment.

The hallway was oddly quiet, with only the woman’s high heels making a clickety–clack sound.

Anxiously, I held onto my phone and captured the entire scene.

The woman entered her place, leaving the door slightly ajar. Seizing the opportunity, the killer in the raincoat sneaked in after her, using his hand to block the door.

In a panic, I sent it to Zion. Would this count as evidence?

Fearing that the police might not arrive in time and the assailant could enter and harm the woman, I hurriedly approached. I started banging on the door. "I’m from the building’s management. You need to pay your fees for this month."

Inside, it was dead silent.

Could the murderer really be about to commit murder?

"Open the door, I’m from the building’s management."

As I shouted for the third time, Zion and his team stormed in, smashing down the door. They quickly took down the person in the raincoat.

The woman screamed, "What are you people doing? Are you crazy?"

Zion furrowed his brows, and the other officers looked confused.

I stood right at the door, watching as the raincoat slipped off...

No way! It was not the murderer.

I got played. The murderer intentionally sent someone out of my house. It was all planned.

Did he somehow know I was going to call the police on him?

"Why the hell are you attacking my husband?" the woman in red snapped.

The man glared at Zion. "Are you out of your mind, breaking into someone’s house like this!"

"Sofia, what the hell are you doing?" Zion was getting frustrated. "Don’t you know we’re busy?"

I stood there, feeling numb. I did not know how to explain. "It’s not... It’s not..."

I pointed at the man in the raincoat. "He came out of my house. Why did you come out of Sophia’s house?"

The man furrowed his brows. "Your house? I don’t know what you’re talking about."

Zion was getting impatient. "Sofia, making false reports is also against the law!"

I stood frozen, my fists clenched. Zion didn’t believe me. He clearly had a strong bias against me.

"Zion..." I wanted to say something, but what could I really say?

"Officer Black! Something’s wrong! We found a body at the South Bay docks... It’s a guy! It looks like he was recently killed. He just lost his vital signs," an officer rushed in, updating Zion.

I looked up, meeting Zion’s furious gaze.

"If I find out you’re intentionally messing with us, I’ll definitely arrest you," Zion warned as he pointed at me before quickly leaving.

I anxiously followed.

A man’s body?

Was the killer targeting men now?

"Zion... That person is the killer. Why won’t you believe me?" I shouted, feeling frustrated.

Downstairs, Dexter stood in the rain, quietly watching me. Once I came down, he came over with an umbrella