Chapter 9: Staged Crime

Chyler froze mid step, the soft breeze catching her hair but it wasn't enough to calm her sudden nerves. Her pulse hammered in her temples and for a moment the world seemed to stop moving. She blinked and reread the message, not sure her mind wasn't playing games with her. The words danced in front of her eyes like a circus she couldn't avoid. This was real.

"Chy?" Capri's voice sliced through her thoughts but she couldn't tear her eyes away from the message.

Every word felt like a weight pulling her under. She couldn't say anything. Especially not to Capri. Things had just turned from innocent, to careless, to getting off-balance real fast. She took a deep breath and shoved the phone back into her pocket.

"I've got to go," she announced, her voice barely above a whisper.

Capri's expression shifted from casual to concerned. "Hey, wait. What happened? Are you okay?"

"I just... I need to go," she responded, already stepping away. The words felt hollow, like she hadn't actually said them. She looked at Capri apologetically. "Get home safe, okay?"

Capri hesitated. It was the sudden change of tone and expression in Chyler's face, that set her off-balance. "Well, can I see you again? Or call you?"

Chyler paused, her heart pounding louder than a jackhammer. She didn't know why she agreed but she found herself nodding after a long beat. "Okay." She didn't wait for Capri to say another word before she hurried off towards the exit of the park, her legs moving on autopilot.

By the time she reached her car, her fingers were trembling as she pulled the phone back out , reading the message again. Her stomach churned. Was it true? Had there been another victim before Jason and Serena?

She considered calling Captain Navarro, going straight to him with what she had just learned but then, thoughts started swirling around her. He would shut her down. He would make sure she didn't even get near the cases again. He had already made it clear what he thought of her and when it came to decisions, that man was a stubborn mule. What he said went.

So, no. She couldn't go to him. Not yet. This felt bigger than anything she'd ever been pulled into. If it was all connected, she couldn't afford to be sidelined. She shoved the phone into the glove compartment and started the engine, the decision solidifying in her chest. She was going to dig out the truth herself.

★★★

Back at home, she threw herself into research, starting with the deaths that had been reported in the past few weeks. The murders of Jason and Serena stood out, but nothing matches those cases. Nothing was brutal or orchestrated.

She kept digging, trying to keep her frustration at bay. Online news reports, police reports, anything that could give her a clue, dated back to even months... Then, she found it. Maddie Howard. She frowned, trying to break through her memory fog. And then, it clicked.

Maddie Howard, the queen of Arts at Sycamore High. The girl was in every art club in the school, music, drama, creative arts, all at the top of the class in each.

Chyler remembered the case but she hadn't been on it. It was three months old but it had been ruled out as a suicide. She had been found dead in her apartment, in the bathtub with her wrists slit. No evidence of foul play. But, what it it hadn't been just a suicide? What if she was the first murder, the victim that psycho anonymous person had talked about?

As she read through the published report, her phone buzzed. A call from an unknown number. She jumped from her seat like something had suddenly yanked her off. Her thumb trembled as it hovered over the receive icon before she swiped.

"Congratulations!" Came a distorted voice. "You just earned your first clue."

"The fuck?" she grumbled.

Her stomach churned. The voice burned through her skull, gnawing through her senses. Who the hell was this? A sick feeling rose up her throat. Was she being watched? She looked around the room then rushed to the window. Nothing.

"Who are you? What the fuck do you want?" she demanded

"Just a friend to play with. Are you ready to play, officer?"

"You are sick if you think murdering innocent people is a game!"

"Innocence is just an illusion. It's your turn to play now. Don't make me wait."

"What do you mean?" Chyler asked but there was a click and the line went dead.

She stared at the light on her screen until it went off, thoughts looping in her head. What the fuck had just happened? Had she just talked to the killer? She looked at Maddie's file again, reading through the details as the weight of the conversation she'd just had pressed down on her. What exactly was she supposed to do?

★★★

After a long restless night, the rising sun found Chyler standing at the front porch of the Howard family home. The chill of the morning air bit her skin as she rang the doorbell. She had no business being here, or asking questions that she was about to but she couldn't just sit around and do nothing.

The door opened, revealing Maddie's mother, a woman well into her sixties. Her face was drawn with grief, eyes too tired. Just one look at her, Chyler felt wrong being there, to reopen wounds, but it was too late to turn back.

"Mrs Howard, hello?" she greeted politely.

"Who are you?" the woman scrutinized her.

"I'm—" Chyler paused, her throat tight. "I'm Detective Lee, with Sycamore PD, in charge of investigating your daughter's death. We have uncovered new evidence that suggests it might not have been a suicide but rather a staged crime."

The woman's face twisted with confusion then anger. "How dare you!" she spat, stepping outside the door fully. "How can you be so cruel?" her voice shook, tears filling her eyes to the brim. "We already buried our Maddie for God's sake. What's wrong with you people always stirring up pain when we are barely hanging on to what's left of us?"

"I'm sorry, Mrs Howard," Chyler said apologetically. "We are just trying to find out the truth and serve justice so she can rest in peace."

"Get off my porch!" she spat, her face flaring. "Leave! You have no right to make us live through this again. Maddie is gone. She is not coming back. Allow us to grieve our loss in peace!"

Chyler took a step back, guilt weighing heavily on her shoulders. She hadn't come here to cause pain but it was exactly what she had done. She could see the firm resolve in the woman's eyes that she wasn't going to get the answers she wanted here.

Just as she was about to get into her car and leave, a soft voice called from behind her.

"Wait." Chyler turned. A young woman, younger than Maddie walked to her, watching her carefully. She had the same dark hair and same eyes as Maddie. "I'm Cece, Maddie's younger sister."

"Hi," Chyler said gently, paying closer attention to her. "I'm sorry about—"

"I never believed Maddie killed herself. Not for a second."

Chyler's heart skipped. "You didn't?"

Cece shook her head. "She was stressed about losing her job, almost losing her apartment. But Maddie... she was the most positive person I knew. She wouldn't have done this."

Chyler stepped forward, lowering her voice. "Can you help me?"

"I'll do anything I can. But my mother can't get involved. She can't handle it."

Chyler nodded in understanding. "Alright. Thank you, Cece."

"Thank me by getting justice for my sister."

"I will, I promise," she nodded firmly.