Prologue

Leo searched her room once again. The Chief had told him to give it up—after all, even the police technicians couldn't find anything relevant here—and that he was wasting his time, which could be devoted to solving another case. However, Leo did not want to listen to anyone. Maybe it didn't make any difference to them whether she was alive or dead, but he couldn't accept that she had disappeared like that without a word. His partner would surely tell him if she'd just decided to drop everything and settle down somewhere far away. After all, they were friends, best friends. They had no secrets. He told her everything, and she did as well, so why would she leave without saying goodbye? He did not believe the version of events that the Chief and the rest of his colleagues were trying hard to push. Each of them already believed it because there were no signs of kidnapping or murder. The fact that she had not taken anything with her meant nothing to them; they had come up with a handful of different explanations for that. Besides, Leo knew very well that they didn't care about her, that's why it was so easy for them to believe she had just run away. But he did care—because his partner was the only person he could fully trust.

Leo searched the bed, the wardrobe, every drawer of the desk one more time, flipped through all the books, looked under the bed, the rug, even each of the four Kalanchoe flower pots that she loved so much... There had to be a trace here, something that would show him where she had disappeared to and why. He was losing his mind more and more with each passing second. After all, she couldn't have left without her clothes, books, computer, or phone. Nor did any money disappear from her account, and a quick check of her computer and phone clearly indicated that she had not purchased any tickets. Yes, she might have had cash with her and might have bought a ticket in person, but she would have had to enter her details, and checking with the airlines didn't produce any results. The Chief had also come up with an explanation for this: She didn't leave the country and was hiding out somewhere in the UK, hitchhiking. And she must have left her computer and phone so that no one would track her. Maybe that was a logical explanation, but Leo couldn't believe she would have left him without a goodbye or any explanation at all. No, that was definitely not what had happened. He had a strong feeling the truth was quite different, and Leo always trusted his instincts, which was how he had been able to solve so many complicated cases. He was a good detective after all.

He did have to admit one thing: the last few months had been really strange, like some kind of rollercoaster ride. Sometimes Leo regretted taking this damn case. If they hadn't, then maybe all of this wouldn't have happened and she would still be here. Yes, it was all inexplicable, weird, and seemed to have something supernatural about it, but Leo was one hundred percent guided by reason and still resisted believing in something like this. Yes, she had assured him that it was all real, but he was more inclined to believe that his partner had gone a little bit crazy due to stress and was having delusions, than that something supernatural was really going on here. Leo had never seen what she saw, had never heard whispers like she did, and that was the strongest indication that his partner was losing her mind. Yes, he had one strange dream in which he saw the creatures she talked about... But that meant nothing. It could have been the result of her constantly telling him about it, that was why he was dreaming about those creatures. But despite everything, a strange thought had crept up in his mind: Maybe they had taken her? Or maybe she went with them of her own free will? But why? He didn't believe that she would do anything to make these creatures angry. It was also hard for him to believe that she would want to leave with them.

Finally Leo shook his head, wanting to banish these absurd thoughts. After all, there were no such things. They didn't exist, so he shouldn't think about them. Leo was pretty sure someone had either kidnapped her or, worse, killed her. Of course, he prayed fervently that it was the first option, because then he had a chance of saving her. But even if...even if something worse had happened...Leo still had to find her anyway. Even if it was just her dead body.

Visiting her grave would be better than not knowing what had happened to her and where she was. It had only been two weeks since her disappearance, but if she was in any kind of danger, each day of delay would reduce the chances of finding her alive and in one piece. Besides, Leo had told her mother and grandmother that he didn't believe what the rest of the policemen were saying and had promised that he would find her. Leo wanted to find her, not only for himself, to get his friend back, but also, above all, for her family.

It was very difficult for him to go to Penarth and meet Mrs. Moore and her mother, even more so because he had to give them such bad news. Seeing their tearful eyes, Leo promised himself even more fervently that he would find Esther—no matter what. He couldn't give up and just turn back. Leo was sure he would find some clue eventually. He was a detective after all, right? This was what he was good at, finding clues that would solve a case. And this one was undoubtedly one of the most difficult, if not the most difficult.

Leo turned her room upside down and again found nothing. Resigned, he leaned his left hand on the door of large, dark brown wardrobe, but he soon was overcome with fury. He squeezed his right hand into a fist and pounded with all his strength on the wall in front of him. The wallpaper was almost completely ripped off, and you could see the grey bricks beneath, but Leo didn't think about it. He was only brought back to himself by the pain of hitting one of those bricks. He grabbed his hand and hissed for a while.

It was only when the pain eased that Leo looked back at the wall and saw that one of the bricks—probably the one he had hit—had moved slightly. When Leo looked at it closely, he noticed that the brick was not attached to the rest at all, so he grabbed it and took it out.

This brick was at least half the depth of the other bricks, and Leo immediately understood why when he saw a bundle in the hole. He put the brick on a nearby desk and reached deeper into the hole, pulling out something wrapped in a grey cloth. Leo unwrapped the slightly dusty cloth, and then saw a black A4 notebook. Putting the piece of cloth on the same desk with the brick, he turned the notebook over in his hands. Finally, Leo sat on the edge of the bed and untied the ribbon that held the front and back covers together. After opening the notebook, he saw his partner's personal details on the first page.

"This must be her diary," Leo thought.

"Maybe there's something here, some clue..." he realized after a short moment, and he immediately turned the page, slowly reading what was written there.