🗝️Detective Ryker Viltarin must uncover dark secrets before he loses not only his heart but also his life.🗝️
You're on your own, far from home
The wind is blowing in the top of the pines
A gloomy sky where the sun never shines
Deep...
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Behind him, the ringing of the front door stopped, and it fell into the lock with a resounding click.
"Hey, I'm a bit late..." his voice faltered as soon as he stepped inside. The cozy warmth enveloped him as his eyes wandered restlessly through the café's guest area.
Unlike the day he arrived, Bluebirds was empty. Not a single guest had settled near the fireplace, although these were the most coveted seats. He couldn't even spot Sally, who was supposed to be behind the bar. The place was empty. Irritated, he turned and looked out the window to ensure no one was sitting outside on the porch. In haste, he hadn't noticed a sign on the door saying "IN PAUSE," which he only noticed now.
"Ohhh," Ryker winced as the bright, much-too-high voice suddenly sounded behind him. "If it isn't my beloved craftsman."
Startled and taut as a bowstring, he almost jumped to the side. Ray turned his head in the direction the voice had come from and spotted Sally looking at him with a wide grin. She blinked at him, and her tongue ran slowly over her upper lip.
"Have you come to accept my offer?" the blonde continued, batting her long eyelashes. She leaned over the counter behind which she had emerged like a ghost, her ample bosom almost falling out of the basket.
Now he noticed that her blouse was wrongly buttoned and rumpled. Her hair was also messy. Strands that were otherwise neatly styled fell unkempt around her slender face, the parting askew. He knew that Sally attached great importance to her appearance. Even on a bad, stressful day, the vain café owner would never stand behind the counter like that; he was sure of it.
Following his instinct, he tilted slightly to look past the blonde. Further back, a shadowy figure hurried away through the back door like a thief. Nevertheless, he recognized the guy: it was the marketeer. Ray automatically wrinkled his nose but straightened up again and crossed his arms defensively in front of his chest.
"Excuse me. I'm looking for Evelyn. I dropped her off here almost an hour ago, and I was supposed to pick her up here." Although he neither growled nor growled, his voice had a stern, dismissive tone. His gray eyes were fixed implacably on Sally.
