Criminal Hearts

Chapter 22: Under the Surface

Ethan sat in the precinct, staring at his computer screen. The professor's file was open in front of him, but the pieces weren't adding up. There were gaps in his past—years where the professor seemed to disappear from the public eye. Women had gone missing after filing complaints, but no charges had ever been made. Each case was unresolved, the trail cold, but Ethan couldn't ignore the pattern.

"Victims go missing after reports... but why does nothing stick?" he muttered, scrolling through the files again.

A knock on his door pulled him from his thoughts. Damian leaned against the doorframe, casual as always. "Still stuck on that professor?"

Ethan glanced up, giving a tight nod. "There's something here. I just don't know what."

Damian raised an eyebrow. "Sounds like a dead end to me, man. Maybe you need to take a step back. Sophia and I were thinking of heading out later, grab a drink. You should come."

Ethan's jaw tightened at the mention of Sophia. "You and Sophia, huh?" he asked, his tone a bit sharper than he intended.

Damian grinned, leaning a little closer. "Yeah, we've been talking a lot. She's... interesting." His eyes gleamed, as if testing Ethan's reaction. "She seems like she could use a friend."

"Yeah, well... she's got enough to handle," Ethan replied, shifting uncomfortably. "We're in the middle of a case."

"I know. But sometimes people need more than just work." Damian's tone softened slightly, but the insinuation wasn't lost on Ethan.

"Right," Ethan said, his voice tight. "I'll think about it."

As Damian left, Ethan felt the frustration gnawing at him. He didn't like how close Damian seemed to be getting to Sophia. There was something more to it, but he wasn't sure what to do about it. The walls between him and Sophia had been growing thicker, and now, Damian was slipping in through the cracks.

Later that evening, Sophia stood in the kitchen, her hands working automatically as she chopped vegetables. She found solace in cooking—something simple, something she could control. The scent of sautéing garlic filled the room, and the familiar rhythm of preparing a meal grounded her.

Ethan walked in, leaning against the counter. "You've been quiet lately," he said, his tone casual, but his eyes searching for something more.

Sophia glanced up briefly before returning to her chopping. "Just tired. A lot going on with the case."

Ethan nodded, though he wasn't convinced. "You and Damian have been spending a lot of time together."

She froze for a moment, then continued chopping. "We've been working the same shifts."

"He seems pretty interested in you," Ethan said, trying to sound offhand, but the edge in his voice was unmistakable.

Sophia set the knife down and turned to him, her expression guarded. "What are you getting at?"

"I'm not getting at anything," Ethan replied, crossing his arms. "Just... wondering."

Sophia sighed, wiping her hands on a towel. "Damian's a colleague, Ethan. We talk about work."

"Right. Just work." Ethan's voice had that same tightness she'd heard earlier, but he wasn't pushing any further.

Sophia turned back to the stove, stirring the pot. The conversation was drifting into territory she wasn't ready for. Not now, not with everything else on her mind. She had been distant—there was no denying that. But it wasn't about Damian, and Ethan didn't know the real reason.

She felt her chest tighten as a familiar, unwelcome memory surfaced. The professor's voice. His hand gripping her arm. The fear that had choked her, the helplessness that still clung to her like a second skin. She blinked, forcing herself back to the present, but the flashes of that night continued to tug at her.

"Sophia?" Ethan's voice cut through her thoughts.

She blinked and turned, her breath catching. "Yeah?"

"You okay?" His eyes softened for a moment, concern lacing his features. "You seem... off."

"I'm fine," she said, a little too quickly. "Just focused."

Ethan watched her for a second longer, then nodded. "If you need to talk... you can always come to me, you know?"

Sophia smiled faintly, though it didn't reach her eyes. "Thanks, Ethan."

As they sat down to eat, the air between them was thick with unspoken words. Ethan wanted to ask more, to push through the distance that had grown between them, but every time he opened his mouth, the thought of Damian clouded his mind. He couldn't shake the feeling that Sophia was slipping away from him.

Later that night, long after Ethan had gone to bed, Sophia sat in the dark, her laptop open. She was digging into the professor's past on her own. She needed to know more—needed answers. The missing women, the unresolved cases, the gaps in his timeline. It all pointed to something, something that no one else seemed to see.

Her mind drifted back again to that night—the night she had tried to forget. The way his hand had felt on her skin, the sound of his voice as he had whispered threats in her ear. The scars hadn't healed, not really. She had buried them deep, but now, they were resurfacing with every case, every victim they found. She felt sick, the memories flooding back, but she pushed through, focusing on the investigation.

I have to do this, she told herself. No one else will.

She didn't tell Ethan about the investigation. She didn't tell anyone. Only Damian knew bits and pieces—he was the one she confided in, but even then, she didn't give him everything. He didn't know about the flashbacks, about the nightmares that kept her awake at night.

Sophia sighed, closing her laptop. She had found something strange—another case of a woman who had disappeared after accusing a powerful man of harassment. But it was still just speculation. She needed more before she could take it anywhere.

For now, it would remain her secret.