SOUL

she finds victims missing car and he's pissed

Leo sat in his office, staring at the piles of case files scattered across his desk, the pressure mounting with each passing hour. The heat from the media was unbearable, constant headlines questioning his competence as a detective. His captain had been on his case all morning, demanding results, demanding answers, and Leo had nothing. It was like chasing a ghost. No leads, no solid evidence—just brutal, seemingly random murders. The city was on edge, and the fact that they still hadn't found Lucia—the last missing victim—only made things worse.

He was drowning in frustration. Every lead he'd followed turned into a dead end. Every clue evaporated before he could get a hold of it. And now, standing in the shadow of a media firestorm, Leo felt like he was losing control of the case, and with it, everything he'd worked so hard for.

His phone buzzed on the desk, and he almost ignored it, his jaw clenched as he stared down at an empty page in his notebook. But something told him to pick it up. When he saw Marigold's name flash on the screen, a familiar sense of annoyance flared in his chest.

He answered with a sharp tone. "What do you want?"

"I spoke to the lirbarys owner," Marigold's voice came through, calm and measured despite the tension on Leo's end. "You know, where Lucia worked. He let me go through her locker, and I touched a personal item of hers..."

Leo closed his eyes, rubbing his forehead. "Marigold, if this is another—"

"I saw where her car is," she interrupted, cutting straight to the point. "It's hidden, out in the woods. I know you don't believe me, but if you want to check out Lucia's car, I'm heading there now. I thought you'd want to see it."

Leo felt his blood pressure rise. "What the hell are you talking about? How did you—" He stopped himself, pinching the bridge of his nose as his frustration bubbled over. "Where is this place?"

"I'll text you the location," she said, her voice calm as ever. "You can meet me there if you're interested."

"Do not go there alone, Marigold," Leo barked, his anger barely contained. "A killer is still out there!"

"I'll text you the location," she repeated, ignoring his warning before hanging up.

Leo cursed under his breath, throwing his phone down onto his desk. He didn't have time for her visions, for her cryptic nonsense. But the thought of Lucia's car, the idea that maybe—just maybe—Marigold had actually found something real, gnawed at him.

He couldn't ignore it. He had to see for himself.

---

By the time Leo arrived at the location Marigold had sent him, the sun was setting, casting long shadows across the woods. His gut twisted as he stepped out of the car and headed toward the clearing. He spotted Marigold first—already at the scene, her red hair catching the last light of the day, her gloved hands examining the car door.

"Damn it, Mary," Leo growled as he marched over. "What the hell did I tell you about coming out here alone?"

She didn't flinch, just turned to face him with that same infuriating calm. "I found it," she said simply, nodding toward the car. The window was shattered, and there were faint streaks of blood on the door.

Leo grabbed her arm, pulling her back from the vehicle. "You're disturbing a crime scene!" he barked, his voice low and full of fury.

"I have gloves on"

"How the fuck did you know this was here?"

Marigold pulled her arm free from his grip, her gaze steady. "I told you that already on the phone"

He scoffed, shaking his head as his frustration boiled over. "This is insane. You showing up here before we do—again! I should arrest you for obstructing the investigation."

Marigold raised her hands in surrender, her face impassive. "If you want to arrest me for finding Lucia's missing car, then go ahead." Her tone was even, without a hint of sarcasm. "I'm trying to help you, Lenard. You've gone days without a solid lead and I bring you to her car but no- don't thank me for doing your fucking job for you!"

Leo's fists clenched at his sides, his anger barely held in check. He could feel himself shaking with frustration, the overwhelming urge to scream at her pounding in his chest. But she pushed past him, her calm demeanor unshaken.

"Stop being so angry," she said softly, glancing back at him as she moved around the car, her voice lacking the venom he expected.

Leo glared at her, his jaw set tight, before turning his attention back to the car. He pulled on gloves and began combing through the vehicle, his frustration still simmering beneath the surface. The shattered window, the blood—it was all there. He couldn't deny that Marigold had found something real this time, but that didn't make this any less infuriating.

He called his team in, ordering them to comb through every inch of the car, his mind racing with possibilities. But even as they worked, he couldn't stop the knot of anger that had settled in his chest.

When they finished, he turned back to Marigold, who had been waiting silently by the edge of the clearing. "You need to get lost," he snapped, his voice low and dangerous. "It's not safe for you to be out here, especially with a killer on the loose."

Marigold met his gaze, her face unreadable. "I'm not afraid, Leo. You know that."

"Well, you should be," he shot back. "This isn't a game. Stop fucking around in the woods like some amateur detective."

They stood there for a long moment, the tension between them thick. Finally, Marigold broke the silence. "I want to go through Lucia's home. I think there's something there we missed. Let me help. If I can't find anything... I'll leave you alone for good. Just give me one chance to prove to you"

"prove what?"

"prove what you've tried your entire life to ignore"

Leo stared at her, his frustration warring with something else. He should refuse. He wanted to refuse. But a part of him, buried deep under the anger, wondered if she could actually find something. Something he had missed.

After a long silence, he exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. "Fine," he muttered, barely containing his irritation. "One chance. But if you don't find anything, you're done. You stay out of this."

Marigold nodded, her expression calm but determined. "Deal."

Leo climbed into the driver's seat and slammed the door. "Get in. We'll go tomorrow morning. But I swear to God, Marigold, if this is just another one of your wild guesses—"

"It's not," she said quietly, cutting him off as she slid into the passenger seat.

They drove in silence, the weight of unspoken words and old wounds hanging heavy between them.