Found Obsession

Chapter 44: The 11th victim and hacking skills.

She knew immediately-this was a warning.

With trembling fingers, Rose set the napkin aside, her breath shaky as she unfolded the note. It was clear; he never left fingerprints. As she read the words, her heart pounded harder.

Why is it so hard to tell the truth?

Guess beating him up wasn't enough. You had your turn, now it's mine.

A knot twisted in her stomach, a creeping dread overtaking her. She had a bad feeling about this.

Riley took the note from Rose and read it out loud, his expression darkening with each word. The tension in the room thickened, and all eyes turned to Will, who had gone pale.

"He was there!" Rose realized, a sense of dread washing over her. "He was at the bar when we fought." The memory flooded back-she had felt watched, an ominous presence lingering just out of sight.

"Paula, Frank, and Mira, go to the bar and see if they have the footage from that night," Riley ordered, his voice firm as he stared at the note, then shifted his gaze to Will.

The three of them hurried off, leaving a charged silence in their wake.

"Is he going to do something to me?" Will asked, his voice barely a whisper, fear evident in his eyes.

Riley and Rose exchanged worried glances, their minds racing with possibilities. The threat was real, and they all felt the weight of it pressing down on them.

---

Unfortunately, Eddy had informed them that the cameras had been down since the last crime scene.

A week went by, and Beristain declined Will's attempts to speak to the media. He had his nephew protected, with police stationed outside his house, while Paula stayed with him for extra security.

The team also had to focus on other incoming cases. The truth was, they hadn't received any information on Emma, and Erin's wife was on a business trip, leaving them without leads. They also hadn't found any connections among the victims.

And the package had just appeared, no traces no fingerprints.

November 9, 2004

Today was Rose's day off, and she was at home cleaning and doing laundry. After shopping for food and basic necessities, she found herself walking down a dark street, crossing by an alley. Her stomach had been hurting, and she knew she would have to see a doctor soon.

Suddenly, she felt a prickling sensation of being watched and turned around, her heart pounding in her chest. When she found nothing but shadows, she shook her head and went home.

After a long and exhausting day, Rose finally managed to fall into a deep, restless sleep. The darkness of her room seemed to hold her, lulling her mind into a temporary state of peace. But the peace didn’t last long.

Her phone rang sharply, pulling her out of sleep at 1 AM. Groggy and disoriented, she reached for it on the nightstand, her hand shaking slightly as she saw Riley’s name on the screen.

“Riley?” she mumbled, still half asleep.

“Rose,” his voice was tight, laced with tension. “Another body. It’s at Will’s house.”

Rose shot up, fully awake now, her heart hammering in her chest. “What do you mean, at Will’s house?”

“In his basement,” Riley responded grimly. “I’m coming to pick you up.”

She didn’t need to be told twice. She got dressed quickly, her mind racing. The idea of another woman being found, especially in Will’s basement, made her stomach twist painfully.