Found Obsession

Chapter 47: More victims appearing

Rose sighed as she made her way home, feeling the weight of unanswered questions. When she arrived, she found Frank standing outside her door.

"Rose, guess what," he said, a grin on his face. "We're gonna be neighbors. I'll be moving in. This place is three times cheaper and closer to the job. Smaller, but perfect." He handed her a bag. "Got you some nutritious food. Thanks again!"

Before she could respond, he pulled her into a quick hug. She managed a small smile.

"You're welcome," she said, still processing.

"I gotta hurry-moving a few things. See you tomorrow at work; we need to review some details of the case." And just like that, Frank was gone.

Rose stood there for a moment, holding the bag, feeling her life shift in subtle, unpredictable

Rose entered her home, setting the bag down and eating the fruit and some of the food Frank had brought. She knew she had to thank him eventually, but the weight of everything else pressed down on her mind.

She turned on the TV for background noise and sat down, her thoughts drifting back to the password. What could it be? She tried to push the question away, but it lingered.

Sighing, Rose searched through her bag and pulled out the paper with her list of questions. She crossed out her initial question about Emma and replaced it with, Where is Emma? Then came Erin's name-crossed out again.

Her eyes lingered on another question: Why was he targeting the wealthy? That one remained unanswered.

Following her usual routine, Rose eventually found herself back in the hidden room. She set the timer and took a deep breath, staring at the current investigation files, but no new answers came. Frustrated, she moved to the computer. Once again, she attempted to hack her own system, and once again, she failed just as the timer went off.

Exhaling heavily, she turned everything off and returned to the surface, the frustration building as the mysteries around her deepened.

November 14, 2004

The only good thing was her newfound restful nights.

Rose woke up feeling much, much better. The combination of eating regularly and finally getting decent sleep had done wonders for her, even if her mind was still spinning with too many unanswered questions.

She got herself ready, deciding she'd eat breakfast out for a change. But as soon as she opened her door, she found food waiting for her again.

She frowned, picking it up-a neatly packed, nutritious breakfast.

Groaning, she muttered to herself, Who is it this time? Still, she sat down, ate the meal, and took her medicine.

After finishing, Rose brushed her teeth and headed out, trying to clear her mind.

"Roseee!" She heard Frank's voice from behind and turned, seeing him catching up with a smile.

"Good morning," he chirped as he joined her.

"Morning," she replied. They walked in companionable silence, the streets humming with life around them.

When they arrived at the office entrance, they both froze. Sitting on the stairs was a yellow envelope with her name written across it.

Rose hesitated, her heart skipping a beat as she picked it up.

She opened the envelope slowly, finding a white note inside.

Does money guarantee security?

She bit her lip, her mind racing. Frank, reading over her shoulder, looked equally uneasy.