The coffee shop was nearly empty, the low hum of rain against the windows muffled by the warmth of the interior. Detective Carter sat at a corner table, his badge clipped to his belt and a half-empty cup of coffee in front of him. He glanced at his watch, irritation simmering.
When his phone rang earlier, the voice on the other end had been frantic, desperate. Carter hadn’t needed much convincing—he’d known the man for years. Still, this late-night meeting was unusual, even for someone as tightly wound as his old friend.
The door swung open, and Carter immediately spotted him.
“Dan,” he called out, waving his hand.
Dan stumbled inside, soaked to the bone, his face pale and drawn. His eyes darted around the room as if searching for unseen threats. When they landed on Carter, a brief flicker of relief passed over his face, but it was quickly replaced by dread.
“Man, you look like hell ” Carter muttered as his friend approached the table.
Dan slid into the chair across from him, his hands trembling as they gripped the edge of the table. His voice was a whisper, barely audible over the gentle hum of the coffee shop. “You’re going to think I’m crazy, Carter. Insane, even.”
Carter leaned back in his chair, folding his arms. “Well, you did drag me out here in the middle of the night. What’s going on?”
Dan hesitated, his breathing shallow. His trembling hands fumbled inside his jacket, pulling out a bundle of crumpled papers. He spread them on the table, his fingers tracing the disjointed notes, sketches, and hastily scribbled lines of text.
“I need you to look at these,” Dan said, his voice cracking.
Carter furrowed his brow, glancing over the mess of papers. “Dan, what is this? These look like—”
“They’re notes,” Dan interrupted, his words rushing out. “About the case you’re working on. The murders. The missing girl.”
Carter froze, his gaze snapping back to his friend. “What the hell are you talking about? How do you know about that?”
Dan leaned in, his voice dropping lower. “I’ve been having these dreams, Carter. They’re not normal. They’re... they’re something else. They’re real.”
Carter sighed, rubbing his temples. “Dan, you’re stressed. You’ve always been a little... paranoid, but this?”
“Listen to me!” Dan’s voice rose, drawing a few curious glances from the barista. He lowered it again, his words trembling. “I saw her, Carter. The girl from the flyer. The one who went missing a few weeks ago. I saw her in my dream. She was in a place—an old train yard. It’s the same train yard you chased your suspect into last night, isn’t it?”
Carter’s jaw tightened. “Dan, this isn’t funny.”
“It’s not a joke!” Dan slammed a trembling fist on the table, making the papers jump. “Look at these notes. Look at the patterns I’ve been tracking. I—I didn’t even know what they meant until I saw the flyer. The murders, the missing girl... it’s all connected. And I think I know where she is.”
Carter stared at his friend, torn between disbelief and unease. He glanced at the papers again. They were a chaotic mess of times, locations, and cryptic phrases, but some of the details sent a chill down his spine.
“You’re telling me your dream showed you this?” Carter asked, his voice laced with skepticism.
Dan nodded, his eyes wild. “Yes! And I know you think I’m crazy, but it felt so real. Too real. I could smell the rust, feel the cold air... I saw things that connect to the case. Things no one else could know.”
Carter leaned forward, his voice low and firm. “Dan, do you hear yourself? You sound unhinged.”
Dan’s hands shook as he pushed one of the notes toward Carter. “You know I’m not. You’ve seen weirder things on the job, Carter. And last night, when you chased him into that train yard... did you find anything? Did you find her?”
Carter paused, his expression hardening. “No. He slipped away.”
Dan’s voice softened, desperation lacing his words. “Because he didn’t want you to find her. He’s hiding her there, I know it. I can feel it. Please, Carter. If there’s even a chance I’m right, you have to check.”
Carter leaned back in his chair, staring at his old friend. His instinct was to dismiss this as paranoia, maybe even the result of sleepless nights and too much true-crime reading. But something in Dan’s eyes gave him pause.
“This is crazy,” Carter muttered, shaking his head.
“Maybe it is,” Dan admitted, his voice trembling. “But if I’m right, and you don’t act on it, she’ll die. Just like the others.”
Carter’s jaw tightened. He hated being backed into a corner, but Dan’s words planted a seed of doubt in his mind. After a long silence, he exhaled sharply and stood.
“Fine. Let’s go.”
Dan blinked, stunned. “You believe me?”
“I believe you’re scared out of your mind,” Carter said, grabbing his coat. “And maybe I’ll regret this. But if there’s even a shred of truth in this... we’re finding out tonight.”
Dan nodded, swallowing hard as he stuffed the notes back into his pocket. The two men walked out into the storm, the rain washing over them as they made their way toward the unknown.
* * *
