When nothing goes right, turn left

Ghosts in the Paper

The town archives were dimly lit, the scent of aged documents thick in the air. Veronica stood at the large wooden desk, fingers brushing over the brittle edges of bound records. Alex was beside her, flipping through an old registry book, his usual confidence softened by concentration.

"We're looking for anything about Smith," Veronica murmured, scanning handwritten entries. "Something that connects him to this place before the murder."

Alex nodded, his voice quieter than usual. "If he was desperate to find someone, it means he knew something worth digging up. And maybe—" He paused, eyes narrowing at a faded page.

"What?" she asked, pulse quickening.

He didn't answer immediately. Instead, he gently turned the document toward her.

Veronica's breath caught.

It was Smith's name—listed in an old town transaction file.

From years ago.

Her fingers traced the ink, the date blurring in her mind. "He had ties to this town long before his murder."

"What the hell?" she whispered.

Alex leaned closer, his presence pulling her in before she realized it. "Smith wasn't just passing through. He belonged here. The question is—why did no one ever talk about it?"

Veronica turned to face him fully, the weight of the discovery pressing against her chest.

"What if they wanted to forget?" she murmured.

Alex's gaze flickered down to her lips for half a second before he caught himself, leaning back slightly—but it was too late.

Veronica felt it.

The space between them was charged—unspoken questions, lingering tension, a pull neither of them had admitted out loud.

Then, as if the universe wasn't done testing her, her phone buzzed in her pocket.

She didn't need to look. "She already knew who it was."

William.

Her heart twisted, memories hitting her like cold water.

Alex watched her reaction, silent, unreadable.

Veronica exhaled slowly, then reached for her phone.

And finally, the answer came.

She "hadn't picked up the call that night."

She'd let it ring.

She'd let William fade into the background.

But now, he was reaching out again.

And this time, she had to decide—did she still want to know what he had to say?