Chapter 3
1232 Words
Don’t you dare vomit on the crime scene, I screamed inside my head. You’re a professional. Act like one.
“He wants your attention,” Alan said. I could feel his stare stripping me raw, searching for any crack in my posture.
“And he got it.”
“What did you expect, coming back to town and giving a lecture about him?” His voice lifted. A few officers turned toward us. “You’re playing with fire, Evelyn. This murder was a message for you. You never should’ve come back. Now you’re the next target of that sick son of a bitch.”
“I know,” I whispered.
Alan narrowed his eyes, tilting his head, so confused it was almost comical. I could practically hear the gears turning as he processed my answer.
When it finally clicked, he let out a long, exhausted sigh.
“You’re insane.”
“I’m fully aware.”
“You came back to get his attention?” He shook his head in disbelief. “What’s your angle in this game?”
“To catch him. Obviously.”
“There’s no way this plan works, Evelyn. I can’t protect you from him.”
“And who said I need your protection, Alan? I need your resources.”
I gestured to the surrounding officers.
“I spent years studying murderous minds. Studying his mind. Trying to understand how he thinks, what drives him. He wanted attention. He wanted someone willing to understand him. And now he has it. I finally got to him.
“I don’t fit his victim profile. He could kill me, but I’m not part of his food chain. And that’s why I’m the one who can capture him.”
“What makes you so sure?”
“Like you said—now I have his full attention. He could’ve killed me to send the message, but he chose someone from your team instead. Another officer.”
I lifted my brows, daring him to argue.
Alan’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t try to shut me down.
“Then what are you proposing?” he asked.
“Put me on your investigation, and I’ll finish what my father started. I guarantee it.”
Alan looked away and scratched the back of his neck, uneasy.
“Michael wouldn’t want this. It’s too risky—”
“Michael is dead,” I cut in sharply. “His throat was slit right in front of me by the man we’re talking about. I have nightmares about that night every time I lay my head on a pillow.
“The Grimwood Ripper is still out there, killing. He won’t stop.”
I stepped closer, staring him straight in the eyes without blinking.
“I’m not afraid of danger. Are you?”
He stared back, and I watched his hardness crumble little by little.
I knew what he saw when he looked at me—not the woman I’d become, but the girl I’d been. The orphaned Evelyn, too young to survive what happened to her. The girl who left town and abandoned everything she knew to build something new.
The girl who cut contact with the few people who cared, who ripped away every weight that still tethered her to the past.
Alone in the world. No safety. No affection. A feral, frightened animal biting any hand that reached out to save it.
Only two choices remained: put it down, or let it loose in the wild.
So I ran.
Now there wasn’t a trace of self-pity left in me.
I chewed the pain into rage—and forged it into focus.
One goal burned in my mind:
Catch the killer of this town.
I had nothing to fear.
Because there was nothing left to lose.
Alan dragged a hand down his face, looking drained.
“If I refuse and send you away, you’ll start your own investigation, won’t you?”
“You know me too well.”
The corner of my mouth lifted, bittersweet.
“You can’t stop me. I’m not a child anymore, Alan.”
“I know. I just don’t want to see you buried in the town cemetery beside your parents. I’d never forgive myself.”
“You won’t,” I promised, solemn. “Just let me work the case with you and give me what I need. Access to files. Privacy. Escorts when necessary. And the most important thing of all.”
“What?”
“Trust.”
I held his gaze.
“I need you to trust me and stop treating me like a kid—treat me like the professional standing beside you. I know it’s difficult. You watched me grow up. But I know what I’m doing. I’ve worked with police before. I wouldn’t be where I am if I didn’t.”
“I know,” he said quietly. “And I do trust you. I’m proud of you, Evelyn. We all are.”
He squeezed my shoulder—comforting.
“Nadia misses you. She always asks about you.”
“I miss her too, Alan. A lot,” I said, painfully soft.
Now that I was back in town, I would do everything I could to see my childhood friend again.
“You can stay at my place while you’re here. You know you’re always welcome—”
“I already rented an Airbnb. I got here last night,” I shot back—truthfully. “But thank you. I promise I’ll visit you as soon as I can.”
If my answer hurt him, he didn’t show it.
He nodded and released my shoulder.
“Fine. Give me your address. I’ll have a unit watch your door twenty-four seven.”
When he saw my teeth clench, he raised an eyebrow.
“Don’t complain about privacy now. Not happening.”
“I wasn’t going to.”
“Good.”
He turned toward a group of officers waiting to speak with him.
“I have work to handle. You heading to your place now?”
I nodded.
“I’ll send a unit to escort you. They’ll stay for the rest of the night. Tomorrow we start the investigation.”
He paused, eyes sharp.
“Think about everything you saw today. Bring me any insight that might help.”
“I will. Thank you, Alan.”
I started walking toward the trail exit.
Beyond the yellow tape, civilians and news crews were already gathering—phones and cameras in hand, starving for anything they could pull from the officers.
“Hey, miss—do you know who died?” someone called at me as I neared the tape.
“Isn’t that the chief’s daughter—”
I lowered my head, hiding my face.
Suddenly, I heard my name shouted behind me. I turned.
Alan stood where he’d been, watching me leave with a grave expression.
He approached and leaned in close, whispering so no one else could hear:
“I don’t want to scare you, Evelyn. But the Ripper has never acted this personally before. Whatever you did made him unpredictable. No one knows what his next move will be.”
He studied me, cautious—afraid, not for himself, but for me.
“You need to find him before he finds you.”
His voice dropped, deadly serious.
“And trust me—now he won’t stop until he does.”
- Writer
