silenced in the dark : a hunt for a killer begins.

chapter 2

I was in a state of shock after hearing the news of my mother's death. I couldn't believe that my own flesh and blood had been taken from me in such a brutal manner. When I arrived at my mother's home, I found the place swarming with police officers, detectives, and forensic experts. I had never felt so helpless in my entire life.

As I walked around the house, observing the chaos unfolding before my eyes , my phone rang again. It was Rose's number, the new helper i had only just spoken to before leaving my house. I thought I'll find her here in my mother's house, but I heard she asked to be excused after giving her statement , she also said she had an emergency at home.

"Hello?" I answered the call.

There was no response on the other end, only the sound of someone crying softly. My heart skipped a beat, knowing that whoever was on the phone was in distress. "Hello, who's there?" I asked again.

After a few seconds of silence, a voice whispered, "I'm sorry, Michael. I'm so sorry." The voice was familiar, and I recognized it instantly as Rose's.

"Rose? What's wrong?" I asked, my voice shaking.

"It's over, Micheal. I can't take it anymore," Rose sobbed.

"What's over? Tell me what's wrong," I urged.

"I can't do it. I can't go on living knowing what I know. I have to do this," Rose said in a choked voice.

"Rose, what are you talking about? You have to talk to me. Help is on the way. Just stay on the line," I pleaded.

But it was no use. Rose ended the call abruptly, leaving me bewildered and frightened. I didn't even know where she was calling from, let alone where she lived. Feeling helpless and scared, I knew that I had to find Rose before it was too late.

I began searching for Rose, going from house to house, knocking on doors and asking anyone who knew her about her whereabouts. As I searched for her, my mind raced with possible scenarios of what might have caused Rose to become so upset. Was it the stress of my mother's death, or was there something else going on? My heart raced as I contemplated the possibilities.

Finally, after hours of searching, I found Rose's home. The door was unlocked, and I stepped inside, calling out her name. But there was no answer. As I walked through the house, I found no signs of Rose but noticed a piece of paper on the table. It was a letter, written in Rose's handwriting. In the letter, Rose had explained her reasons for taking her own life, stating that she could no longer bear the burden of the secrets she had been keeping. She wrote the letter and she took her life but where is she??

I sat down heavily on the couch, feeling crushed by the weight of the events of this day. My mother was gone, and now Rose had taken her own life, leaving behind more questions than answers. I couldn't help but feel responsible for what had happened, knowing that my mother's death had triggered a chain of events that had led to Rose taking her own life.

As I sat there, lost in thought and grief, I heard a knock on the door. I went to answer it, and found two police officers standing on the other side.

"Good morning, sir. We received a call from the neighbors about suspicious activity in this house. May we come in and have a look around?" One of the officers spoke.

My heart sank, knowing that this was the last thing I needed right now. "Yes, of course. Please come in," I motioned them to follow me.

As they searched the house, one of the officers found the letter that Rose had left behind. I watched as his expression changed from a curious look to a somber one as he read the letter.

"Sir, did you know Rose?" the officer asked, looking at me suspiciously.

"Yes, she was my mother's new helper. I only spoke to her on the phone, I have nothing to do with whatever she wrote in that letter. I found it here myself."

The officer didn't seem convinced. "We received a call about a hanging at the backyard of this house. Did you find anyone here when you arrived?"

"No, I came here to look for Rose, but I found no one. I don't know anything about a hanging," I said, feeling increasingly anxious and under the scrutiny of the police.

The officers continued to ask me questions, but I couldn't focus on their words. My mind was numb, and I felt like I was drowning in a sea of chaos.

After some time, more officers arrived at the house. They searched the backyard and found Rose's body hanging from a tree. They also found signs of struggle on her body, suggesting that she had been strangled before being hanged.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Rose had taken her own life, but someone had killed her first. The shock and horror of the situation were overwhelming, and I felt like I was trapped in a nightmare.

The officers took me into custody, suspecting me of Rose's murder. I tried to tell them that I had nothing to do with it, but they didn't believe me. They interrogated me for hours, asking me to describe my whereabouts during the time of Rose's death, asking me questions about my relationship with her, and even administering a lie detector test.

Despite my insistence of innocence, the police held me in custody for 5 hours, trying to find evidence to prove my guilt. Finally, the forensic team found new evidence that cleared my name, indicating that I wasn't involved in Rose's murder.

The events of this day had left me traumatized and deeply affected. I had lost my mother, my helper, and my freedom, all within a matter of hours. It was a tragedy that would haunt me forever.

*************

Days after my mother's death and Rose's murder, I returned to my mother's house to mourn and to try and make sense of everything that had happened. As I walked through the house, I couldn't help but feel a sense of emptiness, knowing that my mother would never return here again.

As I entered the sitting room, I found my father-in-law and mother-in-law sitting on the couch. They had arrived to offer their condolences and to offer support in any way they could. Even though my mother-in-law and I had never really gotten along, I was grateful for their presence, knowing that I wasn't alone in my grief.

"How are you holding up?" my father-in-law asked, breaking the silence.

I sighed, trying to find the right words. "I don't even know anymore. It feels like everything is falling apart."

"I can't imagine what you're going through, Michael. But I want you to know that we are here for you," my mother-in-law added, offering her hand.

I shook it, appreciating the gesture. "Thank you, I really appreciate it."

My father-in-law cleared his throat, "Michael, you mentioned earlier on the phone that Rose had talked to you about our family. Do you have any idea what she meant?"

I frowned, slightly surprised by the question. "Yes, she did mention it in the letter. I quickly remembered the letter that Rose wrote before her death and I didn't finish reading it. Why do you ask?" I replied.

"Well, your mother never really talked about her family, and we were just wondering if there was anything you could tell us. We've always been curious about your mother's roots," he explained.

I shrugged, not really sure what to say. "I never really got the chance to ask her, she didn't talk about it much."

My father-in-law nodded, a pensive look on his face. "I see. Well, it's not important now. We need to focus on finding out who did this terrible thing to your mother and Rose."

I nodded, feeling slightly relieved that the conversation had moved away from my mother's family. I knew that my mother had kept a lot of secrets, and I wasn't sure if I was ready to uncover them.

As we sat there in silence, I couldn't help but wonder if my mother's death had been somehow connected to her past. Had she kept secrets that had eventually caught up with her? Or was it just a random act of violence? But if it was violence...why did the killer cut her right hand?

These questions swirled around in my head, as I struggled to come to terms with my loss. One thing was certain, however. My life would never be the same again.