BENEATH THE SILENCE

The trap beneath

Mitchell sat at the end of Ethan's long couch after the rain had stopped. The silence in Ethan apartment pressed down on her--- it was thick, tense and familiar.

She hadn't been here in nearly a year, but everything still felt exactly the same.

The framed medals on the shelf, the dark hardwood floors, the bulletin board, the faint scent of cedar and coffee and Ethan. Everything felt the same.

He stood near the window, back turned, phone to his ear, left hand in his pocket. She couldn't hear the words, but his tone was rather clipped and official. He was working on her case.

Her eyes drifted back to the wall of case files. Her photo wasn't up there. Not yet. But she could imagine it tacked to the center with red string connecting her to Daniel, to the surveillance photos, to the mirror message in lipstick and the crime scene in whole.

A flicker of fear ran through her spine.

He ended the call she turned his face to her.

"That was the department", he said. "They confirmed the body. Daniel Carter was declared dead at 9:47 pm. The cause, stab wound to the chest and wrist. No sign of forced entry, and there were no other guests registered to that room."

She closed her eyes. "So officially, I'm the only suspect and the only lead."

"You're the only one they know was there", Ethan said. "And the only one with motive to connects personally."

Her voice sharpened. "I didn't kill him, Ethan... I really didn't."

"I know." His eyes held hers. "But not everyone will believe that." Ethan said.

She stood, pacing the room. "Then we have to figure out who did. Why would someone kill Daniel and frame me for it now? After all these years? What he was into to get him killed?"

He hesitated. "There's more."

Mitchell stopped pacing the room at faced Ethan.

Ethan walked to his desk, opened a drawer and pulled out a thin file. He handed it over to Mitchell.

Inside was a photo of a woman. Striking, blonde, expensive dress and cold eyes.

"Her name is Elise Ashford," Ethan said. "Popular and well known in black market circles. She's suspected of coordinating high value data thefts and laundering through private bank networks. The word is...." Staring straight into Mitchell eyes who was looking scared and eager to hear what Ethan was about to say.

Ethan blurted out. "Daniel was working for her."

"Daniel was working for her?" Mitchell asked surprised.

"The flash drive we saw in that photo might've been his leverage. If he was planning to expose her, or sell her out, that would've made him a target." Ethan said.

Mitchell flipped the photo over. Written in neat handwriting was: "Last seen: Prague -- Jan 4th."

"But that was months ago,"Mitchell said. "And she's not in the country anymore."

Ethan eyes darkened. "I wouldn't be so sure."

He pulled up and image on his laptop, a grainy CCTV footage capture from the hotel lobby just hours earlier.

Mitchell leaned in. It was her. Elise. Entering the building.

And behind her, just two minutes later, a tall woman in a red coat, sunglasses, and a sleek black bob that looked nothing like Elise's profile photo. But something about the walk, the composure... It could be her.

"She changed her appearance."

Ethan nodded. "Possibly. The timing's too exact to be coincidence."

Mitchell stared at the screen. "You think she followed me in."

"I think she made sure you were there before Daniel died."

"You mean set me up?" Mitchell asked.

"Exactly." Ethan responded

A cold chill crept over her. "Why? What does she want from me?"

Ethan turned off the screen. "That's what we are going to find out."

Ethan pulled on his coat. "Come on. I have to check Daniel's room before it's officially sealed. If there's anything the killer missed, we'll find it."

-----

Macview Hotel -- 11:50 am.

The room hadn't changed much since last night, but in daylight, everything felt worse. The bloodstain was still there, partially cleaned but cannot be mistaken. The mirror had been wiped but faint traces of the lipstick could still be seen.

"Look around," Ethan said quietly. "Be fast."

Mitchell moved carefully. The nightstand drawer was empty. She checked under the mattress and found nothing. A torn paper beneath the dresser caught her eyes, she reached out to it and unfolded it slowly.

A map.

No.... A blueprint.

She held it up. "Ethan..." She called out.

He stepped closer. "That's a floorpan."

"Of what?" She asked.

He narrowed his eyes. "This is the lower level of the Sapphire building downtown."

"Isn't that the tech company with all the government contacts?" Mitchell asked.

Ethan nodded. "And one of Elise Ashford's rumoured laundering channels."

Mitchell's throat tightened. "Daniel was going to break in."

"Or already did," Ethan scanned the room again. "This wasn't just a hit. This was a cleanup."

Suddenly, a sound stopped them both.

Footsteps.

Not from the hallway but above.

Ethan's eyes flicked to the ceiling. Then the smoke detector.

He stepped on the chair, reached up and pulled it down. Hidden behind it was a tiny camera, not bigger than a bottle

cap.

"They have been watching," Mitchell whispered.

"And they knew we would come back." Ethan responded