THE BODY IN THE RIVER
1674 Words
Declan's hands grabbed empty air.
Mara was gone. The water below churned where she'd disappeared, dark waves swallowing her without a sound. He leaned over the railing, his heart pounding, his breath coming in short, sharp gasps.
"Mara!" he shouted.
No answer.
The river was silent.
He pulled out his phone and called Reyes.
"She jumped. Off the bridge. The same bridge where David Chen died."
"Did you see her go in?"
"I saw her jump. She didn't come up."
"I'm dispatching the river patrol. They'll search the water."
"It's too dark. They won't find her tonight."
"We'll find her. Dead or alive."
Declan stared at the water.
He didn't know which he hoped for.
---
The search continued for three days.
Divers combed the riverbed. Police boats trawled the surface. Dogs searched the banks.
No body.
No sign of Mara.
On the fourth day, Reyes called.
"We're calling off the search. The current is too strong. She could be miles downstream by now."
"Or she could be alive."
"The water temperature was near freezing. Hypothermia would have set in within minutes. Even if she survived the fall, she wouldn't have lasted long."
"Then where's the body?"
"We don't know. Maybe it got caught on something. Maybe an animal took it. Maybe she got out somewhere we couldn't see."
Declan was quiet.
"She wanted me to watch her jump. She wanted me to feel responsible."
"Are you?"
"Part of me. I could have grabbed her. I was right there."
"You couldn't have known she was going to jump."
"I should have known."
Reyes was silent for a moment.
"The other two names on Cassandra's list. We need to find them before they do something like this. Or worse."
"Agreed. What do we have on them?"
"Next is a man named Gabriel. He's been in hiding for years. Last known location was a cabin in the mountains. The same range where Eve said she was going."
"Then that's where I'm going."
---
Declan drove to the mountains.
The cabin was small, nestled in a grove of pine trees, smoke rising from the chimney. Someone was home.
He parked at the bottom of the driveway and walked to the front door.
He knocked.
No answer.
He knocked again.
The door swung open.
A man stood in the doorway. Mid-thirties. Dark hair. Cold eyes. A scar ran down his left cheek—old, faded, but still visible.
"Declan Cole," the man said. "I've been expecting you."
"Gabriel?"
"One of them. The second of three."
"You knew I was coming."
"Cassandra told me. Before she disappeared. She said you'd find me eventually."
"Are you going to run?"
"No. I'm done running."
Gabriel stepped aside.
"Come in. We have a lot to talk about."
---
The cabin was warm, cluttered, filled with books and papers and photographs. Gabriel led Declan to a table by the window and sat across from him.
"I know about Mara," Gabriel said. "I know she jumped."
"Were you there?"
"No. But Cassandra told me. She's been watching all of us. For years."
"Why did Mara jump?"
"Because she was tired. Tired of running. Tired of hiding. Tired of being afraid."
"She could have turned herself in. Gotten help."
"She didn't want help. She wanted peace."
Declan leaned forward.
"What about you? What do you want?"
"I want the same thing Mara wanted. Peace. But I want to earn it."
"How?"
"By helping you. By telling you everything. About the network. About the people still out there. About the ones who are still dangerous."
"Why would you do that?"
"Because I'm tired too. Of running. Of hiding. Of being what Elias made me."
Gabriel pulled a folder from a drawer and set it on the table.
"This is everything I have. On the last of the three. His name is Victor. Not the Victor you met in the basement. A different Victor. He's the most dangerous of all."
---
Declan opened the folder.
Photographs. Documents. Maps. A man's face stared up at him—older than Gabriel, sharper features, colder eyes.
"Victor has been in hiding for twenty years," Gabriel said. "He was Elias's first experiment. The one who got away."
"Got away from what?"
"From Elias's control. Victor was supposed to be a weapon. But he was too strong. Too independent. Elias couldn't break him, so he locked him away. In the basement. For years."
"How did he escape?"
"When the hospital was shut down, during the first investigation. Victor slipped out in the chaos. He's been running ever since."
"What does he want?"
"Revenge. On Elias. On the family. On anyone who helped Elias."
"But Elias is dead."
"Victor doesn't care. He wants to destroy everything Elias built. The hospitals. The research. The family."
"That's what Daniel wanted."
"Daniel was an amateur. Victor is a professional."
---
Declan studied the photographs.
"Where is he now?"
"I don't know. He moves constantly. Never stays in one place for more than a few days."
"How do we find him?"
"We don't. He finds us."
Gabriel pulled another photograph from the folder.
"This was taken last week. Outside your son's school."
Declan's blood ran cold.
Victor was standing across the street from Finn's school. Watching. Waiting.
"He's been there before," Gabriel said. "Multiple times. He's been watching your son for months."
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
"Because I was scared. Of Victor. Of what he'd do to me if he found out I was helping you."
"And now?"
"Now I'm more scared of what will happen if I don't help."
---
Declan called Reyes.
"I have a name. Victor. He's the last of the three. He's been watching Finn's school."
"We'll increase security. Put agents on every corner."
"He's been evading you for twenty years. What makes you think you can catch him now?"
"Because now we have you. And Gabriel. And everyone else who wants to see him stopped."
Declan looked at Gabriel.
"What do you need from me?"
"Information. About Victor's habits. His safe houses. His contacts."
"I'll tell you everything. But you have to promise me something."
"What?"
"Promise me that when this is over, you'll help me disappear. Start over. Somewhere no one knows my name."
Declan nodded.
"I promise."
---
Declan spent the rest of the day with Gabriel, going through the files.
Victor had been in hiding for two decades. He'd changed his appearance multiple times. Used fake names. Lived off the grid. But he'd made mistakes.
A bank account in a small town. A phone call to a relative. A photograph posted online by someone who didn't know who they were photographing.
"He's not a ghost," Gabriel said. "He's just careful."
"Then we need to be more careful."
"How?"
"By using his own methods against him. Watching. Waiting. Setting a trap."
"What kind of trap?"
"One he can't resist."
---
Declan called Reyes.
"Victor has been watching Finn's school. That means he's watching me. He wants to see how I react. How I fight."
"Then we use that. Draw him out."
"Gabriel said Victor wants revenge on anyone who helped Elias. That includes me. That includes the FBI. That includes everyone who brought Elias down."
"So we make ourselves targets."
"We make me the target. He's been watching me for years. He knows my routines. My habits. My weaknesses."
"That's too dangerous."
"It's the only way."
---
Declan drove home.
Claire was waiting on the porch.
"Did you find him?"
"I found Gabriel. He's helping us. But the last of the three—Victor—he's been watching Finn's school. Watching you."
Claire's face went pale.
"What are we going to do?"
"I'm going to draw him out. Make myself a target. Give him a chance to come after me."
"No."
"Claire—"
"You're not going to use yourself as bait. Not again. Not after last time."
"I have to. It's the only way to keep you safe."
"There has to be another way."
"There isn't."
Claire took his hand.
"Then I'm coming with you."
"No. You need to stay with Finn."
"Then let's send Finn somewhere safe. Somewhere Victor can't find him."
"Where?"
"Your sister's house. In Oregon. He's been there before. He likes it there."
Declan thought about it.
"Fine. But you're going with him."
"Declan—"
"I'm not arguing about this. You and Finn go to Oregon. I stay here. I draw Victor out."
---
The next morning, Declan drove Claire and Finn to the airport.
Finn was confused. "Why can't I stay home?"
"Because there's a bad man," Declan said. "And I need to make sure you're safe."
"Is it the same bad man from before?"
"A different one. But just as dangerous."
"Are you going to catch him?"
"I'm going to try."
"Promise?"
Declan looked at his son.
"I promise."
They hugged at the security checkpoint.
Claire held him tight.
"Come back to us," she whispered.
"I will."
---
Declan drove back to the city.
The house was empty. Silent. The only sound was his own breathing.
He sat on the porch and waited.
His phone buzzed.
Unknown number.
You sent your family away. Smart. But not smart enough.
Victor
Declan typed back. Where are you?
Close. Closer than you think.
Then show yourself.
I will. When I'm ready.
---
That night, Declan couldn't sleep.
He sat in the dark, staring at the window, waiting for Victor to appear.
At 2 AM, he heard a sound.
A creak. On the porch.
He stood up and walked to the door.
The porch was empty.
But on the step, a letter.
Plain white envelope. His name written in black ink.
He opened it.
Inside was a photograph. Himself, sitting on the porch, waiting.
And on the back, in handwriting he didn't recognize:
You're being watched. You're always being watched.
But tonight, I'm not watching.
I'm coming.
—Victor
Declan looked up.
A figure stood at the edge of the yard.
Dark coat. Dark hair. Cold eyes.
Victor.
He raised his hand.
And waved.
- Writer
