The second body
998 Words
Chapter 3
The ballroom exploded into chaos.
Reporters jumped forward instantly.
Cameras flash nonstop.
People whispered Jordan Vale’s name like it was already a conviction.
Elena’s heart crashed violently against her ribs as every eye in the room turned toward him.
But Jordan showed no reaction.
Not immediately.
He stood there, eyes fixed on Vanessa Ashford across the ballroom. She was beside Detective Cross, looking shaken in a way that tugged painfully at his chest.
She looked too shaken, almost heartbreakingly so.
It felt rehearsed.
“You’re accusing me of murder?” Jordan finally asked, his voice calm.
Vanessa blinked, her eyes glistening with what looked like tears.I’m telling the police what I saw.”
Jordan gave a soft laugh. There was something dangerous in it.
“Interesting,” he said quietly. “Because ten minutes ago, you claimed you were downstairs the entire evening.”
The room fell silent.
Vanessa froze — just for a second.
Small, almost unnoticeable.
But Elena saw it.
Detective Cross saw it too.
“You said that?” he asked Vanessa carefully.
Vanessa recovered immediately.”I—I meant before the blackout.”
Smooth.
Too smooth.
Jordan allowed himself a faint smile. Somehow, that unsettled Elena more than if he had raised his voice.
Because Jordan looked like a man watching a trap close on someone else — not himself.
Detective Cross stepped forward.
“Mr. Vale, until we sort this out ,I’ll need you to remain inside the hotel.”
Jordan raised an eyebrow.
“You think I’ll run?”
“I think people with money can get unpredictable when bodies start turning up.”
A few guests let out nervous laughs.
Jordan’s gazes flicked back to Elena, just for a moment.
And somehow, it didn't feel accidental.
More like a warning or a signal.
Then—
Another scream tore through the air from upstairs.
The ballroom went silent instantly.
A hotel worker came stumbling down the stairs, crying.” There's blood everywhere!”
Detective Cross muttered a curse under his breath and rushed upstairs, with several officers close behind.
Guests immediately got frightened again.
Some tried leaving.
Others pulled out their phones to record everything.
Elena sat coldly beside Sofia.
“This is insane,” Sofia whispered. “Two bodies down in one night?”
Elena nodded weakly.
But something about this still didn’t make sense.
If Jordan really killed the woman in red heels…
Then who was upstairs?
And why does Vanessa seem to be more afraid of the second body than the first?
“Elena.”
She looked up sharply.
Jordan stood beside her chair again.
How did he move so quietly? Murmured Elena.
“Come with me.”
Her eyes widened.
“What?”
“Now.” Jordan said.
Sofia looked at both of them dramatically.
“Wait… you two know each other?”
“No,” Elena answered quickly without thinking for a second.
Jordan didn't spare Sofia a glance.
Instead, he extended a hand toward Elena, his expression unreadable.
Oddly enough, that simple gesture felt far more threatening than the gunshot that had shattered the evening.
"I'm not going anywhere with you," Elena said under her breath.
A faint smile touched Jordan's lips as he stepped closer.
"Then stay," he replied. "And leave your fate in Vanessa's hands."
A chill swept through her.
Before she could answer, Detective Cross appeared at the bottom of the staircase once more.
Something about him was different now.
The shock was gone. So was the confusion.
What remained was recognition.
His gaze swept across the ballroom before settling on Elena.
It lingered.
Far longer than it should have.
A knot tightened in her stomach.
Why was he staring at her like that?
"Miss Hart," he said carefully.
Beside her, Jordan's posture stiffened.
The detective drew a slow breath.
"I think you need to come upstairs."
Elena frowned. "Why?"
"The second victim had your name written across the wall."
The room seemed to fall silent.
Sofia let out a sharp gasp.
Elena felt the blood drain from her face.
"What?"
Cross held her gaze.
"There was another message."
Her pulse hammered.
"What message?"
For a brief moment, the detective hesitated.
Then he said quietly,
"You should have stayed buried."
The words struck her like a bucket of ice water.
Buried.
The exact word the woman in the red heels had spoken before she died.
Jordan went rigid.
For the first time that night, Elena saw something she never expected in his eyes.
Fear.
Not for himself.
For whatever that message meant.
"You know what that means," she whispered.
Jordan said nothing.
That silence told her everything.
Detective Cross noticed it too.
His expression sharpened with interest.
Then, without warning, every television screen in the ballroom flickered.
Static crackled through the speakers.
Heads turned upward.
A security recording appeared.
The footage showed the restricted hallway upstairs shortly before the blackout.
Vanessa was arguing with the woman in the red heels.
Moments later, Elena passed through carrying a tray.
Then Jordan appeared behind her.
The ballroom grew unnervingly quiet.
The video continued.
Jordan reached for Elena's wrist.
From that angle, it looked rough.
Controlling.
Almost threatening.
Suddenly, the screen went black.
Whispers rippled through the crowd.
Elena stared in disbelief.
That wasn't what had happened.
Someone had altered the footage.
Jordan's face darkened.
Detective Cross slowly turned toward him.
"Looks like you weren't entirely truthful."
Jordan's voice was cold enough to freeze the room.
"That video has been tampered with."
"Perhaps," Cross replied. "But at the moment, it doesn't exactly work in your favor."
Jordan looked back at the screen.
Then something changed in his expression.
Elena followed his gaze.
And froze.
Just before the footage ended, a figure had appeared in the reflection of a hallway mirror.
A woman.
Standing perfectly still.
Watching.
Around her wrist was a hospital identification bracelet.
Elena's breath caught in her throat.
Because the woman staring back from the reflection looked exactly like Amelia Ashford.
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD