The Vanishing Truth

Chapter 3: The Investigation Begins

The next morning, Ethan stepped out of the Hollow Inn and into the crisp autumn air. The streets of Raven’s Hollow looked the same, yet there was an unsettling stillness, as though the town itself was waiting for something. He made his way to the Raven’s Hollow Gazette, determined to find out more about Lena and the other missing people Maddie had mentioned the night before.

As he pushed open the Gazette’s door, the scent of ink and aged paper filled the room. Maddie was already at her desk, sipping on a steaming cup of coffee, her eyes scanning the morning’s news reports. She barely looked up as he entered.

“Couldn’t stay away, huh?” she said, her voice laced with amusement.

Ethan dropped into the chair across from her. “Tell me everything you know about the disappearances.”

Maddie sighed, setting her coffee down. “It’s not just Lena. Over the past decade, people have gone missing, and no one talks about it.”

Ethan frowned. “And no connections between them?”

Maddie hesitated. “That’s where it gets weird. Each one of them had some kind of new identity. A new job, a new address, even new names in some cases.”

Ethan’s grip on his notepad tightened. “Like they were trying to disappear on purpose.”

“Exactly.”