Between Love and Revenge

Chapter 7: The Unanswered Case

POV: Elena Carter

Three days after the funeral.

Elena sat in the waiting area of Riverdale Central Police Station.

She had barely slept.

The dark circles beneath her eyes were impossible to hide.

She sat with her hands clasped tightly in her lap, staring at the closed office door in front of her. Every few minutes, her eyes drifted toward the clock on the wall.

She had been waiting for almost an hour.

She didn't care.

She needed answers.

Since Vivian's funeral, one question had refused to leave her mind.

Who killed her sister?

The detective handling Vivian's case finally appeared.

"Miss Carter?"

She stood immediately.

"You said you had updates."

He led her into a small office.

A thin case file rested on the desk.

Elena's eyes never left it.

She sat down slowly, her fingers tightening around the edge of the chair.

"Have you found the driver?"

The detective hesitated before opening the file.

"The vehicle involved belongs to Miss Victoria Sterling."

Elena's heart skipped a beat.

"So... she admitted it?"

The detective closed the file.

"No."

"Then arrest her."

"I'm afraid it's not that simple."

Elena frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"The evidence doesn't establish who was driving."

"But it was her car."

"Yes."

"And there were witnesses."

"They couldn't identify the driver because of the rain."

Elena stared at him in disbelief.

"There must be CCTV."

"There was."

Her eyes lit up.

"Good."

The detective sighed.

"The traffic camera at the intersection malfunctioned during the storm."

Elena slowly shook her head.

"No..."

"The nearby shop cameras?"

"None captured the collision."

"What about fingerprints?"

"The vehicle was professionally cleaned before it was released."

A chill ran down Elena's spine.

"Professionally cleaned?"

The detective looked away.

"It appears someone was very thorough."

Silence filled the room.

Elena stared at the closed case file.

The explanation didn't make sense.

How could a case involving a woman's death lose so much evidence in such a short time?

Her mind returned to the rainy night.

Vivian had been walking home.

She had been alive.

Then, within seconds, everything had changed.

And now the person responsible might simply walk away.

For the first time...

Elena felt something deeper than grief.

Suspicion.

Someone wasn't just hiding the truth.

Someone was protecting it.

She looked directly at the detective.

"Are you telling me..."

"...that my sister's killer is going to walk free?"

The detective couldn't meet her eyes.

"I haven't closed the case."

"But..."

He paused.

"...right now..."

"...it's an unanswered case."

Elena's chest tightened.

She wanted to argue.

She wanted to demand that they search again, question more people, inspect the vehicle again.

Anything.

Instead, she sat there in silence, realizing that the system she had trusted to give Vivian justice had nothing more to offer her.

Elena left the detective's office in a daze.

His words echoed in her mind.

"It's an unanswered case."

How could that be?

Vivian was gone.

A family had been destroyed.

Yet no one was being held responsible.

She stopped in the station corridor and took a deep breath, trying to steady herself.

Around her, officers moved between rooms, phones rang, and papers were being shuffled.

Life inside the station continued as though Vivian's death were just another case among hundreds.

"Miss Carter.”

She turned.

The detective was walking toward her again, carrying the case file.

Elena stared at him.

"I've been doing this job for eighteen years," he said quietly. "Something about this case doesn't sit right with me."

"What do you mean?"

He glanced around to make sure no one was listening.

"Evidence doesn't usually disappear this neatly."

Before Elena could ask another question, another officer called from down the hallway.

"Detective Harris! The captain wants to see you."

He sighed.

"I have to go."

As he turned away, he paused.

Without looking back, he said,

"Don't give up, Miss Carter."

"There are some truths that take time to uncover."

Then he walked away.

Victoria Sterling.

She whispered it under her breath.

As if committing it to memory.

Outside the station, she stood beneath the afternoon sun.

For days, grief had consumed her.

Now...

It was joined by determination.

She looked at the busy streets around her.

People walked past laughing.

Cars moved through the intersection.

Businesses remained open.

Everyone seemed to be living normally.

While she was still trying to understand how her world had fallen apart.

"If the truth won't come to me..."

She looked toward the city skyline where the powerful Sterling family lived.

"...I'll go looking for it."

The bus ride home was quiet.

Elena sat by the window, the detective's words replaying in her mind.

"Evidence doesn't usually disappear this neatly."

She couldn't shake the feeling that someone had reached into the investigation and erased the truth.

By the time she reached the apartment, dusk had settled over the city.

She unlocked the door and stepped inside.

The silence welcomed her once again.

She placed her handbag on the table and noticed Vivian's framed photograph.

Slowly, she picked it up.

"I'm sorry, Viv."

Her voice trembled.

"I couldn't get justice for you today."

She traced the edge of the frame with her thumb.

"They said there isn't enough evidence."

A bitter smile crossed her lips.

"But I know you."

"You were careful."

"You always followed the rules."

"You didn't deserve what happened."

She set the photograph back on the table and walked into Vivian's room.

Everything remained untouched.

The neatly folded clothes.

The books on the shelf.

The faint scent of her perfume.

Elena opened the wardrobe and gently rested her forehead against the wooden door.

"I don't know where to begin."

The room remained silent.

Then her eyes landed on the white lily Martha had given her after the funeral.

She had placed it in a small glass of water beside Vivian's bed.

Its petals were still fresh.

Elena smiled sadly as Vivian's words echoed in her heart.

"White lilies don't erase grief. They remind us that even after loss... life can still bloom."

She carefully picked up the flower.

"I'll try, Viv."

"I don't know how long it'll take..."

"...but I'll find the truth."

Her phone buzzed.

It was a message from Detective Harris.

I'm sorry I couldn't do more today. If anything new comes up, you'll be the first to know. Don't lose hope.

Elena read the message twice before locking her phone.

She walked to the window and looked out at the city lights.

Somewhere out there...

Someone knew exactly what had happened that rainy night.

Someone was living their life as if Vivian had never existed.

Elena closed her eyes.

Then made a quiet promise.

"I won't let your case become another file gathering dust."

"No matter how long it takes..."

"I'll uncover the truth."

She placed the white lily beside Vivian's photograph.

Outside, the wind gently stirred the curtains.

Inside, a single unanswered case had become a promise that would change two lives forever.