Chapter 6: Shadows Of The Past.
1890 Words
Lena left Daniel's office with more questions than answers.
The afternoon traffic flowed around her as she stood outside the building, replaying every word of their conversation. Daniel had insisted he never intended to keep Ethan's letter. According to him, someone had stopped him outside the student center and claimed the envelope had already been delivered.
But he couldn't remember who that person was.
Her phone was still in her hand.
Ethan's last message remained on the screen.
Lena... I just remembered who was standing with Daniel that morning.
It wasn't a stranger.
It was someone we both trusted.
Without thinking twice, she pressed the call button.
Ethan answered before the second ring.
"Lena."
"I think we need to talk."
"I was about to say the same thing."
"Can you meet now?"
"There's a park by Riverside, about ten minutes from where you are."
"I know it."
"I'll be there."
"I'll see you soon."
The call ended.
---
The park was quieter than usual.
A cool breeze swept across the river, carrying the scent of fresh rain. Children laughed in the distance while joggers passed along the walking path, unaware that two people were about to reopen a chapter of their lives they had tried to bury.
Lena arrived first.
She chose a bench beneath a large oak tree and watched the water ripple beneath the afternoon sun.
A few minutes later, Ethan appeared.
He was dressed casually in a navy jacket and dark jeans, looking less like the captain of the New York Blizzards and more like the university student she had once known.
He stopped a few steps away.
"Thanks for coming."
Lena nodded.
"I spoke with Daniel."
"I guessed as much."
She told him everything, beginning with Daniel's surprise at seeing her and ending with his claim that someone had told him the letter had already been delivered.
Ethan listened without interrupting.
When she finished, he looked out at the river for a long moment.
"He's telling the truth about one thing."
"What do you mean?"
"The train station."
She frowned.
"He really drove me there that morning."
"So he wasn't lying."
"No."
Ethan turned to face her.
"But something else doesn't make sense."
"What?"
"He said he went to your apartment."
"Yes."
Ethan slowly shook his head.
"Lena... you moved out almost a week before graduation."
She stared at him.
"I did."
"I helped you carry your boxes."
The memory returned so clearly that she could almost see it.
They had spent an entire Saturday packing books into cardboard boxes. Ethan had laughed when one of them broke open on the stairs, sending novels across the hallway.
She hadn't thought about that day in years.
"You're right," she whispered.
"I wasn't living there anymore."
Ethan nodded.
"So if Daniel knew you'd already moved..."
He paused, his expression growing more serious.
"...why would he tell us he went to an apartment he knew was empty?"
The question settled heavily between them.
For the first time, they weren't just uncovering forgotten memories.
They had found a contradiction.
And contradictions usually meant that someone, somewhere...
Was hiding the truth.
Neither of them spoke for several moments.
The river flowed quietly behind them, but Lena barely noticed it. Ethan's question kept echoing in her mind.
Why would Daniel say he went to an apartment he knew was empty?
"There has to be another explanation," she said at last.
"I've been trying to think of one."
"And?"
Ethan sighed.
"I can't."
Lena folded her arms.
"Either Daniel lied to us..."
"...or his memory isn't as clear as he believes," Ethan finished.
She nodded slowly.
"Five years is a long time."
"It is."
"But people usually remember important days."
Ethan looked at her.
"I remember every detail of the morning I left."
His voice carried a quiet sadness.
"I remember packing my bag before sunrise. I remember calling you while I was waiting for the train. I remember giving Daniel the envelope because I believed he was the one person I could trust."
Lena listened carefully.
"You never saw anyone else?"
"I don't think so."
"You said in your message that someone else was standing with Daniel."
Ethan frowned as he searched his memory.
"I didn't remember it until after you left his office."
He closed his eyes for a moment.
"It's strange. The memory came back in pieces."
"What do you remember now?"
"There was another person near Daniel."
He spoke slowly, choosing each word with care.
"They weren't talking when I handed him the letter."
"But they were close enough to hear our conversation."
Lena felt a chill run through her.
"So whoever it was knew about the letter."
"I think so."
She reached into her bag and pulled out her phone.
"I took pictures at graduation."
"So did I."
They opened their photo galleries and began scrolling through old albums that had remained untouched for years.
Most of the photographs showed smiling classmates, professors, and proud families gathered across the university campus.
Then Lena stopped.
"Wait."
She enlarged one picture.
It showed several students standing outside the student center on graduation morning.
"You were taking pictures with the hockey team," she said.
Ethan leaned closer.
"And Daniel is right behind me."
Lena zoomed in further.
Daniel stood only a few steps away, holding Ethan's backpack over one shoulder.
"I don't remember this photo."
"Neither do I."
Her finger moved across the screen.
Then she froze.
"There."
Near the edge of the photograph, almost hidden behind a group of students, stood another familiar figure.
The face wasn't completely clear, but it was recognizable.
Ethan stared at the screen.
"I know him."
"So do I."
Professor Adrian Wells.
Their academic advisor.
The man who had encouraged Ethan's hockey career and helped Lena secure her first internship in journalism.
Neither of them had ever questioned his kindness.
Until now.
Lena looked up at Ethan.
"He was there."
Ethan nodded slowly, unable to take his eyes off the photograph.
"He knew about the letter."
Neither of them noticed the black SUV parked across the street from the park.
Inside, someone watched them through a camera lens.
The shutter clicked once.
Then again.
Without either of them realizing it...
They had just become the subjects of someone else's investigation.
Lena couldn't take her eyes off the photograph.
Professor Adrian Wells stood only a few feet away from Ethan and Daniel. He wasn't looking at the camera. His attention was fixed on the envelope Ethan had just handed to Daniel.
"What are the chances this is a coincidence?" she asked quietly.
Ethan studied the image for another moment before shaking his head.
"I don't know."
"But I do know Professor Wells always noticed everything."
Lena nodded.
He had been more than a lecturer. Students respected him because he remembered names, offered advice, and always seemed willing to help. During their final year, he had encouraged both of them whenever they struggled with balancing classes and their careers.
"He believed in us," Lena said.
"He did."
Ethan slipped his phone back into his pocket.
"That's why this doesn't make sense."
Lena looked at the photograph one last time before saving it.
"We shouldn't jump to conclusions."
"I agree."
"He may have been standing there without knowing anything."
"Or he may know more than we realize."
They began walking along the river, each lost in thought.
After a few minutes, Ethan broke the silence.
"What are you going to do next?"
"I'm going to keep asking questions."
"Lena."
She looked at him.
"Be careful."
She smiled faintly.
"I've investigated difficult stories before."
"This isn't just another story."
His voice carried a seriousness that made her stop walking.
"Someone sent you anonymous messages."
"I know."
"Someone knew we met at the café."
"I know that too."
"And now we've discovered new information."
He looked around the park before lowering his voice.
"If someone has spent five years hiding the truth, they won't be happy that we're getting closer."
Lena wanted to tell him he was worrying too much.
Instead, she realized he was probably right.
They reached the park entrance, where their cars were parked on opposite sides of the street.
"I'll call you tonight," Ethan said.
"All right."
"If you notice anything unusual, let me know immediately."
"I will."
He waited until she got into her car before walking toward his own.
Lena started the engine and pulled into traffic.
At first, everything seemed normal.
Cars moved steadily through the afternoon streets, and pedestrians filled the sidewalks.
Then she noticed a black SUV in her rearview mirror.
It stayed behind her through two traffic lights.
When she turned onto another street, it turned too.
She frowned.
Maybe it was nothing.
New York was a busy city.
Hundreds of cars followed the same routes every day.
She forced herself to stop thinking about it.
Ten minutes later, she reached her apartment building.
As she stepped out of her car, she glanced back toward the road.
The black SUV was parked across the street.
Its windows were heavily tinted.
She couldn't see who was inside.
A cold feeling settled in her stomach.
She quickly entered the building and locked the lobby door behind her.
Only when she reached her apartment did she allow herself to breathe.
Her phone vibrated.
Another message from an unknown number.
With trembling fingers, she opened it.
There was no text.
Only a photograph.
It showed Lena and Ethan sitting together on the bench in the park less than an hour earlier.
The picture had been taken from a distance.
Someone had been watching them the entire time.
Lena stared at the photograph on her phone.
The image had been taken from across the park. She and Ethan sat beneath the oak tree, completely unaware that someone had been watching them. A wave of unease settled over her. This wasn't a random picture.
Whoever had taken it wanted her to know she was being followed.
Her phone rang before she could think of what to do next. Ethan. She answered immediately.
"Hello."
"Lena."
His voice was tense.
"Are you home?"
"Yes."
"Lock your door."
"I already have."
There was a brief silence.
"Did something happen?" she asked.
"I just got a message."
Her heart skipped a beat.
"You too?"
"You received one?"
"Yes."
She opened the photograph again.
"It was a picture of us in the park."
Ethan exhaled slowly.
"So it's true."
"What do you mean?"
"I received the same picture."
Lena felt the color drain from her face.
"The exact same one?"
"Yes."
"And there was a message."
"What did it say?"
Ethan's voice grew quieter.
This is your final warning. Walk away.
Lena looked down at her own phone. There had been no words with her photograph. Only the image itself.
"They're trying to scare us," she whispered.
"They've succeeded."
Before she could respond, the sound of a car door slamming echoed from outside her apartment building.
Lena instinctively walked toward the living room window.
The black SUV was still parked across the street.
A man wearing a dark baseball cap stepped out of the driver's seat. She couldn't see his face.
He looked up toward her building for a few seconds before returning to the vehicle.
"Ethan..."
"What is it?"
"The SUV is still here."
"What?"
"The one that followed me."
- Writer
