The first clue
720 Words
Chapter 5
Darkness swallowed the archive room.
For a heartbeat, neither Amora nor Ethan moved.
The emergency lights flickered on, casting a dim red glow between the towering bookshelves.
The sound came again.
Footsteps.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Someone was inside the archive with them.
Amora instinctively stepped closer to Ethan.
“Did you hear that?” she whispered.
“I did.”
His voice remained calm, but his eyes scanned the room with practiced precision.
“Stay behind me.”
“I can take care of myself.”
“I’m sure you can,” he replied without looking at her. “But right now, I’d rather not test that theory.”
Despite herself, Amora obeyed.
The footsteps stopped.
Silence settled over the room once more.
Ethan reached into his jacket and pulled out a small flashlight. Its narrow beam cut through the darkness, revealing rows of dusty shelves.
“Who’s there?” he called.
No answer.
Only the faint hum of the emergency lights.
Together, they moved cautiously through the archive.
As they rounded the final shelf, Amora gasped.
A cabinet drawer hung open.
Papers were scattered across the floor.
Someone had been searching through the files.
Ethan knelt beside the cabinet.
“No signs of forced entry.”
“What does that mean?”
“They had a key.”
Amora frowned.
“You think someone works here?”
“I think someone knew exactly what they were looking for.”
Before she could ask another question, something white caught her eye beneath the cabinet.
She bent down and picked it up.
It was an old newspaper clipping.
The headline read:
LOCAL MAN MISSING: POLICE CONTINUE SEARCH FOR NOAH COLE
Her heart skipped.
On the back, someone had written a single sentence in blue ink.
He trusted the wrong person.
Amora stared at the words.
“They knew we’d find this.”
Ethan nodded.
“This wasn’t left here by accident.”
“Then who?”
“I don’t know.”
“But whoever it is…” he said quietly, “…they’re helping us.”
“Or leading us into a trap.”
For the first time, Ethan smiled.
“You’re learning.”
⸻
Minutes later, the library’s power returned.
The overhead lights flickered back to life.
An elderly librarian hurried into the archive, looking flustered.
“Oh dear! Are you both all right?”
“We’re fine,” Ethan answered.
“The lights have been acting up all week.”
Ethan exchanged a quick glance with Amora.
Neither of them believed it was a coincidence.
As they left the archive, Ethan stopped near the entrance.
“Coffee?”
Amora blinked.
“What?”
“We think better with coffee.”
She almost laughed.
“Is that how all private investigators solve cases?”
“No.”
He slipped his hands into his coat pockets.
“But it’s how I do.”
For the first time since returning to Blackwood, Amora felt a small smile tug at her lips.
“Fine.”
“But you’re paying.”
“I was planning to.”
⸻
The café overlooked the town square.
It was quiet, with only a handful of customers scattered around.
Ethan waited until the waitress walked away before speaking.
“I’ve been investigating Noah’s disappearance for three years.”
“Who hired you?”
“No one.”
Amora looked surprised.
“Then why?”
He was silent for a moment.
“Because Noah saved my life.”
Her eyes widened.
“You knew him?”
“We worked together briefly.”
“You never mentioned that.”
“You never asked.”
She folded her arms.
“Then tell me everything.”
“I will.”
“But not here.”
Before Amora could protest, Ethan’s phone vibrated.
He glanced at the screen.
His expression changed instantly.
“What is it?” she asked.
He stood abruptly.
“We have to leave.”
“Why?”
Without answering, he grabbed her wrist.
Outside the café, a black SUV rolled slowly into the square.
It stopped directly across the street.
The driver’s door opened.
A man in a dark suit stepped out.
He wasn’t looking at Ethan.
He was looking at Amora.
Then, with a chilling smile…
He tipped his hat.
As if he’d been expecting her all along.
- Writer
