PERFECT SHADOWS

CHAPTER 3

PERFECT SHADOWS 3

Detective Jaco van der Merwe parked outside the modest suburban home. The sun had barely risen, casting long shadows across the quiet street. He straightened his tie, then walked to the front door.

“Mrs. Dlamini?” he called politely, showing his badge.

The older woman opened the door, frowning. “Yes? Can I help you?”

“I’m Detective Jaco van der Merwe,” he said, voice calm. “I’d like to ask you some questions about your daughter… and your grandson.”

Her eyes narrowed. “I don’t know what you mean. Kiara would never do anything wrong. She loved Lucas.”

Jaco nodded slowly. “Of course. But you saw the news. Selene Marlowe has made claims. About what happened in her family.”

Mrs. Dlamini’s hand tightened on the doorframe. “I don’t believe it. My daughter would never… never-”

Jaco interrupted softly. “What if I told you I already have DNA from the child?”

The woman froze, one hand dropping to her chest. Her eyes widened.

“I mean it,” Jaco continued, leaning forward slightly. “If we cross-reference the child’s DNA with Adrian Marlowe’s… it would show whether he is the father. Right? Or not?”

Mrs. Dlamini’s frown deepened. Her lips pressed into a thin line. She didn’t speak.

“So,” Jaco said slowly, “you knew. You knew Kiara was sleeping with both Adrian Marlowe and Lucas Marlowe. And you let it happen? You were about to let the son father a child that wasn’t his. How dare you.”

The woman’s eyes filled with tears, but she refused to speak.

“Where is Kiara now?” Jaco pressed. “Do you know where she went? Or what she’s doing?”

Mrs. Dlamini swallowed hard. “She… she disappeared. A week after the murders. She said she was scared. She didn’t want to be part of all this. She left. That’s all I know.”

Jaco’s lips tightened. “So now Kiara is a person of interest as well. And the child… somewhere out there. Missing.”

The weight of his words hung in the air. Mrs. Dlamini could say nothing more. The detective scribbled a few notes, eyes cold, calculating.

“The clock is ticking,” he said softly. “Every hour, every day, matters. You understand that, don’t you?”

Mrs. Dlamini nodded silently, gripping the edge of the doorframe like a lifeline. Jaco turned, walking back to his car. The quiet street seemed colder now, as if it knew what secrets were hidden behind those walls. And somewhere in the city, Selene Marlowe’s plan continued to unfold, one calculated step ahead of everyone including the law.

..........

The room smelled faintly of pizza and Coke, Selene’s choice for the day. Detective Jaco van der Merwe placed the tray carefully on the table. The red-and-white checkered box gleamed under the harsh fluorescent lights. Selene Marlowe walked in, another suit deep navy, sharp shoulders, heels clicking softly. She gave him a slow smile, the kind that made him simultaneously uneasy and trapped.

“Pizza,” she said approvingly, opening the box. She took a slice, folded it neatly, and ate as if nothing was wrong in the world. “Coke too?” she asked, reaching for the can, sipping carefully.

Jaco cleared his throat. “Selene… we need to talk about Kiara. And the baby. They’re missing. We have to find them before-before anyone else gets hurt.”

Selene chewed slowly, watching him. Her expression did not shift. “Why do you think I don’t already know?”

“We need information,” Jaco pressed. “You know where they are. Your cooperation could save them. Please.”

Her eyes sharpened, cold now. “Detective, you don’t get it. I’ve been patient. I’ve spoken because I chose to. But this-” she gestured vaguely, pizza in hand, “this interview does not run your way. It runs mine.”

He leaned forward. “Selene, just… think like a mother. You cared for them. Tell us-where is Kiara and the child?”

For a moment, her calm faltered, just slightly. A shadow of her motherly instincts peeked through. But then her shoulders squared.

“Do you really think this is how it works?” she snapped, voice cutting. “You push, you threaten, you manipulate and you think I’ll step outside the agreement? Forget it. Forget every word I’ve spoken if that’s what you’re hoping for.”

Jaco opened his mouth to respond, but she stood, folding her arms. Her heels clicked against the floor as she approached the door.

He said quickly, “Selene… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to-”

She cut him off with a single shake of her head. “I refuse your apology, Detective.”

Her fingers lingered briefly on the doorknob, then she turned her gaze back to the camera, cold and precise. “Day three. Tomorrow. Be ready. And remember you've wasted your day 2, this works my way, or not at all.”

The door clicked shut. The room felt colder immediately, as if the walls themselves had absorbed her authority. Jaco sank into his chair, stomach tight, mind racing. Selene Marlowe had reminded him, once again, who truly controlled the narrative.

.................

Detective Jaco van der Merwe stoodshamefulin frontofhis Captain, trying to steady himself. He had been warned—stay on script, don’t provoke her. But he couldn’t help himself.

“So, what happens,” he asked carefully, “if she decide to cut the interviews? What then? We won’t get anything.”

His head snapped up. “Detective van der Merwe,” he said, voice cold, precise, deadly calm, “you’re forgetting yourself, you voted this. You know the rules. You’ve gone off script. And now? You apologise.”

Jaco’s jaw tightened. “I’m sorry. You’re right. I shouldn’t have-”

“Good,” he said lightly. “Let’s keep it that way.”

He nodded quickly, swallowing hard, and stepped out of the room. He breathed deeply, trying to collect his thoughts. Then his phone rang his office line. He glanced at the number. Thought it might be his boss, someone from the precinct.

“Detective van der Merwe,” he answered, voice professional but tense.

“Stop looking around,” said Selene’s calm, controlled voice.

Jaco froze. His heart jammed in his chest. He spun, glancing at the empty hallway, the locked doors, the cameras. She’s here? She’s… how?

“You want Kiara and her child?” Selene continued, her voice chillingly nonchalant. “I’ll give you an address. Go. Check it. Stop thinking the body you know nothing about is… what you think it is.”

She read the address slowly, clearly, each word deliberate. Jaco wrote it down on his notepad, hands shaking slightly.

“And Detective?” she asked. “How did I get your office phone?”

Before he could respond, the call dropped.

He stared at the phone in disbelief, then around the office again, panicked. His mind raced. What kind of killer did we just capture? A mother. A murderer. A master manipulator. Someone who could control the narrative, the investigation, and even reach into his secure precinct office without leaving a trace. Jaco sank into his chair. Every instinct told him: Selene Marlowe wasn’t just dangerous. She was untouchable at least, in the ways they had imagined.

And now, the chase for Kiara and the child had just begun.