ANOTHER STORY
1545 Words
Josh finished the last sip of his coffee and set the mug down on the table. His eyes lingered on Lisa.
Soft light framed her face, catching in her hair, her expression calm but unreadable.
He leaned forward slightly, voice low but steady.
“You’re beautiful, Lisa.”
She blinked, almost as if the words startled her.
Then—she smiled.
Not the kind she gave to distract or deflect.
But something rare. Unhidden.
Lisa reached out slowly, fingers brushing his shirt, and pulled him closer. The tension between them—silent for days—finally broke.
“We still have a lot to cover up,” she whispered near his ear.
Josh smiled faintly. “We still have time for fun, too.”
Their lips met—gentle at first, unsure, but quickly deepening into something neither of them wanted to stop.
The world outside faded—mysteries, fear, and everything waiting in the dark—forgotten for a little while.
Nothing more needed to be shown.
But in the soft stillness that followed, the storm didn’t rage.
It simply waited.
A pale gray light crept through the curtains as the early morning silence wrapped the room in fragile calm. For once, the world outside wasn’t pounding at the door with secrets. Lisa lay nestled against Josh’s shoulder, their breaths slow, steady—like the universe had finally granted them a pause.
But peace has a way of breaking.
Her phone vibrated sharply on the nightstand.
Lisa stirred, brow tightening. Josh didn’t move—still deep in sleep beside her. The phone buzzed again, more insistent this time. She reached for it with a sleepy hand.
Unknown number.
Her pulse skipped.
She answered.
“Hello?”
The voice on the other end delivered the news so quickly, so bluntly, that for a moment she forgot how to breathe.
Her body went rigid.
“What?” she whispered. “No. That can’t be right…”
Josh shifted, waking at the sound of her voice. “Lisa?” he murmured, eyes still half-closed but sensing something was wrong.
Lisa pressed a trembling hand to her forehead. “When did this happen? How—how was he found?”
Josh sat up fully now, watching her with growing concern.
Her face was drained of color.
“Okay,” she whispered into the phone, barely audible. “Thank you.”
She ended the call slowly, the silence that followed colder than the morning air.
“Lisa,” Josh said softly, “you’re shaking. What happened?”
She turned toward him, and he saw the shock—raw and unfiltered—in her eyes.
“Josh…”
She swallowed hard.
“Grant is dead.”
Josh blinked. “What?”
“He was found in his house early this morning,” she said, voice thin. “They said he… he committed suicide.”
Josh’s confusion hardened into disbelief. “That doesn’t make sense.”
“I know,” she whispered, pacing the room with her arms wrapped around herself. “Someone like Grant doesn’t just end things. He was… he was too proud. Too calculating. He wanted control—over everything.”
Josh stood, watching her unravel.
“Lisa, sit down—”
“No,” she snapped, though her voice trembled. “You don’t understand. The things he said to me. What he knew. How he spoke about my father… Josh, he wasn’t done. He wasn’t the type to give up.”
“You think someone forced him?” Josh asked quietly.
Lisa stopped pacing.
The silence said everything.
She finally exhaled, voice almost breaking. “If he left a note—if he revealed anything… my past, my father’s past… everything I’ve tried to hide—Josh, it could all come out.”
He moved to her and gently placed his hands on her shoulders.
“Lisa… breathe.”
“I can’t,” she whispered. “This feels wrong. All of it. The timing. The way he acted last time we saw him. His threats. His tone.”
She looked up at Josh with terrified eyes.
“If Grant is gone… it means someone silenced him.”
Josh’s jaw tensed.
“And if they did…” Lisa continued, barely above a whisper, “they might come for the others connected to him.”
Josh understood instantly.
“You think they’ll come for you.”
Lisa closed her eyes, tears swelling.
“I think they already started,” she said. “I think this is the beginning of something much worse.”
Josh pulled her into his arms before she collapsed again, holding her tight.
“You’re not alone in this,” he said firmly. “I’m with you. No matter what.”
But Lisa could feel it—in the pit of her stomach, in the tremble in her hands.
Grant’s death wasn’t an ending.
It was the door opening.
And something was stepping through.
Grant’s estate looked different in the daylight—still massive and intimidating, but now wrapped in the cold hush of tragedy. Police tape fluttered in the breeze like warning signals. Patrol cars lined the driveway. Officers moved in and out of the mansion with clipped, focused urgency.
Lisa’s stomach twisted as she and Josh stepped out of the car.
“Ready?” Josh asked quietly.
She nodded, even though she wasn’t.
They approached the uniformed officers near the entrance and flashed their RADIANT COMMUNICATIONS ID cards.
“We’re assigned to cover this case,” Josh said calmly. “They're expecting media access.”
The officer scanned their badges, then stepped aside.
“Stay within the main investigation areas. Don’t touch anything.”
“We won’t,” Lisa replied, though her voice felt too small in the hollow morning air.
Inside, the house felt… wrong.
Not haunted like before—just hollow. As if whatever life Grant possessed had been carved out and replaced with dread.
Footsteps approached. Lisa turned—
And froze.
DeMarco stood near the grand staircase, hands in his pockets, expression unreadable. He looked sharp as always, but there was a quiet heaviness in his eyes.
He raised an eyebrow at the sight of the two of them together.
“Well,” he said slowly, smirking, “I didn’t know you spent the night at Lisa’s place, Josh.”
Josh coughed, caught completely off guard. “Dad—”
Lisa nearly choked on air. “It—It wasn’t—We were—”
DeMarco chuckled, enjoying their discomfort.
“Oh, relax. I’m only teasing. Though you do look awfully… close today. Must’ve been an interesting night.”
Josh’s face went red. Lisa’s went hot.
But DeMarco’s gaze shifted quickly to something colder—calculating, observant.
“Be careful where you step,” he said, tone turning serious. “Grant didn’t go quietly.”
Lisa swallowed.
“I’m going to speak with the lead investigator,” she murmured.
Josh nodded, still glaring at his father.
Lisa approached a tall officer near the hallway where caution tape had been stretched across the doorframes. He was jotting notes, his gloves dusted with powder.
“Excuse me,” she said softly, holding up her ID again. “I’m assigned to the coverage team. Has anything significant been found yet?”
The officer looked at her for a long moment before sighing.
“It’s early—but we have some initial findings,” he said. “Not all of it is public yet.”
Lisa glanced around. “Off the record?”
He hesitated… then nodded.
“We found the body in the private study upstairs. A single gunshot wound. No signs of forced entry.”
He flipped a page in his notebook.
“But here’s the thing: the room was practically untouched. No struggle. No chaos. Just… silence.”
Lisa’s skin prickled.
“Was there a note?” she asked quietly.
The officer’s expression tightened.
“That’s part of what’s concerning,” he said. “We were told there should have been one—apparently the man was dealing with threats recently.”
Lisa felt her heart pound in her throat.
“What do you mean ‘should have been’?”
He leaned closer.
“The note is missing.”
Lisa’s breath caught.
Missing.
Not destroyed.
Not overlooked.
Gone.
“And there’s more,” the officer said. “Whatever happened last night… someone else may have been here with him.”
Lisa’s chest tightened.
“What makes you think that?”
The officer lowered his voice.
“We found two sets of footprints in the hallway carpet. One matches Grant’s.”
“And the second?” Lisa whispered.
“We don’t know yet,” he replied. “But they’re fresh.”
Fresh.
As in—hours old.
As in—right before Grant was found.
Lisa’s fingers curled into fists.
Someone had been here.
Someone who shouldn’t have been.
Someone who didn’t want Grant’s final words seen.
“Thank you,” she murmured, stepping away.
Her pulse was loud in her ears as she returned to Josh—who was still locked in a tense whisper with DeMarco.
When she approached, both men turned.
“You look like you heard something,” Josh said gently.
Lisa nodded once, her voice low and tight.
- Writer
