Chapter two; Eyes in the dark
385 Words
The next morning, Hollow Creek felt even quieter than before — like the town itself was holding its breath.
Aria sipped her coffee on the porch of the small inn where she was staying, replaying the words Detective Adrian Cole had said to her the night before: “That case is dead. Let it stay buried.”
But why? Why would a police officer discourage her from looking into a missing person case? Especially one that remained unsolved.
She spent the day walking around town, noting the cautious stares she received from strangers. It was as if her presence disrupted something they’d tried hard to forget.
By noon, she found herself back at the library. Mrs. Dalton gave her a tight smile when she walked in.
“You’re persistent,” the librarian said without looking up from her desk.
“I’m just curious,” Aria replied. “About Eleanor Caldwell.”
Mrs. Dalton hesitated, then leaned in. “Some people here don’t like the past being dug up, dear. You should be careful.”
That warning only fueled Aria’s resolve.
Later that evening, she visited Hollow Creek’s police station under the guise of requesting public records. She wasn’t surprised when Adrian Cole appeared at the front desk, his arms crossed.
“You again.”
“I told you,” she said, “I don’t like unanswered questions.”
He gave her a long, unreadable look. “Unanswered questions can get you hurt.”
Before she could reply, an older man emerged from the back office — Chief Owens, according to the name tag on his uniform. He took one look at Aria and frowned.
“What’s your business here?”
Aria quickly explained her search, deliberately leaving out the letter.
The Chief’s expression darkened. “That case isn’t public. It’s closed.”
Adrian’s jaw tightened beside her, but he said nothing.
On her way back to the inn that night, Aria couldn’t shake the feeling of being followed. She stopped twice, scanning the empty street, but saw no one.
It wasn’t until she reached her room and glanced out her window that she caught it — a shadow slipping between the trees across the street, too tall, too still to be nothing.
Someone was watching her.
And Hollow Creek’s secrets weren’t ready to be uncovered.
- Writer
