And this time, it was coming for everyone.
The moment the dispatcher's announcement echoed through the precinct, the atmosphere changed completely.
Officers who had been drinking coffee moments earlier immediately stood up. Phones began ringing, chairs scraped against the floor, and several detectives rushed toward the equipment room to collect their weapons and jackets.
Daniel Reed grabbed his radio and headed for the exit.
But before he could reach the door, Claire Morgan stepped directly into his path.
"I need to come with you."
Daniel stopped and looked at her.
"Ma'am, I understand that you're worried, but this is an active crime scene. You cannot come with us."
"That woman might be connected to my sister."
"Which is exactly why you shouldn't be there."
Claire folded her arms.
"You don't understand. My sister disappeared twelve years ago. A woman connected to her investigation has just been murdered, and now you're telling me to sit here and wait?"
Daniel lowered his voice.
"I understand that you're upset, but we have procedures."
"Procedures?"
She let out a short laugh.
"That's what everyone has been hiding behind for twelve years."
Before Daniel could respond, Captain Richard Hayes appeared behind them.
"Claire, step aside."
She turned toward him.
"You're not going to stop me."
"Yes, I am."
"Then arrest me."
Hayes stared at her for a moment. He seemed to be searching for the right words, but eventually he gave up.
"Reed, take two officers. Secure the scene. Nobody touches anything until the forensic team arrives."
Daniel nodded.
"Understood, Captain."
He started walking again.
"Officer!"
Claire called after him.
Daniel turned.
"If you find a small silver necklace, don't let anyone remove it."
He frowned.
"Why?"
"Because my sister never went anywhere without it."
Daniel studied her face.
There was something deeply personal in the way she spoke about that necklace. It wasn't simply a piece of jewelry. It was a memory, perhaps the last connection she had to someone she had lost.
"I'll keep an eye out," he said.
Then he left.
Twenty minutes later, the police vehicles arrived at Westbridge Avenue.
The building stood at the end of a narrow street surrounded by abandoned shops and aging apartment blocks. A few residents had gathered outside, watching the officers establish a perimeter.
Daniel stepped out of the patrol car.
"Nobody enters the building without authorization," he instructed.
Officer Lewis nodded.
"Got it."
They entered through the main entrance.
The apartment was on the third floor. Its door stood slightly open, and a faint smell of cigarette smoke lingered in the hallway.
Daniel drew his weapon and approached carefully.
"Police department. Is anyone inside?"
No answer.
He pushed the door open.
The apartment was almost completely empty. A small table stood near the window, and an old television rested against the wall. There were no signs of forced entry, no overturned furniture, and no obvious evidence of a struggle.
But in the center of the living room lay a woman.
Daniel approached cautiously.
She was approximately thirty-five years old, wearing a dark coat and black trousers. Her face was partially turned toward the floor.
He checked for signs of life, although he already knew what he would find.
"She's gone," he said quietly.
Lewis called for the forensic team.
Daniel examined the surrounding area without touching anything.
Then he noticed something unusual.
A small silver necklace lay beside the woman's right hand.
He immediately remembered Claire's warning.
He took a photograph.
"Lewis, get a close-up of this."
The necklace had a tiny heart-shaped pendant.
Daniel looked at the victim again.
Could this woman really have been connected to Emily Morgan?
Before he could examine the question further, he noticed a folded piece of paper beneath the victim's wrist.
He carefully photographed it before asking the forensic team to collect it.
The paper contained five handwritten words.
SHE KNOWS WHAT YOU DID.
Daniel read the sentence twice.
He had investigated dozens of homicides, but something about this crime felt different.
The victim hadn't simply been killed.
Someone had wanted the police to find her.
And someone had wanted them to understand the message.
Back at the precinct, Claire was standing outside Captain Hayes's office.
She had been waiting for almost twenty minutes, but the captain had not come out.
She checked her phone.
No new messages.
Then she heard footsteps.
Hayes emerged from his office holding a telephone.
His expression was unusually tense.
"Yes," he said into the receiver. "I'm certain."
He listened for several seconds.
"Don't tell anyone else. I'll handle it."
He ended the call.
Claire immediately approached him.
"What happened?"
Hayes looked at her.
"The victim has been identified."
"Who is she?"
"Rebecca Stone."
Claire's expression changed.
She remembered the name.
Rebecca had worked in the police department's records division twelve years earlier. According to the documents Claire had recovered, Rebecca had been the last person to sign the original evidence transfer form connected to Emily's disappearance.
"She was involved," Claire whispered.
Hayes looked uncomfortable.
"How do you know that name?"
"I've seen it before."
"Where?"
"Don't pretend this is new information to you."
Hayes stepped closer.
"Claire, you need to understand something. Rebecca wasn't just a records assistant. She had access to restricted investigations, confidential witness statements, and evidence reports."
"Including my sister's case?"
He didn't answer.
Claire took out her phone.
"I received another photograph."
She opened the message and handed him the device.
The photograph showed Rebecca standing beside a police officer outside a courthouse.
The image was old and slightly blurred, but the man's face was unmistakable.
Captain Richard Hayes.
For several seconds, he didn't move.
"Where did you get this?"
"Someone sent it to me."
"When?"
"About an hour ago."
Hayes looked around the precinct.
"Did anyone else see it?"
"Only you."
He handed the phone back.
"You need to delete that photograph."
Claire stared at him.
"Excuse me?"
"Delete it."
"Why?"
"Because you don't know what it means."
"Then explain it."
Hayes opened his mouth, but before he could respond, a loud electronic sound came from the dispatcher's desk.
Every computer monitor in the precinct suddenly went black.
The lights flickered.
Several officers looked up.
Then the emergency lights switched on.
"What the hell is happening?" someone shouted.
The technical department immediately began checking the system.
Daniel returned through the main entrance at that exact moment.