Awake In The Shadows

Chapter 14

Detective Sarah sat at her cluttered desk, the dim light from the overhead lamp casting a pallor on the case files spread before her. Photos of the crime scene, witness statements, and Emily's background check formed a chaotic mosaic of evidence and conjecture.

"Something's not adding up," she muttered to herself, her eyes scanning the documents as if willing them to reveal their secrets. She had been on the force for over a decade, seen her share of gruesome crimes, but this one was different. It was personal. Emily Thompson, a local teacher, was the prime suspect, and Sarah couldn't shake the nagging feeling that she was missing something crucial.

Why was she so convinced Emily was involved? Sarah pondered this as she picked up the phone and dialed the forensics lab. "Any updates on the DNA samples?" she asked, her voice tinged with impatience. The lab tech on the other end confirmed her worst fears: inconclusive. She slammed the phone down, frustration boiling over.

"Damn it," she hissed, raking her fingers through her hair. She needed something, anything, to tie Emily to the crime scene definitively. Her gut told her Emily was involved, but her gut wasn't admissible in court.

Just then, her computer pinged with a new email. It was from the tech department, finally delivering the data from Emily's phone. Sarah opened the attachment, her eyes widening as she scrolled through the text messages and call logs. There is was, a glimmer of hope: Emily had received several calls from a blocked number on the night of the murder.

"Gotcha," Sarah whispered, a predatory smile forming on her lips. She printed the logs and added them to the growing pile of evidence. It wasn't a smoking gun, but it was a start.

Taking a deep breath, Sarah leaned back in her chair, her mind racing as she pieced together the fragments of the puzzle. If Emily was being set up, it was a damn good job. But why? And by whom? The questions circled in her mind like vultures over a carcass, but no answers presented themselves.

Just as she was about to dive back into the case files, her phone buzzed. It was text from her partner, but not the kind she was hoping for. "New evidence on Tommy's phone. Looks like he was in contact with our victim but also someone else. Encrypted messages. Tech is working on it."

Sarah felt a chill run down her spine. Tommy, the man who had falsely confessed and later died in his cell, was still casting a long shadow over this case. If he had been in contact with the victim and another unknown person, then the implications were staggering. Had he been coerced into confessing? Was there another player pulling the strings?

For a moment, Sarah questioned her own convictions. Was she so focused on Emily that she was missing the bigger picture? She shook her head, banishing the thought. Now as not the time for doubt; it was the time for action. She would get to the bottom of this, no matter where it led or who it implicated. Justice would be served, even if it shattered her own convictions in the process.