Chapter 3

Nathan exchanged a look with Lawrence.

Looking at the wailing teen in front of him, Nathan pressed his lips into a thin line. He was unsure of how to break what could very well be devastating news.

"We just found an unidentified female body nearly…" he said at last, his voice low and hesitant.

The teen's knees buckled. He collapsed over as he murmured, "No… It can't be…"

Someone helped him up to record a formal statement when his phone rang.

A cheerful female voice chirped through the speaker. "Max, where are you? I took a two-day bus home to surprise you, but why aren't you home?"

"Ava! I thought something happened to you! I'm coming home right now!" He wiped his tears and swiftly turned to thank Nathan and Lawrence before bolting off.

Nathan and I both exhaled in relief.

As they tried to dig deeper into the case, every detective who'd been dispatched returned empty-handed. None of them brought back a single useful clue.

Nathan's frown deepened as the clock ticked by. The case wasn't moving forward at all.

…

Two days later, Lawrence came to him, looking visibly uneasy. "Nathan, I believe something's wrong. Rosie's been missing for days now, and that's not like her."

Already on edge from the lack of progress, Nathan flared at the mention of my name.

"I told you she's fine, Lawrence. I don't have time for her drama. I've got to be there for Gemma, and at this rate, I'll barely make it to her graduation."

Lawrence lost his patience, too. "Stop being so stubborn, Nathan! If Rosie's in trouble and you won't lift a finger, I will!"

Nathan waved him off dismissively. "Whatever! I don't care if she ever comes back. That is one less headache for me."

A string of curses exploded behind him as Lawrence yelled, "Where the hell did I go wrong with you?"

Hiding in the corner, I shed tears watching Lawrence defend me.

When would Nathan finally realize I was deep in trouble, and that something was really wrong?

As soon as he stepped out, his phone rang.

"Hi, are you Rosanne Slade's brother? I'm her thesis advisor. There's a small issue with her paper, and I haven't been able to reach her. Could you—"

"How would I know where she ran off to? Don't bother me! It's not my problem whether she's alive or dead!" Nathan said, cutting her off before she could finish.

With that, he hung up and tapped on the messaging app. Then, he fired off a furious text.

"Have you had enough? If you don't show up for Gemma's graduation, I swear I'll make you regret it!"

My tears wouldn't stop streaming down my face.

I did show up, Nathan. I'd been lying in the autopsy room for two days now, so when would you finally realize that was me? When would you finally listen to Lawrence?

Just then, Gemma entered the office with a lunchbox.

Nathan's eyes lit up as he rushed forward to greet her. "Gemma, why are you here?"

"I was worried about you, so I brought your favorite," she said, flashing a sweet smile.

Nathan dotingly ruffled her hair. "You're the best, unlike that ungrateful brat who does nothing but cause trouble."

Suddenly, Gemma's eyes welled up with tears, and he immediately panicked. "What's wrong? Who hurt you?"

She bit her lip, feigning a wounded look. "I ran into Rosie on my way here and tried to say hi, but she shoved past me. Then, she threw this locket at me and said she never wanted anything to do with you again."

Nathan looked down, and sure enough, her knee was red and swollen.

Reaching for his phone to give me a call, he cursed, "That ungrateful brat!"

Lawrence noticed the locket and stepped forward to snatch it. "Did you just say Rosie gave you this?"

Gemma nodded, startled by his reaction, and shrank behind Nathan.

"I told you she's fine, Lawrence. And she laid a hand on Gemma, so I'm going to make sure she pays for it."

But Lawrence grimly shook his head. "No, this doesn't make sense. Rosie has worn this locket every day since she was a kid. It was a keepsake from your mom, so she cherishes it a lot and will never throw it away."

But Nathan turned on the loudspeaker and said, "Watch. She'll pick up."

This time, even I didn't expect the call to go through.

Nathan immediately launched into a tirade. "Rosanne, you'd better get here now! How dare you lay a hand on Gemma? You must be asking for death!"

His roars were met with silence before a voice came through the line.

"Nathan, we found this phone at the crime scene."