All Chapters of SIR: Chapter 101 - Chapter 104

The apartment still smells like strangers when the last uniformed officer finally leaves. Dust from overturned cushions hangs in the air, mixing with the faint chemical scent of fingerprint powder. Vincent stands in the doorway of the master bedroom, arms crossed, watching the two detectives pack up their kits.“This place has been turned upside down,” the officer says mildly, flipping open a notepad. “But you’re saying nothing is missing?”“Yes,” I say for the third time. “Nothing.”“Nothing missing,” the older one says again, like repetition will make it true. “Drawers rifled through, closets searched, but no valuables taken. Even the jewellery box was intact. No forced entry beyond the front door. Alarm was disabled cleanly, which means someone knew the code or had a bypass. We’ll run the serials on the disabled panel, but these days that’s usually a cloned fob. Happens more often than you’d think.”Vincent nods once. “And the vandalism? The slashed cushions, the broken frames?”“C

I grip the steering wheel so hard my knuckles turn white as I speed through the city streets, David in the passenger seat beside me. "Turn left at the next light," he says quietly, glancing at his phone's GPS. "It'll shave off a few minutes." I nod without speaking and make the turn, the hospital coming into view ahead. My mind races with possibilities, each one worse than the last. I brushed Lucy's fever the other night off as a bug, but the fact that the doctor wanted to speak about it in person... it changes everything. I park in the first spot I see, not caring if it's legal, and we're out of the car before the engine fully stops. David keeps pace with me as we hurry through the sliding doors into the bright, sterile lobby. The smell of antiseptic hits me immediately, bringing back memories I try to push down. Memories of another hospital visit, another child, another loss that still haunts me every day. “Slow down,” he says quietly when I take the corner too fast. “We’re no