Lucas paced the room, glancing now and then toward the garage where the workers were laying down the last stretch of concrete. He felt like his entire world was on hold, waiting for them to finish, but his mind was anything but still. He was nearly certain he’d seen his phone lying on the table last night, right where Lea had been sitting, her gaze cool and calculating. The memory gnawed at him.

  Could Lea have taken it? The idea pulsed in his mind, sharp and unsettling. She was smart, manipulative—and if she had taken his phone, she could have placed it anywhere, maybe even in the forest, where its discovery would only draw suspicion back to him. It was a perfect setup. He could almost picture her, a faint smile curling on her lips as she slipped the phone into her bag and walked out.

  The thought sent a jolt through him. He couldn’t afford to sit here any longer. Every second felt dangerous, each one bringing him closer to whatever trap Lea might have set. But he couldn’t just walk out on the workers—not yet. He forced himself to stay put, to wait for them to finish, but his patience was a thread stretched to breaking. Every noise from the garage hammered his nerves further, a maddening reminder that time was running out.

  On the other hand, as Lea run back towards her hotel room,her mind raced with suspicion and determination. The sight of Lucas’s garage undergoing hurried construction had solidified her belief that he was desperately trying to conceal something. Her footsteps quickened with each passing thought, as if the distance between Lucas's house and her hotel room was filled with mounting evidence against him. She moved through the quiet streets like a shadow, eyes narrowed, focused entirely on the plan forming in her mind. The pieces were finally coming together, and she needed to tell Mike immediately.

  Moments later, Lea entered the hotel room and found Mike waiting. She barely paused to catch her breath, her words spilling out in urgency.

  Lea: [Entering the room quickly] “Mike, you won’t believe what I just saw at Lucas’s house.”

  Mike: [Looks up, surprised by her urgency] “What happened? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

  Lea: “He’s… he’s covering up something in his garage. There’s construction work going on—pouring concrete over the floor. It has to be… it has to be where he buried the body.”

  Mike: [His expression hardens, trying to take it all in] “Concrete? Are you sure that’s what he’s doing? Why would he start fixing up his garage out of the blue?”

  Lea: [Nods with conviction] “Exactly. It doesn’t make sense unless he’s hiding something. And what else would he need to hide that urgently? He’s trying to cover his tracks, Mike—I’m sure of it.”

  Mike: [Pauses, processing] “So you’re saying he buried Marcus there, and now he’s making sure no one can find it?”

  Lea: “Yes. I think he’s sealing it all away, just in case anyone starts asking questions. It’s too coincidental. Why would he suddenly be pouring concrete on the garage floor right after Marcus disappeared?”

  Mike: [Looks convinced, nodding] “Alright, if that’s true, then we need to act fast. If we go to the police now, we can steer them toward Lucas—and maybe even get them to dig up that garage floor. That way, he’s the one caught red-handed, not us.”

  Lea:[Takes a deep breath, relieved that Mike is on the same page] “Exactly. We finally have something to work with. And, Mike… there’s one more thing. I left Lucas’s phone in the forest. If it’s found, we can twist the whole story around him. It’ll look like he’s trying to cover up everything.”

  Mike: [Smirks, nodding approvingly] “Now that’s smart. With the phone out there, it’ll lead suspicion right back to him. Good thinking, Lea. Looks like we’re finally getting control of this.”

  After some back-and-forth on how to approach the situation, Mike lays out his plan carefully, reminding Lea of the importance of avoiding any direct suspicion. He leans in, his tone calm but intense.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  "Listen," Mike says, "we have to act like we’re genuinely worried and completely clueless about what happened. So, instead of reporting it as a murder, we’ll just file a missing person’s report for Marcus. But we need to be subtle. Don’t bring up Lucas at all—at least not right away."

  Lea nods, still catching her breath from her hurried return. "So, I should just say Marcus has been gone since last night?"

  "Exactly. Keep it simple. Just tell them he went out and didn’t come back. Say you’re concerned because it’s out of character for him. That’ll make it look more credible."

  Lea hesitates, thinking of how well she’ll have to play her part. "And if they ask more questions about him?"

  "Stick to the basics," Mike says."Listen, Lea, we have to be smart about this. The police will be suspicious, so you need to be ready to give them just enough to make them look at Lucas without giving ourselves away."

  Lea nodded, nervous but determined. "So, how do I bring him up without it looking too obvious?"

  Mike paused, choosing his words carefully. "Here’s the story. When you and Marcus were out for a walk, you passed by Lucas’s house. That’s when you thought you saw someone behind you… just a shadow at first, but as you looked closer, you saw it was Lucas."

  Lea's eyes widened as she listened, absorbing every detail. "And I tell them I recognized him because I’d seen him around his house before?”

  "Exactly. That’ll sound natural," Mike said. "Mention that Marcus asked you to keep walking, but when you both looked back a few times, you saw Lucas watching you. Make it sound unsettling, like you felt something wasn’t right."

  Lea took a deep breath, rehearsing it in her mind. "Then I’ll say that later, when we got back to the hotel, Marcus went outside to smoke, told me he’d be back soon, and that was the last time I saw him."

  "Right. And if the police ask why you didn’t report him missing sooner, say you thought he might have gone out to meet friends. Maybe he’d done that before without telling you, so you didn’t think much of it."

  Mike’s voice softened, a cautious edge still present. "One more thing—you can’t let them suspect any connection between you and me. The police can’t have a reason to look into our past, or we’ll be in trouble."

  Lea paced the room, casting a nervous glance at the clock. “Why can’t I go to the police now, Mike? I mean, the longer we wait, the more suspicious it looks, doesn’t it?”

  Mike stayed calm, folding his arms as he thought through the plan. “No, Lea, waiting actually works in our favor. Think about it,” he replied, steadying his gaze on her. “You need to look like you really believed he’d come back, that you weren’t worried at first because… well, maybe he’s gone off without telling you before, right? If you act like this has happened before, the police will buy that you didn’t come right away.”

  Lea frowned, trying to grasp his logic. “But what if they ask why I waited?”

  “That’s the whole point,” Mike continued, his voice low and calculated. “Tell them you thought he might be out with friends. Make it seem like he’s gone off before without warning you, but this time, when it went over 24 hours with no word, that’s when you realized something was wrong. They’ll understand you’re only coming to them now because it’s serious, and you’re genuinely concerned.”

  Lea sighed, still visibly tense. “And you’re sure I shouldn’t tell them everything? I mean… what if they suspect me?”

  Mike shook his head. “No, you keep the details simple. Just tell them about the last time you saw Marcus, say he left to smoke and didn’t come back. Don’t push the suspicion on Lucas too hard at first. Let them start digging around on their own. When they start connecting the dots, then you can give them a little more. Make it feel like you’re remembering details over time. If it sounds too rehearsed or too complete, they’ll see right through us.”

  Lea took a deep breath, nodding slowly. “Alright, I get it. We wait till tonight. I go in with the bare minimum, just enough to make it look like I’m concerned but… not hiding anything.”

  “Exactly.” Mike gave her a reassuring smile. “By then, the story will feel real. And Lucas… he’ll be the one they’re looking at, not us.”

  On the other side as the last light of day softened over the town, Lucas waited with growing impatience, his eyes fixed on the workers clearing out of his garage. Shadows crept along the ground, lengthening with the setting sun, as he tapped his foot, glancing at the clock. It was nearly 4:30, and a chill started seeping into the evening air. Finally, a voice called out, “We’re done here, sir!”

  Lucas wasted no time. With only a polite nod and a rushed farewell, he watched the workers leave, barely registering their chatter as he turned on his heel and headed toward the forest.

  With each step, Lucas’s sense of urgency spurred him forward. He sprinted across the uneven terrain, dodging low branches that scratched at his skin and roots that jutted up from the ground like skeletal fingers. The forest was dense, with shadows dancing under the thick canopy above, casting everything in dim, muted light. He stumbled at one point, his foot catching on a hidden root. He went down hard, his hands scraping against the earth as he hit the ground, and for a moment, he lay there, feeling the burn in his lungs and a spike of frustration.

  But he shook it off, picked himself up, and pushed on, his mind focused on the prize. It was only when he recognized a fallen tree and a patch of trampled underbrush that he knew he was close. In daylight, the scene was different; he noticed splatters of dried blood staining the ground, smeared from where he’d dragged the body last night, and nearby, his eyes caught a glint of metal. Stepping closer, he uncovered his phone, partially hidden beneath a layer of leaves. He chuckled to himself, a slow, satisfied smile spreading across his face.

  “Nice try, Lea,” he muttered. “Game’s on.” The satisfaction of being one step ahead filled him, his mind racing with strategies to counter her next move.

  He glanced at his other phone to check the time—5:40 p.m. Shadows stretched through the forest, and the fading light cast a dim, eerie glow over the ground. He knew he needed to head back soon before darkness fully claimed the woods.

  Just as he turned to leave, a sharp crack echoed through the silence—a branch snapping underfoot. He whipped around, his senses on high alert. Across the clearing, barely visible in the twilight, a figure stood watching him. A forest ranger. The ranger’s gaze was fixed on the ground, and Lucas’s heart skipped as he followed the line of sight to a faint bloodstain that had seeped into the dry forest floor.

  The ranger’s eyes shifted up, meeting Lucas’s with a suspicious look that cut through the fading light, and Lucas felt a chill run down his spine.

  To be continue.......