In the frame, Julia walked slowly through the rain, her pregnant belly heavy beneath her umbrella.
Two seconds later, a man appeared behind her. Black hoodie. Baseball cap pulled low. Mask covering his face.
He trailed her at a distance of about ten feet.
Between the mask and the cap, his features were impossible to make out, but his build was visible. Short. Thin.
And he walked with a limp.
A few seconds later, Julia turned into the alley.
The man paused at the entrance for two or three beats, glanced left and right, then followed her in.
The video ended there.
Finch froze the frame and zoomed in on the figure.
"This man. Do either of you recognize him?"
I stared at the screen for a long time.
Then shook my head. "No."
Silas's expression was grim.
"I've never seen him either."
Finch played the video again, this time slowing the playback speed. He walked us through it frame by frame.
"Based on the timeline and the conditions at the scene, the victim was killed shortly after entering the alley."
"This man is very likely our primary suspect."
The thought that this could be the person who murdered and dismembered my daughter set a fire burning in my chest.
My eyes locked on the screen, desperate to catch even the smallest detail.
But he had clearly come prepared. Every inch of him was covered. Only his eyes were exposed.
I didn't know why, but something about those eyes felt familiar.
I just couldn't place where I'd seen them before.
Finch played the video for us over a dozen times.
No matter how many times we watched, neither of us could identify anyone who matched.
The conference room fell quiet for a long stretch.
Finally, I turned to Captain Finch.
"Is this the only footage?"
Captain Finch nodded. "Yeah. After the task force disbanded yesterday, I was already packing up to leave. Then first thing this morning, someone anonymously sent this video straight to my inbox."
He paused. "And it wasn't just me. It was a mass send. Every single person at the precinct got the same video. So did every news outlet in the city."
"The internet's on fire right now. The video's everywhere, and public pressure is through the roof. The task force has been reactivated. Everyone's demanding we catch the real killer."
I frowned. "Why didn't this anonymous person hand over the footage sooner? Why wait until the task force was dissolved, then blast it out to everyone?"
It made no sense.