"Maybe it was never about the dumplings. Maybe the problem was somewhere else entirely!"
Only I stepped forward with a different theory.
"What if the killer already knows Justin is just pretending to be my boyfriend?"
But right then, Kerry got a call from the task force.
They said an anonymous letter had just arrived.
"Chief, there's a strong chance this came from the killer!"
"She's been hiding in the shadows, watching us chase our tails, taunting us!"
Kerry's expression changed instantly. He snatched the letter.
But he only glanced at it once.
And his face turned grave.
I was curious too, so I leaned in to look.
There were just a few words scrawled across the paper in bold, unmistakable handwriting:
The fifth life—I've taken it.
The moment everyone saw it, the air in the room solidified.
The entire task force sucked in a collective breath.
"This is outrageous!"
"This is a blatant provocation!"
"The whole scene was locked down by our people. How the hell did they take a fifth life?"
Chief Finch had been thinking calmly through all of it. He raised a hand, silencing the room's chatter, then passed the letter to one of his people.
"Run it for prints."
The results came back fast.
"Chief, we didn't find a single print."
"The killer has some level of counter-forensic awareness. They likely wore gloves while writing the letter. Not a single fingerprint anywhere on it."
Almost at the same moment, while everyone was scrambling over the dead-end lead, one of the female officers on the task force suddenly looked around in alarm.
"Where's Justin?"
My head snapped up.
"That's not right. He was just here a second ago."
Chief Finch's expression changed in an instant, as if something had clicked.
"Move!"
"Find Justin now!"
The worst possible outcome had come to pass.
In the dumpster downstairs.
Justin's body was found, already stiff and cold.
Shocked cries rippled through the task force. Chief Finch clenched his fists so hard his knuckles went white, a vein pulsing at his temple.
"How is this possible?"
My eyes burned red. My legs gave out and I crumpled to the ground in total despair.
"Who did this? Who killed Justin? Show yourself! If you have some grudge, come after me! Come after ME!"
I sobbed until my throat was raw.
I had completely broken down.