Page 86

So far, she could feel it—there was something in the way the book described its characters, their mannerisms, their tangled emotions—that resonated too closely with the people involved in the murder a decade ago. The names were different, the setting altered, but the shadows of truth seemed to bleed through the fiction.

Still, she couldn’t quite pair them up. She had theories—half-formed ideas—but nothing solid enough to act on. Not yet.

She closed the book gently, her fingers resting on the worn cover. Tomorrow, she thought. Tomorrow I’ll go see David again. Maybe he knew something else about Amelia… or maybe I just need to ask the right questions.

And after that—Evermoon.

Just once. She needed to see the place with her own eyes. The villa, the air it held, the silence in its walls. Whatever was left there… maybe it would speak to her too. At least It was what had happened to Julian. He’d gotten the idea of writing this book after visiting Evermoon himself.

The next morning, Anna approached David’s house and saw a police officer speaking quietly with him outside. As she stepped closer, David noticed her and gave a small nod.

“Good morning Anna, this is Officer Russo,” David said. “He was the officer who is in charge of Amelia's case.”

David then turned to Russo. “And this is Anna, she has been helping us try to find out what happened to Amelia.”

Russo nodded thoughtfully. “I see. Well, if you’re digging into this after all this time, you’ll need to be careful.”

Anna blinked in surprise, then turned to Russo. “Oh, I didn’t realize... You are still investigating, right?”

Russo gave a faint, almost wistful smile. “Yes, if you have questions, I might be able to help. This case is strange—more complicated than we expected.”