chapter 7: Unknown ally

Cassie sat in her car,still thinking of the destroyed evidence. And the anonymous person who kept sending her messages,all these kept replaying on her mind. The stakes were high now more than ever. Maureen's case seemed to have opened a darker portal; a potent cover-up; tied to the most affluent family in Grace town.

She only had one stronger lead of the case at the moment; Aaron Langston. Solving the case of the missing girl which he was tied to,could help her understand all the unsolved mysteries. She had to take a chance; it was now or never.

She decided to visit the only person who could help her get more Information on the other missing girl- Tucker Hale; a former officer who was handling the case but mysteriously resigned from the post when the Langston's name was brought up.

Tucker lived on the outskirts of Grace town. He lived in a battered cabin, surrounded by a small forest. With her hands brooding over her holstered gun incase of anything,she knocked thrice on the door.

She always heard many stories about Tucker- that she left the army, acrid and psychotic; Tucker claimed that Grace town was being controlled by 'invisible hands'

The door creaked and slowly opened.Tucker sprung behind the door. He was much older, with a sharp edge,but still had his hawk-eyes.

"Sheriff Greyson, I have been expecting you." Tucker muttered as he stepped aside to let her in.

"Expecting me?" Cassie asked with her eyebrows raised.

His eyes gleamed, "yeah,handling Langston's case is not easy,it chews you up. I knew you'd come asking questions."

Tucker poured a stale- smelling coffee in two cups; one for Cassie,and one for him. His wall was full of newspaper clippings, orbituaries, missing person news & reports,insyders about the Langston's. This was a lair of man devoured by secrets.

"What do you know about the Langston's? " Cassie asked,going straight to the point.

Tucker faintly hissed,taking a draught of his coffee. " More than you could imagine. Especially that kid called Aaron; quite charming on the outside,but is a real menace."

"And what about Maureen,or the missing girl?"

"I assure you that Maureen isn't their first victim,and won't be the last." His face darkened. " I believe you've already noticed that the killer has a pattern. After every five years,a girl usually disappears,and no one questions or talks about it because powerful families like the Langston's are involved. I'm sure they have a hand in it."

Cassie's heart raced. "What do you mean?"

" This is something big, it's a web. Affluent and powerful people. They take part in illegal activities, they manipulate records and get away with felonies. It's not just money,it's also influence.They have kept Grace town on a chokehold,and the Langston's are not alone. It's a large network."

Cassie felt like gasping for air. "Are you trying to say that all this is organized?"

"Come to think of it." He replied,his voice almost in a loud whisper. " The disappearances,deaths,the orchestrated cover-ups and the authority just looking away in all these. I assure you,someone is benefitting from the deaths of those girls."

Cassie felt like she had a lump in her throat. She swallowed hard. If all that Tucker was telling her was true,then it meant that,she was not going against only the Langstons,but a whole network of criminals.

Tucker gave her a file from her hive. It was marked with a small red letter 'x'. Inside the file,there was a photo of a teenager girl. Samantha reed, identified as missing,but case closed,supposedly, due to lack of enough evidence.

I came across her body in the field when doing my evening patrol. She had the same bruises as Maureen,at the exact places. Apparently, the body was moved, and the case was closed without any valid reasons. I was instructed not to talk about the case again."

Cassie perused through the file,she immediately noticed missing pages and many discrepancies. This was not a coincidence. The whole thing was orchestrated.

Tucker's phone buzzed. He got a message from an unknown number. He checked the message and quickly thrust his phone back into his pocket."

"They already know you're here. We're being watched." his face was pale

"What should we do?" Cassie asked. She was already trembling.

Tucker took a small piece of paper,he scribbled something on it. "Here, this is another person who I believe you should talk,she'll be instrumental for your investigation. Lily Marston,she's a journalist; and she has been investigating the Langston family for a long time. She doesn't stay in one place,since she was forced to be more discreet after starting the investigations to keep her life safe. The address I have written for you on that paper,is the last place she was seen in.

Cassie nodded as she took the paper. " Thanks Tucker. This will be quite helpful."

Tucker looked at Cassie with a pityful smile. "Take care. Sheriff. These people are lethal,they don't play. And the fact that you are digging into these cases this deeply,just know that you are already marked."

Cassidy drove back into town. Her mind raced,she felt like she had a heavy weight placed on her. She thought about Aaron, she was certain that he knew much than he was saying.

Her phone buzzed, drifting her back from her thoughts. It was the unknown sender. She froze.

_"I promise,if you take one more step,you'll be next."_

Cassie's eyes furrowed,her jaws tightened in insurbodinaton. She felt provoked. She was determined to find the truth no matter how dangerous it had already proven to be.

She hit the gas,and as her car was speeding down the road, a blurry figure in a dark SUV watched her. A gleam of an object was clearly showing,as he raised his medium-sized camera to take a picture of Cassie's car speeding off.