Chapter 13: The Buried Truth

The Enemy

Chapter 13: The Buried Truth

The next day, Kai sat on the couch, staring blankly at the wall. The weight of his failure, both in the case and with his family, pressed heavily on his chest. He felt helpless, unable to move forward. His mind was cluttered with a thousand thoughts, but none of them seemed to lead anywhere. He had always prided himself on his ability to solve problems, to find a way through even the most complicated cases. But this time, it was different. He was out of his depth, and it was starting to show.

Upstairs, Lily's muffled sobs reached Kai's ears. His heart sank, but he couldn't bring himself to move. He didn't know how to fix things—not with the case, and certainly not with his daughter.

Sarah entered Lily's room, her voice soft but filled with concern. "What happened to my sweet little princess?"

Lily looked up at her mother, her face streaked with tears. "It's Father," she said, her voice shaking. "He's been acting so strange and angry all the time. I'm afraid."

Sarah sat beside her daughter, brushing her hair out of her face. "Oh, darling," she whispered, "Father's just very busy. He has a lot on his mind right now. Don't worry about him. Just forget about it."

But Lily shook her head, her sobs growing louder. "No, Mom. This is my fault. I made you and Dad go on the school trip with me. After we came back, everything changed. Father's angry because of me."

Kai's heart twisted in his chest. He hadn't realized how much his behavior had affected them. He stood at the door, silently listening. He felt like a stranger in his own home.

Sarah tried to comfort Lily, but Kai couldn't stay silent any longer. He stepped into the room. "What's going on?"

Sarah gave him a sharp look. "Lily's upset because of you. You're always angry, Kai."

The words hit him like a slap. He felt a wave of guilt rush over him, but he couldn't find the right words to make it better. Instead, he walked over to Lily and knelt beside her. "I'm sorry, sweetie," he said softly, his voice heavy with regret. "I've been stressed out. I should never have taken it out on you or Mom. I promise I'll do better."

Lily looked at him, her eyes still swollen from crying, but there was a flicker of hope in them. "Really, Father?"

Kai nodded, his heart aching as he pulled her into a tight hug. "Really. I'll make it up to you."

But as soon as the words left his mouth, he knew they were empty. Nothing was going well, not with the case, not with his family. He had promised so much, but he didn't know how he was going to keep those promises.

That evening, Kai sat in his study, surrounded by papers and files. His mind was racing, but nothing made sense. He had hit a wall with the investigation. Everything pointed to dead ends, and the deeper he went, the more it felt like he was chasing shadows. He was used to solving cases, to finding answers, but this one… this one was different. He wasn't just up against the system—he was up against something far more dangerous. And with every step, he could feel his grip on his own identity slipping away. The person he used to be was no longer in control.

He needed to start from the beginning. He needed to go back to the warehouse, the place where it all started. Maybe there was something he missed.

The next day, he donned a long black jacket and made his way to the warehouse. As he approached, the eerie feeling washed over him again. The building looked exactly the same—dilapidated and forgotten. But Kai wasn't fooled. He knew there had to be something more.

He circled the building, scrutinizing every detail, but it was as if someone had gone to great lengths to erase all traces of evidence. There was nothing. No broken glass, no scattered papers, no signs of struggle. It was as if the place had been meticulously cleaned.

He paused at the spot where they had retrieved the computer. Nothing had changed here either. Riley was gone, and Kai felt an unsettling emptiness in the air.

Then he turned his gaze to the back of the building. The area they had missed last time. It was a small, open space, nothing unusual about it. But something felt off. He walked toward the gate, his instincts telling him to look closer.

It was then that he saw it. A faint scratch on the gate, barely noticeable, but it was there. And beneath it—a drop of blood.

Kai's breath caught in his throat. He carefully examined the mark. It looked like someone had desperately tried to hold onto the gate as they were dragged away. His heart raced, and a surge of adrenaline pushed him forward. He had to investigate further.

He circled the area, and soon enough, he spotted something—tools, discarded in the bushes. They looked out of place, like someone had used them to dig, then abandoned them in a hurry.

Kai's gut twisted. He knew what this meant. Someone had been hiding something here. Someone had been trying to cover their tracks.

He glanced around, his mind racing. He considered calling the police, but a wave of mistrust washed over him. He couldn't rely on anyone—not when so much was at stake. He had to take control.

Without hesitation, he began digging.

His hands trembled as he unearthed the dirt, and then, just when he thought he couldn't dig any deeper, his shovel hit something solid. He froze, his heart pounding in his chest.

"Oh god," he whispered under his breath.

He quickly pulled out his phone and called the police. As the call ended, a new thought hit him. What if the body could be hidden, erased from the world before anyone saw it? He had to document this, just in case.

The police arrived soon after, and Kai led them to the shallow grave. They began processing the scene, but Kai was already piecing things together in his mind. The woman in the grave… her face looked familiar. The first woman to contact him, the one who had claimed to have information about Riley's disappearance.

As the police worked, Kai couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing. There was more to this, more than he was seeing. He scanned the area, trying to make sense of it all.

But there was no time to think. Kai's eyes were drawn to something small in the woman's hand—a flash drive. He couldn't wait. He needed to know what it held.

He rushed to his car, plugged the flash drive into his laptop, and opened the files. It was basic information, some names and dates, but at the very end, there was a cryptic message. "The real proof is in the second drive."

A cold chill ran down his spine. A second drive? He hadn't searched the body thoroughly before the police arrived. Could it be…?

Kai didn't hesitate. He slammed the car into gear and sped toward the forensics lab, his mind racing. He couldn't lose this. He had to find that second drive.

When he arrived, the lab was already buzzing with activity. He rushed inside, desperate to get to the woman's body before it was too late.

He stopped a nurse in the hallway. "Please," he said urgently. "I need to search the body. I think there's another drive."

The nurse looked at him, puzzled. "Why does everyone want to search her body? Does she have money?"

Kai's frustration boiled over. "What do you mean, everyone?"

"Yes," she replied, "just a man came by a little while ago. He asked me to check for a flash drive. I don't know who he was, but he took it."

Kai's blood ran cold. "Who was it?"

"I told you," the nurse said, shrugging. "I don't know."

Kai's heart pounded in his chest. He rushed to ask everyone he could, but no one knew who had taken the drive. His mind raced with questions—who had taken it, and why?

He had to find answers, and fast.