Chapter 10: Gunther’s Killer

Elizabeth and Skye remained crouched in the shadows of the abandoned shop, listening as the police sirens faded into the distance. The words "We're headed to South Pier" echoed in Elizabeth's mind. That was it. That was the lead they needed.

She turned to Skye, whose eyes were wide with anticipation.

"Did you hear that?" Elizabeth whispered.

Skye nodded. "That means they're onto something. If the police are going there, we have to follow."

They carefully slipped out of the shop, making sure to stay low and out of sight. The streets were still buzzing with activity, but with the police already on the move, most people were too distracted to notice them.

"Stick close to me," Elizabeth said as they weaved through narrow alleyways, using shadows and side streets to avoid attention.

They spotted the police cars up ahead, speeding toward the industrial part of town. Elizabeth and Skye couldn't steal a car, not with the city on high alert, so they had to run. Cutting through alleys, vaulting over fences, and using shortcuts only street-smart survivors like Skye knew.

By the time they reached South Pier, the police had already entered the warehouse. Elizabeth and Skye hid behind an old shipping container, catching their breath.

"This is it," Elizabeth murmured. "Let's see what we find."

They hid watched the police from afar, keeping quite and watching, waiting for when the police leaves. They waited for the right moment, then slipped inside through a side entrance, hoping to finally uncover where the girls and Philomena had been taken. But what they found inside left them stunned.

The place was empty.

No girls. No captors. Just a hollow, abandoned shell.

But something wasn't right. The chains were still on the floor. There were half-eaten meals, scattered belongings, and a chair knocked over as if someone had been dragged away in a hurry.

Elizabeth's heart pounded. "We just missed them."

Elizabeth murmured, scanning the floor. Broken chains, scattered belongings, and half-eaten meals, it was clear that whoever had been held here had been moved in a hurry.

Skye clenched her fists. "They knew the police were coming. They moved the girls."

Elizabeth's stomach twisted. "Then where did they take them?"

A faint sound caught their attention—a soft, ragged breath. Elizabeth turned sharply.

In the farthest corner of the warehouse, hidden in the shadows behind a stack of wooden crates, a girl was curled up, trembling. Her clothes were torn, and her face was streaked with dirt and dried tears.

Skye rushed over first. "Hey, hey, it's okay. We're not here to hurt you."

The girl flinched at first, but when she saw Skye, her eyes widened in recognition. "Skye?" she whispered, her voice hoarse.

Elizabeth knelt beside her. "You know her?"

Skye nodded, her expression pained. "She was one of us."

The girl struggled to sit up, her breath still uneven. "I… I escaped when they were moving us. I don't know where they took the others, but… they kept talking about a new location. A safer one."

Elizabeth's jaw tightened. "Did you hear anything? A name? A place?"

The girl shook her head. "No… but I know they're planning to leave the city. Soon."

Skye placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. "You're safe now. We'll figure this out."

Elizabeth stood up, her mind racing. If Gunther's men were leaving the city, they were running out of time. And Philomena was still with them.

She exchanged a look with Skye. "We need to find them before it's too late."

*********

Back at the station, Joe sat at his desk, deep in thought, grappling with the complexities of their current investigation.

"Hey, man," Dale greeted as he entered, snapping Joe out of his reverie.

"How did it go? Did you find anything?" Joe inquired.

"Well I did find a dead man," Dale said as he gave out a deep sigh, he was getting exhausted.

"What?" Joe asked "who?"

"The forensics are working on his identity, I found a strand of hair on one of the beds in the house he was found, it's up for investigation" Dale as he finally sat down on his chair.

"Oh man, anything else?"

Dale nodded, producing a small evidence bag containing a tracker. "I found this tracker In Elizabeths home, it was covered in dried blood"

Joe quietly examined this small piece of information. "I handed it over to forensics to analyze the blood on it. I also came across this."Dale said as he pulled out a photograph and handed it to Joe.

Joe leaned forward to examine the photo. "That's Elizabeth… and who?"

"It should be her sister. The back of the photo says 'Elizabeth and Philomena,'" Dale explained.

Before Joe could respond, a colleague approached and handed them an envelope.

"These are the results from Gunther's murder investigation. You'll find information about the perpetrator in there," the colleague stated before walking away.

Dale examined the envelope briefly before opening it, eager to uncover the findings.

Dale opened the envelope and pulled out the report. His eyes moved swiftly over the contents, but when he reached the conclusion, he froze.

"The DNA on the murder weapon…" he muttered, gripping the paper tighter. "It matches Elizabeth."

Joe, who had been leaning back in his chair, suddenly sat upright. "What?" he asked, snatching the report from Dale's hands. He scanned the document, his eyes narrowing as he reached the same result.

"Elizabeth is the murderer," he murmured under his breath, disbelief washing over him.

The room felt heavier. Dale exhaled sharply, pinching the bridge of his nose. He had been chasing Elizabeth as a wanted thief, but now? Now she was officially a fugitive for murder.

"Gunther was a monster," Joe finally said after a long silence, his voice hesitant. "But still… murder?"

Dale shook his head. "We don't know what went down in that room. Maybe it was self-defense. Maybe something else happened. But the law won't care. The moment this gets out, every cop in the city will be hunting her."

Joe sighed, rubbing his temples. "And not just the cops. If Gunther's people find out she killed him… they'll be after her too. She's not just running from us, Dale. She's running from them."

Dale clenched his jaw. This was getting worse by the second. It was already hard finding Elizabeth. She had a target on her back from all sides. If they didn't find her first, someone else would and he wasn't sure she'd survive whoever got to her.

Joe tossed the report onto the desk, shaking his head. "What do we do now?"

Dale didn't answer right away. He was thinking.

"We track her down before anyone else does," he finally said. "We find her before the wrong people do."

Joe gave him a wary look. "And then what? Arrest her? Or hear her side of the story?"

Dale hesitated, then met Joe's gaze. "We do our job. But until we know the full story, I'm not handing her over to just anyone."

Joe exhaled. "Then we better move fast."