CounterMaplewood's streets felt unusually quiet that morning, as if the town itself were holding its breath. Hazel unlocked the café door, the familiar jingle of the bell doing little to soothe her nerves.
Mia was already behind the counter, polishing mugs, her expression tight. "Hazel… I heard some neighbors talking. They're saying Gerald's death wasn't an accident."
Hazel nodded slowly. "I know. And I think someone is trying to scare me too." She glanced at the notebook Callum had taken yesterday; the cryptic notes and symbols burned in her mind.
"Maybe you should just let the detective handle it," Mia suggested cautiously.
Hazel shook her head. "I can't. Someone used my café as a dumping ground. They're sending messages. I need to know why."
Before Mia could respond, the bell jingled again. A tall, thin man with a nervous air stepped inside, his eyes darting toward the back door.
"Morning," Hazel said cautiously. "Can I help you?"
He fidgeted with the brim of his hat. "I… uh… I knew Gerald. He owed me some money, and…" He hesitated. "I just want to say I didn't do anything wrong."
Hazel felt a chill. Another person connected to Gerald. Was he innocent—or covering something?
Detective Callum stepped in behind her, eyes sharp. "And you are…?"
"Thomas, Thomas Reed," the man stammered, though the name caught Hazel off guard. Reed? she thought. Could he be related to the detective? The thought made her uneasy.
Callum's gaze flicked between Hazel and Thomas. "How well did you know Gerald?"
Thomas swallowed hard. "We had some… disagreements about money, but nothing serious. I wasn't involved."
Hazel's stomach knotted. The town she'd thought she knew so well seemed suddenly filled with hidden tensions. Every friendly face might have a secret. Every smile could hide suspicion.
Callum cleared his throat. "Thank you, Thomas. That will be all for now." He led the man out, his posture relaxed but his eyes never leaving Hazel. "You're doing the right thing by being cautious. But don't confront anyone directly, Hazel. Let me handle it."
Hazel bristled at the tone but said nothing. Handle it? The detective might think he's protecting her, but last night's note had already shown that danger didn't wait for permission.
The rest of the morning passed in a tense blur. Hazel served coffee and pastries with automatic movements, her mind spinning with possibilities. Who else knew about Gerald's private affairs? Who had a reason to scare her—or worse?
By mid-afternoon, she decided to take a small step on her own. She grabbed her notepad and walked into the alley behind the café, scanning the ground and walls for anything she might have missed. That's when she noticed something tucked between two bricks of the café's exterior wall: a folded photograph of Gerald, smiling in front of the town hall, but with a shadowed figure standing behind him.
Hazel's pulse quickened. The photo wasn't recent—it was old—but the figure's face was obscured. Someone had deliberately left it for her to find.
A shiver ran down her spine. They're watching me. They're taunting me.
The sound of footsteps behind her made her spin. Callum emerged from the fog, hands in his coat pockets. "Found something?" he asked, voice calm but sharp.
Hazel held up the photo. "Yes. And I don't like what it means."
Callum examined it, brow furrowed. "This confirms there's a pattern. Someone has been following Gerald for a long time… and now they're turning their attention to you."
Hazel's jaw set. "Then we need to find them before they do more than scare me."
Callum nodded slowly, eyes meeting hers in a long, silent understanding. "We will. But Hazel… tread carefully. This isn't just a mystery anymore—it's dangerous."
Callum looked at her with confusion, not knowing what he felt inside. Is it pity, or just natural instincts? Because Hazel has this beautiful set of blue eyes that captivate him whenever he looks at her. It makes him want to protect her more, seeing how troubled and in danger she was.
Hazel swallowed hard, but her resolve only hardened. She had a café to protect, secrets to uncover, and a killer to stop.
And she wasn't about to let fear keep her from finding the truth.