The envelope lay on the pastor's desk—plain, white, and trembling with the kind of silence that made Daniel's stomach turn.
He stared at it without touching it. The handwriting on the front—sharp, deliberate—was unmistakable. To the Maplewood Sheriff's Office. Concerning Rebecca Cole's death.
Pastor Morgan sighed, folding his hands on the desk. "They made a copy before sending it to the sheriff. Someone left this one at the church door last night."
Daniel's throat went dry. "And you opened it?"
"I had to," Morgan replied quietly. "It mentioned you by name."
Daniel's pulse thundered in his ears as the pastor unfolded the letter. The edges were slightly burnt, as if someone had tried to destroy it but couldn't finish the job.
Morgan read aloud, voice heavy with unease:
> 'To those still blind to the truth—
Rebecca Cole did not drown by accident. Her death was seen by eyes that refused to stay silent any longer. The man who walks in Maplewood's shadow carries her last prayer in his hands. He knows what he buried beneath the willow that night.'
—A Witness of the Light
Morgan looked up. "Daniel… what does that mean?"
Daniel's jaw tightened. "It means someone's playing a dangerous game."
He stood, pacing. The sound of his boots against the wooden floor filled the room like thunder. He could still see that night in his mind—the rain, the argument, Rebecca's tears reflecting the lightning. Her words had cut deep: 'You betrayed God, Daniel… and me.'
"I didn't kill her," he whispered, though even to his own ears it sounded weak. "You know I didn't."
Morgan nodded slowly. "Then why does this letter sound like it knows more than we do?"
Daniel's eyes flickered toward the church window. Beyond it, the town stretched quiet and still—too quiet. He could almost feel eyes on him from every direction.
He clenched his fists. "Someone wants me broken before the truth even comes out. Someone who was there that night."
Morgan frowned. "But who else was there, Daniel? You said it was just you and her—"
He stopped suddenly as Daniel's expression changed. A thought had struck him like lightning.
"There was one more," Daniel murmured. "The night Rebecca ran to the lake… someone followed her. I heard footsteps when I left. I thought it was my guilt playing tricks."
Morgan's voice softened. "You think this Witness… saw everything?"
Daniel looked at the letter again, and this time, he didn't see ink—he saw accusation. He saw Rebecca's eyes beneath the surface of the lake, open and waiting.
"If they did," he said coldly, "then they've been waiting a long time to destroy me."
Outside, the church bell rang—three slow tolls that echoed through Maplewood like a warning.
And for the first time, Daniel realized the letter wasn't just a message.
It was a countdown.