The garage was silent, save for the occasional creak of the wind pressing against the door. Lucas stood inside, staring at the floor where the dirt had been replaced by freshly damaged concrete. Relief and satisfaction mingled in his mind, but it was fleeting. The police had left empty-handed, yet he knew better than to let his guard down. The danger wasn’t gone—it was just waiting.

  As he paced back and forth, Lucas's thoughts turned to the forest ranger. Their deal had been straightforward, but Lucas hadn’t yet delivered on his promise. It was already midday, and he hadn't heard a word from the ranger—no calls, no messages. That silence unnerved him. With the police scouring every angle of the case, it was only a matter of time before they sought out the ranger. Lucas couldn’t afford that risk.

  He took a deep breath and reached for his phone. His fingers hovered for a moment before dialing. The line buzzed once, twice, and then clicked.

  “Hello?” came the voice on the other end, light and nonchalant, as if this was just another routine call.

  Lucas cleared his throat, trying to steady himself. “Hello, this is Lucas. We... we met yesterday evening in the forest.”

  “Lucas,” the ranger replied, his tone shifting slightly, carrying a hint of amusement. “I was wondering when I'd hear from you. I assume this call is about our little... arrangement?”

  “Yes,” Lucas said firmly. “I haven’t forgotten my promise. I want to meet you and settle this now, but it has to be discreet. I can’t risk anyone seeing us.”

  The ranger chuckled softly. “Discreet, huh? You’ve got nothing to worry about as long as you hold up your end of the deal. Let’s meet away from the ranger office, deep in the forest. There’s a spot I know—quiet and private. No one will bother us there.”

  “That works for me,” Lucas said, though his chest tightened. “Thirty minutes, and I’ll be there. Just make sure there are no surprises.”

  “Surprises?” The ranger’s tone grew playful, almost mocking. “Lucas, you don’t trust me? I thought we had an understanding. But don’t worry—just bring what you promised, and everything will be fine.”

  Lucas’s voice hardened. “I’ll be there, but remember—this meeting stays between us. No slip-ups, no third parties.”

  The ranger let out a dry laugh. “Relax, Lucas. You’ve got my word. Thirty minutes, and don’t keep me waiting.”

  The call ended with a beep, and Lucas stood frozen for a moment. His heart raced, but his mind sharpened. He grabbed the envelope of cash he had prepared the night before and slipped it into his jacket pocket. The weight of it felt heavier than it should, a physical reminder of the stakes.

  Outside, the day was bright, but the forest in the distance loomed darker than ever. Lucas locked his garage and headed toward his car, the sound of his footsteps on the gravel echoing in the stillness. He had no choice—this meeting had to go smoothly, or everything he’d worked to bury, both literally and figuratively, would rise to the surface.

  At the final moment, Lucas decided that it would be wise to use back roads rather than going there by car. He moved quickly, sticking to the back road. These paths were narrow, overgrown, and winding—perfect for avoiding attention. His steps were measured, his eyes darting toward every rustle in the undergrowth, every distant sound of movement. The weight of his task pressed heavily on his shoulders.

  When he reached the meeting spot, Lucas paused, scanning the surroundings. The forest was dense here, towering trees forming a canopy that blocked most of the sunlight. The ground was littered with dried leaves, their brittle crunch the only sound. The stillness of the place felt eerie, the shadows between the trees seeming to shift as he stood there.

  Lucas inhaled deeply and tried to steady his racing mind. He was alone, but he couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched. The enormity of what he was trying to keep hidden gnawed at him. He glanced down, scuffing his shoe against the leafy ground. The thoughts in his head collided: the ranger’s involvement, the police’s looming presence, Leah’s unpredictable behavior. It was all spiraling, and for a moment, he felt completely untethered.

  A sudden, firm tap on his shoulder jolted him back to reality.

  Lucas spun around, his heart leaping into his throat. He was face-to-face with the ranger, who stood there with a sly grin.

  “Relax, it’s just me,” the ranger said, his voice light but with an unmistakable undertone of authority. “Good to see you kept your promise. I was starting to wonder if you’d try to weasel out of it.”

  Lucas forced a smile, masking the tension that gripped him. He didn’t respond immediately, reaching into his jacket pocket instead. When his hand emerged, it carried a neat bundle of bills.

  The ranger’s eyes widened slightly as Lucas handed him the money. He thumbed through it, a look of surprise flashing across his face. “This... this is more than we agreed on.”

  Lucas’s smile remained fixed. “Consider it a gesture of gratitude. You’ve been a great help, and I wanted to make sure you knew I appreciated it.”

  The ranger gave a low whistle. “Generous of you. Makes me wonder, though... why all this for a little favor? What’s really going on here?”

  Lucas’s jaw tightened for a fraction of a second, but he kept his expression calm. “What’s going on is that I’m keeping my word. Nothing more, nothing less. And I’d appreciate it if this stayed just between us. For both our sakes.”

  The ranger chuckled, slipping the money into his pocket. “Fair enough. But you know, you’re a hard man to read. Makes a guy like me curious.”

  Lucas didn’t rise to the bait. “Curiosity isn’t always a good thing. Especially not in situations like this.”

  The ranger tilted his head, studying Lucas for a long moment. Then he gave a nod. “You’re right. Don’t worry—I’ll keep this under wraps. I’m not looking for trouble.”

  “Neither am I,” Lucas said quietly. He stepped back, signaling the end of the conversation. “Thanks again. But I think it’s best we part ways now.”

  The ranger raised a hand in mock salute. “See you around... or maybe not.”

  Lucas turned and walked away, not looking back. As he disappeared into the trees, the ranger remained where he was, his brow furrowed. The bundle of cash weighed heavily in his pocket, not just in its physicality but in its implications.

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  “This isn’t about hunting,” the ranger muttered to himself. “No one throws that kind of money around unless they’ve got something big to hide.”

  He lingered for another moment, the forest silent around him, before heading back toward his office. The thoughts swirling in his mind mirrored those Lucas had earlier. What had he just become involved in?

  As the evening descended and the last rays of sunlight slipped away, darkness crept across the city. Inside her dimly lit hotel room, Lea paced nervously. The clock on the wall seemed to tick louder with each passing moment, its rhythm echoing her anxious heartbeat. She kept glancing at the door, awaiting Mike’s arrival.

  Finally, a firm knock interrupted her restless thoughts. She rushed to the door, and upon opening it, found Mike standing there. Without hesitation, she pulled him inside and wrapped her arms around him, her face buried in his chest as tears streamed down her cheeks.

  “I didn’t know if you were coming,” Lea whispered, her voice thick with emotion.

  Mike gently held her shoulders and stepped back to look her in the eye. “I’m here. We’ll figure this out.”

  Lea quickly recounted the series of events—her suspicions about Lucas, the construction work at the garage, and her growing fear that their plan was unraveling. Mike listened intently, his expression calm but his mind racing with possibilities.

  When she finished, he finally spoke. “Lea, listen. The police are going to find out I was at this hotel sooner or later. No matter how careful I was with the fake name, it’s better if we get ahead of this. I need to tell them myself.”

  Lea frowned, confused. “What do you mean? Won’t that just make us look guilty?”

  Mike shook his head. “Not if we spin it right. I’ll tell them the truth—about us meeting here because of our relationship. We’ll make it look like Marcus’s disappearance has nothing to do with us. It’ll seem like we have nothing to hide, and it gives us more control over the story.”

  Lea bit her lip, uncertain. “But what about Lucas? He’s the one who moved the body. He’s the one who’s outsmarting us.”

  Mike’s expression hardened. “That’s why we need to act fast. Lucas is clever, but if we position this right, we can still turn the police against him. We just need something solid—some proof or a lead that points directly to him.”

  The two of them spent hours strategizing, the air in the room thick with tension. They debated the details of their story, crafting a narrative that would divert suspicion from themselves and subtly implicate Lucas. As time slipped by, they realized it was nearing 8 p.m., the city outside cloaked in darkness.

  Meanwhile, across town, Lucas sat alone in his house, the weight of his thoughts pressing down on him. He knew Lea and Mike were plotting something, but their exact plans eluded him. He also couldn’t shake the feeling that Samuel, the investigating officer, was closing in. Lucas paced the floor, trying to anticipate their next move and decide his own course of action.

  At the same time, in the police station, Samuel was piecing together the fragments of the case. His gut told him Lucas was hiding something—his past alone made him suspicious. But Mike and Lea weren’t off the hook either. Their connection to Marcus and their movements leading up to his disappearance seemed too coincidental.

  Samuel convened his officers for a late-night meeting at the station, the tension in the air mirroring the weight of their unresolved case. “We’re running in circles,” he began, addressing the team. “We have no tangible leads, no idea where Marcus is, and no solid evidence pointing to anyone.”

  He outlined the priorities for the following day. The officers were to focus on two main tasks: combing through the dense forest near Lucas’s home for any clues and questioning anyone in the vicinity who might have seen or heard anything unusual. Samuel assigned a special unit to focus on interviewing neighbors around Lucas’s house, though he acknowledged the area’s sparse population might yield little information.

  The meeting wrapped up quickly, but Samuel’s mind was far from settled. He decided to follow up with Lea directly. Picking up his phone, he dialed her number.

  “Lea,” Samuel’s voice carried its usual authoritative tone, “has Mike arrived yet?”

  “Yes,” she replied cautiously. “He’s here. We’ll come to the station first thing in the morning.”

  Samuel considered pushing for an immediate conversation but decided against it. “Fine. But be here early. We have a lot to discuss.”

  As he hung up, Samuel knew the night ahead would be restless—not just for him but for everyone involved.

  The first rays of dawn had barely broken the horizon when a team of officers headed toward the forest. The air was damp, the ground soft from the morning dew, and the towering trees cast long, eerie shadows. They carried search equipment and a determination to uncover any trace of Marcus.

  Simultaneously, another team was dispatched to interview distant neighbors around Lucas’s home. Though Lucas lived in an isolated area near the forest, a few scattered houses further out could potentially yield useful information.

  By 6:30 a.m., Lea and Mike arrived at the station as instructed. Samuel greeted them with a nod, gesturing for them to sit. Wasting no time, he launched into his questioning.

  “Before we start, there’s something I need to disclose,” Mike began, his tone measured yet slightly apprehensive. Samuel raised an eyebrow but stayed silent, urging him to continue.

  “I was at the hotel the day Marcus went missing,” Mike admitted. Lea shifted uncomfortably beside him but nodded in agreement.

  Samuel’s expression didn’t change, though his eyes sharpened. “Why didn’t you mention this earlier?”

  Mike glanced at Lea before replying. “We were scared it would make us the primary suspects. We didn’t want to risk complicating things for ourselves. But now… now we realize hiding it was a mistake. We just want to help find Marcus.”

  Lea interjected, her voice firm yet calm, “That’s the truth. Mike was there, but we had no idea it would matter until now.”

  Samuel leaned back in his chair, scrutinizing their faces. Their confession was timely, but something about it felt rehearsed, calculated. “If you’re hiding anything else,” he warned, his tone clipped, “it will only make things worse for you.”

  As Samuel leaned forward in his chair, his sharp eyes moved between Lea and Mike. “If you’re convinced Lucas is behind this, I want to know why. What made you come to that conclusion?”

  Mike, prepared for the question, shared a carefully crafted story. He explained how Lea had mentioned feeling uneasy about Lucas, claiming she’d seen him following them during evening walks. Mike added a new twist, saying that before approaching the police, they had searched for Marcus themselves. During this time, they allegedly saw Lucas working urgently in his garage, specifically on the floor, which they found highly suspicious.

  Lea nodded in agreement, her expression a mix of concern and fear. “We were worried, and we didn’t want to jump to conclusions,” she added, her voice trembling slightly. “But now… we’re certain something’s wrong.”

  Samuel, while skeptical, couldn’t ignore the new details. Lucas’s name had been tied to past cases, and his reclusive nature only added to the intrigue. Still, Lea and Mike weren’t off the hook.

  “You’re free to leave for now,” Samuel said, his tone firm. “But don’t leave the city. I’ll call you if I have more questions.”

  Lea and Mike exchanged a glance before nodding. With a polite “Thank you,” they exited the station.

  Meanwhile, the team assigned to interview Lucas’s distant neighbors returned with minimal findings. Most described Lucas as a private, secretive individual who rarely interacted with others. No one reported anything unusual, though his isolated lifestyle raised some eyebrows.

  The forest search team also came up empty-handed. They explored the areas surrounding Lucas’s house and other key spots but found no clues. Frustrated but determined, the officers decided to visit the forest ranger’s office. If anyone knew the forest inside and out, it would be him.

  By 2 p.m., the officers arrived at the ranger’s office, a small wooden cabin tucked deep within the forest. The ranger, a wiry man with a weathered face, greeted them warmly. “What brings the police here today?” he asked, his voice calm but curious.

  One of the officers explained the situation, detailing Marcus’s disappearance and their search efforts. “Have you seen or heard anything unusual in the last two or three days?” the officer asked.

  The ranger’s demeanor shifted slightly, though he masked it well. In his mind, he recalled a recent interaction with Lucas. Lucas had approached him with a suspicious request and even paid him to keep quiet. Realizing he could leverage the situation for more money, the ranger decided to stay silent.

  “No,” he said smoothly. “I haven’t seen or heard anything out of the ordinary. But I’ll keep an eye out, and if I find anything, you’ll be the first to know.”

  The officers thanked him and left, unaware of the ranger’s true intentions.

  As the police vehicles disappeared into the forest, the ranger sat down, his mind racing. He knew Lucas was hiding something—something big. And now, with the police involved, he saw an opportunity to capitalize further. Reaching for his phone, he dialed Lucas’s number.

  Lucas was sitting in his garden, the afternoon sun doing little to warm the chill seeping through his veins. His thoughts spun, tethered to the events of the past few days. The chaos, the lies, the weight of it all was a storm in his mind. At 2:25 p.m., his phone rang, slicing through the silence. The screen showed a number he recognized: the ranger.

  He hesitated, his finger hovering above the screen, but dread compelled him to answer.

  “Lucas,” the ranger’s voice came through, calm but laced with something unspoken, something sharp. “You should know the police were here, asking questions.”

  Lucas’s stomach dropped. His grip on the phone tightened, but he said nothing.

  “They’re sniffing around, curious about the forest and… anything unusual,” the ranger continued, his tone almost casual, as though discussing the weather. “Of course, I didn’t mention our little conversation.”

  The pause that followed was deliberate, loaded. Lucas clenched his jaw, waiting.

  “You know,” the ranger finally said, his voice dipping into something almost conspiratorial, “keeping things quiet—it takes effort, Lucas. Risks. And risk… well, it’s not cheap.”

  Lucas’s heart raced. “What do you mean?” he managed, his voice thin.

  “I mean,” the ranger replied, his words slow, deliberate, “if you want to ensure I stay a friend, we’ll need to discuss… compensation. A show of appreciation, if you will.”

  “How much?” Lucas asked, the question tumbling out before he could stop himself.

  The ranger chuckled softly. “Oh, let’s not talk numbers over the phone. Let’s just say… I’ll need something substantial. Enough to make this worth my while. I’ll leave the specifics to your imagination for now.”

  Lucas felt the world tilt, the edges of his vision narrowing. “I don’t have—”

  “I’m sure a man like you can figure it out,” the ranger cut in, his voice now carrying an unmistakable edge. “Three days, Lucas. I’ll expect to hear from you. If I don’t…” Another pause, this one heavier than the last. “Well, I’m sure the police would be very interested to know what I know. Take care, Lucas.”

  The line went dead. Lucas stared at the phone, the garden around him blurring into irrelevance. The storm in his mind swelled, the ranger’s words echoing like a drumbeat: Three days.

  To be continue.......