CHAPTER FORTY THREE
“Gone.”
The apartment fell silent.
Marcus stood in the doorway, his breathing uneven.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
Malik stared at him.
"What do you mean she's disappeared?"
Marcus looked at Zara before answering.
"She didn't come home last night."
"Lena's neighbour reported hearing shouting just after midnight."
"No one's seen her since."
Malik's expression hardened.
"Her phone?"
"Still going straight to voicemail."
"The police?"
"They've opened a missing person investigation."
Marcus paused.
"But that's not why I'm here."
A knot formed in Malik's stomach.
"What aren't you telling me?"
Marcus reached into his jacket and removed a clear evidence bag.
Inside was a single white lily.
The room seemed to freeze.
"They found this on her kitchen floor."
Zara instinctively stepped closer.
"The same flower..."
Marcus nodded.
"The same one that was delivered to Bellamy & Co."
"The same one left in her apartment."
Malik slowly ran a hand across his face.
"Devon."
Marcus didn't answer.
He didn't need to.
Thirty minutes later, Malik and Marcus arrived outside Lena's apartment building in Queens.
Blue police tape stretched across the entrance.
Two patrol cars blocked the road.
Detectives moved quietly between neighbours, asking questions and taking notes.
A uniformed officer stopped them.
"Sir, this is an active investigation."
Marcus handed over identification.
"We're here because Ms. Matthews contacted Mr. Carter several times before she disappeared."
The officer's expression softened.
"Detective Alvarez is inside."
The apartment looked untouched.
Nothing had been smashed.
Nothing appeared stolen.
A half-finished mug of tea still sat on the coffee table.
A cardigan was folded neatly over the back of the sofa.
One slipper lay beside the couch.
The other remained by the bedroom door.
It looked as though someone had intended to come straight back.
Detective Alvarez approached.
"Mr. Carter?"
"Yes."
"I'm Detective Sofia Alvarez."
She offered a brief handshake.
"How well did you know Ms. Matthews?"
"We dated years ago."
"We reconnected recently."
"Because?"
"She came to apologise."
The detective studied him carefully.
"And after that?"
"Someone began following her."
"We both received anonymous messages."
"The white lilies."
She nodded.
"We've been informed."
Malik looked around the apartment.
"Has anything been taken?"
"Not that we can see."
"There's no sign of forced entry."
Marcus quietly exchanged a look with Malik.
The same pattern.
Again.
While detectives searched the apartment, Malik wandered towards the balcony.
The curtains fluttered gently in the breeze.
His eyes fell on something caught beneath one of the flowerpots.
A folded photograph.
He bent down carefully.
It showed Foundation House.
Children playing basketball.
Malik standing in the background.
Someone had circled him in black marker.
Across the bottom were four handwritten words.
YOU LEFT HER TOO.
His chest tightened.
Detective Alvarez took the photograph from him.
"You've seen this handwriting before?"
"No."
"But I know who wants me to."
Back in Brooklyn, Zara sat alone in the apartment.
The silence felt overwhelming.
She tried reading.
She couldn't concentrate.
She turned on the television.
Every news channel carried the same breaking story.
LOCAL BUSINESSWOMAN REPORTED MISSING.
No mention of Malik.
No mention of Devon.
Not yet.
Her phone vibrated.
Naomi.
"I've just seen the news."
"So have I."
"You okay?"
"I don't know."
Naomi's voice softened.
"Do you want me to come over?"
Zara looked around the apartment.
Normally she would've said no.
Tonight...
"Please."
By the time Naomi arrived, Miss Claudette was already there.
She had let herself in using the spare key Zara had insisted she keep.
Without asking questions, she wrapped Zara in a hug.
"You don't have to carry today by yourself."
For the first time since Marcus had knocked on the door...
Zara allowed herself to cry.
Not because she believed Malik had done anything wrong.
Because she could see the fear in his eyes when he'd left.
And somehow...
That frightened her even more.
Just after midnight, Marcus found Malik standing outside Lena's building, staring up at the dark windows.
"The police are done for tonight."
Malik didn't move.
"I should've listened."
Marcus stayed beside him.
"To who?"
"Everyone."
"You."
"Zara."
"Lena."
"They all told me the same thing."
Marcus already knew the answer.
"'Tell Zara everything.'"
Malik nodded.
"I kept thinking I had time."
He looked back at the apartment building.
"I was trying to protect everyone."
Marcus sighed.
"Sometimes protection looks too much like secrecy."
Before Malik could respond, his phone vibrated.
Unknown Number.
He answered immediately.
"Hello?"
A voice distorted by static spoke slowly.
"You should've left the past buried."
The line crackled.
Then came one final sentence.
"If you want to see Lena alive..."
"...come alone."
The call disconnected.
Malik stared at the dark screen.
Marcus stepped closer.
"Who was it?"
Malik looked up.
His face had lost every trace of colour.
"I think..."
He swallowed hard.
"...Devon just made this personal."
End of Chapter Forty-Three