Chapter 28 - The Empty Apartment
The missing witness was identified as Arthur Collins.
Only hours earlier he had calmly handed Detective Morris the brass key marked "Archive East."
Now his apartment stood unlocked.
Nothing appeared damaged.
Nothing valuable seemed missing.
His reading glasses remained on the kitchen table.
Breakfast had been prepared but never eaten.
His medication sat untouched beside a cup of tea that had long since gone cold.
Detective Morris slowly walked through each room.
"There are no signs of struggle."
One crime-scene investigator nodded.
"No overturned furniture."
"No blood."
"No forced entry."
"So he opened the door willingly."
A neighbor confirmed that observation.
"I saw Arthur talking to someone yesterday evening."
"Did you recognize them?"
"No."
"Man or woman?"
"A man."
"What did he look like?"
"He wore a dark cap."
Elena immediately stopped writing.
"A baseball cap?"
The elderly neighbor nodded.
"I couldn't see his face."
Another witness added something equally unsettling.
"They weren't arguing."
"They seemed to know each other."
Back at headquarters, technicians compared recent surveillance footage with recordings recovered from Harold's assault.
The same height.
The same walking posture.
The same habit of keeping one hand inside a coat pocket.
The unidentified observer had appeared once again.
But this time he hadn't merely watched.
Arthur Collins was gone.
Whether he had left voluntarily or under pressure remained impossible to determine.
Later that evening Harold quietly listened as Elena summarized the findings.
When she finished, Harold stared out the window for several moments.
Finally he spoke.
"They've changed tactics."
Michael folded his arms.
"You think Arthur is still alive?"
Harold answered carefully.
"I think someone needs answers that only Arthur could provide."
"And if he refuses?"
Harold did not respond.
May you like
The silence itself became the answer.
...
