Chapter 13 - The Photograph
Elias carefully removed the damaged photograph from the wall.
The scratches had been made with a knife.
Deep.
Repeated.
Personal.
The rescue team leader examined the back of the photo.
"There are initials."
He brushed away dust.
J.M.
The old ranger inhaled sharply.
"Jacob Mercer."
Silence filled the cabin.
One of the younger rescuers frowned.
"I've heard that name."
"You've heard rumors," the ranger corrected quietly.
"He disappeared after exposing a criminal operation around this lake."
Elias remained silent.
He remembered far more than rumors.
Jacob had been his closest partner.
The man who never returned from one final investigation.
For twenty years everyone believed Jacob had simply vanished.
Now the old photograph suggested something very different.
Someone had erased his face—but failed to erase the truth.
Outside the cabin, another twig cracked.
The unknown observer was still nearby.
Watching.
May you like
Waiting.
Listening.
