AllFreeNovel
Share Us
With renewed determination, she dove back into the pages of code, searching for the needle in a digital haystack that would break this case wide open. She would find it. She had to. The killer may have been clever, but Roseline Fontenot was not one to be easily deterred.
More long hours chasing digital ghosts had yielded nothing. She had followed endless trails through the hidden servers and dark web relay points, finding dead end after dead end. Whoever had set up this sadistic live stream knew how to cover their tracks.
A knock at her office door made Roseline start. She spun in her chair to see Commander Beckner entering, his expression grim. Her heart sank, knowing he was here for an update she didn’t have.
“Sorry to interrupt,” Beckner said. “I know it’s late. Just wanted to check on the progress of tracing that video feed.”
Roseline swallowed hard before responding. “I’m afraid I don’t have much, Commander. Whoever orchestrated this constructed an incredibly complex system of relays. Every time I get close to the origin point, the trail disappears into another maze of hidden servers. It’s meticulously designed to prevent tracing.”
Beckner sighed, his shoulders slumping slightly. “I figured it wouldn’t be easy. But I hoped your skills could crack it.”
“I’m not giving up, sir,” Roseline said, hearing the edge of defeat in her own voice. “But whoever did this knew how to hide their tracks. I’ll keep digging, but it may take time.”
“That poor man doesn’t need time anymore,” Beckner said quietly. Roseline nodded, thinking of the victim, now just a memory preserved in that horrific video.
Beckner rubbed his chin thoughtfully before continuing. “We may have caught one break. Got a hit on facial recognition for the victim. His name was Mani Alto—a low-level drug dealer with ties to the Italian Mafia. No family or close friends we can find. Guess no one reported him missing.”
Roseline’s brow furrowed as she absorbed this. The victim had a dangerous connection, yet it seemed insignificant enough that his brutal murder went unnoticed. Something wasn’t adding up.
“Why go through all this effort for some small-time drug dealer?” she mused aloud. “This level of preparation, the theatricality of the live stream... that indicates the killer wanted maximum impact. But Alto seems too minor a target for that.”
Beckner nodded slowly. “You’re right. This feels personal, yet Alto was just a blip on the radar. And leaving the video feed open but untraceable... the killer wanted us to find it, wanted us to witness this murder. But why?”
Roseline shook her head. None of it made sense. She had witnessed many horrific crimes in her work, but this one unsettled her deeply. Someone had constructed an elaborate web just to end one insignificant life and make the NOPD watch. This was only the beginning—she could feel it in her gut.
“I’ll keep working to uncover the source,” she told Beckner. “Whoever orchestrated this is cunning, but they must have left some faint trail I can pick up. There’s always a loose thread if you look close enough.”
Beckner gave her a grim smile. “I know you won’t quit, Detective Fontenot. Let me know if you uncover anything. I want this sick bastard found.” With that, he turned and left Roseline staring after him, her mind spinning.
She turned back to her computer, shoulders. Roseline blinked hard, trying to clear the fuzziness from her vision. She had been staring at the computer screen for so long that everything had started to blur together. Code segments, network maps, browser windows—it was an endless stream of data that she had been sifting through for days on end.
She stifled a yawn, shaking her head in an attempt to wake herself up. The last decent sleep she’d gotten was back when this case first landed on her desk a week ago. Ever since witnessing that horrific live-streamed murder, she’d been consumed with finding the killer.
Whoever had orchestrated this knew how to hide their digital tracks. The video feed had been bounced through endless hidden servers and obscure corners of the dark web, meticulously obscured to prevent tracing. This person was cunning, patient, and technologically adept—a dangerous combination.
Roseline had followed the winding trail through the digital underworld, encountering nothing but dead ends. But she couldn’t give up. Someone had to bring that man’s killer to justice.
Rubbing her eyes, Roseline sat up and cracked her knuckles. She was running on fumes, but she wasn’t done yet. There had to be something she was missing, some stone left unturned.
An idea occurred to her—the dark web chat rooms. The deep web was filled with hidden sites and chat boards where cybercriminals gathered. If this killer was technologically savvy, perhaps they even bragged about their heinous act somewhere in those seedy corners.
It was worth a shot. With a few keystrokes, Roseline accessed the portal to the secretive dark web using personal credentials. Donning a digital disguise, she began navigating the sea of hidden chat rooms and forums.
Most were filled with the usual illegal wares for sale—drugs, weapons, stolen data. But Roseline wasn’t interested in any of that. She carefully constructed her inquiries, posing as someone interested in snuff films and live-streamed murders.
The responses were disturbing, to say the least. But nothing matched the chilling specifics of the video she’d seen.
Until a private message popped up on her screen.
Heard you were asking questions. I know who you’re looking for.
Roseline hesitated before responding.This could be a trap. Or it could be the break in the case she desperately needed.
She had to take the risk. Maintaining her disguise, she replied casually.
Oh yeah? What have you heard?
The anonymous messengerseemed eager to share.
