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Once they reached the top of the rock wall, Fiona took a moment to catch her breath and survey the landscape before her. The ravine stretched out in front of them, a deep gash in the earth that seemed almost otherworldly in its starkness. Sunlight filtered through the canopy above, casting dappled shadows on the forest floor.
"Alright," Jake said, breaking the silence. "What are we looking for here?"
Fiona bit her lip, considering her response. "I want to get a better sense of this area, try to understand what happened to Matilda. Last time, I only examined her remains... but I wasn’t able to get out here to look at the scene myself. I’d wanted to, even pushed for it, but my superiors said no. I wasn’t even an employee of the FBI, simply a student coming in to help, so…”
"Well, now’s your chance,” Jake said. "Let's split up and cover more ground. We can meet back here in half an hour."
"Agreed," Fiona replied, feeling a renewed determination to uncover the truth. As Jake disappeared into the woods, she set off on her own, carefully scanning the terrain for any clues that might help her piece together the events surrounding Matilda's death.
As she walked, her mind began to paint a picture of the tragic scene that had unfolded three years ago. She imagined Matilda stumbling through the darkness, her panicked breaths echoing against the cold rock walls of the ravine. Had it been a simple accident – a misstep that led to a fatal fall – or something more sinister?
Fiona tried to push away the growing sense of unease that settled over her as she explored the area. There was something haunting about the ravine, a heaviness that weighed on her chest and made her feel as though she were being watched. She shook her head, dismissing the thought as mere paranoia.
"Focus on the facts," she muttered to herself, continuing her search. With each step, she felt more determined to unravel the mystery of Matilda's death – to bring closure to a case that had haunted her for years. But as the shadows deepened and the ravine stretched on, Fiona couldn't help but wonder if she was getting closer to the truth... or simply stumbling deeper into darkness.
A chill ran down Fiona's spine as she moved deeper into the ravine, her footsteps muffled by a thick layer of fallen leaves. The air was damp and heavy with the scent of decay — a reminder of the life that had once flourished here, only to be silenced by the passage of time.
She strained her eyes, trying to discern any unusual features or signs of disturbance among the tangled roots and moss-covered rocks.
As she rounded a bend, something caught her attention in the distance. A shape partially obscured by the trees. She squinted, trying to make out the details, but it vanished before she could get a better look.
"Probably just an animal," she murmured, pushing the sighting from her mind as she continued her search. But a gnawing unease began to grow in the pit of her stomach, making it difficult to concentrate on the task at hand.
Minutes later, the shape reappeared, closer this time, and clearly not an animal.
It was a man.
Fiona's heart raced; someone was following her. She cursed under her breath for leaving her weapon behind, wanting to travel light during their search.
Confronting the mysterious figure seemed foolish without any means of self-defense, so instead, she opted for stealth, ducking behind a large boulder and watching the figure from the corner of her eye.
Jake, she thought, I need to find Jake. Her pulse quickened as she considered the possibility that whoever was following her might also pose a threat to her partner. She couldn't let that happen.
Summoning her courage, Fiona took a deep breath and began to circle back toward where they'd agreed to meet, careful not to alert the figure to her movements. Her mind raced with questions and fears, but she knew that for now, her priority was reuniting with Jake and ensuring their safety.
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
A dense fog wrapped itself around the tall trees, their gnarled branches reaching out like skeletal fingers. Jake trudged through the damp underbrush, his boots sinking into the muddy forest floor. He was alone, hiking through the woods where Matilda Black's body had been found years ago. He still wasn't sure what Fiona hoped to unearth here after all this time.
As he walked deeper into the woods, his thoughts drifted toward Lauren. The last few weeks had been a whirlwind. He never thought he would be in this position: she was pregnant with his child, and he couldn't shake the feeling that he needed to tell Fiona. But he wanted to speak with Lauren first, to confirm everything, and maybe figure out a plan. Unfortunately, Lauren had been avoiding his calls, responding only with brief texts promising to call him later – a promise she never kept.
The silence of the woods pressed in around him, offering no answers. He ran a hand through his hair, his heart heavy with guilt and uncertainty. He knew that keeping this from Fiona wasn't fair, not after everything they'd been through together. But he wanted to do it right, to be honest with her when he had all the information. And that meant waiting for Lauren.
But as he continued to hike through the woods, his mind stubbornly refused to stay on track. Images of Lauren, the life they'd once shared, and the possibility of a future with their child plagued him. He couldn't help but wonder if he would be a good father; if he could balance his dangerous job with the responsibilities that came with parenthood, on top of his relationship with Fiona.
Getting back together with Lauren wasn’t an option, even if they were co-parenting. Jake couldn’t stand the idea of losing Fiona; if this thing with Lauren was happening, and they were having a kid together—he would want to try and make it work with Fiona at the same time.
But would she be up for that?
It was a lot to ask so early in their relationship. As much as Jake was sure he and Fiona made a great match, he didn't know how she would feel about any of this.
With a heavy sigh, Jake redialed Lauren's number and lifted the phone to his ear. The silence that followed was deafening before her voicemail picked up once more. Defeated, he slid the phone into his pocket, cursing under his breath. He couldn't let Lauren's absence distract him from the case, but it was easier said than done.
He tried to refocus on the case. The fact that Fiona had worked on this when she was a student was intriguing, to say the least, and Jake itched to know if this really would tie everything together. He wondered what Matilda had been doing all the way out here, presumably alone—did she truly fall and hit her head, or had Fiona’s gut feeling back then been right? Maybe there was more at play, more to Matilda’s death than even the evidence could tell them…
As he rounded a bend in the path, something caught his eye – a dilapidated cabin tucked away in the shadows. Its wooden exterior was weathered, and its windows were smeared with grime, yet something about it called to him. Curiosity piqued, Jake approached cautiously, each step crunching on the forest floor.
"Hello?" he called out tentatively, pausing at the edge of the clearing that surrounded the cabin. There was no response, only the creaking of branches in the soft breeze. With his heart pounding, he edged closer and peered through one of the grimy windows.
