Chapter 2: The Silent Witness
"We have a camera on the alleyway," Miller said, his hand lingering on his radio.
The confidence on the porch vanished. Chloe’s face turned the color of ash. She stumbled back into the kitchen, her grip on the doorframe slipping. The grandmother, however, stood her ground, though her eyes betrayed a flicker of genuine fear.
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Miller stepped into the alley, his flashlight beam cutting through the gloom. He found it near the base of the dumpster—a tiny, overlooked SD card, wedged into a crack in the brickwork. He slipped it into his tablet, his thumb hovering over the play button.
The footage began to buffer. The timestamp flickered: 11:42 PM. The screen showed the alleyway, illuminated by a harsh, flickering streetlamp. The grandmother and aunt were nowhere to be seen. Instead, the screen showed a woman in a raincoat—Sarah. She wasn't running; she was walking with a deliberate, calm pace. She carried a bundle in her arms. She placed the bundle inside the dumpster, patted it down like she was tucking a child into bed, and then, with terrifying precision, she pulled out her own phone, called the police, and began to scream.
