The door slammed shut behind the police officers.
The sound echoed through the mansion, sharp and final, like the closing of a coffin.
Jade stood frozen for a moment, her hand still resting on the door handle, her chest rising too fast, too shallow. Amanda turned slowly, her face pale, her jaw tight with barely restrained anger.
So it was true.
Not a rumor.
Not speculation.
Not another unanswered question.
Nancy, was dead.
Hit and run.
Just like that.
Jade's hands trembled as she turned away from the door. Her mind screamed, spinning in useless circles. The police had come, delivered their rehearsed words, and left. No urgency. No reassurance. No answers. Just another cold confirmation added to the pile of chaos swallowing their lives.
"What exactly do they do?" Jade snapped suddenly, her voice cracking. "Do they ever do anything? Or do they just show up to announce deaths?"
Amanda didn't answer immediately. She watched Jade sink onto the couch, one hand pressed to her abdomen, her breathing uneven.
"They're useless," Amanda said finally, her voice tight with fury. "They were useless with my sister. And they're useless now."
The silence that followed was suffocating.
Jade's body began to betray her.
A dull ache spread through her lower stomach, slow at first, then sharper, more insistent. She shifted uncomfortably, sweat breaking along her forehead.
"Amanda…" she whispered.
Amanda turned sharply. "What is it?"
"I don't feel right." Jade's voice trembled. "My stomach… it hurts. Everywhere hurts."
Fear flashed across Amanda's face. She was at Jade's side instantly.
"No. No, no." She grabbed her bag. "We're going to the hospital. Now."
The antiseptic smell made Jade nauseous.
She lay on the hospital bed, fingers clenched tightly around the sheets as the doctor spoke, his expression serious but controlled.
"Stress like this is dangerous," he said. "You need to be calm. Completely calm."
Jade laughed weakly, tears sliding down her temples. "Calm?" she whispered. "How?"
The doctor's gaze softened, but his next words cut deep.
"If this continues, you could lose the baby."
The words landed like a blow.
Jade's breath hitched violently. Amanda stiffened beside her.
Lose the baby.
No.
"I won't," Jade said quickly, panic surging. "I won't. I promise. I'll be careful."
She didn't know who she was promising, herself, the doctor, or the tiny life growing inside her, but fear wrapped tightly around her chest.
When they finally returned home later that night, exhaustion dragged them both into bed. Neither of them thought to check the mailbox. Neither had the strength for anything more.
The house slept.
Unaware.
Damien sat on the edge of his cell bed, elbows resting on his knees, head bowed.
The walls felt closer than usual.
Nancy was dead.
The echo of her voice still haunted him, the warning, the fear, the urgency. And now she was gone. Silenced. Just like that.
He swallowed hard.
Paquito sat across from him, watching quietly.
"I have to tell you something," Damien said at last, his voice hollow.
Paquito frowned. "What?"
"Nancy is dead."
The words hung heavy between them.
Paquito's eyes widened. "What?"
"Hit and run," Damien continued slowly. "She came here not long ago. She told us everything she could… and now she's gone."
Paquito leaned back, running a hand through his hair. "So it's true," he muttered. "They got to her first."
Damien looked up sharply. "You think they killed her?"
Paquito met his gaze. "You already know the answer."
A bitter silence followed.
"She was there that night," Damien said quietly. "During the murder."
Paquito nodded. "Yes. But she didn't know what she was helping."
Realization struck Damien hard. "Her sister…"
"Was used as bait," Paquito finished grimly. "Nancy ran. Her sister paid the price."
Damien clenched his fists. Rage and helplessness tangled violently inside him.
"So she pretended to comply," Damien whispered. "While planning revenge."
"And they discovered it," Paquito said. "Which is why she's dead."
Damien's breath grew uneven. "Then Jade isn't safe."
Paquito's expression darkened. "Neither are you."
Damien stood abruptly, panic surging. "My wife is pregnant. She lives among them. They see her every day."
Paquito raised a hand. "Listen to me."
Damien froze.
"I know who they are," Paquito said quietly.
Damien stared at him. "Then tell me."
"I can't," Paquito replied without hesitation. "Not directly."
"Why?"
"Because saying their names is a death sentence," Paquito said. "And not just for me."
Damien's shoulders sagged. "Then what do we do?"
Paquito exhaled slowly. "We send a code."
"A code?"
"I'll send it," Paquito said. "Through prison mail. Anonymously."
Damien frowned. "What kind of code?"
"One that points to the truth," Paquito replied. "Without speaking it."
He leaned closer. "Your wife has a lawyer. Amanda. She's smart. She might figure it out."
Damien nodded slowly. "Do it."
The paper was plain.
No name.
No return address.
Only six digits written neatly:
27 09 20
Below it, two words:
SAFE BOX
Paquito watched as the envelope disappeared.
"That's all I can give," he murmured.
Morning came quietly.
Too quietly.
Jade and Amanda moved through breakfast in silence, exhaustion weighing heavily on them both. Neither mentioned the fear still lodged in their chests.
Later, Amanda's phone buzzed.
Your delivery has been placed in your mailbox.
She frowned. "Strange. That was yesterday."
"I'll get it later," she muttered, but something made her pause.
Minutes later, she returned carrying a stack of envelopes.
"Bills?" Jade asked absentmindedly.
"Mostly."
Amanda flipped through them, then stopped.
Her fingers stilled.
Jade noticed immediately. "What is it?"
Amanda held up the paper.
Six digits.
Two words.
Jade's stomach dropped.
"Safe box?" she whispered.
They stared at each other, fear creeping back like a shadow.
"Who sent this?" Jade asked.
"I don't know," Amanda replied slowly. "But someone wants us to find something."
They called Pepe immediately.
Hours passed.
Nothing.
No match.
No trace.
No location.
Pepe shook his head. "It's clean. Whoever sent this didn't want to be found."
Amanda sank into the chair, frustration boiling over. "It looks like a date."
"But whose?" Jade whispered.
They searched.
They guessed.
They failed.
Night fell again.
The code lay between them on the table, silent, waiting.
And somewhere, the truth remained locked away.