Mystery Chaser: The Assassination

The storm had arrived just as Gabriel had predicted. It was one of those storms where the sky seemed to bleed with anger, the thunder rattling the windows of his small office. Gabriel stood by the window, watching the sheets of rain pour down, each drop a cold reminder of the danger closing in on him. He had never been one to shy away from danger, but this—this was different. This felt personal. Too many times had he been warned, too many clues had been thrown in his path. Someone didn't want him digging any deeper.

His phone buzzed on the desk, breaking him from his thoughts. He walked over and picked it up, his eyes narrowing when he saw the name flashing on the screen—Victor Blackwood. For a moment, Gabriel considered ignoring it. But the words Sarah had said earlier echoed in his mind. Blackwood was the key. He couldn't afford to hesitate anymore.

He answered the call, his voice steady but low. "Mr. Blackwood."

There was a long pause, then the voice on the other end responded, smooth and measured, as if nothing in the world could rattle it. "Detective Wells. Or should I say, 'former' detective?"

Gabriel's fingers tightened around the phone. "Cut to the chase, Blackwood. What do you want?"

"Want? Oh, Gabriel, I don't want anything. But you? You're chasing something that will ruin you. You've stepped into something far beyond your understanding. If you're smart, you'll turn back now."

Gabriel's jaw clenched, his mind racing. He had been expecting a warning like this, but hearing it from Blackwood himself—it felt different. There was something almost mocking in his voice, as if he were toying with him. "I don't scare easily, Blackwood. You should know that."

"I know," Blackwood replied smoothly, his tone dripping with arrogance. "That's what makes you dangerous. But it's also what makes you expendable. Be careful where you dig, Wells. The people you're up against don't just play dirty—they erase everything."

The line went dead, leaving Gabriel standing in the cold silence of the room. The weight of Blackwood's words hung heavy in the air. Gabriel wasn't afraid. He had faced monsters before—real ones, the kind that didn't hide behind facades. But this… this was something else. Blackwood wasn't just a man with power; he was a man who knew how to manipulate, how to make people disappear without a trace.

He turned away from the window, his gaze flicking over the scattered files on his desk. Sarah had given him a list of contacts, people who might know more about Blackwood's operations, people who had ties to the military experiments. They were all dead ends so far—either too afraid to speak up or simply vanished into thin air. The deeper Gabriel dug, the more elusive the truth became. But he couldn't stop. Not now.

There was a knock at the door. Gabriel didn't need to ask who it was. He knew it was Sarah. She had been on edge ever since the last conversation, but now, her presence felt like a lifeline, something stable in the midst of all the chaos.

He opened the door, and there she was, her face pale, her eyes sharp with urgency. "We need to talk. It's about Blackwood."

Gabriel stepped aside, letting her into the office. "I just spoke with him."

Sarah's eyes flicked to his, a silent question hanging in the air. "What did he say?"

"He warned me to stay out of it," Gabriel replied, his voice low. "But I don't plan on backing down."

Sarah crossed her arms, her brow furrowed. "He's not just bluffing. He's dangerous, Gabriel. I've been looking into his history, and there's more here than we realized. He's been running these experiments for decades. He's untouchable."

Gabriel's eyes narrowed. "He's not untouchable. He just thinks he is. And I'm going to prove him wrong."

Sarah hesitated, then took a deep breath. "I found something else. Something you need to see." She handed him a thick folder, the cover marked with a symbol he had seen before—the same symbol that had appeared on the military files, the one that had been linked to the experiments.

Gabriel opened the folder, his eyes scanning the documents. Inside were blueprints for a building—an underground facility, tucked away in the heart of the city. The place looked like a bunker, hidden beneath the surface, its location carefully obscured. But there was more. A list of names, each one marked with a red stamp: Deceased.

"This… this is a list of people involved in the project," Sarah said, her voice tight. "But the thing is, they're all supposed to be dead. The last person on the list—her name is Mia Clarke. She disappeared about a month ago. But I found a report. She was seen alive just last week."

Gabriel's mind raced. "Mia Clarke? I've seen that name before." He rifled through the files on his desk, pulling out a photograph of a woman, smiling but with a coldness in her eyes. She was one of the victims connected to Blackwood's experiments, but the file had been buried for years. No one had ever found her body.

"She's still alive," Sarah confirmed. "She has to be."

Gabriel stood up, the wheels in his mind turning faster now. "This is it. We need to find her. She's the key to everything."

Sarah nodded, determination burning in her gaze. "I've already started reaching out. If she's still alive, we need to find her before Blackwood does."

Gabriel grabbed his coat, his mind already on the move. They didn't have much time. Blackwood was watching, and he wasn't about to let them get any closer to the truth. But Gabriel wasn't afraid. Not anymore.

As they walked out of the office, the storm raged on outside, the streets slick with rain. Gabriel's thoughts were focused, laser-sharp. There was no more room for doubt. Blackwood had played his hand, and now it was Gabriel's turn to make a move.

But as they drove through the rain-slicked streets, a chill crept over him—a feeling that someone was watching. The city felt too quiet, too still. Something was coming. Something that would change everything.

And Gabriel was ready.

Later that night, after hours of searching, Gabriel and Sarah found themselves at a small, dimly lit apartment on the edge of the city. The address had been traced back to Mia Clarke, but there was no sign of her. The apartment was bare, except for a few pieces of furniture, a scattered mess of papers, and a laptop left open on the kitchen table.

Gabriel walked over to the laptop, his fingers moving quickly over the keys. There were no files on the desktop—nothing to indicate that Mia had been there recently. But when he opened the browser, a single webpage popped up. It was a live feed—camera footage from inside a building.

A building that Gabriel recognized all too well.

It was Blackwood's private estate.

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