The ringing phone shattered the silence of the apartment. Detective Kolon woke instantly. Years of police work had trained his body to react before his mind fully caught up. His eyes opened in the dark room as the phone continued vibrating sharply on the bedside table.
He grabbed it. "Kolon."
The voice on the other side sounded urgent. "Sir… it's about Miss Rhea."
Kolon sat up immediately. "What about her?"
There was a brief pause. "She's missing."
The words cut through the room like a blade. Kolon swung his legs off the bed. "What happened?"
"We received a report about a crash at an abandoned garage near the east industrial road. The scene… it's bad, sir."
Kolon was already pulling on his jacket. "Explain."
"There's blood everywhere." The line went silent for a moment. "No sign of Miss Rhea."
Kolon ended the call and left the apartment within seconds.
The crime scene was already flooded with flashing red and blue lights when he arrived. Police vehicles lined the street. Yellow tape fluttered in the cold wind. Kolon stepped under it and walked toward the garage. The metal structure looked as if a bomb had hit it. The front wall had partially collapsed. Broken concrete and twisted metal were scattered across the ground. The garage door had been completely smashed inward. And the blood.
Kolon stopped.
Dark red stains covered the concrete floor. Across the wall. On shattered glass. On the metal pillars. The splatter patterns stretched in violent arcs across the room.
One officer approached him. "Sir."
Kolon didn't look away from the scene. "Report."
"The vehicle rammed directly into the garage. High speed impact." The officer pointed toward deep tire marks cutting across the road outside.
"Driver?"
"Gone."
"Victim?"
"That's the problem."
Kolon finally turned.
"There's no body," the officer said quietly.
Another forensic officer stepped forward. "We've collected samples. But based on the amount of blood here…" He hesitated.
Kolon's eyes hardened. "Say it."
"It's unlikely anyone could survive this much blood loss."
Kolon looked back at the splattered wall. Unlikely. But not impossible. His gaze slowly moved across the destroyed room. Something felt wrong. This wasn't clean. This wasn't precise. This was rushed. The attacker had been desperate. A carefully planned killer would not leave a scene this chaotic.
Kolon crouched near the floor. His fingers hovered over a broken piece of glass stained with blood. Someone had been dragged. But not far.
"Search everything," Kolon said.
The team continued working through the night. Police combed through nearby alleys, abandoned buildings, rooftops, and empty streets. Search teams spread across the entire district. Dogs were brought in. Nothing. Hour after hour passed. The sky slowly turned grey as dawn approached. Still no trace of Rhea. Then Kolon's phone rang again. He stepped away from the officers and answered. "Kolon speaking!"
"Sir, we need you back at the station."
"What happened?"
"We found something."
Kolon's eyes narrowed. "What?"
"Evidence."
An hour later Kolon walked into the station. The atmosphere inside was tense. Several officers stood around a desk examining an evidence bag. One of them looked up. "Sir."
Kolon approached. Inside the clear plastic bag lay a knife. Dried blood stained the blade.
"Where did this come from?" Kolon asked.
"A tip came in about an hour ago," the officer replied. "Someone said they saw something suspicious in the garbage area behind Evan's office building."
Kolon didn't speak.
The officer continued. "We searched the bins." He pointed at the bag. "And found this."
The room fell quiet.
"Lab confirmed the blood matches the previous victims."
Kolon's jaw tightened. "And fingerprints?"
"Evan's."
The weight of the evidence settled heavily over the room.
One officer muttered quietly, "That's it… he's finished."
Kolon stared at the knife. Something still felt wrong. Nothing in this case fit together cleanly. But evidence was evidence. And duty was duty. Kolon turned and walked toward the holding area.
Evan sat alone on the metal bench inside the detention room. He hadn't slept. Dark circles hollowed his eyes. His body felt numb, as if his mind had simply stopped processing reality. Footsteps approached.
Then suddenly the door slammed open. The sound echoed violently across the room. Evan jolted upright. Detective Kolon entered with two officers. Their faces were cold, professional, emotionless.
"What's happening?" Evan asked weakly.
No one answered.
The officers stepped forward and grabbed his arms. Metal cuffs snapped around his wrists.
"Wait—what—what are you doing?" Evan's voice trembled.
"Detective Kolon please—"
Kolon didn't respond.
"Please tell me what's happening!" Evan cried.
But the silence remained. The officers began leading him down the hallway toward the cell block. Evan's panic grew with every step.
"I didn't do anything!"
"Please listen to me!"
No answer. Kolon walked ahead of them. His expression unreadable. They reached the final door. Kolon opened it. The cell waited on the other side.
Just as he stepped forward...a hand suddenly grabbed his arm.
Firm...
Strong...
Kolon froze!!!
Before anyone could react, the man stepped forward and pulled Evan behind him. Shielding him.
The officers instinctively stepped back.
Evan looked up and froze.
The figure standing in front of him was tall, broad-shouldered, unmovable.
For a moment Evan's mind refused to believe what his eyes were seeing. Then the realization hit him. His vision blurred with tears. His lips trembled. Four words escaped his happily smiling lips as tears rolled down his cheeks.
"You are back Noah."