Page 6 of When You're Gone

His fingers traced along the walluntil they found a small latch hidden in the intricate Victorian wallpaper.With a soft click, a section of the wall swung open, revealing a narrow passageleading into darkness.

“Open sesame,” Finn said in abooming voice.

Amelia followed closely behind Finnas they stepped into the hidden room. Dust swirled in the air, settling onforgotten cobwebs that adorned the corners. Finn's disappointment was palpableas he surveyed the empty space, devoid of any clues or evidence.

"Well, this isdisappointing," Finn muttered under his breath, his frustration evident inhis tone. His nostrils stung slightly.

Amelia's brow furrowed as sheobserved their surroundings. "I'll get forensics to go over this place,but..." She paused, wrinkling her nose at a faint smell lingering in theair. "It stinks of bleach. It's like someone went to great lengths toclean this room out."

Finn's jaw clenched at therealization. "Deliberately cleaning it out suggests they were coveringtheir tracks," he mused aloud, his mind already racing through possiblescenarios. “This has got Max Vilne written all over it. Sometimes he liked tosterilize the scene to show his control over the investigating officers. Ifsomething is left behind, it's deliberate.”

“We shouldn't jump toconclusions,” Amelia reminded Finn. “If we see Vilne in all of this, we couldmiss the real killer.”

“Come on, Winters,” Finn said.“He's already threatened us again with those mannequins tied to the tree backat the cottage. Then there was that watch, probably Victorian-era like the bathhouse. He's showing us flashes of what he has in store.”

Amelia didn't say anything, butFinn could tell she didn't quite buy it.

The dim light filtering through acracked window cast eerie shadows across the bare walls of the secret chamber.Finn and Amelia exchanged a knowing look, both detectives recognizing that thisempty room held secrets that had been meticulously erased by someone withsomething to hide.

“Forensics is still outside,”Amelia said as they left the room. “I’ll…”

Finn's phone buzzed in his pocket.He pulled it out, frowning at the unknown number on the screen. When he openedthe message, his blood ran cold.

"What the hell,” Finn said,trying to make sense of the message.

“What is it?”

"Amelia, look at this."He held out the phone, showing her the screen. "It asks ‘are you enjoyingthe bathhouse?’ followed by a poem:

‘By kings and things of progressdelight,

thy tide will poison thine owncrimson night.’"

“What are those numbers at the endof the message?” Amelia asked.

“Looks like coordinates,” Finnsaid.

Amelia opened her phone and punchedin the coordinates to her maps app.

Amelia's eyes widened, a flicker ofrecognition crossing her face. "Those coordinates... they're for an oldtextile mill about a twenty minute drive from here. Let's see if we can get atrace on the number and then head there."

Finn nodded, his jaw clenching."If this is from the killer, it looks like he is playing games with us.Sending us on some kind of twisted scavenger hunt."

Amelia looked at Finn, worry in hereyes like wells of deep unease. "But what will be found there?"

CHAPTER THREE

Finn killed the engine, and the oldpolice car’s rattle gave way to a silence that seemed to seep from the skeletalremains of the textile mill. He eyed the behemoth structure; it was a carcassof bricks and broken windows. The place had a weight to it, the weight ofdiscarded history. A relic that time forgot, but crime did not.

Amelia's phone pinged. “No dice onthe phone number,” she said. “Looks like the number has been spoofed somehow.”

"Looks like we got here first.Why do our cases always take us to the worst places?" Finn remarked dryly,stepping out into the crisp air. His breath formed clouds as he spoke. “Thekiller is a terrible tour guide, if that’s his intention.”

"England isn’t all murder anddetective stories," Amelia added, shutting her door with a thud thatechoed off the desolate walls around them. She pulled her coat tighter aroundherself, as if the chill in the air was something foul that could be kept atbay.

“Should we wait for the forensicsteam and backup?” Finn asked.

“No,” said Winters. “For all weknow there’s a victim in there that needs our help.”

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