Page 31 of Cat and Mouse

"Ah, so you found them," he says, as if he's been waiting for this. "Consider it a gift. You wanted to solve those cases, didn't you?"

"I'm focused on this one now," I say, my voice cold. "And I won't be distracted."

The Phantom's laughter echoes through the phone, dark and twisted. "Are you sure you're not just avoiding the truth? Maybe you're not working hard enough. Maybe you're scared."

"I'm not scared of you," I say, my voice steady even though my hands are shaking. "But I won't play your games."

"Then why don't you tell me why you're really so eager to catch me?" he asks, his voice dripping with curiosity.

"Because you're a monster," I say. "And I'm not going to stop until you're behind bars."

"Monsters," he says with a laugh, "are a matter of perspective. You're not so different from me, you know. We all have our demons."

"Fuck you," I say, my patience wearing thin.

The line goes dead. I stand there, staring at the phone in disbelief. This twisted game he's playing is far from over. And now, I've got a new lead—one that's both chilling and infuriating.

***

I'm pacing around my apartment, the phone pressed against my ear. The frustration from the Phantom's latest game is still simmering, and I need answers. Harris needs to understand the urgency.

"Captain Harris, it's Elizabeth," I say, trying to keep my voice steady. "Forget about Robert's body for now. We need to look at his financials."

"What's this about?" Harris's voice is gruff, but I can sense his curiosity.

"Robert wasn't just a random victim. If he was involved with the Phantom, he'd have a money trail. We need to comb through his bank accounts, see if there's any suspicious activity, offshore accounts, anything."

"Offshore accounts?" Harris sounds skeptical. "That's a big ask."

"It's a big deal," I insist. "He was making moves for someone. And if he's tied to the Phantom, we'll find money shifting to people connected to the case. Think about it. Robert might've been handling payments for the distributors, which means he's a key player. And key players have money trails."

"Alright, alright," Harris sighs. "I'll see what we can dig up. But if this turns out to be another dead end—"

"Trust me," I cut him off. "This is where we need to look. I've got a feeling."

I hang up and stare at the pile of files from the storage unit. The Phantom's twisted gifts aren't helping. I need real leads, and Harris's response better come through quickly. I'm not letting this killer slip away.

A few hours later, my phone rings with a call from Harris. "Elizabeth, you were right. We found something. Robert had money wired to Amy Carson's account."

My heart skips a beat. "Amy Carson? That's one of the Phantom's victims. So, Robert was paying her? That proves he was a major player in this operation."

"Exactly," Harris says. "We're looking into the details now, but it seems like Robert was the one handling payments. It's leading us to the distributors. This could be our break."

"Good," I say, feeling a surge of hope. "What else did you find?"

"We traced some of Robert's transactions to an account registered to someone named Luca. We're still digging into it, but it's a name we can work with."

I feel a rush of excitement. "Luca. That's a start. We need to track down this Luca and see how he's connected to the Phantom."

"Agreed," Harris says. "I'll get our financial analysts on it. We're also checking Robert's recent transactions for any other suspicious activities."

"Perfect," I say, feeling a bit more in control. "Let's make this count."

I hang up and grab my coat. The city's starting to wake up, and I need to get moving. I head to the office, where I pull up everything we have on Luca. I need to know who he is, what he does, and how he connects to the Phantom.

In the office, the atmosphere is tense. I'm surrounded by a team of analysts and officers, all working on the new lead. I pace back and forth, watching as they dig into Luca's background.

"Anything?" I ask, trying to keep my impatience in check.

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