Page 76 of Can You Take It?

“Detective Harris,” he nods, acknowledging the weight of the situation. “How did you come across this car?”

I take a deep breath, steadying myself. “We were looking for Luna. She’s a part of our team. The GPS of her car was last tracked near here, and then it went dark. We found her car like this.”

Harris raises an eyebrow. “Luna’s part of your team?”

“Yeah,” I nod. “We’re with the FBI. She’s one of our agents.”

“We’ll run tests on the remains and check for any leads. But finding Luna is the priority.”

No shit, Sherlock. I resist the urge to snap and instead focus on the task at hand.

He goes about his business, and I find myself checking my phone again, hoping for some word from Izel. Nothing. She’s still radio silent.

In the last four hours since she walked away, I’ve left her eighteen voicemails. Each one more desperate than the last. But there’s nothing but silence.

The forensic team wraps up their investigation, and Valentina approaches me.

“SSA Reynolds?”

“What can you tell me?”

Valentina gestures at the skull, her fingers gently gliding over its contours as she traces the lines. “Based on the lateral and sagittal structures, this skeleton belongs to a kid, probably 14-16 years old. And here’s the thing—this body wasn’t left to decay naturally. Acids were used to speed up the process.”

I grimace, the image of Luna’s car turning into a mobile crime scene burning into my brain. “So, what the hell does that mean?”

Valentina adjusts her gloves. “I’ll run some tests, but from what I can tell now, this kid died over ten years ago. Someone went through the trouble of committing murder and leaving the body in Luna’s car.”

“But why? Why leave a decade-old murder in Luna’s car?”

Colton, who’s been listening, cuts in. “Someone’s playing games with us.”

“Yeah, they wanted us to find this. But why? What the hell are they trying to achieve?”

Valentina chimes in. “Could be a message, a warning. Or maybe they just enjoy fucking with people’s heads.”

Colton’s jaw tightens. “So, we’re dealing with a sicko who’s been holding onto this secret for over ten years, and now they decide to unleash it?”

“Exactly. But we need to focus on finding Luna. Whatever sick game this asshole is playing, Luna’s at the center of it.”

Valentina nods and walks away, leaving us standing there. We head in the direction of my car. As we reach it, Noah breaks the silence.

“We need to clear our heads. How about we grab some coffee? We could all use it.”

“Yeah, let’s do that. We’ll think better with some caffeine in our systems,” Colton suggests.

I want to keep pushing, keep searching for Luna, but the exhaustion is catching up. We’d be useless if we continue like living zombies.

I pull out my phone and dial Emily. “Hey, Emily, I need you to keep an eye on Luna’s phone tracking. Let me know if there’s any movement. We’re grabbing a coffee and regrouping.”

“Got it, Rick. I’ll keep you posted,” Emily replies.

The nearest coffee shop is three streets away. We push through the door, the bell above it jingling softly. Inside, a few late-night patrons sit at tables, engrossed in their laptops or quietly chatting. The barista, a young woman with dark hair tied back in a ponytail, greets us with a tired but genuine smile.

Noah steps up to the counter first. “Three large coffees, black. And make it quick, please.”

Colton finds a corner booth, and we settle in. The fatigue in our bodies is evident in every slouch and tired glance.

As we wait, my attention drifts around the coffee shop. Suddenly, I catch sight of Izel.

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