Chapter 5 - THE TEXT MESSAGE
The light from the burner phone illuminated the inside of the casket, casting eerie, dancing shadows across Rachel’s pale face.
Marcus let out a ragged, desperate sound and lunged past me, his hand grabbing for the phone. But I was faster. I snatched the device out of the hidden pocket just as his fingers grazed my sleeve.
"Give me that!" Marcus shrieked, his composure completely shattered. He looked less like a grieving husband and more like a cornered animal.
"Stay back, Marcus!" I warned, backing away toward the fireplace, holding the phone tightly in my hand.
My mother sank onto the sofa, her hands clamped over her mouth, her eyes wide with shock. "Marcus... what is that? Why did Rachel have a phone hidden in her dress?"
"It's... it's a mistake," Marcus stammered, backing toward the front door, his eyes darting frantically toward the exit. "She must have dropped it, or... or someone planted it to frame me!"
"At the morgue? Inside a custom-sewn pocket?" I snapped, looking down at the screen.
The screen was unlocked. The unread text message notification blared in bold letters across the top:
Sender: Unknown / Encrypted Proxy
“Job confirmed. Transfer complete. Make sure the body is buried before the autopsy report is finalized tomorrow morning.”
The room seemed to spin. My knees buckled slightly, but I caught myself against the brick hearth.
May you like
"You didn't push her down the stairs," I whispered, looking up at Marcus with a hatred so deep and pure it felt cold. "You didn't slip. You killed her."
Marcus stopped moving toward the door. He let out a long, shuddering breath, his shoulders slumping as the mask finally melted away completely. The grief was gone. The fake tears were gone. There was only a hollow, dangerous emptiness left behind.
