A Night of Secrets and Betrayals

Mia messed around with her keys because she was still thinking about what had happened the night before. It had been three days since the bodies were found at Phoenix Ridge. Three days of talks with the FBI, no sleep, and too many questions that weren't answered.

She opened the door to her room and stopped. There was something white on the floor of her hallway. It was a package that wasn't there when she left this morning.

As she looked around the flat, her heart was beating fast. Nothing else seemed to be a problem. She picked up the envelope with two fingers and was very careful. No name, no address. It was just a plain white envelope that was sealed.

Mia closed and locked the door behind her, then slid the chain into place. She didn't sit down at her kitchen table to look at the envelope until she had checked every room and closet.

Inside was a single photo: Mia standing at her investigation board, taken through her bedroom window. On the back, written in neat block letters: "STOP DIGGING OR START DIGGING YOUR GRAVE."

Her hands shook. Someone had been watching her room. Someone knew what she was doing.

Her phone rang, making her jump. It was Olivia.

"Hey," Mia replied, trying to keep her voice steady.

"My father's been arrested," Olivia said without welcome. "The FBI found enough evidence in those containers to charge him with three murders."

"Good," Mia said, but her eyes stayed fixed on the threatening photo.

"Are you okay? You sound strange."

Mia paused. Should she tell Olivia about the warning? After a moment's thought, she decided against it. Until she knew who to trust fully, some things were better kept secret.

"Just tired," she lied. "Any news about Derek?"

"He's working with the FBI. Turns out he really didn't know about his cousin. The agents think Ethan manipulated him from the beginning."

"And Lily? Any sign of her?"

Olivia sighed. "Nothing yet. The FBI is checking foreign databases, but if she's in witness protection, those records are sealed tight."

After hanging up, Mia stared at the picture again. Someone wanted her to back off. But who? Ethan was in jail. Mr. Chen was jailed. Who else had something to hide?

The next morning, Mia found herself parked outside the county jail. Visiting hours had just started, and she had signed up to see one person: Ethan.

The guard led her to a small room with a glass barrier. When Ethan was brought in, he smiled that familiar confident smile, despite the orange jumpsuit and chains.

"Mia," he greeted her, sitting down across the glass. "What a pleasant surprise."

"Cut the act," she snapped. "Someone left a threat at my flat yesterday. Was it one of your friends?"

Ethan's smile didn't change. "I don't have friends, Mia. Only business friends."

"Like Derek? Were you two really working together?"

"Derek?" Ethan laughed. "That fool was just a pawn. Useful, but replaceable."

"Then who put the fake body in that container? Who made Derek believe his cousin was alive?"

Ethan leaned forward, his eyes suddenly serious. "That's the million-dollar question, isn't it? Someone played us all. Even me." His voice dropped lower. "If I were you, I'd look closer at Olivia Chen."

"Olivia was working with the FBI," Mia replied.

"Was she? Or did she just want everyone to think that?" Ethan sat back. "The Chen family has stories that go back generations. Daddy's crimes are just the tip of the iceberg."

As Mia left the jail, her mind spun with options. Was Ethan just trying to cause doubt, or did he know something about Olivia that she didn't?

She drove to her favorite coffee shop to think. As she sipped her latte, she pulled out her notebook and began to map links between everyone involved.

Chen Sr. - Corrupt businessman, now arrested

Olivia - Claimed to work with FBI, but was she telling the truth?

Derek - Pawn or player?

Ethan - Mastermind or another pawn?

Lily - Dead? Alive? Hiding?

Mason Chen - Dead? Or just disappeared?

The unknown text signer "L" could be Lily. But it could also be someone using her initial to throw Mia off track.

Suddenly, the hairs on Mia's neck stood up. She felt eyes on her. Slowly, she glanced around the coffee shop. Nothing seemed out of place, but the feeling remained.

She paid quickly and headed for her car. As she approached, she spotted something tucked under the windshield wiper – another envelope.

Mia looked around the parking lot. No one suspicious in sight. With trembling fingers, she grabbed the envelope and got in her car, locking the doors instantly.

This envelope held a newspaper article about a fire in an apartment building five years ago. One name in the list of deaths was circled: Elizabeth Chen – Olivia's mother.

Scrawled in the margin was a note: "Nothing is as it seems. E.C. didn't die here."

Mia's blood ran cold. If Elizabeth Chen didn't die in that fire, what happened to her? And why fake her death?

She started her car and headed straight for the Phoenix Investment offices. She needed to face Olivia directly.

The receptionist told her that Ms. Chen was in a board meeting but should be finished soon. Mia chose to wait, her mind racing with questions.

Fifteen minutes later, Olivia emerged from the meeting room, surrounded by board members. She spotted Mia and her smile faltered for just a second before she excused herself and approached.

"Mia, what brings you here?"

"We need to talk. Privately."

Olivia led her to her office, closed the door behind them. "What's wrong?"

Mia put the newspaper clipping on Olivia's desk. "Explain this."

Olivia's face paled as she read the note. "Where did you get this?"

"Someone left it on my car. Someone who's been watching me." Mia crossed her arms. "Is your mother alive, Olivia?"

Olivia sank into her chair, suddenly looking tired. "I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"Exactly that." Olivia ran a hand through her hair. "For years, I believed she died in that fire. But three months ago, I got a birthday card signed with her initials."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I wasn't sure. It could have been a terrible joke." Olivia looked up, her eyes suddenly fierce. "Someone has been playing games with all of us, Mia. Someone who knows all our secrets."

The office phone rang, stopping them. Olivia answered, listened quickly, then hung up with a troubled expression.

"That was the front desk. Derek's here to see me."

They traded nervous glances before Olivia buzzed him in.

Derek looked tired but determined as he entered the office. His eyes widened slightly at seeing Mia there.

"Good, you're both here," he said, closing the door firmly behind him. "We need to talk. The FBI just released me. They're sure I was just a pawn in Ethan's game."

"And were you?" Mia asked sharply.

Derek met her eyes steadily. "I thought I was the player, not the piece. I was wrong."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a phone – not his normal sleek smartphone, but an older flip phone.

"This was delivered to my hotel room last night," he explained, putting it on Olivia's desk. "It has one number programmed in it."

"Whose?" Olivia asked.

"I don't know. But I got a text this morning." He flipped open the phone and showed them the message:

"The game isn't over. Mason had a partner. 10PM tonight, Riverfront Park. Come alone or people die. —L"

Mia and Olivia shared shocked looks.

"L again," Mia whispered.

"You've received messages too?" Derek asked sharply.

Mia nodded, then pulled out her phone and showed them her strange text. Olivia admitted she'd also gotten a strange message two days ago, warning her that "blood tells in the end."

"Someone's playing us against each other," Derek said grimly.

"Or trying to bring us together," Olivia replied. "Why contact all three of us?"

"I'm going to that meeting tonight," Derek stated. "I need to know if Lily is really alive."

"It could be a trap," Mia warned.

"I don't care. I need answers."

The three fell silent, each lost in their own thoughts. Finally, Mia spoke.

"We go together," she decided. "No more lies between us. If someone wants to play games, let's change the rules."

They agreed to meet near the park at 9:30, staying separate but within sight of each other. Safety in numbers, but flexible enough to change if needed.

As Mia left Olivia's office, her phone buzzed with a new text from an unknown number:

"Smart girl, joining forces. But remember—trust no one totally. Not Derek. Not Olivia. Not even yourself. The truth will hurt worse than any lie. —L"

A chill ran down Mia's spine. Whoever "L" was, they were always one step ahead.

Back at her apartment, Mia found another package – this one slid under her door while she was out. Her hands shook as she opened it.

Inside was a picture of three teenagers – younger versions of herself, Olivia, and a boy she recognized as Ethan. Their arms were linked, all three smiling happily. A photo Mia had no knowledge of.

Written across the bottom in red ink: "You don't remember everything. But I do."

Mia sank to the floor, the photo clutched in her shaking hands. Fragments of memories flashed through her thoughts – a lakeside cabin, laughter turning to screams, blood on her hands.

Why couldn't she remember? What had happened that summer with Olivia and Ethan?

As sunset approached, Mia prepared for the meeting at Riverfront Park. She tucked the mysterious photo into her pocket as a reminder of what was at stake – not just the future, but the past she couldn't fully remember.

Someone knew her secrets. Someone was watching her every move. Someone wanted her to be afraid.

But Mia Sullivan didn't scare easily. If someone was trying to warn her off, they'd picked the wrong woman to scare.

Tonight, she would face "L" and demand answers. No more hiding, no more games.

As she grabbed her keys and headed for the door, a final thought made her pause: What if the answers were worse than the questions?

Some facts were buried for a reason. Some secrets were meant to stay hidden.

Was she ready for what waited in the dark of Riverfront Park?

Only one way to find out.