Chapter 1: The Suicide Scene
The sea always smelled like rot this time of year, fitting. This town had been rotting long before Dr. Elara Quinn decided to end her life—or at least, that’s the official story.
I stood behind the yellow police tape, hands shoved into the pockets of my jacket, watching paramedics wheel out a body bag. Her house was an elegant white-brick monstrosity perched on the cliffside, the kind of place that screamed therapist who charges $300 an hour.
A crowd had gathered, whispering like it was a free community performance of Who Could’ve Seen This Coming? The answer: everyone. People love to act shocked when someone finally breaks, but deep down, they’re never really surprised.
“Caleb Hart.”
The voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I turned to see Detective Iris Vale striding toward me, all tailored blazer and zero patience. Her dark hair was tied back in its usual severe bun, and her brown eyes had that don’t even start with me look.
“Detective Vale,” I said with a smile that wasn’t a smile. “Nice to see you too. Sorry for your loss. You and Dr. Quinn were… close, weren’t you?”
Her jaw tightened. Bullseye.
“Stay out of this, Hart. I’m not kidding.” She stepped closer, lowering her voice so the other officers wouldn’t hear. “This isn’t one of your exposés. Elara Quinn took her own life. End of story.”
“Mm-hmm,” I said, pretending to examine my shoes. “Suicide by sleeping pills and a perfectly typed suicide note? You’re right, Vale, that’s exactly how people kill themselves—neat, organized, polite. Makes total sense.”
She glared at me, and for a second, I thought she might punch me. God, I hoped she would.
“This isn’t a game, Hart. If I see you sniffing around this case, I’ll—”
“—What? Arrest me for journalism? Oh, wait, you tried that once already.” I gave her a mock salute.
She shook her head and walked off, barking orders to her officers. But not before I caught the way her shoulders stiffened when one of them mentioned the suicide note.
Interesting.
I waited until the cops were busy moving people back, then slipped closer to the house. Old habits die hard, and mine involve trespassing and pissing off law enforcement.
The living room was visible through the large bay window. Classic therapist taste: minimalist furniture, expensive rug, bookshelves full of self-help titles she probably never read. The paramedics had taken the body, but the scene was still burned into my mind from when they rolled her out.
Elara Quinn, stretched out on the sofa like she’d fallen asleep reading. No struggle. No mess. Just a half-empty wine glass on the table and the suicide note propped up neatly beside it.
Too neat.
My eyes scanned the room again, taking mental snapshots.
– The wine glass had lipstick on the rim, but no fingerprints.
– The lamp beside the sofa was tilted, like it had been bumped, but the cord wasn’t tangled. Someone fixed it afterward.
– And the biggest tell: the note was printed. Elara Quinn was old-school. She handwrote everything.
This wasn’t suicide. This was theater.
“Caleb?”
I turned at the sound of a soft voice. Mara Quinn stood by the fence, hugging herself against the cold wind. She looked like the type who’d dissolve in a stiff breeze—wide eyes, pale skin, hair pulled back in a loose knot.
“Ms. Quinn,” I said, walking over. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
Her lips trembled, but she held my gaze. “You… you don’t think she killed herself, do you?”
I raised an eyebrow. “Why would you think that?”
“Because I knew my sister,” she said firmly, surprising me with the sudden steel in her voice. “She would never—never—do this. And that note… that wasn’t her.”
Well, well.
“Tell you what,” I said. “Why don’t you come by the café tomorrow? We can talk about what you know.”
She hesitated, then nodded.
As she walked away, I couldn’t help but smile. Not because I enjoyed her pain, but because my gut had been right: Elara Quinn’s death was no suicide.
And if the rumors about her secret therapy recordings were true, then someone in this charming little coastal town had a secret worth killing for.
I pulled out my phone and recorded a quick voice memo.
“Day one. Elara Quinn’s dead, and this smells like bullshit. Iris Vale wants me off the case, which means she’s hiding something. Mara Quinn’s convinced it’s murder, which makes her either the most honest person I’ve met in this town… or the best liar. Either way, I’m in.”
The wind howled off the cliffside, carrying the faint scent of salt and decay.
Welcome home, Caleb.
