Levi's eyes narrowed as he stared at the paused frame on the monitor—the man captured in the dashcam footage looked hauntingly familiar. He pointed at the screen. "It's him. The one who testified against Amadeo. The one who said he attempted suicide the night Elle went missing."
He turned to Amadeo for confirmation, but Amadeo was far from responsive. His eyes were locked on the screen, unblinking, body trembling slightly. His right leg bounced nervously, and sweat trickled down his temple. His fingers fidgeted unconsciously, twitching as though possessed by a memory trying to claw its way to the surface.
"Amadeo?" Levi called out.
No response.
"Amadeo!" he repeated, louder this time, reaching out and grabbing the young man's shoulder.
Amadeo flinched, jerking back into the present. "Huh? Ah... no... I mean... what do you mean? I never tried to commit suicide. I don't even remember how I got to the accident site. It's all a blur. I swear."
Levi's gaze sharpened, lingering a second too long on Amadeo's eyes. Something didn't feel right. He nodded slowly, though, masking his suspicions. "Alright. Dylan, run a search on this guy. Full background check. And those two men who tampered with the old man's CCTV—I want everything on them. Where they live, who they work for, who they eat dinner with. Got it?"
"On it, sir," Dylan replied, already walking out the door.
Levi turned to Amadeo again, voice calm but firm. "You can go home for now. I'll call you when we find something."
Amadeo hesitated, then gave a silent nod and walked out of the room. Levi signaled to one of the junior officers. "Follow him. Don't let him out of your sight."
---
That evening, Levi's office buzzed with tension. Files, screens, scribbled notes—they were all spread out in a chaotic yet calculated mess. He was scribbling theories on the whiteboard when Dylan stormed in.
"Sir, you need to see this. Now."
Levi spun around. "What is it?"
"A girl came in. Claims to be Elle's friend. Said she spoke to Elle yesterday. Brought a voice note as proof and is trying to dismiss the case."
Levi's brow furrowed. "Where is she?"
"In the waiting room."
Levy rushes into the waiting room and sees a girl sitting on the chair in front of his desk. He walks over, pulls out his chair, and takes a seat across from her. Locking eyes with her, he says,
"Hi, I'm Officer Levy Wilder. And you are?"
The girl responds calmly, "I'm Jess Marino."
Levy nods. "And why are you here today, Jess?"
She shifts slightly in her seat. "Well, my friend told me there's a missing person case filed here at the station—about her. But she's not actually missing. Apparently, you've been searching for her at school, and word got back to her. So she asked me to come here and clear things up."
Levy raises an eyebrow. "Clear things up how?"
"She sent me a voicemail," Jess explains. "She wanted me to tell you she's fine and left on her own."
Levy leans forward slightly. "Do you have the voicemail?"
Jess nods and plays it. A voice comes through:
"Hi, this is Elle Fontaine. Jess, please do me a favor and go to the police station. There's a missing person case on me, but I'm not missing. I just went on a vacation, and I'm fine. Please let them know so they can close the case. Thanks."
Jess looks back at Levy. "So... here I am."
Levy studies her expression. "So, she called you?"
"Yes."
"And she asked you to dismiss the case?"
"That's right."
Levy gives a slight nod—then subtly signals a nearby female officer. Jess doesn't notice. He keeps the conversation going casually, but in the next moment, Jess's hands are yanked behind her and cold metal clicks around her wrists—handcuffs.
Levy looks at the female cop and says,"To the interrogation Room B."
Fixing his gaze on Dylan, he says firmly,"Call Amadeo. Tell him to get here."
---
When Amadeo entered the interrogation room, a girl with messy dark hair and a defiant expression was already shouting. Her wrists were cuffed to the table, but that didn't stop her from banging her fists and yelling.
"I'm telling the truth! Why won't you believe me? Are you all deaf? Here—listen to the damn voice note again! She said she's fine!" she screamed, her voice echoing off the cold walls.
Amadeo stepped forward, his eyes narrowing. There was something about her—her eyes, her voice—that stirred something inside him. A sense of familiarity. A feeling that he'd seen her before.
Levi watched him closely. "Do you know her?"
Amadeo froze for a second, lips parting slightly. His eyes met the girl's. She smirked at him, almost like she knew he wouldn't remember.
"No," he said finally, voice low. "I don't."
Levi tilted his head slightly, catching the subtle pause. The way Amadeo's voice had briefly faltered. Something wasn't adding up.
Just then, Dylan entered with a thick file in hand. "Got her records."
Levi took the file, flipping through quickly. Then he stopped.
"She's been getting calls from a private number ever since Elle disappeared," he said. "Not just that... she received a significant transfer of money into her account three days ago."
He looked up slowly, his gaze locking with hers. "And she's unemployed. No job. No known income. Care to explain that, Miss...?"
"Jess. Jess Marino."
"Right. Jess. Would you like to explain the money or should we guess?"