Serena flipped open the file Gina had handed her. The first page held a photo of the girl—barely eighteen, with sharp eyes that didn't match the softness of her youth. Her name was Clara.
She had been adopted by a couple with two kids. Prominent philanthropists in their late fifties with no biological children. Three weeks after she entered their home, the entire house exploded in what was reported as a gas leak.
Serena skimmed the incident report. It didn't sit right. The gas explosion was too precise. Clara had been out during the time to buy some groceries. Clars said she would have died too but was just lucky.
"Where is Clara now?" Serena asked Gina without looking up.
"She's staying at a temporary shelter."
Serena closed the file and tapped her pen on the desk. "We'll take the case."
Gina's eyes widened. "We?"
"I'll need Rose for this. And you'll assist us."
Gina hesitated and then nodded as if denying yet accepting. "Yes, ma'am."
"Good. Leave the file here. I'll call Rose."
When Gina left, Serena picked up her phone and dialed Rose. The line rang once before Rose picked up.
"You've seen the file?" Serena asked.
"Not yet."
"I just sent one to you. You're going to want to."
She explained Clara's story in quick detail.
"I need you to find out everything about the man she mentioned," Serena said. "His name in the file is just 'Cee.' High-ranking. Untouchable. But if this girl's right, he's dangerous. And could be a werewolf."
Rose was quiet for a beat. "Cee? That's a nickname. I've heard it before—mostly whispered. And that's the only name the whole country knows him for. But there has to be another name."
Serena stood and walked to her window, her voice low. "Clara thinks they took out an entire family to keep her silent. That's not just politics. That's organized power. And fear."
"I'll look into it. I'll call back in a few hours."
Serena hung up and sat back, rereading the file with greater attention. Clara had just been registered. She was an orphan. An unregistered citizen. The family adopted her after visiting a foster care center.
She seemed bright and smart. Top marks in school. Active in youth programs. No priors. Her record was clean. Too clean. Serena flipped through to Clara's statement.
"They came to the house once before it exploded," Clara had said. "A man with a tattoo on his neck. I worked part time for him. I recorded a conversation about a shipment bringing in some goods and all. Details are in the video on my phone. I saw a man who was masked with the same tattoo deliver gas to my home. I didn't put much attention to it. But immediately I was back from the grocery store I saw people screaming and when they told me about what had happened, I knew it had to be him."
Serena's skin prickled. Something didn't add up.
By noon, Rose arrived at the office, her laptop bag slung over one shoulder. She walked in without knocking.
"You were right to call me," she said, dropping her bag. "I dug. 'Cee'? He doesn't have much of a background. We just need to confirm he's Cruz and if he is, there's more to this case than we see"
Serena's fists clenched. "It better be him because we have a lot of unsettled scores."
Rose nodded while saying. "I can't wait." as tears filled her eye
She opened her laptop and turned it toward Serena.
"This is from a deep-web whistleblower forum. It's difficult to understand. But it ties multiple politicians to secret operations including Cee. This can't be used legally as it was obtained from a dark web."
"Are you saying Cruz is behind some secret operations?"
"I'm saying he has reach. And Clara? She might have heard something she wasn't supposed to."
"Where's the Video now?" Rose asked
"It's still with her. She can't give anyone until someone takes on the case to attain justice for her parents. But something honestly doesn't add up with Clara" Serena said. " I thought so too, so I looked into the family. And Clara is supposingly going to get at least $500 000 from the death of her family." Rose replied
"W-what? Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
"There's a high chance, but it still doesn't beat the odds she might be completely innocent."
Serena ran a hand through her hair. "We need to talk to Clara."
"I already arranged it," Rose said. "She agreed to meet."
"Swift, girl!" Serena raised her hand for a high five.
They arrived at the shelter where Clara lived and walked in .
The shelter was in a quiet part of town. Serena and Rose drove in Serena's car, neither of them speaking much. The air between them was tense, thoughts spinning with possibility.
They arrived to find Clara sitting in the back garden of the shelter, her hoodie pulled low over her head. She stood as they approached.
"You came?" Clara asked, eyes scanning behind them.
"Yes," Serena said.
They sat on a wooden bench beneath a tree. Clara's fingers were twitching.
"I know what I saw," she said. "And I know what they did."
"We believe you," Rose said gently. "But we need details."
Clara exhaled shakily. "They asked me to delete everything I recorded or saw. I told them I did after I had uploaded it to my icloud." she said, sobbing. "But I guess they just wanted every trace of me gone."
Serena and Rose looked at each other and then back at Clara.
Can we see the video?
No! Clara yelled "I'm really sorry. I'll show you when we meet in court."
"You need to show us now. So we know our next move." Rose insisted.
"Let it be. We'll find a way" Serena interrupted. "Let's go Rosie. Stay safe Clara."
Serena rode back with Rose.
The next day Serena went to the grocery shop Clara was supposed to be at, at the time of the explosion but she didn't even go there.
This was when it hit Serena. She went to the gas that supposedly sold a leaking bottle and they confirmed that Clara bought the gas herself and asked for it to be delivered.
She asked around and they confirmed Clara left the house after the gas had been delivered and a few minutes before the explosion.
When Serena went to meet the personnel responsible for insurance. They said somebody who fitted Clara's description had come asking. And they were surprised as she was recently registered into that family.
That was all the evidence Serena needed.
Clara had murdered her family.
After gathering
all this Serena headed back for the shelter Clara was at but when she reached she was so shocked at what she saw.