The office was silent save for the rhythmic scratching of a pen on a notepad. Detective Vincent Van Gogh, known for his keen mind and icy demeanor, sat behind his cluttered desk, staring intensely at a series of case files.
His office was a small, dimly lit room on the second floor of an old building—far from luxurious, but perfect for the work he did.
Across from him sat Ella Thornton, a nervous woman in her early thirties, wearing a dark trench coat and looking like she hadn't slept for days. Her hands trembled slightly as she held a cup of tea that had long gone cold
"I need your help, Detective Van Gogh," she said, her voice wavering. "My brother… he's missing."
Van Gogh didn't look up immediately, his focus still on the files. He had seen hundreds of cases like this. But something about the way she spoke—frantic, yet controlled—made him pause.
"Missing, you say," Van Gogh murmured. Finally, he looked up, studying her face, his eyes sharp.
Ella's expression was a storm of fear and determination.
"I think someone took him. I think the person in the drawing—whoever it is—has something to do with it. But… there's something else, Detective. I feel like… I'm being watched."
Van Gogh's interest piqued, but his face remained impassive.
> "You believe this is more than just a disappearance? A kidnapping?"
> "I don't know what to think. But I need you to find him. Please."
Van Gogh nodded slowly.
"I'll take the case. But I'll need you to tell me everything."
Ella's hands gripped tightly around the cup. "His name is Caleb Thornton, he's an artist. He's always been a bit of an odd one, but I never though he'd dissappear like this." Odd?" Van goh repeated, his gaze now fixed on her."In what way?" "He..." She hesitated. "He always used to sketch strange things. People. Places. Ideas... but never anything that made sense. Not until last week he. Showed me a painting. It was a picture, nothing but an outline, like a silhouette, and he couldn't stop talking about it.
Van goh stood, pushing his chair his chair back slightly. "And what happened after he showed you the painting?" "He... he vanished that night."Ella said her voice cracking slightly." I went to check on him the next day, but his apartment was empty. No sign of him. Nothing put of place, except that drawing. It's the only thing gone. "
Van goh leaned forward his expression hardening." OK I accept the case, though take me to the apartment.
Detective Van Gogh stood silently in the center of the dimly lit apartment, his eyes scanning every corner with meticulous focus. The air was thick, as if the room hadn't been touched in days—or perhaps weeks.
He moved slowly, taking in the details of the small, cluttered space.
A half-open drawer revealed scattered papers—drawings with heavy shadows and eerie figures.
> "These papers had heavy people drawn on, just like the pictures Ella was talking about," he said aloud to himself.
After surveying the apartment, Detective Van Gogh left to return to the office to check the original drawings. But just as he arrived, the papers were missing.
He quickly hopped in his car and headed back toward the apartment.
However, the once untouched room had now been completely ransacked. Everything was flipped upside down—nothing was in its place, and those key papers were gone.
The next day, after a long night of searching and reviewing details of the case, Van Gogh called Ella Thornton to his desk.
"Do you know anyone who would've done this to the apartment? Someone who might have a grudge against your brother?" Because that person may be the prime suspect of his case of dissapearance.
She clutched her purse tightly and thought nervously, and then muttered :"I may know a person but I don't know if he meets your perception, Mateo Brown he was friends with my brother until recently they broke a fight, that lead them to break everything in sight.
" Mateo Brown," you say detective Van goh said." I think I heard that name before, but where," he said while flipping through the files again. "Mateo Brown, Mateo Brown." He murmured still flipping through the files.
Then, "Aha there it is," he admitted excitedly, "found him, he was involved in a murder case as a witness who was then suspected to be the murderer, but then turned out to be inoccent do to his alibi." But how does this relate to Caleb Thornton's case, " he said talking to himself diving deeper in thought. He soon after decided to go to the place where the murder occurred, that Mateo was involved in, in search for some clues or hints of some sort.
Detective Van goh arrived at the scene of murder, and started looking around as if he knew where the clue or piece of evidence was, and then he came across a trail of blood, he thought nothing of it and sat under a tree his head sinking in a well of thoughts. Then took out his phone to keep up with news and reports about, and most unexpected thing was on the news. Just when Van goh got leads on the case the only prime suspect turned out to be dead. Mateo Brown is dead, but just as announced his body wasn't found, because he was kidnapped and the reporters relied on that information. Van goh jumped up his trail and went back to the place where he found the blood. And just as he thought, Mateo Brownwas lying there, Van Gogh quickly checked his pulse, but nothing. Detective Van goh called the investigation team to come and take the body. After that Van goh smalled something fishy, so he called Ella Thornton for an investigation. But she denied it and shouted, "Would be dumb enough to kidnap my own brother!" And left.
The next day,
Detective Van goh went out searching for witnesses or clues once again but, the more he searched the more the case grew and bigger and bigger.
Just as he was venturing through the town he came across another side of the town and he saw an arrow and the town was called "The Town Of Secrets." When Van goh entered the town, everybody started shouting, "We are saved, a detective came to save us from this misery." Detective Van goh stood frozen, stunned not knowing what was going on. He saw a store nearby and went to confirm the problem. The shopkeeper answered, "well detective, a random killer is going around killing innocent people, the town is going to be dead sooner or later in no one gets involved. But the thing is, every detective that tried to help ended up shot to death.
Detective Van goh stayed in the town, looking for clues, to maybe the two cases are related somehow While walking through the streets. Suddenly! The town grew eerie as if something was about to happen, and to everyone's surprise a body dropped from a twenty story building, falling to his death. In a distance, a shadowy figure holding a sniper was spotted not so far. The person that was dropped had a burned symbol on his right hand as a fire pattern, with a message that read, "speak not what was silenced." The detective called his team, and collected his DNA to identify the man and decode the message.
Meanwhile,
At night a fire arose out of nowhere in the middle of the middle of the town's street, which people call "the fire that never dies." The town became silent, then a dark trenched coated figure walked out of the fire unharmed. Everyone took two steps back as if they were doing a ritual. Just as it has come to n end the dark hooded person threw a paper on the ground.
He picked up the paper and read it:
"Beneath the floor where secrets lie.
A silent breath, a muffled cry.
The candle burns with steady flames.
But non shall leave here quite the same.
The hour struck, the deal was made,
Un shadows grip, the depth was paid.
A Silver locket, cracked in two,
One half for me, and one half for you.
The ravens watched, the mirror knew,
The sin was told the blood was new.
So find the truth, or lose your mind-
The past won't rest, through Graves are lined."
Detective Van goh went about his way, reading the message on and on, then went to the forensics to get some fingerprints, and the DNA of the strand of hair he got from the mysterious person. Unfortunately, the paper that was dropped had no fingerprints.
After a long wait the DNA of the strand of hair was brought, and the someone who turned out to be, is someone everyone knows clearly.
Detective Van goh went back to his town with the new found evidence to expose the murderer. When out of nowhere he found a paper in the files he has been investigating years ago which went by:
"They walked the path but lost their name,
A pawn beneath the quiet flame.
Thirteen steps, then turn around,
The final breath is never found.
A twisted rose, a broken thread,
The living envy all the dead.
Eyes that see but dare not weep,
Now secrets stir where non should sleep.
The clock is cracked, the time is wrong.
Yet you hum that endless song.
So knock but once, and enter slow-
The door you seek is down below."
"Now the clue is solved the evidence is found." The detective said jumping up, "all that's left is the proof on the person."
He discovered the location hidden in the last clue and the meaning of the first clue which went like, "do not speak what was silenced." which meant, "do not speak of the past cases," which was talking about an past, unsolved case.
He arrived at the place of the coordinates, it was a big abandoned warehouse, Van goh pushed open the the metal door, and inside sat Caleb Thornton, but the thing that remained was that he was fine nothing like what his sister said, no disorder.
Detective Van goh helped Caleb and went back to reveal the truth.
He and Caleb came up with a plan to expose the tyrant, by pretending Caleb lost his memory. The detective called Ella and her family as well as Caleb and two guards to to guard the room, and started the negotiation. Then the detective spoke, "I found Caleb but it seems he has lost his memory." His family sighed a sigh of relief thanking the detective for finding him." Then turned to Ella and said,"do you have anything to say before going to jail." Ella stood up panicked, but smirked, "why do I have to go to jail, I have done nothing wrong do you have proof." Detective Van goh said, "I would've been with you but your ally gave it away." He said pointing at one of the guards.
The guard turned around it was Mateo Brown.
Well. Well. Well if it isn't the infamous Mateo Brown, detective Van goh said, both of you are having your meet in the jail.
"The masks are cracked, the stage grown cold,
The final truth at last is told.
The echo fades, the curtain falls,
But blood still awaits in empty halls.
The guilty weep, the dead don't speak.
Justice served is far from sleek.
The clock rewinds, the crows take flight,
And vanished through the coming night.
So mark the name, but not the grave,
For even kings can die a knave.
And in the ash of every lie-
The question lives:Who watched... and why?