My coworker, Jessica, is missing. And I suspect my ex-boyfriend, the one I broke up with because his possessiveness was bordering on mania, might have killed her. After doing some digging on my own, one day, the cops slapped a pair of silver handcuffs on my wrists. I just don’t understand… 01 I think Jessica’s missing! An hour ago, I texted my coworker Jessica, telling her I’d swing by her place to pick up the work laptop like we planned. But then she texted back, telling me not to come. I asked why, sent a bunch of follow-up texts, but got nothing back. Radio silence. Whatever. I need that laptop today for the new project files. So, I went over to her apartment anyway, just like we’d originally agreed. Weird thing was, I knocked for three solid minutes, and there wasn’t a sound from inside. When I tried calling her, it went straight to voicemail – phone off. Staring at the closed door, I sighed, ready to just head back home. Creeeak— Just then, the door suddenly swung open. "Ethan?!" I stared at the guy standing there, my eyes wide with disbelief. What the hell was he doing here?! Ethan is my ex. We broke up just a few days ago. The reason was simple: he’s a total control freak! A creep! He tried to control my life, my friends, he even went through my phone and deleted every guy’s contact except my dad’s. After I dumped him, I kicked him out. But my coworker Jessica had absolutely nothing to do with Ethan. So why was he showing up in Jessica’s apartment now? I could tell Ethan was just as shocked to see me. His hands were trembling slightly, and I wondered if he was about to lose it again. Through the crack in the door, I peeked inside but didn’t see Jessica anywhere. Maybe Jessica really did have something going on and didn’t want me over? I didn't want anything more to do with Ethan. Seeing she wasn't there, I spun around and practically ran out of the building. Back at my own apartment. Ethan and Jessica… the thought kept swirling in my head. What was the connection between those two? Why was Ethan in Jessica’s apartment? I tossed and turned all night, couldn't figure it out. The next morning, sporting dark circles under my eyes, I rushed through my morning routine and headed to the office. "Hey Boss, did Jessica call in sick or take a personal day today?" My boss, a middle-aged guy, looked at me puzzled. "I was about to ask you the same thing. Your desks are right next to each other. Jessica didn't show up today. Did she mention anything to you?" I shook my head. Seeing the boss starting to get annoyed, my mind flashed back to yesterday. I felt really uneasy. In the year or so I've worked here, I'd never known Jessica to take a day off without notice or just not show up. What could have possibly happened to her? The workday dragged on agonizingly slow until quitting time. I didn't dare go back to Jessica’s apartment. I was worried I’d run into my ex again. I decided to talk to my roommate. He’s a cop! 2: Clues When I got home, my roommate was chilling in the living room watching TV. I walked over, feeling a little awkward. "Hey, uh… Officer… could I ask you for a favor? It’s kind of important." He glanced at me, then turned off the TV. "What's up?" I knew we weren't super close, so his curious look made me feel a bit self-conscious. I straightened up, sat across from him, and got serious. "I think… I think my coworker, Jessica, might be missing." I told him everything that had happened. Not only that, but I also told him about my ex, Ethan, how controlling he was, how much of a creep he could be. As I talked, I saw his brow furrow deeper and deeper. After a long pause, he rubbed his forehead. "Yeah, okay. If your coworker really is missing, your ex definitely sounds like a prime suspect." "Do you think Jessica could be in danger?" I asked urgently. He shook his head, his brow still knitted. "Hard to say. But right now, the priority is finding your coworker, or at least confirming if she's actually missing." Suddenly, panic washed over me. It was because of me that Jessica even knew Ethan. If something happened to Jessica, I don’t think I could ever forgive myself. I looked at my roommate, pleading. "I need to get into Jessica's place, look around. Find some opportunity." "Could you come with me?" Seeing how desperate I was, he didn't hesitate. "Protecting people is part of the job. Don't worry. I'll file a preliminary report right now, get a case started. Then I'll go with you." Hearing him say that, the knot in my stomach loosened just a bit. He made a quick call to the precinct, and then we were off, heading to Jessica’s apartment building on his motorcycle. We didn't knock right away. To avoid running into Ethan, we hid in a corner of the stairwell. My roommate reminded me that if Jessica was missing and Ethan was involved, searching while Ethan was home would be impossible. So we waited. We waited for Ethan to leave. After three excruciatingly long hours, Ethan’s apartment door opened. My heart leaped into my throat when I saw Ethan walk out carrying a trash bag. If it wasn't absolutely necessary to find out what happened to Jessica, I would never want to see Ethan again! Finally, after Ethan was completely out of sight, we waited another ten minutes or so, just to be sure he wasn’t coming right back. Then, we approached the door. I fumbled around in my backpack and pulled out a set of keys. Jessica's spare keys. Why I had them, I couldn't quite remember clearly. I vaguely recalled Jessica giving them to me for safekeeping sometime before. Not dwelling on it, I unlocked the door and pushed it open. The apartment was empty. Still, I hesitated, glancing back at my roommate standing behind me. He nodded, giving me the go-ahead to enter. I took a deep breath, pulled the key out of the lock, and went to put it back in my bag. As I did, a glint caught my eye. On the corner of the key… was that a dark red smudge? It looked like some kind of dried paint or maybe just dirt. At that moment, it didn't register as blood. 3: My Ex Was Living With My Coworker! Stepping inside, the living room was spotless. That was Jessica. She was a total neat freak; her place was always immaculate. I pointed to one of the closed doors. "That's Jessica's room." My roommate went up and knocked. As expected, no answer. He tried the doorknob. Locked. "Door's locked tight. Maybe she went on a trip?" I shook my head. That didn't make sense. If Jessica went on a trip, surely she wouldn't just ghost my messages indefinitely. Thinking hard, suddenly, a suitcase in the corner of the room caught my eye. "Hey, isn't that my suitcase?" I walked closer, examining it. Yep, definitely mine. The one Ethan had bought me. He must have taken it back when he left. My disdain for my ex grew even stronger. Not just a control freak, but cheap too! "Do you have a key for her room?" my roommate asked. I quickly checked the spare key ring and found another key. It fit. I unlocked Jessica’s bedroom door. The room was empty, looking like no one had been there for days. We searched the room thoroughly but didn't find any obvious clues. What was becoming clear, though, was that Jessica was likely really missing. Otherwise, there was no way she’d be completely unreachable for days like this. We tidied up, making sure everything looked untouched, and were about to leave when suddenly, someone burst through the front door. It was Ethan! Ethan clearly hadn't expected to see me in Jessica’s apartment. His eyes darted to my roommate. "Who the hell are you? Get out of my house!" He lunged, throwing a punch aimed at pushing my roommate out the door. He looked frantic, like he was hiding some dark secret. But my roommate, being a cop, wasn't easily caught off guard. He reacted quickly, dodging the punch. Before Ethan could try again, my roommate grabbed my arm and pulled me out the door. In the chaos, I thought I saw Ethan's arms trembling slightly. Even the muscles in his legs seemed to be quivering. Was he… was his mania kicking in again? I quickly turned away, following my roommate as we hurried away from that place. Finally, when we were sure Ethan wasn't following us, my heart rate started to return to normal. Back at my apartment that night, I lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. What was the deal with Ethan and Jessica? And why was Jessica still missing? A storm of questions raged in my mind. I couldn't sleep a wink.
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