The Last Call
January 11, 2025
The shrill sound of a cellphone shattered the stillness of the hotel suite. Detective Mia Harper picked it up from the nightstand with a gloved hand. The screen flashed a name: “Daniels.”
The body of Olivia Kane, a high-powered corporate lawyer, lay crumpled near the large bay window. A glass of wine, now shattered, stained the beige carpet red. She had been strangled, the faint marks on her neck telling a story of desperation and fury.
“Whoever killed her wanted it personal,” Mia muttered, looking at the scene.
Her partner, Detective Ryan Cole, glanced up from the desk, where papers and a laptop sat in disarray. “There’s no sign of forced entry. She knew them.”
Mia held up the still-ringing phone. “Maybe Daniels can tell us why he was calling her at 11:45 PM.”
Ryan shrugged. “Might as well answer.”
Mia swiped the screen and put the call on speaker. “Hello?”
A hesitant male voice responded. “Olivia? It’s me. Did you… did you send it?”
Mia frowned. “This is Detective Harper. Who is this, and what are you asking about?”
A pause, then the man stammered, “I-I’m Nathan Daniels. What’s going on? Why do you have Olivia’s phone?”
“She’s dead, Mr. Daniels,” Mia said bluntly. “We need you to come to the station for questioning.”
Daniels choked on his words. “Dead? No. That’s not possible. I just spoke to her earlier tonight!”
Mia exchanged a glance with Ryan. “Come in, Mr. Daniels. Now.”
Two hours later, Nathan Daniels sat in the interrogation room, sweat beading on his forehead.
“I didn’t kill her,” he said, his voice shaking. “We… we worked together. Olivia was about to blow the whistle on a major fraud scheme at our firm. She found evidence, but she needed me to confirm some of the numbers.”
“Fraud scheme?” Mia pressed. “Involving who?”
Nathan hesitated, his eyes darting to the mirrored wall. “Elliot Greene. He’s one of the partners at the firm. He’s been funneling money from client accounts into offshore holdings. Olivia was going to expose him tomorrow.”
Ryan leaned against the table. “So, Greene had a motive to silence her. What about you?”
Nathan recoiled. “Me? I’m not—why would I kill her? I was helping her!”
“Convenient story,” Mia said, leaning in. “But you were the last one to call her. Were you meeting her here tonight?”
Nathan nodded quickly. “Yes, but when I got to the hotel, the door was ajar, and… and she was already dead. I panicked and left. I didn’t want to be framed!”
Ryan raised an eyebrow. “You just left her there?”
“I was scared!” Nathan’s voice cracked.
Back at the hotel, Mia studied the security footage. Sure enough, Nathan appeared on camera at 11:30 PM, entering Olivia’s suite. Five minutes later, another figure in a dark suit and hat followed him inside.
“Greene?” Ryan guessed, watching the footage.
“Looks like it,” Mia said. “He left ten minutes later, wiping his hands on a cloth. Classic move.”
Elliot Greene didn’t deny much when they brought him in. Confronted with the footage and the evidence Olivia had collected, he folded quickly.
“She would’ve destroyed me,” he said with a cold sneer. “And for what? Justice?”
Mia stared him down. “Justice is exactly what you’re getting now.”
As Greene was led away in cuffs, Mia turned to Ryan. “Greed, lies, and murder. Just another day on the job.”
Ryan smirked. “Another day, another case closed.”