The Last Witness

The sun had long disappeared behind the skyline, leaving the city bathed in shadows. Detective Max Carter leaned against the brick wall of the alley, his eyes scanning the scene. His coat was drenched from the earlier downpour, the droplets dripping steadily from his sleeves. But it wasn’t the rain that had his mind preoccupied. It was the case.

The murder of Olivia Grant.

It was a cold case that had plagued the department for over a year. The young woman had been found in her apartment, her life taken in the most brutal way, and yet, no one had heard anything. No signs of forced entry, no fingerprints, and no witnesses. Her neighbors had all sworn that they didn’t see anything unusual that night. It was as if the killer had slipped in and out of the building without anyone noticing.

But there was one lead. A single witness—one who had seen something.

Max looked up as his partner, Detective Lena Hayes, approached, her boots splashing through the puddles. She held a file in her hand, her expression grim.

“Any luck?” she asked, glancing around the alley.

Max shook his head. “Nothing. Same story as always. No one saw anything. No one heard anything.”

Lena sighed and flipped open the file. “We’ve got a break. We’ve tracked down the witness. The one who saw something.”

Max straightened, his interest piqued. “Who?”

“A man named Tom Decker,” Lena replied. “He was at a bar a few blocks away the night Olivia was killed. He was pretty drunk, but he swears he saw someone leaving her building around midnight. He said they were carrying something. Something heavy.”

Max’s pulse quickened. “Something heavy? Could he describe the person?”

“Not exactly,” Lena said, frowning. “He was too out of it to remember much, but he’s certain it was a man. And that’s all we have.”

Max nodded. “Where do we find him?”

Lena hesitated. “That’s the problem. He disappeared a few weeks ago. No one’s heard from him since.”

Max didn’t need to ask why the disappearance was important. If Decker had seen something, anything, it could be the key to solving the case. But if he was gone, it was just another dead end.

“Let’s find him,” Max said, his tone sharp.

They drove across town, their car cutting through the dark streets, the headlights illuminating the quiet, empty roads. The further they got, the more Max’s thoughts wandered. He knew the case couldn’t be left open forever. Someone was out there, and they had to be stopped before they hurt anyone else.

They arrived at an old, rundown apartment complex on the edge of town. The building was crumbling, its paint peeling and windows boarded up. It didn’t look like a place anyone would choose to disappear into, but it was the only lead they had.

Max and Lena climbed the steps to the third floor, knocking on the door of apartment 3B. No answer. They knocked again, louder this time. After a long pause, the door creaked open just a crack. A man’s face, rough and weathered, appeared in the doorway.

“What do you want?” he asked gruffly.

“We’re looking for Tom Decker,” Max said, showing his badge. “He used to live here.”

The man studied them for a moment before stepping aside, allowing them to enter. The apartment was sparsely furnished, with boxes stacked in corners and a faint smell of mildew in the air. It looked like someone had left in a hurry.

“Tom hasn’t lived here for a few weeks,” the man said, scratching his unshaven face. “He’s gone. Took off after his last run-in with some guys. I don’t know where he went. Don’t even care.”

Max’s eyes narrowed. “What ‘run-in’ are you talking about?”

The man shrugged. “Some people came looking for him. Not the kind of people you wanna meet, if you catch my drift. Tom got scared and disappeared after that.”

Max exchanged a glance with Lena. It wasn’t much, but it was a lead. “Do you know who these people were?”

The man hesitated, then shook his head. “No, I don’t. But Tom’s not the kind to just run away. If he was scared, something’s wrong.”

Max felt a surge of frustration. It was another dead end—but the mention of “some people” intrigued him. He couldn’t shake the feeling that they were getting closer to something bigger than just a simple murder.

“Thanks,” Lena said, pulling out a card. “If you remember anything else, give us a call.”

The two detectives left the apartment, the door clicking shut behind them. They stood in the hallway for a moment, their breath visible in the cold air.

“I don’t like this,” Lena said, her voice low. “It feels like we’re being led in circles.”

Max sighed. “We are. But we need to find Decker. He’s the last person who might know something.”

As they made their way back to the car, Max’s phone buzzed. He pulled it out, seeing a message from his sergeant.

We’ve got something. Decker was spotted at a warehouse on Fifth Street.

Max’s heart raced. It was the break they’d been waiting for.

The warehouse was on the outskirts of the city, a sprawling, abandoned building surrounded by high fences and overgrown weeds. It was the perfect place to hide.

Max and Lena approached cautiously, their guns drawn, the sound of their footsteps muffled by the wet ground. They reached the side of the building, and Max peeked around the corner, his eyes scanning the darkened windows.

Then he saw it—movement in the shadows.

“There he is,” Lena whispered, nodding toward a figure standing by a door.

Max stepped forward, but just as he did, a shot rang out from the darkness. He ducked, pulling Lena to the ground.

“Stay low!” he ordered, his heart racing.

A second shot echoed through the night, followed by the sound of feet running. Max didn’t hesitate. He sprinted toward the door, adrenaline pushing him forward.

When they burst inside, they found Decker crouched behind a stack of crates, his eyes wild with fear. He looked up at them, his hands shaking.

“They’re coming for me,” he said, his voice trembling. “They know what I saw. They’ll kill me if I talk.”

Max stepped closer. “We just want to know what you saw that night. Please, Tom. You can help us stop them.”

Decker swallowed hard, his breath coming in short gasps. “I saw him. The man who did it. I didn’t know who he was, but I saw him leave Olivia’s building. I saw his face. And then…”

Max’s heart skipped a beat. “Then what?”

Decker’s eyes widened in terror. “And then he saw me.”

Before Max could react, a figure appeared in the doorway behind them, his silhouette dark against the dim light of the warehouse.

The hunt wasn’t over.