The Webb mansion loomed before them like a monument to success—all marble and glass, perfectly maintained despite the secrets lurking within its walls.
Sarah pushed through the heavy oak door, her partner Detective James Rivera following close behind. Margaret Webb sat in the sitting room, a glass of wine untouched at her elbow.
Uncomfortable Questions
"Mrs. Webb, we have reason to believe your husband's disappearance might not be what it seems," Sarah began, watching carefully for her reaction.
Margaret's perfectly manicured hand trembled slightly. "What do you mean?" she asked, but Sarah caught the flicker of something in her eyes. Not surprise. Recognition.
"Where is he?" Sarah asked directly.
For a long moment, Margaret said nothing. Then, barely audibly: "He's alive. He has to be."
Those words confirmed Sarah's suspicion. This wasn't a wife worried about her missing husband. This was someone caught between two dangerous worlds.