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"It's incredible to me thatplaces like this still exist," Finn whispered, his voice hushed in theoppressive atmosphere. Even after all that time, the history of the UKfascinated him. Sometimes, it felt as though in every direction, you just hadto walk for a few minutes to find something Victorian or older.
“It gives me the creeps,” Ameliasaid. “I wish places like this could explain what happened within their walls.”
Finn nodded. "And whateverit's trying to tell us, I doubt it's anything good."
When they reached the main bathingchamber, the sight that greeted them was like something out of a nightmare.Emily's body lay in the center of the room, surrounded by flickering candlesand withered rose petals. She was dressed in a Victorian-style gown, her blondehair arranged in elaborate curls. At first glance, she could have been mistakenfor a sleeping princess from a fairy tale, but the illusion was shattered bythe unnatural pallor of her skin, the vicious stab wounds on her milky skin,and the dark bruises around her neck.
Amelia approached the body, hersteps careful and measured. She knelt down, her gloved fingers gently brushingagainst Emily's wrist. "Her smartwatch is still blinking," she said,her voice tinged with disbelief. "It's such a jarring contrast, thismodern piece of technology against all this Victorian decor."
Finn joined her, his eyes scanningthe room for any clues the killer might have left behind. "It's like twoworlds colliding," he mused, his gaze lingering on the ornate tiles andthe intricate metalwork. "The past and the present. We shouldn’t rule outthe connection as a possible motive."
"If Emily was livestreaming," Amelia said, rising to her feet. "Perhaps the killer waswanting to stop silence her from revealing something?"
Finn nodded, his expression grim."It’s possible, but I’ve seen live streamers being murdered whilerecording before. It could be that the killer was watching the stream anddecided to come here."
“I don’t know,” Amelia sighed. “Thecandle, the rose petals, that doesn’t sound like a spontaneous act.”
“He could be a killer who waswaiting for an opportunity,” Finn replied. “Then, he sees Emily streaming andgrabs the things he had already prepared for his first kill.”
As they searched the room, a glintof something caught Finn's eye. He knelt down, his fingers brushing against aloose tile. With a gentle tug, the tile came free, revealing a small,leather-bound book nestled in the dust.
"What have you gotthere?" Amelia asked, joining him.
Finn held up the book, his eyeswidening as he flipped through the pages. "Strange… Seems like it’ssomeone’s notebook. It's filled with notes and sketches about the bathhouse,about its history. And look at this..." He pointed to the final entry,dated just two days prior. "It mentions a secret chamber hidden somewherein the building. The question is, was this Emily’s, the killer’s, or someoneelse’s?"
“If it’s the killer’s,” Ameliamused out loud, “then he could have been here already and Emily was in thewrong place at the wrong time.”
Finn's eyes lit up, looking at thenotebook. "A secret chamber, though…"
Amelia's eyes sparkled withexcitement, despite the grim circumstances. "A hidden room? That couldhave been where the killer was hiding."
"Exactly," Finn said,rising to his feet. "If our killer is as obsessed with the Victorian eraas they seem to be, they might have used this secret chamber for something.Maybe it's where they planned all of this."
Amelia's face grew serious."Or maybe it's where they're keeping their next victim."
A chill ran down Finn's spine atthe thought. "Let’s look for anything out of place. A hatch on a floor ora wall that seems out of place.”
But before they could explore thelead further, a commotion from outside drew their attention. They emerged fromthe bathhouse to find a young man arguing with the officers at the cordon, hisface etched with grief and desperation.
Finn approached him, his hands heldup in a calming gesture. "Hey, easy there. I'm consulting detective FinnWright, and this is my partner, Inspector Amelia Winters. We're investigatingEmily's murder. Are you a friend of hers?"
The man's eyes, red-rimmed andhaunted, met Finn's. "I'm Liam Holden… I’m Emily’s boyfriend. Or I was, Iguess." His voice broke, a sob catching in his throat. "I can'tbelieve she's gone. I can't believe someone would do this to her."
Amelia stepped forward, her voicegentle. "We're so sorry for your loss, Liam. I know this is a difficulttime, but anything you can tell us about Emily, about her life, could help usfind who did this."
The boyfriend nodded, his handsclenching and unclenching at his sides. "She was... she was amazing. Sofull of life, so passionate about everything she did. She loved streaming forher fans. But lately, she'd been getting these messages. Threats. Emily thoughtit went with the territory as her profile became more popular, but I told herto be careful."
Finn's brow furrowed. "Wereany of these threats specific? What did they say?"
"She’d receive the usualunsolicited pictures from men every now and then,” Liam explained, “and theusual troll comments. But things changed a few weeks back.”
“Changed, how?” Amelia asked.
“Some of the threats were weird.Something about her being too obsessed with social media, with technology. Themessages said she needed to disconnect, to break free. At first, she justlaughed them off, said it was probably just some troll trying to get a rise outof her. But they kept coming, getting more and more intense."
"Did the messages say anythingspecific?" Amelia asked, her pen poised over her notebook. "Any cluesabout who might have sent them or why they were targeting Emily?"
The boyfriend shook his head."No, nothing like that. But..." He hesitated, his eyes flickeringbetween Finn and Amelia. "There was something else. Something Emily said afew days ago."
