The rain pounded against the massive windows of Julian’s estate as Isabelle sat across from him in his dimly lit study. The fire crackled, casting flickering shadows over his sharp features. He swirled the whiskey in his glass but hadn’t taken a sip.
“You never mentioned how close the dog was to your wife,” Isabelle said, watching him carefully.
Julian exhaled deeply, running a hand through his tousled hair. “She adored him. Max wasn’t just a pet-he was her shadow, her protector. After she… after she died, he changed. Wouldn’t eat for days. Kept scratching at our bedroom door as if waiting for her to return.”
Isabelle glanced at the framed obituary on the fireplace mantle–the same one she had seen earlier in the hallway. Julian’s wife had died under mysterious circumstances, and now, the dog had vanished on the anniversary of her death. The timing was too precise to be a coincidence.
“Where did you last see Max?” Isabelle pressed.
But before she could ask more, a loud thud echoed from the hallway. Something-or someone-was there.
Julian hesitated, his fingers tightening around the glass. “The same place I last saw my wife.”
A chill ran down lsabelle’s spine
Something wasn’t adding up.
But before she could ask more, a loud thud echoed from the greenhouse. Something-or someone-was there.
