Frozen Blaze - 02: The Cold Noodle Stall

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Chapter 2: The Cold Noodle Stall

Zane Shaw stood at the base of the stairwell, his eyes sweeping across the scene with meticulous detail. The gruesome image of the woman’s body found here refused to leave his mind. There was something more to this crime, something buried deep within the cracks of this old apartment building. But for now, the scene was quiet, offering no new clues.

“Back again, Zane?” a voice called from behind.

Zane turned to see Leo King approaching, his usual calm demeanor masking the same urgency that Zane felt. “I can’t shake the feeling that we missed something, Leo. I’ve already applied for a search warrant at the Westbridge Precinct. We need to dig deeper.”

Leo nodded. “Good. We’ll need it.”

As they prepared to leave the scene, Zane’s phone buzzed. It was the Westbridge Precinct, confirming that the search warrant had been approved. With a renewed sense of purpose, the two detectives left the stairwell and headed toward the bustling streets of the city.

The aroma of grilled cold noodles filled the air as they passed a food stall. Zane’s attention was drawn to a conversation between two men seated at a nearby table. Their voices were low, but there was something in the tone that caught his ear.

“Strange, isn’t it?” one of the men murmured. “Real estate ads popping up like that. Almost feels like a trap.”

The other man nodded, his eyes shifting nervously. “I wouldn’t trust it. There’s something off about the whole thing. If you ask me, it’s best to steer clear.”

Zane and Leo exchanged glances. Without a word, they both approached the stall, ordering two bowls of cold noodles to blend in. Zane subtly leaned closer to the men’s table.

“Excuse me,” Zane said, his tone casual. “I couldn’t help but overhear. You mentioned something about real estate ads. Mind telling us more?”

The men looked at each other, hesitant. But something in Zane’s demeanor must have reassured them, because the first man finally spoke. “It’s just something I’ve noticed. There’s this real estate ad making the rounds—too good to be true, if you ask me. But when people inquire, it always leads them to a run-down building on the outskirts.”

The second man added, “And once they’re interested, the ad disappears. No contact, no trace. It’s like whoever’s behind it doesn’t want to be found.”

Zane’s mind raced. This sounded like a potential lead. “Thank you for the tip,” he said, handing the men his card. “If you hear anything else, give me a call.”

With that, Zane and Leo hurried back to the station, where they pulled up the details of the suspicious real estate ad. As they dug deeper, they found that the property in question had indeed been advertised repeatedly, always under different aliases and contact numbers. The building was listed as vacant, but there had been no official record of any recent transactions.

“We need to check this place out,” Zane said, feeling the pieces of the puzzle starting to come together.

They arrived at the address late in the afternoon. The building was a decrepit structure on the edge of the city, its exterior weathered and cracked. There was no sign of life, just an eerie silence that hung in the air.

Leo knocked on the door, but there was no answer. “We’re going in,” he said, pulling out the search warrant.

Inside, the building was just as desolate as it appeared from the outside. Dust-covered floors, broken windows, and peeling wallpaper gave the place an unsettling atmosphere. But it wasn’t the decay that caught Zane’s attention—it was the faint sound of movement coming from deeper within.

They followed the sound until they reached a steel door at the end of a long hallway. The door was heavy, reinforced, and out of place in such a dilapidated building.

“There’s something behind this door,” Zane said, his intuition screaming that they were close to uncovering something significant.

The door was locked, but Leo, always prepared, pulled out a set of lock-picking tools. He worked on the lock, his hands steady despite the tension in the air.

“This better be worth it,” Leo muttered as he finally heard the click of the lock releasing.

The door swung open with a groan, revealing a hidden room. The air inside was stale, and the darkness seemed to swallow the weak beam of their flashlights. As they stepped inside, the sight that greeted them sent a chill down their spines.

The room was filled with old furniture, stacks of papers, and what appeared to be crude surveillance equipment. In the center of the room was a large, metal table, its surface stained and worn. But what truly caught their attention was a wall covered in photographs—dozens of them, all of different people, each one marked with dates and times.

“This is a hit list,” Leo said quietly, his eyes scanning the photos. “These are all targets.”

Zane moved closer to the table, where he spotted a set of blueprints for the building they were standing in. His eyes widened as he realized the significance of the room. “This place was being used for something more than just shady real estate deals. This is where they planned everything.”

As they continued to explore the room, Zane’s intuition led him to a small, locked cabinet in the corner. He hesitated, sensing that whatever was inside could be the key to the entire investigation.

“Open it,” Leo urged.

With a deep breath, Zane unlocked the cabinet. Inside were files—detailed records of every individual in the photographs, including personal information, routines, and disturbing notes on how each person had been monitored.

“This is sick,” Leo said, flipping through the pages. “They were being watched for months, maybe even years.”

Zane felt a knot form in his stomach. “We need to get this back to the station. This could blow the whole case wide open.”

But as they prepared to leave, they heard a noise—a creak of floorboards from somewhere above them. The realization that they were not alone hit them like a ton of bricks.

“Someone’s here,” Leo whispered, his hand instinctively moving to his weapon.

Zane nodded, his heart pounding. They had uncovered something sinister, but now they had to get out alive to make sure the truth came to light.

They moved cautiously, every step deliberate, as they made their way back to the steel door. But before they could reach it, the door slammed shut, trapping them inside.

“Damn it!” Leo cursed, rushing to the door. “We’re locked in.”

Zane scanned the room, looking for another way out. His eyes landed on a vent near the ceiling, just big enough for them to crawl through.

“That’s our way out,” he said, pointing to the vent. “Help me get it open.”

With combined effort, they pried the vent cover off and quickly crawled through the narrow passage, their hearts racing as they heard footsteps approaching the room they had just escaped from.

They emerged in a neighboring room, and from there, managed to find an exit leading back to the main hall. As they burst out of the building, the cold night air hit them, and they didn’t stop until they were safely outside, away from the darkness within.

Panting, Zane looked back at the building. “We need to get that evidence back to the station. Whatever’s going on here, it’s bigger than we thought.”

Leo nodded in agreement, his expression grim. “Let’s go. We’re just getting started.”

As they left the scene, Zane couldn’t shake the feeling that the mastermind behind this twisted operation was still watching, waiting for the next move in their deadly game.

The case had taken a dark turn, but Zane knew that his intuition had led them this far—and it would continue to guide him as they ventured deeper into the shadows of this mystery.