Frozen Blaze - 07: Cracks in the Diamond

The late afternoon sun filtered through the curtains of the small living room, casting a warm, golden glow over the space where Zane Shaw sat with his wife, JingMing Wong. Despite the years they had spent together—eight in total—the bond between them remained strong, their connection evident in the easy banter and the comfortable silences they shared.

Zane leaned back in his chair, a small smile playing on his lips as he watched JingMing go about her evening routine. She was humming softly, a tune he couldn’t quite place, but it was familiar enough to evoke a sense of calm. They had been through a lot together, but their relationship had endured, weathering storms that might have torn others apart.

“You know,” JingMing began, turning to Zane with a playful grin, “I was telling my colleague today that our marriage is as strong as a diamond.”

Zane chuckled, shaking his head. “A diamond, huh? That’s a bit cliché, don’t you think?”

JingMing feigned offense, placing a hand on her hip. “Oh? And what would you compare it to, then?”

Zane leaned forward, his eyes sparkling with mischief. “A gorilla.”

JingMing stared at him, momentarily taken aback, before bursting into laughter. She quickly covered her mouth, trying to stifle the sound, but it was no use. Zane joined in, their laughter filling the room, a brief but welcome escape from the stress that had been building in their lives.

As the laughter subsided, JingMing sat down beside Zane, her expression softening. “I found something today,” she said, her tone suddenly serious. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small, crumpled note, handing it to Zane.

Zane took the note, his brow furrowing as he unfolded it. The handwriting was familiar, but what it said made his heart skip a beat. He read the words again, trying to make sense of them, but they only left him feeling more confused.

“What is this?” Zane asked, his voice low and tense.

JingMing watched him carefully, noting the way his fingers tightened around the paper. “It was in your coat pocket. I thought it might be important.”

Zane’s mind raced as he stared at the note, his thoughts spiraling into suspicion. The note’s contents were vague, but the implications were clear enough to set his nerves on edge. He couldn’t shake the feeling that this was more than just a simple message—it was a warning, a threat.

“Did you write this?” Zane’s voice was suddenly sharp, his eyes narrowing as he looked at his wife.

JingMing blinked, taken aback by the accusation. “What? No, of course not! Why would I do that?”

Zane stood up abruptly, pacing the room as the tension between them mounted. “How did this get into my pocket, then? You’re the only one who has access to my things.”

JingMing felt a flare of frustration rising within her. “Zane, I don’t know how it got there, but I didn’t put it there. You have to believe me.”

But Zane wasn’t listening. His mind was too caught up in the possibilities, the scenarios that the note suggested. His job had taught him to trust his instincts, but right now, those instincts were telling him that something was very wrong.

Their argument was interrupted by a knock on the door. It was the Vice Principal of the school, who had been informed about the ongoing investigation. The man entered the room cautiously, sensing the tension in the air.

“Is everything alright?” the Vice Principal asked, his voice tentative.

Zane shot him a glare, his patience already wearing thin. “Does it look like everything’s alright? We’re in the middle of something here.”

The Vice Principal held up his hands in a placating gesture. “I’m just here to see if I can help. JingMing mentioned that you might need some of Mr. Zhong’s teaching materials for handwriting analysis.”

JingMing looked at the Vice Principal, her expression pleading. “We found this note, and it’s thrown everything off balance. Can you help us find Mr. Zhong’s materials? We need to compare the handwriting.”

The Vice Principal nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation. “Of course. I’ll have them sent over right away.”

As the Vice Principal left to make the necessary arrangements, Zane turned back to JingMing, his frustration bubbling over. “You see what this is doing to us? All this secrecy, these half-truths… it’s tearing us apart.”

JingMing felt her heart ache at the sight of her husband’s distress. “Zane, I’m not hiding anything from you. We’re in this together, remember? Whatever’s going on, we’ll figure it out.”

But Zane wasn’t convinced. The weight of his job, the pressure of the investigation, and now this mysterious note—it was all too much. He felt the walls closing in, the lines between his personal and professional life blurring in a way that left him feeling unmoored.

As they waited for the materials to arrive, Zane’s thoughts turned to the case that had been consuming him for weeks. The tension at the school, the strange behavior of Gao Wu, and now this note—it was all connected, he was sure of it. But how?

When the materials finally arrived, Zane and JingMing wasted no time in examining them. They spread out the papers, comparing the handwriting to the note JingMing had found. It was a meticulous process, each stroke of the pen analyzed with painstaking care.

But as they worked, the room filled with a heavy silence, the kind that only comes when two people are on the brink of something life-changing. Zane could feel the strain in his marriage, the way the stress of his job was driving a wedge between them. And yet, he couldn’t stop. He had to know the truth.

Hours passed, and still, they found nothing conclusive. The handwriting was similar, but not an exact match. It was enough to cast doubt, but not enough to confirm anything. The uncertainty gnawed at Zane, feeding his paranoia.

Finally, exhausted and frustrated, Zane threw down the papers. “This is getting us nowhere,” he muttered, running a hand through his hair.

JingMing reached out to him, her touch gentle but firm. “Zane, we’ll figure this out. But you need to take a step back, just for a moment. You’re too close to this.”

Zane looked at her, the fatigue evident in his eyes. “I can’t. Not until I know what’s going on.”

Their conversation was cut short by another knock at the door. It was the Vice Principal again, but this time, he wasn’t alone. A woman stood beside him, her face pale and tear-streaked. She was the wife of the deceased teacher, and her presence brought an immediate shift in the room’s atmosphere.

The woman’s grief was palpable, her sobs rhythmic and intense, almost like a performance. It was as if she was channeling all her pain into this one moment, and it was overwhelming.

Zane and JingMing watched as the Vice Principal tried to console her, but it was clear that nothing he said could reach her. She was beyond comfort, lost in her own world of sorrow.

Zane felt a pang of guilt as he watched the scene unfold. Here they were, caught up in their own drama, while this woman was dealing with the unimaginable loss of her husband. It put everything into perspective, the pettiness of their argument dwarfed by the magnitude of her grief.

As the woman’s sobs grew louder, Zane felt a sense of urgency take hold. There was something more at play here, something they hadn’t yet uncovered. The note, the suspicions, the tension—it was all leading to something, and he needed to find out what it was before it was too late.

The Vice Principal, sensing the growing tension, turned to Zane. “We need to get to the bottom of this, Detective. The school’s reputation is at stake, and we can’t let this go unresolved.”

Zane nodded, his resolve hardening. “We will. But first, we need to identify who’s behind all of this.”

As the night wore on, the tension in the room remained thick, the air charged with unresolved emotions. Zane knew that the road ahead would be difficult, that there were no easy answers. But with JingMing by his side, he felt a renewed sense of purpose.

They would uncover the truth, no matter the cost. Because in the end, it wasn’t just about solving a case—it was about protecting the people they cared about, and the life they had built together.

And Zane Shaw wasn’t about to let that slip away.