“Speak to your lawyers,” Saffi said. “I’m sure you’ll be able to come up with a story you like.”
Laila’s expression was open with hope and Saffi knew she had won.
“What do you need from me?”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
September 8, 2026
As the cabpulled back into the parking lot of Andino and Taylor Private Eye, the first thing Saffi noticed was that Andino’s car was missing. It struck her as odd. The three of them had always had a similar work ethic, going so far as to sleep at the office most nights. Given that the moon already hung high in the dark, starless sky, Saffi dared to hope the man had gone to get dinner.
As soon as she stepped out of the passenger side of the vehicle, the cool night breeze biting at her cheeks, she could tell something was wrong. Taylor was waiting for her at the agency’s entrance with a grim expression. Heart sinking, Saffi rushed over.
“Hey,” Taylor greeted her, but there was something solemn in his tone.
“What’s wrong?” Saffi asked as they stepped inside.
She glanced around. The office seemed eerily empty for only one person being gone, especially after months of chaos. That was when she realized.
“Where are the interns?” she asked. They were supposed to get back from their trip last night.
Taylor swallowed. “Mia never went with them.”
Saffi’s heart dropped the moment she heard his tone. She knew exactly when the last time she’d been in contact with Martinez was, and it left her feeling uneasy.
“Her friends assumed she’d just missed the flight, so nobody realized until they got back that she has been missing this entire time,” Taylor continued.
“So where is she now? Is she all right—?”
“Saffi,” Taylor interrupted. “The police released the confidential file. They found a body in the remains of Hector Olsen’s home.”
Her heartbeat rushed in her ears, Taylor’s voice becoming muffled.
“The DNA match came back positive. It was Mia.”
If aDNA testwas necessary to identify her, that meant her body must’ve been burned beyond recognition. Saffi bit her cheek hard, tasting blood. She never should’ve gotten the girl involved. She’d come back to prove that she’d grown from her mistakes, not to make them again.
“This is all my fault,” Saffi said in a voice that felt far away. “I’m so sorry—”
“No,I’m sorry,” Taylor said, and he did seem genuinely so. “I didn’t want to tell you all of this at once because I knew you’d blame yourself, but I also knew you’d hate being kept in the dark.”
“There’s more?” Saffi asked.
A numbness was already creeping under Saffi’s skin. Emotions, she could bury deep where they wouldn’t see the light of day. There was always more work to be done, and by the time she got a moment to herself, the pain would have lost most of its sting. There was an article already pulled up on Taylor’s computer, waiting for her. She bent down to readit.
Murder Investigation of Beloved Actress Irene Singh Entrusted to a Fraud
Last month, it was revealed that beloved actress Irene Singh’s death was no accident (see: Hector Olsen, “Ladies Killer”: Literal or Figurative?). Another one of the victims of this ongoing investigation includes actress Dimple Kapoor (see: “Dimple Kapoor Hospitalized: Substance Abuse Rumors Gain Traction”). Much to ourcollective relief, she managed to survive the attack. However, the prime suspect, Hector Olsen, is walking free, protected by his wealth and status.
You must be wondering—is this truly the state of our justice system? How could anyone knowingly let this happen? Well, it should come as no surprise because this is nothing more than history repeating itself.
Due to the police’s refusal to look further into the circumstances of their daughter’s death, the Singhs hired a private investigator to look into Irene Singh’s case. However, it has been brought to our attention by an anonymous Hollywood insider that this investigator has a truly upsetting track record. If you’re wondering just who could be so inept that they would let a killer run rampant for almost a year now, you don’t have to look any further than Saffi Mirai Iyer, who, ironically, has a reputation of being one of the world’s best. You see, Iyer has a dark past of her own. In spring of 2020, she was responsible for putting an innocent woman on death row. The victim has unfortunately since passed, but—
Saffi stopped there, feeling cold all over.Betrayal,she realized distantly. She’d known all along what would come of this, and she’d gone and done it anyway.
She had asked Dimple where her hunger was, and it seemed Saffi had to be consumed in order to prove it had never left. Compared to the gut punch that was Mia Martinez’s death, this was almost a relief. The other shoe had finally dropped. Still, she couldn’t deny that some part of her had wanted to trust Dimple Kapoor. The same part of her that had been shocked at the events leading up to Shyla Patel’s broken nose.
Saffi never seemed to learn.
