Chapter 2 Tracking The Shadow

Detective Jack Thompson stood over the evidence board in the precinct, eyes fixed on the photos and notes pinned haphazardly in an attempt to map out the Phantom’s twisted game. The room was quiet except for the low hum of computers and the occasional shuffle of papers, a stark contrast to the chaos brewing outside in the city gripped by fear. Detective Jack Thompson stood, as Lily Miller walked in, her expression a mix of determination and fatigue. She handed Jack a cup of coffee, which he accepted with a nod of thanks.

“We got something,” she said, her voice cutting through the fog of his thoughts. “Forensics found traces of a unique soil compound on the victim’s shoes. It’s not common in the city, but there are a few places where it can be found.”

Jack took a sip of his coffee, the bitter taste jolting him awake. “Where ?”

“An abandoned industrial site on the outskirts of town. It’s been deserted for years, but it’s a known spot for illegal activities. If The Phantom had been there, we might have found more clues.”

Within the hour, Jack and Lily were on their way to the industrial site. The drive was long and silent, both detectives lost in their thoughts. As they approached the site, the buildings looked like ghostly giants, remnants of a once thriving industrial era now overtaken by decay and neglect. The air was thick with the smell of rust and damp earth. Jack pulled his coat tighter around him, feeling the chill in the air. Lily led the way, her flashlight cutting through the gloom. They split up to cover more ground, Jack taking the north end while Lily headed south. The silence was oppressive, broken only by the crunch of their footsteps on gravel and the distant sound of dripping water.

Jack’s flashlight beam swept over broken machinery and piles of debris. He was about to turn back when something caught his eye:- A set of fresh footprints leading into one of the buildings. He followed them cautiously, his senses heightened.

Inside, the air was stale and musty. The footprints led him through a labyrinth of corridors until he reached a room at the back. It was small and cluttered, but what drew his attention was the wall covered in photographs and notes. It was a makeshift shrine to The Phantom’s victims. On that wall covered with photographs, Jack saw his photo with a note star player whose story was going to end soon…

Jack’s heart pounded as he scanned the wall. Each photograph had a name and a date beneath it, documenting The Phantom’s twisted timeline. But in his photo, there’s no date mentioned, just a short note. While documenting the details his eyes settled on the most recent photo:- The woman from the alley. Beneath her picture was a new note:- “The game continues. Catch me if you can Jackie signing off Phantom with love”.

Suddenly, he heard a noise behind him. He spun around, gun drawn, but there was no one there. He had a feeling that someone else was watching over their activities

“Jack, you need to see this,” Lily’s voice crackled through his radio. He took one last look at the wall before making his way back outside. He took out his phone and clicked the photos on the wall. After that he left the room and headed outside, Lily was standing near a rusted shipping container, her flashlight illuminating a patch of ground. Jack saw what she was pointing at:- A freshly dug hole, and in it, there was a bloodied piece of cloth.

“It’s from the victim,” Lily said grimly. “He was here.”

Jack felt a surge of frustration. They were so close, but The Phantom was always one step ahead. “We need to find out how he’s picking his victims, “he said, thinking out loud. “There has to be a pattern we’re missing.”

Back at the precinct, Jack and Lily pored over the files again. They looked at the victims’ backgrounds, searching for any common thread. Hours passed with no breakthrough, and exhaustion began to take its toll.

Jack rubbed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. “Maybe we’re looking in the wrong direction,” he said. “What if it’s not about who they are, but what they represent? ”

Lily frowned. “ Sorry I didn’t get you. What do you mean to say, Jack ?”

“Look at the victims. Different ages, different professions, different parts of the city. But each one had some kind of public presence:- They were all social media influencers, community leaders, activists. Visible people.”

Lily’s eyes widened in realization. “Oh Jesus Jack you’re a genius, he’s targeting people who are seen, who make an impact on someone else’s life, people who leave a mark on the world. The phantom is telling us a story but it makes me wonder Jack what’s the connection between you and the phantom”

Jack replied:-“Indeed he’s trying to tell us his story by leaving messages through them. It’s all part of his twisted game. Lily if we want to understand my connection with phantom we must first understand these stories scattered in front of our eyes”

With this new insight, they began to reexamine the evidence. They found that each victim had been active online shortly before their deaths, posting about their daily lives and activities. It was through these posts that The Phantom had likely selected his targets.

“He’s watching them online,” Jack said. “We need to find a way to trace him through their digital footprints.”

As they delved into the victim’s online activities, they found a common follower :- A user with no posts, no profile picture, and a cryptic username:- “Shadow Stalker.”

“This has to be him,” Lily said. “But how do we find him?”

“We track his IP address, with the help of the experts in our team,” Jack replied, already on the phone with the cybercrime unit.

The process was slow and tedious, but eventually, they traced the IP address to an internet café in a rundown part of town. Jack and Lily headed there immediately, hoping to catch The Phantom before he vanished again.

The café was a dingy place, filled with outdated computers and the smell of stale coffee. The owner, a grizzled man with a permanent scowl, pointed them to a corner booth where the user had logged in.

Jack’s pulse quickened as he approached the booth. The computer screen was still on, displaying the Shadow Stalker profile. But the chair was empty.

“He’s gone,” Lily said, frustration evident in her voice.

Jack noticed something on the desk:- A piece of paper folded neatly. He picked it up and unfolded it, revealing a message:- “Congratulations for making it that far, but unfortunately too slow, Lily darling and my star detective Jackie. The shadows are my playground.”

Jack crushed the paper in his fist yelling “He’s always one step ahead of us. And now he’s mocking us that we failed.”

Lily put a hand on his shoulder. “ Take it easy Jack, he’s playing with our heads to get us distracted and go off the track. We’ll get him, no matter what it takes. But first thing first, stay calm. We just have to keep pushing.”

As they left the café, Jack felt a renewed determination. The Phantom might be elusive, but he was leaving a trail. And Jack would follow that trail into the darkest corners of the city if he had to.

The game had just begun, and Jack was ready to play…