Chapter 4: Newsflash: Another Body Found
The morning air felt heavier than usual.
Lena sat on her couch with a cold cup of coffee in one hand and her phone in the other. The television buzzed softly in the background—background noise, static comfort.
Then her phone lit up.
Kara: “Turn on Channel 5. Now.”
Her fingers twitched.
She glanced at the TV. Changed the channel.
“…breaking news out of Brooklyn this morning,” the reporter was saying. “Police have confirmed the body of 26-year-old Hannah Bell was found in her apartment late last night. Bell was discovered by her roommate, who returned from a weekend trip and found the victim unresponsive on the living room floor.”
Lena sat up straight.
The screen showed flashing red and blue lights outside a modest brick apartment. Yellow tape. Officers. A woman crying into her hands.
“…no forced entry, no signs of struggle. Police say the case shares striking similarities to two unsolved murders reported earlier this year—both victims young women, living alone, with no immediate signs of foul play beyond strangulation. Investigators are urging the public to remain vigilant.”
The reporter paused, lips tightening.
“Sources confirm that all three victims were dating through the same popular online app—Chime.”
Lena stared at the screen.
Then down at her phone.
She opened the app she’d deleted a month ago.
She scrolled through her old messages.
And there it was—Hannah Bell. She’d seen the name before. A comment on someone’s profile. A mutual match once?
She couldn’t remember.
But her fingers moved faster than her thoughts.
She called Kara.
“You saw it?” Kara asked, breathless.
“Yeah. I don’t understand. Hannah Bell—wasn’t she the girl you told me about? The one who worked at that tech firm?”
“Yes! She was gorgeous. I showed you her IG once.”
Lena's voice dropped. “They said she was strangled. No forced entry.”
“Just like the others.”
“And they all used Chime.”
“I’m deleting my account right now.”
Lena’s eyes moved to the window. She suddenly felt like she was being watched.
Later that afternoon, she met Kara at their favorite sandwich spot near Bryant Park. The outdoor seating buzzed with tourists, the smell of garlic fries thick in the air.
“This city is messed up,” Kara said, unwrapping her sandwich. “You think you’re fine, and then boom—some creep breaks in and strangles you.”
Lena didn’t touch her food.
“I wonder if she knew the guy,” she said. “They said no break-in.”
Kara nodded. “Means he had a key. Or she let him in.”
“Maybe she trusted him.”
“Probably someone she was dating.”
Lena fell silent.
Kara looked up. “You okay?”
“I just keep thinking… what if we’ve seen him? What if he’s still on the app, talking to people?”
“Don’t go there.”
“I’m serious.”
“So am I. You’ll drive yourself nuts if you start spiraling.”
“I’m not spiraling.”
Kara tilted her head. “You’re doing that thing.”
“What thing?”
“The eyebrow twitch.”
“I don’t twitch.”
“Lena. You twitch.”
The wind picked up. A napkin flew off the table. Lena grabbed it, hands suddenly trembling.
She pushed her food aside.
Kara leaned in. “Alright. Spill it.”
“Spill what?”
“What’s really going on?”
Lena hesitated.
“I… I went out with someone.”
Kara blinked. “You what?”
“Just coffee. And dinner. He’s… different.”
“From the app?”
“No. Not from the app. I met him in real life.”
Kara raised an eyebrow. “That’s even more suspicious.”
“He helped me when I got mugged.”
“You got mugged?”
“Last night.”
Kara looked like her head might explode. “Back up.”
They sat in the park for the next twenty minutes as Lena told her everything. The alley. The purse. The diner. The jacket. Ethan.
“Sounds like a Hallmark movie until you remember we live in New York,” Kara said, chewing slowly.
“He’s normal,” Lena said. “Or he seems normal. Too normal.”
“Do you like him?”
Lena didn’t answer right away.
“I want to.”
Kara studied her. “You trust him?”
Another pause.
“I want to,” Lena said again.
That night, Lena sat in bed scrolling through her texts.
Ethan: “Thinking of you. Hope today wasn’t too crazy. Call me if you’re up.”
She stared at the screen.
She didn’t call.
Instead, she opened the news app again.
Scrolled.
There it was.
Hannah Bell’s Timeline: What We Know So Far
Lena’s eyes scanned the article.
- No forced entry.
- Same perfume bottle found near the body as the other two victims.
- All victims lived within a 10-mile radius.
- All were described as "cautious, independent women."
She clicked on the victim’s profile picture.
Long brown hair. Warm smile.
She looked like me.
The realization hit like a punch.
Lena closed her phone.
Got out of bed.
She walked to her window.
Looked out.
The street below was quiet.
A few cars. One man walking a dog. A delivery truck pulling into a garage.
And someone standing across the street, under a flickering lamp.
Still.
Watching.
She blinked.
The figure was gone.
