Daniel didn’t need convincing. He knew Lily. Seventeen years old, soft-spoken, the kind of girl who apologized when someone else bumped into her. Violence didn’t fit her. But facts—ugly, rigid facts—waited for him at the North Ridge Police Station.

When he arrived, Officer Grant looked as if someone had drained the color from his skin. “Mr. Foster… we may have made an error.” He pulled Daniel into a cramped interview room and shut the door. “A witness identified your daughter as the person who struck Mr. Whitmore behind Miller’s Grocery. But some… inconsistencies just came up.”

Daniel’s pulse hammered. “What inconsistencies?”

Grant swallowed. “Your daughter’s timeline doesn’t match the witness report. Security footage shows… something else. Someone else.” He exhaled shakily. “But we haven’t found the second suspect yet.”

Daniel’s stomach twisted. “So Lily is innocent.”

“She might be,” Grant said cautiously. “But the witness was confident. Too confident.”

Lily sat alone at the metal table, face blotchy from crying. When Daniel entered, she whispered, “Dad… why would someone say it was me?”

He knelt beside her. “We’re going to figure this out. I promise.”

Before Grant could release her, another officer rushed in, murmuring urgently into his ear. Grant’s face stiffened. He excused himself, leaving Daniel and Lily in the room.

Seconds later, a shout echoed down the hallway.

Then Grant burst back in, eyes wide. He looked at Daniel, then Lily.

“We have a problem,” he said. “A serious one.”

Daniel stood. “What happened?”

Grant’s voice dropped to barely a whisper.
“Mr. Whitmore woke up—and he just told us the person who attacked him wasn’t Lily.” He hesitated, jaw clenching. “But he also said the attacker knew her.”

Outside, a phone rang sharply—like a warning shot through the sterile air.

Daniel felt a cold wave rush over him. “Knew her? What does that mean?” he demanded.

Grant motioned for them to follow him into his office. He shut the door, lowered the blinds, and pulled up a report on his screen. “Mr. Whitmore couldn’t give us a name,” he said, “but he recognized the attacker’s voice. Male. Young. Someone who mentioned Lily during the assault.”

Lily shook her head in disbelief. “I don’t know anyone who would do that. Dad, I swear—”

Daniel squeezed her hand. “I believe you.” But a knot tightened in his throat. Who would target his daughter… and why?

Grant continued, “The witness who claimed it was Lily might have been pressured. When we tried contacting her just now, she didn’t answer. Her voicemail greeting was normal—nothing suspicious—but something feels off. We’re sending someone to her apartment.”

Daniel leaned forward. “Officer, you need to protect my daughter.”

“We’re doing everything we can,” Grant said firmly. “But if Mr. Whitmore is right, then someone intentionally framed Lily. That means they’re close enough to know her schedule… and close enough to anticipate her movements.”

Lily’s breathing quickened. “Dad… what if it’s someone from school?”

Daniel felt his chest constrict. “Is there anyone who’s been bothering you?”

She hesitated. “There’s… Ethan. Ethan Cole. He used to be in my math class. He got suspended last semester for harassing another girl. He—” Her voice faltered. “He asked me out last month, and when I said no, he didn’t take it well.”

Daniel clenched his jaw. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t think he’d actually… hurt someone.”

Grant typed rapidly. “Ethan Cole. Eighteen. Address… here.” He turned the screen. “We’ll bring him in for questioning.”

But before he could pick up the phone, a soft chime sounded. An email notification. Automatically, Grant clicked it open. The sender address was blocked, the subject line empty.

Inside was a single sentence:

“She should’ve said yes.”

Lily’s breath caught. Daniel’s fists curled.

Grant stood abruptly. “We’re dispatching units to Ethan’s home now. And you two are staying here until we know what we’re dealing with.”

But before he finished speaking, another email arrived—this one with an attachment.

A still image. Grainy. Taken from behind Miller’s Grocery.

A figure in a hood.

Holding a metal pipe.

And turning toward the camera—smiling.

The room felt smaller as Daniel stared at the frozen image. The hooded figure’s smile was faint, almost casual—as if the violence that followed were nothing more than a minor errand. Grant zoomed in, enhancing the frame, but the attacker’s features remained stubbornly obscured.

Lily whispered, “That’s… that has to be Ethan. It has to be.”

But Daniel wasn’t convinced. Something about the posture, the angle of the shoulders—it didn’t match the tall, lanky boy he remembered seeing once at Lily’s school. Whoever this was moved differently. Confident. Calculated.

Grant forwarded the image to the officers en route. “We’ll know soon enough.”

Minutes dragged on, heavy and brittle.

Then Grant’s phone vibrated. He answered, listened, and his face hardened. “Ethan isn’t home. His parents say he left hours ago and didn’t tell them where he was going.”

A chill settled over Lily. “He’s watching us. I know he is.”

Daniel wrapped an arm around her, though dread coiled inside him. “We’ll keep you safe,” he murmured, unsure if reassurance meant anything anymore.

Grant turned to them. “We’re placing officers outside your house tonight. And Lily…” He hesitated. “Don’t go anywhere alone. Until we identify the suspect, consider yourself a potential target.”

Lily nodded shakily.

But just as they prepared to leave, a knock sounded at the office door—too soft, too deliberate.

Grant unholstered his weapon. “Who is it?”

No answer.

He opened the door.

No one stood there.

Except a single folded piece of paper on the floor.

Daniel’s heart pounded as Grant bent down and opened it.

Inside was a printed photo—another still frame. This time, the attacker was standing in Lily’s high school hallway. Same hood. Same casual posture. Same small, chilling smile.

The timestamp?

This morning.

Lily gasped, covering her mouth. Daniel felt something inside him snap—the primal terror of a father who could no longer pretend control.

Grant locked the office door. “This isn’t random. This is stalking. Escalation. And he’s bold enough to be inside public places without being noticed.”

Daniel thought of the smile in the photo. Not angry. Not rushed.
Just… confident.

As if this were only the beginning.

Grant took a breath. “We’re going to need the public’s help. Cases like this don’t stay quiet for long.”

Daniel stared at the photos, forcing himself to stay steady. Someone out there knew the truth—and someone out there had seen this man.

And maybe… someone reading this would recognize the pattern, the behavior, the warning signs.