Rebirth Into My Second Chance

Ronald couldn't get a read on the man before him, and his brow furrowed in frustration. "Who put you up to this?" he demanded.

"My boss. We've never seen him. We got calls and cash," Scar Man replied, sliding a piece of paper with a phone number across the table. Ronald scribbled down the number, his mind racing. "Where's Claire Floyd?" he pressed on.

Scar Man shook his head. "We took her. Yeah, but then some goon from the top took her off our hands. Where to? It beats me." It was a dead end. Again.

Scar Man claimed ignorance. "Look, sir, I'm tired. Let me catch some Z's, and I'll spill everything I know. Maybe cut me some slack?" Ronald remained silent, but I was mad. After everything Scar Man had done, the thought of him getting off easy was infuriating.

My recollections were a mess. Scar Man and his cronies had dragged me into the darkness, rapping me in unimaginable ways.

I never knew if I'd see the light of day again. My body constantly yanked from one horror to the next. In one attempt to escape, they broke my legs and severed the tendons in my heels. They even talked about burying me alive in the woods and then digging me up just for kicks. The sheer madness of it all!

Why should such monsters get any leniency? The pain was overwhelming. I could hardly remember the specifics, only that it was excruciating.

Ronald stepped out of the hospital room to see Max hanging out outside.

Seeing the detective's confusion, Max handed him a file. "I stopped the cremation and got the paperwork sorted. I'm pretty sure the charred body is Claire's."

I couldn't fathom how Max managed to prevent my body from being cremated. His skill and calm efficiency were admirable.

Ever composed, Ronald trembled as he read the file.

"If Claire is truly gone, what kind of despair must she have faced?" he wondered aloud.

Max shrugged. "I don't know. Empathy's not my thing," he said, turning to leave.

Rushing back to the precinct, Ronald must have been desperate to share the grim news of my death. But even in death, the mystery of my end remained unsolved.

Claude was waiting for Ronald at the

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police station. When he appeared, Claude approached him urgently, his usual poise gone. "Mr. Collins has Kate vanished again?"

Ronald shook his head, a bitter laugh escaping him as he confronted Claude. "Did you truly despise Claire? What if she's dead?"

Claude cut him off. "I told you she wouldn't die like that! She must have taken Kate. Find Claire, and you'll find Kate."

Ronald shook his head, sharing in my disappointment. He decided not to break the news of my death to Claude, heading instead to the detention center to speak with Richard.

"Did you find Claire?" Richard asked immediately.

Handing over the file, Ronald replied,

"Take a look. Among the three bodies found, one, pregnant, was identified as Claire, confirmed by top forensic experts. Claire is dead."

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Richard's face went white, his emotions crumbled into a pale, powerless expression. "Mr. Collins, you're lying, right?"

"Sorry," was all Ronald said before leaving. But at that moment, Richard's eyes reddened.

"I know where Kate is. Take me with you, and I can find her." Richard's sudden claim made Ronald whirl around. "You hid Kate?"