CHAPTER ONE

Finn Wright felt a familiar sense of unease as he and Amelia Winters approached Rob"s aunt"s cottage in the quiet village of Great Amwell. The peaceful surroundings, with their quaint houses and well-tended gardens, stood in stark contrast to the purpose of their visit. Max Vilne, the killer who had haunted Finn"s thoughts for far too long, had been sighted in the area, and Finn was determined to bring him to justice once and for all.

As they pulled up to the cottage, Finn saw that the police were already on the scene, their cars parked haphazardly on the narrow lane. He exchanged a glance with Amelia, seeing his own determination mirrored in her eyes. They were a team, a partnership forged in the heat of countless investigations, and he drew strength from her presence.

Rob greeted them as they exited the car, his usually cheerful face creased with worry. "Finn, Amelia, thanks for coming so quickly," he said, shaking their hands. "We"ve been searching the area, but so far, no sign of Vilne."

Finn nodded, his jaw clenching with frustration. Vilne had proven to be a slippery target, always one step ahead of the law. But Finn refused to let him slip away again. "What about the sightings?" he asked, his voice tense. "Are they credible?"

Rob sighed, running a hand through his hair. "They seem to be. Several people reported seeing a man matching Vilne"s description in the village yesterday. We"re taking it very seriously, but you know how elusive he can be."

Finn felt a surge of anger mixed with a hint of guilt. Vilne was his responsibility, his failure. He should have caught him long ago before more innocent lives were lost. "We"ll find him," he said, his voice low and intense. "We have to."

"Is it your fault he escaped after you caught him in the US? While you were here in England?" Amelia asked with a raised eyebrow. "Is it your fault he pulled strings to put you under pressure, manipulated people, then smuggled himself to the UK to have revenge on you? All because you had the audacity to catch him in the first place?"

"Well, when you put it like that..." Finn grinned. He loved that Amelia always tried to build people up.

Amelia laid a hand on his arm, her touch a gentle reminder of her support. "We will catch him," she said, her voice filled with quiet confidence. "But first, let"s take a look around, see if we can find any clues. Last time he tried to threaten you, he left something, remember?"

Finn nodded, grateful for her level-headedness. Together, they set off to search the cottage grounds, their eyes scanning the surroundings for any signs of disturbance. As they walked, they fell into their familiar rhythm, discussing the case and bouncing ideas off each other.

"I just don"t understand," Finn said, his brow furrowed. "Why would Vilne come here, of all places? Surely he knew we were watching after the incident when he broke in months ago? What"s his game?"

Amelia shook her head, her red hair glinting in the sunlight. "I don"t know. Maybe he wanted to show you he could. But he"s always had a reason for his actions, twisted as they may be. We just need to figure out what it is this time."

Just as Finn was about to suggest they regroup with Rob, something caught his eye. There, in a tree on a distant hill, something was hanging from the branches.

"Amelia, look," he said, pointing. "What do you make of that?"

She squinted, shielding her eyes from the sun. "It"s hard to tell from here. Could be some kind of local tradition or prank. But I think we should check it out."

Finn agreed, and they set off towards the hill, their steps quickening with a sense of purpose. As they walked, Finn found himself reflecting on their partnership, on the trust and affection that had grown between them over the last year. Amelia was more than just a colleague; she was his rock, his anchor in the turbulent world of criminal investigation. He could have fallen apart waiting for his court case in the US, but everything Rob and Amelia had done for him, giving him purpose as a consultant detective, had saved them.

He would do anything to return the favor.

As they neared the tree, the hanging objects came into clearer view, and Finn felt a chill run down his spine. They were mannequins, three of them swaying gently in the breeze. Even from a distance, he could tell that this was no prank or tradition. This had Vilne"s sinister touch all over it.

Amelia"s sharp intake of breath told him she had come to the same conclusion. They exchanged a look, a silent communication born of years of working together, and quickened their pace.

When they reached the tree, Finn"s worst fears were confirmed. Each mannequin bore a name, written in bold, black letters: "Finn," "Amelia," "Rob." It was a message, a taunt from Vilne, making it clear that he was targeting not just Finn, but those closest to him.

Finn felt a rush of anger, his hands clenching into fists at his sides. Vilne was playing with them, toying with their lives like a cat with a mouse. But Finn refused to be a pawn in his sick game. He would find Vilne, and he would make him pay for every life he had destroyed.

Amelia"s hand on his shoulder brought him back to the present. He looked down at her, seeing the same fierce determination in her eyes that he felt in his own heart. "He's desperate doing something like this," she said, her voice low and intense. "He wanted to hurt you by abducting Demi, but we saved her and now she's safe back in the States. Now, he's angry. He's trying to frighten us, but I think he's the frightened one. We'll catch him…"

He nodded, drawing strength from her words, from the unwavering support he saw in her gaze. "Together," he echoed, his voice a promise.

Just as they were about to turn around, Finn spotted something at the foot of the tree, wedged inside a hole in the trunk.

"What"s that?" Finn asked out loud.

"It looks metallic," Amelia said.

Finn leaned down and poked his finger inside. With a little effort, the object popped out. It was an old pocket watch made of brass. Finn flipped it around to see no description.

"Looks old," Amelia said. "It"s possible it"s been there for some time."

"Maybe," Finn said, looking around.

They made their way back down the hill, the weight of their discovery heavy on their shoulders. Rob was waiting for them, his face etched with concern. When they told him about the mannequins, his eyes widened with shock and anger.

"That scumbag," he muttered, shaking his head. "He"s taunting us, trying to get under our skin."

Finn nodded grimly. "And it"s working. But we can"t let him dictate the terms of this game. We need to stay focused, stay one step ahead."

"Agreed," Rob said. "I promise we'll increase security around the cottage and put out an alert for Vilne."

Finn felt a surge of gratitude for his friend"s support, mixed with a twinge of guilt for putting him in danger. But as Amelia had said, Vilne was the only one to blame. And they would stop him, no matter the cost.

Just as they were about to head back to the cottage to regroup, Amelia"s phone rang. She answered, her face growing grave as she listened to the caller. When she hung up, she turned to Finn, her expression somber.

"Are you sure?" she said. "I understand. We'll be right there." The call ended.

"What's wrong?" asked Finn.

"There"s a murder higher-ups want us to take a look at," she said, her voice tight. "A body found in an abandoned Victorian bathhouse. The scene is...disturbing. They are worried it"s Vilne because of the theatricality of it."

Finn felt a chill run through him, a sense of foreboding that he couldn"t shake. "Vilne?" he asked, though he already knew the answer.

Amelia nodded. "Nothing would surprise me. We need to get there, see if we can find out if it's really him. If not, the Home Office wants us to investigate anyway. Apparently it involved an influencer, and her death has caused a panic on social media."

"Usually the Home Office contact me first," Rob said.

"Don't feel left out, Chief," Amelia said. "If you want, I could pretend they didn't call and you can go over it all again, like you're sending your trusted duo out there to catch a killer."

Rob laughed. "Amelia, you're spending too much time with Finn. He's usually the one making snarky jokes."

"I resent that," Finn said.

"Good," Rob said, patting him on the back. "But please. Be careful, you two. We can"t afford to let our guard down for one second. I can"t help but feel Vilne is leading us into a trap."

Finn agreed, his mind already racing with possibilities. He knew they were heading into something dark and dangerous, but he also knew that with Amelia by his side, he could face anything.

"Keep me abridged," Rob said, walking off to speak with a constable nearby."

As Finn and Amelia climbed into the car, Finn took one last look at the ominous mannequins hanging from the tree. They seemed to stare back at him, their blank faces a mocking reminder of the evil they were up against. But Finn refused to be intimidated. He had a job to do, a killer to catch. And he wouldn"t rest until Max Vilne was behind bars and the world was a little bit safer.

"Winters," Finn said. "You mentioned a Victorian Bathhouse?"

"Yes, where the body was found."

"That watch up on the hill," Finn mused out loud. "I wonder if it was Victorian, too."

"It was old, but it might have nothing to do with Vilne or this case," Amelia said. "It"s possibly been a coincidence."

"Or a cryptic warning of what"s to come from Vilne."

With a grim sense of determination, Finn started the engine, ready to confront whatever horrors awaited them at the bathhouse. The game was on, and more than ever, Finn was determined to win.