She stood at the water’s edge, box in hand. She had come there that day with a purpose, to scatter the ashes into the sea, a final goodbye to the daughter she had lost. But standing there, Elena found herself frozen, unable to complete the act. Was she truly ready to let go?
The sea breeze picked up, whipping her dark hair around her face as she stared at the contents of the box. The decision weighed heavily on her, the finality of it almost too much to bear.
Just as she was about to close the lid, deciding she was not ready after all, a vibration from her bag startled her. Her phone was ringing.
Elena quickly secured the lid on the box, carefully placing it back in her bag. She wiped away a tear with the back of her hand and took a steadying breath before reaching for her phone.
Elena’s hand trembled slightly as she retrieved her phone from her bag. The screen displayed a name she had not seen in months.
Detective Aaron Delgado.
Her heart skipped a beat. In 10 years, calls from the detective had become increasingly rare, and they never brought good news. Just confirmations of another dead end, another false lead.
“Hello,” she answered, trying to keep her voice steady.
“Elena, it’s Aaron.”
The detective’s voice sounded different, tense, urgent.
“We’ve received a new lead from the Bahamas.”
Elena’s free hand instinctively clutched the wooden box tighter.
“What kind of lead?”
