Description
[ONC2024] Prompt 52 In Crestwood, a town more tangled in its secrets than a thrift store's collection of holiday lights, I found myself wrapped up in a mystery that smelled more fishy than the docks after a summer's day. My name? Julian Everett, but you can call me Jules. I'm a professor by day, amateur sleuth by... also day. I need my beauty sleep. Enter Derek Stone, Crestwood's very own mountain masquerading as a cop. With biceps that could rival Greek statues and a scowl that could curdle milk, Derek was the last person I expected to end up working with. Yet, here we were, knee-deep in a case that had more twists than a pretzel factory. As we started piecing together the puzzle, a picture darker than my third cup of coffee before noon started to emerge. Locals vanishing like socks in a laundry room, cryptic messages that made less sense than a hedgehog in a library, and at the center of it all, a plot that threatened to turn Crestwood into a ghost town. And amidst this chaos, there was Derek. Mr. All Work and No Play, who apparently didn't get the memo that glaring wasn't a form of communication. Yet, beneath that tough exterior, I glimpsed someone who might just understand the storm inside me. Who knew? "Shadows Over Crestwood" isn't just a tale of mystery and suspense. It's a story about two unlikely partners finding common ground in the most uncommon of circumstances, learning that sometimes, the heart uncovers what the eyes cannot see. So, buckle up. It's going to be a bumpy ride.
Chapter 1: An Unexpected Invitation
