June 1, 2024:
Officer David Johnson
Responding to a missing person's report, Officer David Johnson arrived at the scene and rang the doorbell of the neighboring apartment, hoping to find a lead on Lily Taylor. The door was opened by a cheerful couple in their fifties, exuding the kind of peace—or so it seemed—that comes from twenty years of marriage.
The woman had green eyes and black hair; her husband was her complete opposite, with blonde hair and blue eyes.
"What can you tell me about Lily Taylor?" David asked.
The couple explained that since they had recently moved to the neighborhood, they didn't know her well. The only concrete information they possessed was the landlord's phone number. After providing the contact details, they said a polite goodbye and closed the door. David immediately called the landlord.
"This is Officer David Johnson. There is a missing person report for your tenant, Lily Taylor. What can you tell me about her?"
The voice on the other end paused for a moment, followed by the rustling of papers as if checking records.
"Lily Taylor... She moved in two years ago. She works as a math teacher. Did something happen to her, Officer? She is one of those rare tenants who never missed a single day of rent."
As David took notes, he asked, "Anything more personal? Relatives, habits?"
"No," the landlord replied firmly. "She was extremely asocial; she just went from home to work and back. Whoever you ask won't be able to tell you more than I have. She lived almost like a shadow."
"Even the smallest detail could save a life; call me if you remember anything," David said before hanging up. He then took the keys to conduct an official search of the premises.
The interior of the house was surprisingly empty, as soulless as an art gallery. There were no bloodstains, no signs of a struggle, and no forced entry. Realizing he wouldn't find much there, David headed to the school where Lily worked.
However, the situation was no different there; to everyone, Lily Taylor was simply "the Math Teacher." It was chilling that a human being could isolate themselves so completely from society.
June 2, 2024: The Blind Spot
A call from the security camera specialist changed the course of the case:
"David, I've reviewed the footage you sent second by second. Lily Taylor enters a side street around 4:20 PM and is never seen on any other camera again. She vanished in a blind spot. I'm sending you the location now."
David entered the alleyway with the crime scene investigation teams. The street was spotless, as if the culprit had swept it clean. However, deep inside the dumpsters, they found a woman's handbag and a phone. The ID card inside the wallet showed Lily Taylor's unsmiling face staring back at David.
The results from the forensic lab were a total disappointment:
"David, there are only the victim's fingerprints on the bag and the phone. No foreign DNA, no signs of a struggle... The culprit left no trace. It's as if we're dealing with a ghost."
David realized this was no ordinary kidnapping. If they couldn't find Lily Taylor within a few days, the file would be handed over to the cold cases of the Homicide Bureau.
June 3, 2024: The Morning Gazette
The city woke up to this headline:
"MISSING TEACHER: L.T., a mathematics teacher kidnapped on 05/31/2024 at 4:00 PM while returning home from school, is being sought everywhere. Anyone with information is urged to notify law enforcement."