SERIAL KILLER SUSPENSE TECH-NOIR

The Meeting Was Scheduled for Five People. I Made Sure There Were Only Four.

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Exactly at 9 a.m. the meeting started. Four faces flickered into view. It was a mix… forced smiles and caffeine-fueled exhaustion.

Someone was missing.

“Has anyone heard from Jared?” Lorna, our project manager, asked, glancing at the empty fifth slot on the grid.

I stayed quiet, watching them shift uncomfortably. The last time they’d seen Jared was the last time they ever would. I made sure of that.

“Maybe he overslept?” Ben suggested, sipping his coffee, completely unaware that Jared wouldn’t be waking up at all.

“Should we start without him?” Lorna hesitated, eyes darting between the silent black square where his video should have been and the rest of us.

The chat window popped open.

Jared has joined the meeting.

The air in my lungs went still.