The Past is a Loaded Gun

The morning air in Belize carried the scent of damp stone and the promise of a storm. Jessica stood on Sam’s porch, hands wrapped around a ceramic mug, its contents already lukewarm. The sea stretched out before her, vast and endless, but today it offered no comfort. She had come here with a purpose, though the weight of it settled uncomfortably in her chest.

Sam emerged from inside, rolling his shoulders as he leaned against the wooden railing. "You look like someone who didn’t sleep."

Jessica smirked, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. "Maybe I didn’t."

He nodded, taking a sip from his own coffee, watching her in that quiet, patient way of his. She had always appreciated that about him. He never pushed, never pried. He just waited.

"I need a favor," she finally said.

Sam arched a brow. "That bad?"

Jessica exhaled through her nose. "They found a body. Outside Charleston. Jason Carter."

He frowned, setting his mug down. "I saw that on the news. That’s the guy from your case?"

She hesitated just long enough for him to notice. "Something like that. I need details on the forensic evidence. Unofficially."

Sam didn’t answer right away. He watched her, studying her the way he did when he was deciding whether or not to let something slide. Finally, he nodded. "I can make some calls. See what I can dig up. But you know I can’t pull too much without raising questions."

Jessica nodded. "I just need the basics. Time of death, condition of the remains, anything that stands out. If something doesn’t fit, I need to know."

Sam sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "You want to tell me why this matters so much?"

Jessica held his gaze. "I just need to know the truth."

That, at least, was not a lie.

* * *

Back at the office, Leanna had been up all night. The glow of the laptop screen cast harsh shadows across her face, her eyes bloodshot, the sharp angles of her expression set with frustration. She sifted through every scrap of information she could pull together including forensic reports, autopsy summaries, and the inconsistencies buried beneath the surface.

The body was too well preserved and too clean for something that had supposedly been buried for a decade.

The pieces fit too well: a long-missing man, a conveniently placed body, and a suspect arrested just in time to take the blame. And then, before he could say a word… dead. Just like that. The puzzle wasn’t just neat. It was assembled before they ever touched it.

Olivia walked in, a tray of coffee cups in hand, and paused in the doorway. "You look like hell."

Leanna barely glanced up. "Feels about right."

Jessica stepped inside, rubbing at her temple. "We need to move. The longer we sit on this, the colder the trail gets."

Leanna exhaled sharply, leaning back in her chair. "You’re not gonna like this."

Jessica pulled out a chair and sat across from her. "Try me."

Leanna tapped the screen. "The autopsy report, what little they’ve released, doesn’t match what it should. The body’s too well preserved for a ten-year-old corpse. Either it wasn’t buried that long, or someone’s lying."

Jessica’s stomach twisted, but she kept her face neutral. "And Langford?"

"Suicide," Olivia said flatly, setting a coffee in front of Jessica. "Just like Epstein. Somehow, in a secure holding cell, under watch, he managed to hang himself. Cameras malfunctioned. Guards were conveniently absent."

Jessica let the information settle. It tasted like metal on her tongue. It was all too perfect, too controlled.

Leanna rolled her shoulders, trying to shake off the exhaustion pressing against her. "We need to go. Columbia first. Back to Palmetto. If there’s anything left of Jason’s past, it’s there. Then Charleston, where they found the body."

Jessica tapped her fingers against the armrest of her chair. "Then we move fast. If someone wanted Langford dead, they’ll be watching for anyone looking too closely."

Leanna smirked. "Good thing we’re good at looking where we shouldn’t."

Jessica stood, rolling her shoulders. "Then let’s make sure we’re ready. We leave tomorrow."

The decision was made. The next step had been set.

But deep in Jessica’s gut, an old, familiar weight twisted. They were heading back into the past. And the past had never once been kind.