The stranger who had appeared was Mike Jenkins, the son of the landlord, who had come to deliver food.
Mike immediately noticed Zoe’s body, his expression darkening.
“Have you called the police?” he asked.
We froze for a moment, realizing we hadn’t even thought to call.
“I’ll do it now!” I said, rushing downstairs to grab my phone.
Boom–
Another clap of thunder rattled the house, and the sky outside was so dark it didn’t even look like daytime.
I hurried through the house, turning on the lights, and grabbed my phone. But when I looked, there was no signal.
It was then that I realized something was very wrong with the weather.
The rain had been pouring relentlessly since last night, and in the mountains, this kind of storm could easily trigger a landslide.
And we were right in the middle of it.
“There’s a landslide,” Mike said, descending the stairs with the others. His face was grim. “The road’s blocked. It looks like the cell tower’s down too. We’re trapped in the villa.”
“What are we going to do?” Sam asked, trembling with fear. Though he was a guy, Sam had the smallest nerves of anyone. With his love for makeup, embroidery, and all things stylish, he was the most flamboyant of our group.
He leaned against the wall, his voice shaking. “The road’s blocked, and we have no signal. We’re trapped here with no way to call for help.”
“Don’t worry. My dad knows I’m here. He’ll send people to clear the road. It’ll take a day or two, but we’ll get out,” Mike said confidently, keeping calm despite the chaos.
As he spoke, he took off his jacket and pulled out an ID badge from his pocket, tossing it in front of us.
“By the way, I’m a cop – homicide division. Since my colleagues can’t get here, I’ll take charge of this case.”
The room fell silent. My friends and I exchanged glances, none of us expecting things to take such a turn.
Mike didn’t waste time. After identifying himself, he gave us orders.
“Everyone stay in the living room. I’m going to examine the body.”
Before we could react, he headed back upstairs.
We couldn’t just let some stranger mess with Zoe.
Unwilling to leave him alone, we all followed him back to the rooftop.
Mike moved quickly and efficiently, wearing plastic gloves as he examined Zoe’s body. He removed her shoes, lifted her dress... Everything he did was precise, like a real cop.
But just as he was about to unbutton her shirt–