Echoes of the lost

u house, the fading daylight casting long, eerie shadows across the landscape. Her fingers drummed against the steering wheel as she replayed the discovery in

he cup down, looking over her shoulder as if someone might overhear. "Eliza, you don't want to dig that up again. People in this town... they forget things for a reason." Eliza's pulse quickened. "What do you mean?" "Celia was a good kid," Maggie whispered, her eyes darting around the room. "But there were people-powerful people-who didn't want her to be found." Before Eliza could press further, the door to the coffee shop jingled, and in walked Sheriff Ben Hayes. His presence was a reminder that Grey Hollow still had eyes everywhere. "Devereaux," Ben greeted her with a curt nod. "Heard you were back in town." Eliza tensed. She and Ben had never gotten along-not since high school, and certainly not after she left town. He'd always been too comfortable playing the role of the town's protector, even when protection meant silence. "Sheriff," she replied coolly. "You wouldn't happen to be poking around the Moreau place, would you?" Ben asked, his tone casual but laced with warning. Eliza glanced at Maggie, who had retreated to the back of the shop, wisely distancing herself from the conversation. "Why? Afraid I'll find something the police missed?" Ben's jaw tightened, and he stepped closer, lowering his voice. "Some things are better left buried. For your own good, Devereaux, leave it alone." Eliza met