The sun was just beginning to rise over Blackwood as Emma, Lucas, and Mr. Grayson gathered in the back room of the antique shop. The mood was tense, each of them lost in their own thoughts after the unsettling events of the previous night. They had captured several members of the cult, but the leader’s chilling words still echoed in their minds.
Emma paced the room, her thoughts racing. "He said we haven’t won anything. That there’s someone else out there, pulling the strings. But how did they know about the trap? We were so careful."
Lucas leaned against the wall, arms crossed, his eyes narrowed in thought. "Someone must have told them. It’s the only explanation. But who? We didn’t tell anyone outside of this room."
Mr. Grayson looked up from the old map he’d been studying. "There’s something else bothering me. The way they moved last night, it was too precise, too organized. Almost like they knew exactly where to go, what to expect. If there’s a traitor among us, they’re well-informed and close."
Emma stopped pacing, her heart sinking at the realization. "But who could it be? The Sheriff? He’s been with us every step of the way."
Lucas shook his head. "I don’t think it’s the Sheriff. He was the one who suggested the trap in the first place. But what about the officers? Any one of them could be feeding information to the cult."
Mr. Grayson frowned, deep in thought. "It’s possible. Or it could be someone else entirely, someone we’ve overlooked. We need to be careful, trust no one until we find out who’s been betraying us."
Emma bit her lip, the weight of the situation pressing down on her. "So how do we figure out who it is? If we start accusing people without proof, it’ll just make things worse."
Lucas pushed off the wall, his expression determined. "We’ll have to be smart about this. We can’t let on that we’re suspicious. If the traitor realizes we’re onto them, they’ll go underground, and we’ll lose our chance to catch them."
Mr. Grayson nodded in agreement. "We’ll need to keep our investigation quiet, gather evidence without tipping anyone off. But first, we should talk to some of the people we know we can trust. They might have seen something we missed."
Emma thought for a moment, then nodded. "What about Natalie? She’s been helping us with research. If anyone noticed something off, it’d be her."
Lucas agreed. "Yeah, and there’s Ben at the library. He’s always got his ear to the ground. If there’s been any strange behavior, he might know about it."
"Good," Mr. Grayson said. "Talk to them, but be discreet. We don’t want to raise any suspicions."
---
Later that day, Emma and Lucas headed to the small, cozy house where Natalie lived. The sun was now high in the sky, casting long shadows across the lawn. They exchanged a glance before knocking on the door, both feeling the weight of their mission.
Natalie opened the door with a warm smile, her long blonde hair pulled back into a loose braid. "Emma, Lucas, what a surprise! Come in."
They stepped inside, exchanging quick pleasantries as Natalie led them to her kitchen. As they sat down at the table, Emma couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt. Natalie had been a loyal friend, and now they were here, secretly suspecting her of treachery.
"Natalie, we need your help," Emma began carefully. "There’s been some strange activity in town, and we think someone might be working against us from the inside."
Natalie’s smile faded, replaced by a look of concern. "That’s terrible. Do you have any idea who it could be?"
Lucas leaned forward, his tone serious. "That’s what we’re trying to figure out. We thought maybe you might have noticed something. Anything unusual with the people you’ve been working with?"
Natalie frowned, thinking for a moment. "I’ve been working closely with Sheriff Thompson and a few of the officers. They’ve all seemed pretty dedicated, but... now that you mention it, Officer Reed has been acting a little off lately."
"Off how?" Emma asked, her heart beating a little faster.
"Well," Natalie said slowly, "he’s been asking a lot of questions, more than usual. About you two, about Mr. Grayson. At first, I thought he was just being thorough, but now... it feels like he’s fishing for information."
Lucas exchanged a glance with Emma. "That’s definitely suspicious. We’ll need to keep an eye on him."
Natalie hesitated, then reached out to touch Emma’s hand. "I hope you don’t think I’m involved in this. I would never betray you."
Emma squeezed her hand, forcing a smile. "Of course not, Natalie. We trust you. But we have to consider every possibility. This is too important."
Natalie nodded, though her expression remained troubled. "I understand. Just... be careful, okay? If there really is a traitor, they won’t hesitate to protect themselves."
---
After leaving Natalie’s house, Emma and Lucas made their way to the town library, where Ben worked. The library was quiet, with only a few people browsing the shelves. Ben was at his usual spot behind the front desk, a pile of books stacked around him.
He looked up as they approached, smiling in that easy-going way of his. "Hey, you two. What brings you here?"
Emma forced a smile, trying to keep the tension out of her voice. "We need to talk, Ben. In private."
Ben raised an eyebrow, then nodded. "Sure, let’s go to the back."
They followed him to a small reading room at the rear of the library, where they could speak without being overheard. Ben sat down on a cushioned chair, looking curious.
"So, what’s going on?" he asked.
Lucas got straight to the point. "We think there’s a mole in our group, someone feeding information to the cult. We’re trying to figure out who it is."
Ben’s eyes widened in shock. "A mole? You’ve got to be kidding me. Who would do that?"
"That’s what we’re trying to find out," Emma said quietly. "Have you noticed anything strange lately? Anyone acting differently?"
Ben ran a hand through his hair, thinking. "I’ve been pretty busy with work, but now that you mention it, there was something weird the other day. Officer Jennings came in, asking for records on some old town history, specifically about the places where the cult used to meet."
Lucas frowned. "Why would he need that information? We already have all the data we need for the investigation."
"Exactly," Ben said, leaning forward. "I thought it was odd at the time, but didn’t really think much of it. But if he’s the mole..."
"We can’t jump to conclusions," Emma cautioned, though she couldn’t deny the suspicion building in her mind. "But it’s something we need to follow up on. Thanks, Ben."
"Anytime," Ben said, though he looked unsettled. "Just... be careful. If someone is working with the cult, they’re dangerous."
---
As they left the library, Lucas turned to Emma, his voice low. "We’ve got two suspects now—Officer Reed and Officer Jennings. We can’t keep this quiet forever. Sooner or later, one of them will figure out what we’re doing."
Emma nodded, feeling the weight of the situation pressing down on her. "We need to talk to the Sheriff, but we have to be careful. If we accuse the wrong person, it could tip off the real traitor."
Lucas hesitated, then said, "What if we set another trap? Something smaller, more controlled, to see how they react?"
Emma considered the idea. "It could work, but it’s risky. If they catch on, they’ll go underground for real, and we’ll lose them."
"It’s a risk we might have to take," Lucas said grimly.
---
That evening, they met with Sheriff Thompson at the station, careful to keep their conversation private. The Sheriff listened carefully as they laid out their suspicions, his expression growing more serious by the minute.
"So you think we’ve got two possible suspects," he said, leaning back in his chair. "Officer Reed and Officer Jennings. I’ve known both of them for years. This is hard to believe."
"We don’t want to believe it either," Emma said, "but we can’t ignore the signs. We need to know if one of them is betraying us."
Sheriff Thompson sighed, rubbing his temples. "Alright. I’ll have them reassigned to different duties for now, keep them away from anything sensitive. But we need proof before we can act."
"That’s why we’re suggesting a trap," Lucas said. "Something small, just to see how they react."
The Sheriff nodded slowly. "I’ll set something up. But if we do this, we have to be ready to move fast. If either of them catches on, it could all blow up in our faces."
---
The trap was simple, designed to seem like a routine operation. Sheriff Thompson spread the word that they had discovered a possible new lead on the cult’s activities, something that would require a small, specialized team to investigate. Both Officer Reed and Officer Jennings were included in the team, their reactions closely monitored.