Chapter 4

The hotel corridor transformed into a crime scene within minutes. Yellow tape appeared as if by magic, stretching across Murphy's doorway like a barrier between the living and the dead. Police officers in crisp uniforms moved with practiced efficiency, their radios crackling with static and urgent voices that echoed off the marble walls.

I sat in the lobby's plush seating area, Joe's protective arm wrapped around my shoulders as I watched the controlled chaos unfold. My head rested against his chest, and I could feel his heart hammering beneath his expensive polo shirt. Every few minutes, his hand would stroke…