The clock on the wall ticked away, echoing in the quiet office. I sat in my cubicle eyes fixed on the scattered photos of the woman they called Jane Doe. She was all anyone seemed to talk about lately, but somehow, nobody knew anything about her.

Her image stared back at me from each picture. She wore a long, flowing gown, her face hidden by shadows or away from the camera. People said she never spoke and never looked up. It was like she was a ghost, just drifting through Rose Fields Park without a care in the world.

I leaned back in my chair, running a hand through my hair. "Why'd they give me this case?" I muttered under my breath. As the newest detective on the Rosewood Police Department, I figured I’d get stuck with something less mysterious, like lost pets or parking tickets. Instead, I got the town's most famous enigma.

I picked up one of the photos, squinting at the blurry figure in the background. It was hard to make out any details, but she seemed to glide more than walk, like she was part of the mist that often settled over the park.

No one had ever gotten close enough to speak to her, and those who tried said she just vanished when they approached. That didn’t leave me with much to go on.

"Clay!" A voice jolted me from my thoughts. It was Detective Wilson, one of the senior guys in the department. He leaned against the cubicle wall, sipping his coffee. "How’s it going with our ghost lady?"

I shrugged, tossing the photo back onto the pile. "Not much to report. Just a bunch of blurry pictures and tall tales."

Wilson chuckled, shaking his head. "Welcome to Rosewood. This place has more secrets than it does people."

I gave him a half-hearted smile. "Yeah, I’m starting to see that."

He sipped his coffee again, eyeing the photos on my desk. "You planning on going out to the park? Might be worth seeing for yourself."

I nodded slowly. "Yeah, I think I will. Just need to figure out when people are seeing her the most."

"Evenings, mostly," Wilson said, glancing at his watch. "Lot of folks say she shows up right as the sun starts to set."

"Guess I’ll head out there tonight," I said, trying to sound more confident than I felt. "Maybe I’ll finally catch a break."

"Good luck, kid," Wilson said, pushing off the cubicle wall. "Don’t let the ghost stories spook you."

I watched him walk away, the office returning to its usual hum of quiet conversations and ringing phones. I turned back to the photos, a mix of curiosity and determination settling in my chest.

I'd figure out who this Jane Doe was and prove myself to my superiors. I knew I deserved to be here and I was going to make sure they knew it.

I decided to take a break and headed to the break room for a much-needed coffee. The scent of freshly brewed beans filled the air as I approached the machine, and I let out a sigh of relief.

As I waited for my cup to fill, I overheard voices from the adjacent office. The door was slightly ajar, and I could see Chief Lawson and Officer Mitchell talking. I leaned a bit closer, hoping to catch something useful.

"... and we’ve got to keep this under wraps," Chief Lawson’s voice was low but firm. "Mindy Bennett’s case is delicate."

Mindy Bennett? My ears perked up. I’d heard that name before, but it wasn’t clicking.

Officer Mitchell replied, his tone serious, "Understood. But what about the press? They’re going to start asking questions."

"Let them," Chief Lawson said, frustration evident in his voice. "We need to focus on finding her. She’s been missing for nearly a week. Her parents are beside themselves."

My mind raced. Missing persons cases always had a way of catching my attention, but this felt different. It was the mention of the Bennett family that struck me. I recalled a brief mention of them during orientation—some prominent names in town. I didn’t realize their daughter was missing.

I took my coffee and returned to my desk, my thoughts swirling. I had to know more about this Mindy Bennett.

Pulling up the department’s case files on my computer, I tried digging into Mindy Bennett’s case. The file was marked "Confidential," I had no access. I sighed quietly as I leaned over my desk, my elbows on the surface to keep myself up.

I glanced over at the photos of Jane Doe. Wondering who she was and why she was in the park. Clicking out of the files I found myself in a bigger rabbit hole. I wasn't sure what I had pressed but there were thousands of files, each with different names.

Scrolling quickly I found myself looking at the digital files of nearly everybody in Rosewood (anyone who'd been brought into the station in the last decade or two). I came across a file for a Mr. Kelly Bennett. It was accessible for me so I opened it.

So, maybe-Mindy's-father had been arrested for multiple acts of tax fraud and even jailed for a few years because of possession of illegal substances a while back. Not really anything I could use.

I hit the jackpot when I found an address. I fumbled with my notepad and I cautiously looked around for anybody who might be looking over my shoulder. In a swift motion the numbers were written down in ink.

I had two stops tonight.