Chapter 3: The First Clue

Adaeze barely slept that night.

The words from the second note kept echoing in her mind.

"If you found the first letter... don't look for me."

Who wrote it?

Was it Grace?

Daniel?

Or someone else who wanted the past to remain buried?

The questions followed her into the next morning.

She arrived at the university library earlier than usual.

Michael was already waiting near the entrance, holding two cups of coffee.

"I wasn't sure if you drank coffee," he said, handing one to her.

Adaeze smiled.

"I do... especially when I barely sleep."

"I guessed as much."

They exchanged a brief laugh before becoming serious again.

"So," Michael asked, "did you tell anyone about the letters?"

She shook her head.

"No."

"Good."

His expression became thoughtful.

"If someone really left that warning recently, then we're dealing with more than an old love story."

Adaeze frowned.

"You think someone is trying to hide something?"

"I do."

They walked toward the library archives.

Unlike the main reading area, the archive section was quiet and rarely visited.

Dust covered most of the shelves.

An elderly librarian noticed them.

"Can I help you?"

Michael smiled politely.

"We're looking for old university records."

"What year?"

Michael glanced at Adaeze.

"I'm not sure."

Adaeze remembered something from the envelope.

"The paper looked really old... maybe fifteen or twenty years."

The librarian adjusted his glasses.

"Try the records from 2005 to 2010."

Several minutes later...

Adaeze pulled out an old student magazine.

Its pages had turned yellow with age.

She flipped through photographs of graduating students, campus events, and student union elections.

Then...

She stopped.

"Michael."

"What?"

She pointed at a photograph.

A young woman stood among a group of students.

Underneath the picture were the names.

Grace Okafor.

Adaeze's eyes widened.

"This has to be her."

Michael stared at the photograph.

She looked exactly as he had imagined from the letter.

Bright smile.

Confident eyes.

Full of life.

"So Grace was real," he whispered.

As Adaeze continued turning the pages...

A folded newspaper clipping slipped out from inside the magazine.

Michael picked it up.

The headline read:

FINAL-YEAR STUDENT GOES MISSING DAYS BEFORE GRADUATION.

Their hearts skipped.

They unfolded the clipping carefully.

The article described how a female student had disappeared without a trace.

Her name...

Grace Okafor.

Adaeze felt chills run down her spine.

"This can't be a coincidence."

Michael silently nodded.

Just then...

A voice interrupted them.

"Where did you get that?"

They turned quickly.

The elderly librarian was staring at the newspaper clipping.

His face had suddenly gone pale.

"You two..."

He swallowed nervously.

"...Put that back."

Michael stepped forward.

"Sir... did you know Grace?"

The old man remained silent.

His hands trembled slightly.

After several moments, he spoke in a low voice.

"I made a promise many years ago..."

"...never to speak about what happened."

Adaeze and Michael exchanged glances.

"There are people," the librarian continued, "who still don't want that story uncovered."

Before either of them could ask another question...

A loud crash echoed from the far end of the archive room.

Someone had knocked over an entire shelf.

By the time they ran toward the sound...

Whoever had been there...

...was gone.