Chapter 8: The Mysterious Message

Luke arrived at his apartment, feeling both relieved and worried at the same time. He was glad that he and Stella had found a lead, but the fact that someone was targeting them was concerning. He decided to call Stella and discuss their next move.

"Hey, Stella, it's Luke. We need to talk."

"Hey, what's up?" Stella asked.

"I just got home from the hospital, and I found this message on my door. It says, 'You're next.'"

There was a pause on the other end of the line before Stella responded. "What the hell? That's not good. Did you call the police?"

"Not yet," Luke admitted. "I wanted to talk to you first. I don't think it's a coincidence that we're both being targeted. I think whoever is doing this knows that we're working together on this case."

Stella let out a deep sigh. "Luke, I'm scared. This is getting out of hand. We need to tell the police and get protection."

"I agree," Luke said. "I'll call them right now."

Luke hung up the phone and dialed the police department's emergency line. He explained the situation to the dispatcher, who told him to stay put and wait for a patrol car to arrive.

Luke sat on his couch, feeling vulnerable and exposed. He had never been the target of a threat before, and it was unsettling. He tried to distract himself by flipping through TV channels, but he couldn't shake the feeling of fear that had settled over him.

He was jolted out of his thoughts by a knock on the door. He cautiously approached it and peered through the peephole. A uniformed police officer was standing outside.

Luke opened the door and let the officer in. He explained the situation again, and the officer took notes and assured him that they would do everything possible to keep him safe.

As the officer left, Luke's phone rang. It was Stella.

"Hey, the same thing happened to me," she said. "I found a message on my car that said, 'You're next.'"

Luke's heart sank. "Stella, we have to be careful. This is serious."

"I know," she said. "I talked to the police, and they're sending someone to watch my apartment. They said they would do the same for you."

"Good," Luke said. "We need to stay safe, but we can't stop investigating. We have to find out who's behind this and why."

"I'm with you on that," Stella said. "We'll figure this out, Luke. We have to."

Luke hung up the phone, feeling a renewed sense of determination. He knew that they were in danger, but he couldn't let fear stop him from doing his job. He had to find the killer and bring them to justice, no matter what it took.