Delilah Knox, P.I

Elena hadn’t slept in days. Not really. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Gabriella. The social media post had done little to calm their nerves. In fact, it had made everything worse. The clothes were right, the setting believable, but something felt wrong. Gabriella didn’t write that way. She didn’t use certain words, and her punctuation was too careful.

Then when the police called to let them know that all three missing persons cases—Gabriella, Phoebe, and Dawn—had been dropped, citing the "validity" of recent online activity, Elena snapped.

“This isn’t over,” she told Carlos through gritted teeth. “If the police won’t help us… we’ll find someone who will.”

Carlos nodded, silent. He didn’t need convincing anymore. He’d seen the fear in Elena’s eyes, felt it echo in his own chest every time he passed Gabriella’s empty room.

They liquidated what little savings they had left, money meant for a home upgrade, a vacation they never took, and reached out to someone who could do something.

Carlos even went so far as to get in contact with a seedier individual. Yes they were a licensed private investigator, yes they had a reputation for solving the unsolvable.

Her name was Delilah Knox. Unfortunately no one else was willing to take the case or listen to them. As it is, Delilah had a reputation of doing things in a unethical sort of way, and for being… out there. Stuff like steal data, stalking targets, paying off known associates of targets for info, and being willing to attribute things to the supernatural, though this last part wasn’t well known.

When Elena reached out to her, the woman didn’t waste time.

“I need everything you have,” Delilah said over the phone, her voice clipped and direct. “Photos, medical records, the social posts, the timeline—everything.”

“She’s our only daughter,” Elena said, her voice cracking. “We just want to know the truth.”

“You came to the right person,” Delilah replied. “I don’t believe in coincidences. And three girls disappearing only to ‘resurface’ on Instagram? No. Something’s off.”

She didn’t offer false comfort. She didn’t promise Gabriella was alive. But she did promise something else.

“I’ll find out what happened. One way or another.”

Within a day, Delilah was in town, and knocking on their door. She was a red head with a diamond shaped face, mid length red hair, and striking blue eyes.

“Mr. And Mrs. Borbón?”

“Yes that’s us,” Elena said as she opened the door for the P.I.

“Delilah Knox, Private Investigator. I thought I should introduce myself before I begin looking for your daughter.”

“While we appreciate the sentiment, we just want our daughter back,” Carlos stated rather bluntly.

Delilah gave a slight smile. “Of course. I did anticipate that and did some preliminary work before I came here.”

“Oh, and is,” Elena said, raising an eyebrow.

“I checked the security cameras of some of the places she was with her friends in New York City. She doesn’t appear on any of the feeds what so ever.”

“What,” Carlos and Elena exclaimed.

“Then how did they…” Elena started before being stopped by Delilah, who held up a hand.

“I believe there is a chance that what ever happened to Gabriella and her friends is supernatural in origin.”

Carlos and Elena stared at the woman dumbstruck. They were pining all their hopes of finding Gabriella on her, and she gave them this.

Carlos was first to speak after a brief silence. “Dios mío. ¿Estás bromeando? Our daughter is missing, and your going off like it was the chupacabra who did it?”

“Now, Now, please listen.”

“No you listen,” Elena all but sneered in disgust. “Our daughter us missing, and your spouting of crackpot conspiracy theories. Why should we believe you?”

Most would have broken down after being told off like that. But not Delilah, never her.

“Mr. And Mrs. Borbón, lets be real here. I am correct in guessing that the police won’t touch your case, nor any other private investigator?”

Elena and Carlos reluctantly nodded their heads.

“Then that means I’m the only one willing to put in the effort to find your daughter. Now maybe it’s not supernatural, and the answer is mundane as you can get in these situations. I’ll be first to admit so. It’s only a theory after all.”

Elena and Carlos seemed to understand now.

“No mater what happens, I promise you, I will find Gabriella and bring you closure.”

The Borbón’s signed and agreement within the hour to find Gabriella. Delilah Knox, P.I was on the case.