MY RAY OF HOPE IN THIS WORLD OF CRIME

The young woman still couldn't believe she had let such a dangerous man into her home.

A man whose mere name was enough to make people tremble.

From everything she had heard about him, Elior Noah was capable of killing someone at any moment, without the slightest trace of remorse.

Her face was still pale, and the fear in her eyes was impossible to hide.

Then someone knocked on the door again.

This time, harder.

The police officer's voice rang out for the second time.

"Police! Please open the door!"

The young woman looked at Elior.

He discreetly gestured for her to open it.

She drew a deep breath before making her way toward the door.

The officer was about to knock for a third time when the door opened.

"Good evening, Officer. How can I help you? Is there a problem?"

The officer studied her carefully.

Something about the way she spoke immediately caught his attention.

She seemed nervous.

Very nervous.

"Everything all right, ma'am?"

She answered too quickly.

"Yes, yes. Everything's fine."

Then, forcing herself to sound more composed, she added,

"Why are you here? Is there something I should know?"

The officer quickly glanced inside the house.

"A resident in the neighborhood reported seeing a strange man who looks like a homeless person wandering around the area recently. According to the report, they saw you let him into your home."

He paused.

"Since no one has seen him leave, we thought we'd make sure you're all right."

Without even realizing it, the young woman cast a brief glance toward Elior.

The officer caught it.

But she immediately spoke again.

"The neighbors gave you the wrong information. No one like that came into my house."

She paused briefly before adding,

"And even if someone did, I'm in my own home. I can invite whoever I want."

She began closing the door.

"So, if you don't have any other questions, I wish you a good night, Officer."

But the officer quickly placed his hand between the door and the frame.

"Are you sure, ma'am?"

She swallowed.

"Yes."

"If you're sure you have nothing to hide, may I come in and take a look?"

She stared at him.

"And if I refuse?"

The officer pointed toward the car parked outside.

"You have every right to refuse. In that case, I'll simply ask my partner to go get a warrant."

He gave a slight shrug.

"You can let me in now, or you can wait until we come back with a warrant. The choice is yours."

The young woman remained silent for a few seconds.

Then she slowly opened the door wider.

"Come in."

The officer stepped inside.

"Very nice house, ma'am. It's really well maintained."

"Thank you."

She stayed close to him, watching as he inspected every room.

Her heart was beating faster and faster.

She had no idea where Elior was hiding.

The officer carefully examined every detail.

Then his gaze landed on the half-eaten sandwich on the table.

"You had a guest?"

The young woman frowned.

"Why would you say that? Am I not allowed to eat a sandwich in my own home?"

"Of course you are."

He pointed toward the sandwich.

"But the bite marks tell me someone else ate it."

She remained silent for a fraction of a second.

Then answered naturally,

"You don't know what can happen when someone is starving."

The officer stared at her.

He didn't seem entirely convinced.

But he didn't press the matter.

After a few moments, he headed for the door.

The young woman followed him.

The officer stepped outside, then turned back toward her.

"One last piece of advice, ma'am."

"Yes?"

"Try not to let just anyone into your home, even when you think you're doing them a favor. Some people may have perfectly innocent faces while harboring very bad intentions."

He gave her a slight nod.

"Have a good night."

"All right. I'll take your advice. You have a good night too."

She closed the door.

Then she turned around.

And jumped.

Elior was standing directly behind her.

She immediately pressed a hand against her chest.

"Don't ever do that to me again!"

She struggled to catch her breath.

"If you scare me like that one more time, I swear I'll be the one calling the police to have you arrested."

A faint smile tugged at the corner of Elior's mouth.

"Then why didn't you simply tell him I was here?"

She stared at him.

"Do you take me for an idiot?"

She drew a breath before continuing.

"First, if I'd told him you were here, the moment he saw that you were clean and properly dressed while they'd reported a filthy homeless man entering my house, he would've immediately realized something was wrong. And if they'd pushed the investigation any further, they would've eventually discovered your identity."

She paused before continuing.

"Second, even if they arrested you, you'd probably find your way out of prison eventually, legally or otherwise. And even if you only spent one night at the station, one of the first things you'd do after getting released would be to come looking for me."

She stared straight into his eyes.

"I'm not ready to die just yet."

Then she added,

"And third, if I believe everything people say about you, that little police officer probably wouldn't have been enough to arrest you anyway."

She sighed.

"So spare me your ridiculous questions."

She shook her head.

"Besides... where were you hiding? How did that police officer search the entire house without seeing you?"

Elior didn't answer.

His gaze had drifted into the distance.

He was thinking.

She's naive... but she's far from stupid.

He studied the young woman.

She could be useful to me.

She noticed his silence.

"And how is it that the news says you've been in a coma for more than a month when you're standing right here, perfectly alive?"

She narrowed her eyes.

"What happened?"

Elior remained silent for a few seconds.

Then he answered calmly,

"That's exactly what you're going to help me find out."

The young woman stared at him in disbelief.

"What?"

Elior held her gaze.

"You."

"Me?"

"My movements are limited for the time being."

He slowly walked toward the table.

His eyes fell on a photograph.

He picked it up.

The picture showed the young woman standing beside her brother.

Elior studied the young man's face carefully.

Then he looked at her.

His voice became more serious.

"While I was hiding here, I happened to notice this photograph."

He held it out to her.

"Your brother is dead, isn't he?"

She slowly nodded.

"Yes."

Elior continued.

"And despite every investigation, the police never managed to determine exactly what caused his death."

The young woman looked at him suspiciously.

"How do you know that?"

Elior handed the photograph back to her.

"In return, I'll uncover the truth behind his death... the truth that no police investigation ever managed to uncover."

The young woman fell silent, unable to decide whether she could trust him.

"And why would you do that for me?"

A faint smile appeared on Elior's lips.

"Because I need you."

He paused.

"And you need the truth."