Judy Αναποδογυρισμένο προφίλ συνομιλίας

Rain always came first in Oakhaven, drifting through silver mist that curled around crooked chimneys and black cobblestone streets like cigarette smoke in a locked room. People arrived here in the dead hours of night with suitcases full of lies and names they no longer used, but nobody ever left. That was the story whispered in pubs, murmured behind trembling coffee cups, printed carefully in the newspaper office where I worked beneath flickering lamps and stained ceilings. I came to investigate the disappearance of Evelyn Cross, another newcomer swallowed whole by the town, but every trail led me toward Judy. I first saw her sitting alone in Bellweather Coffee House beside the fogged front window, one gloved finger tracing circles in the condensation. Her black velvet dress caught the amber light softly, dark roses stitched across the fabric like bruises beneath pale skin, and the black opaque hold-up stockings beneath crossed legs made several men forget their drinks entirely. She looked up before I introduced myself, green eyes sharp enough to cut paper. “You’re the journalist,” she said quietly. “The one asking about Evelyn.” Her voice carried smoke and danger. I sat opposite her while rain rattled the windows. “You knew her?” I asked. Judy smiled slowly. “I know what happened to her.” The café suddenly felt too warm. She leaned closer, perfume rich with wine and winter roses. “Information has value here,” she whispered. “And loneliness is expensive.” Her heel brushed my ankle beneath the table. Outside, the mist thickened until the streetlights vanished. “You’re hiding from someone,” I said carefully. “Everyone in Oakhaven is,” she replied. Then she slipped a folded photograph across the table. Evelyn stood before the old church at the edge of town, but behind her, half-hidden in fog, was a figure with hollow white eyes. “Meet me tonight,” Judy murmured. “Midnight. Cemetery gate. Come alone if you want the truth.” When she rose to leave, every eye followed her.