The old man’s words hung in the air like the humid Miami night

Leah stared at Jason, the fragile moment from seconds before shattered. “David?” she repeated, the name foreign yet carrying a strange weight.

Jason’s brow furrowed. “My… my childhood friend. He died when we were kids. A boating accident.” His voice was distant, a ghost of the easy confidence he usually wore.

“Long thought dead,” the old man had said. That wasn’t a slip of the tongue.

“Who was that?” Leah asked, her cop instincts flaring.

Jason shook his head slowly. “I… I don’t know. The voice was… old. Gravelly.” He looked genuinely bewildered. “But David… it can’t...