A Texture That Didn’t Match the Tree
I pressed gently along the exposed edge, following the outline that had started to appear.
That’s when the sound changed.
Not hollow. Not wooden.
It was faint, but unmistakable — a muted, solid tone that didn’t belong inside a living tree.
Officer Trent tapped the surface lightly and nodded. “That’s metal,” he said.
Elena’s eyes widened. “Metal? Inside a tree?”
I felt my stomach flutter.
Someone had put this here.