The air in Holly’s office is still and heavy. Dust hangs in the light from a sputtering desk lamp.
A mug sits nearby, lipstick fading along its rim, beside a stack of exit forms no one will ever finish filing.
A photo frame lies facedown on the desk, its cracked glass catching the dim light like a thin fracture.
When you lift it, a folded slip of paper falls free, landing among the scattered HR reports.
Inside the frame, the photograph shows Holly Denton and Gordon Vale standing together on the courthouse steps.
He’s in a pressed suit, she in a simple white dress; both smiling, but only halfway—like they’re posing for a future neither of them quite believe in.
The photo has a faint crease through the center, as if someone folded it to hide one half of the image.
When you remove the backing, handwriting appears scrawled across the reverse in ink that has bled slightly into the paper grain:
“Love forever — G.”
The words feel rushed but personal, written by someone who wanted to mean them.
Beneath the photo, two documents are pressed flat against the backing—hidden for years until now.
Document 1 — Marriage Certificate
Official Record of Union
Date of Issuance: December 3, 20XX
Parties: Gordon Vale and Holly Denton
Witnesses: Administrative Staff, City Records Division
Filing Status: Unfiled — Record not present in company HR archive
A note appears at the bottom in different handwriting—corporate penmanship, precise and detached:
“Remove from personnel database before quarterly review — optics matter.”
Document 2 — Annulment Notice
Order of Annulment
Date of Issue: December 6, 20XX — Three days after the original certificate
Filed by: Gordon Vale
Reason Cited: ‘Conflict of interest / violation of corporate ethics policy.’
A small sticky note clings to the edge of the annulment page, the ink slightly smudged:
“Keep it quiet. She’ll be fine once the next quarter rolls in.”
[SYSTEM RECORD — CLUE LOGGED]
Recovered Evidence: Joint photograph of Holly and Gordon, handwritten note “Love forever,” unfiled marriage certificate, and annulment issued three days later.
Implication: Rapid reversal and deliberate concealment of personal relationship; motive: emotional betrayal and retaliation.
Holly and Gordon were married and then Gordon annuled it a few days later, sounds like he Dumps all the tough HR work onher shoulders as well. Looks like Holly wasnt quite over it. Was it enough to motovate her to murder him?
Please record this locally, L.U.N.A. storage degraded.