The Shadow Walker:
The night was alive with secrets.
Mr. Sidney moved through the darkness like a whisper, his steps silent, his presence barely a ripple in the still air. His eyes, sharp as a cat’s, cut through the gloom, seeing what others could not. He belonged to the forgotten corners of the city—the abandoned warehouses, the narrow alleys, the silent stretches along the sea bridge where only the waves dared to speak.
Officer Mickey Morris knew him well. Night after night, he’d watched the slender figure emerge from the shadows, glide through the dim glow of a streetlamp, and vanish again into the black. Sidney was never alone—his loyal police dog walked beside him, ears pricked, nose testing the air, a silent guardian attuned to every shift in the night.
The boat at bridge 47 was Sidney’s home, but the streets were his domain. He and his dog prowled them like restless spirits, never sleeping, always watching.
Morris had long since stopped trying to talk to him. Sidney’s silence was a wall, his stern demeanor unyielding. Only Thurman, his secretary, knew the truth—that beneath that cold exterior lay a man starved for companionship, yet too hardened to accept it. To the world, Sidney was an enigma—a shadow who appeared when needed, who helped the desperate but scorned weakness.
Tonight, the darkness hummed with something more.
Morris walked his usual route, his boots clicking softly against the pavement. The air was warm, thick with the scent of salt and oil from the nearby docks. But something prickled at the back of his neck—a whisper of unease.
Then he saw it.
A hundred yards ahead, the black mouth of an alley between the piers seemed to breathe. The darkness itself shifted, alive. Morris froze.
Something was moving.
Heart pounding, he pressed himself against the rough brick of the post office, moving forward without a sound. Thirty yards in, a figure stepped into view—tall, silent, a police dog at his side.
Morris let out a slow breath. Sydney.
The dog’s ears twitched, nostrils flaring. It gave a soft snort, then, recognizing Morris, wagged its tail once. A rare gesture.
Without a word, Sidney melted into another alley, swallowed by the night.
Morris hesitated. He knew these streets, but unlike Sydney, he needed light to navigate them. His flashlight cut a feeble beam through the inky blackness, revealing nothing but crumbling brick and rusted pipes. The distant lap of water against the docks was the only sound.
But Sydney? He didn’t need light. The dark was his ally.
Morris was just turning away when—
A scream.
Then running footsteps—fast, frantic.
Morris spun, back against the wall, fingers tightening around his baton. His other hand flew to his holster, checking the pistol.
A figure burst from the alley—a man, wild-eyed, sprinting like a hunted animal. He hit the lit street and didn’t stop.
“Stop!” Morris bellowed, surging forward.
The man glanced back—terror in his eyes—and ran faster.
Morris gave chase, but his heavy boots were no match for the stranger’s desperate speed. He reached for his gun, considering a warning shot—
Then the movement behind him.
A blur of fur. Sidney’s dog shot past like a bolt of lightning, claws scraping pavement.
The runner heard it. He turned—just in time to scream as the dog launched itself at him, slamming into his shoulder. The impact sent him sprawling, the dog standing over him now, teeth bared, a low growl rumbling in its chest.
Before Morris could react, another figure streaked past—Sydney, running with effortless grace.
“Watch out!” Morris warned. “He could be armed!”
Sydney didn’t slow. He reached the fallen man in seconds and flicked his wrist. The dog backed off instantly.
“Get up,” Sydney ordered.
Morris finally caught up, breathless. “What the hell’s going on?”
No answer. The figure on the ground rolled over, arms covering its face, and sobbed.
Morris scowled. “What kind of idiot—” He grabbed the man’s collar, yanking him upright with a grunt. His hat tumbled off—
And long, copper hair spilled free.
Morris’s jaw dropped.
“Oh my God,” he breathed.
It wasn’t a man at all.
It was a girl.
To be continued…
(The Mystery of the Missing Body – Adapted from the work of Earl Stanley Gardner)