CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY ONE - A Message from the Unknown

Nia Moreno stepped into the Red Herring bar, her eyes adjusting to the dim lighting. The air was thick with the scent of stale beer and whiskey, mingling with the low hum of conversation. She scanned the room, her gaze flitting from face to face, searching for anyone who might be the mysterious sender of the text message. The bar was more crowded than she'd expected for a weeknight. A group of young professionals crowded around a high-top table, laughing over some shared joke. At the bar, a middle-aged man nursed a beer, his shoulders slumped in defeat. A couple in the corner booth seemed lost in their own world, oblivious to the bustling atmosphere around them. Nia made her way to the bar, perching on an empty stool. The bartender, a burly man with a thick beard, approached her. "What can I get you?" he asked, wiping his hands on a towel. "Just a water for now, thanks," Nia replied, her voice tight with tension. "I'm... meeting someone." The bartender nodded and slid a glass of w