The town of Costra holds a secret. One that has been buried for decades, and it’s up to Claude Norton, an amateur detective, to figure it all out, but we’re not there yet.

It all started when the intrepid Claude Norton decided to move to the small, coastal town of Costra with his girlfriend, Eliza Paxton. They arrived and was immediately greeted by the mayor, Cora Remington. She was stunning. Her silky, red hair swayed as she walked towards them, and her face was clear and bright. It was safe to say Eliza was super jealous of how Claude was looking at Cora. “Welcome to Costra. I’m Cora Remington, the mayor. It’s a pleasure to have you join our community.” Cora raised her hand signaling for a shake. Claude raised his and shook her hand, “Please, the pleasure is ours. Your town is absolutely lovely.” “It’s so quiet, and the view of the beach is gorgeous,” Eliza chimed in. Cora smiled, “Well my house is at the end of the block, please notify me if you guys need anything.” “We will, thank you very much,” Claude replied. With that, Cora left them. “She’s very friendly, I think we’ll really like it here Eliza.” “Hopefully,” Eliza responded.

For the next couple days, Claude was right. He and Eliza were enjoying their life in Costra. Coffee dates at the small cafes, lunches at the coast, and not to mention their luxurious home on the hill, where they get the best view of the beach. They were lucky.

A week had passed by, and Claude was taking out the trash like he always did. Except this time, he noticed Cora, talking to some men in suits at the port. They were standing next to large, wooden crates that said FRAGILE on the sides. Claude wondered how he never noticed this part of the port, probably because it was guarded by a large fence. Cora seemed to be in an intense conversation with those men. Claude was trying so hard to determine what they were talking about, he was still holding the trash bag in his hands. Eliza walked out into the front yard behind him. “Honey, what are you doing?” Claude almost fell down the hill. “Oh my goodness. I didn’t notice you were there.” Eliza crossed her arms, “I can tell. What are you looking at? You haven’t even taken out the trash yet.” “I’m sorry, I just dozed off I guess,” Claude answered while throwing the trash bag into the bin. “Alright, just don’t doze off next time,” Eliza replied. She went back inside. Claude looked over at the port, but Cora and the suspicious men were gone. So were the mysterious crates. At this point, Claude’s curiosity was at its peak.

Later that night, Claude couldn’t sleep. He was replaying the same scene over and over in his head. Cora and the suspicious men. Claude was thinking of all sorts of scenarios, until he gave up. I’m sure she’s not hiding anything, he thought. So, Claude decided to continue unpacking. He started in the kitchen, and as he was moving the plates to the cupboard, he walked over a loose floorboard on the side of the room. Its creak startled Claude, and he hoped it didn’t wake Eliza. He bent down to examine the board, and he was surprised of what he found. It was a removable floorboard. Claude lifted it to find . . . a box. He opened it. A silver piece of paper was inside. Claude took it out, it was a letter. It read:

If you’re reading this, don’t trust Cora Remington. She’s not who you think she is. She doesn’t want this town to know the truth about her. Check her FRAGILE crates. You’ll see.
    -No Longer a Resident of Costra

Claude’s soul left his body. Many questions flooded his mind. What is Cora hiding? What’s in those crates? Who’s no longer a resident? Alas, that’s a story for another time. Let’s just say, life in the small town of Costra . . . didn’t seem so lucky anymore.