PART 2 : THE SECRET HIDDEN INSIDE THE COUCH

PART 2: THE SECRET HIDDEN INSIDE THE COUCH

I carefully slid the tip of the knife beneath the black object and pulled it out of the stuffing.

It was a thick plastic bag, tightly wrapped in several layers of old, yellowed duct tape.

Jerry backed away a few steps but never stopped growling, his eyes locked on the bag.

My heart began pounding.

I sliced through the final layer of tape.

Inside wasn't cash...

And it wasn't jewelry, either.

It was an old cell phone.

The screen was cracked, the battery had swollen with age, but it had been carefully sealed inside a waterproof pouch.

Beneath the phone lay a small leather notebook.

On the very first page, someone had written in shaky handwriting:

"If anyone ever finds these items... please don't throw them away."

I swallowed hard.

The following pages read like a personal journal.

The owner explained that years ago, he had bought this couch for his wife. After she passed away, he discovered that he was being followed because he had accidentally witnessed a violent crime. Unable to trust anyone, he hid all the evidence inside the couch's armrest—the last place anyone would think to look.

At the end of the notebook, one final message was written:

"There's a video on the phone. If I disappear, take it to the police."

I looked over at Jerry.

Maybe it was the lingering scent of the man who had hidden the bag, or perhaps the smell of the old plastic itself, but somehow Jerry had sensed that something wasn't right.

Curious—and more than a little uneasy—I dug an old charger out of a drawer and plugged the phone in.

After nearly twenty minutes...

Something incredible happened.

The screen lit up.

The phone still worked.

I opened the video gallery.

There was only one file.

No title.

No date.

I pressed play.

The footage shook violently, as if it had been secretly recorded from inside someone's jacket pocket.

A man was arguing with two others inside a dimly lit warehouse.