My mind reeled as I tried to process his words. How could it not be her? I had watched her climb into bed just a few hours ago, complaining of a throbbing headache after a long day at work. She had kissed me goodnight, promising to join me for our anniversary dinner once she felt a little better.

I could feel a chill creeping up my spine as the officer cautiously approached the bed. He reached out, his hand trembling ever so slightly as he pulled back the covers. My eyes widened in horror as the reality of the situation came crashing down on me like a tidal wave.

The figure on the bed was not my wife. It was a mannequin, expertly dressed and made up to appear like her from a distance. The blonde wig lay perfectly in place, and the features were eerily similar, but there was no denying the cold, lifeless nature of what I was looking at.

“Sir, did you know about this?” the officer asked, his voice a mixture of suspicion and concern.

“I… I had no idea,” I stammered, my mind racing. “Who could have done this? And why?”

The officer’s gaze was piercing, searching my face for any hint of deception. “We need to get to the bottom of this. You said your wife was here earlier. Did anything seem off? Any unusual phone calls or visitors?”

I tried to think back, my mind still clouded with confusion. There had been nothing out of the ordinary, just the usual hustle and bustle of our lives. She had been a little stressed with work, but nothing that would lead to this bizarre situation.

“I can’t think of anything,” I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper. “She’s been working late, but that’s nothing new.”

The officer nodded, taking mental notes. “We’ll need to investigate further. Is there anyone who might want to harm her or cause you distress?”

I shook my head, feeling more lost than ever. “We don’t have any enemies. Our life is… was… peaceful.”

The officer sighed, clearly just as baffled as I was. “For now, I need you to come with me to the station. We’ll need to ask you a few more questions, and we should notify next of kin.”

The word ‘kin’ echoed in my mind, and suddenly, it hit me. Her sister. My wife had been planning a surprise for me, something elaborate. She had mentioned her sister being involved, but I hadn’t thought much of it.

“Her sister,” I blurted out, “they were planning something together. Maybe she knows what’s going on.”

The officer’s expression shifted slightly, a glimmer of hope amidst the grimness. “We’ll find her and get some answers. But first, we need to make sure you’re safe and understand the full scope of what’s happened.”

As we left the house, the rain continued to pour, a relentless reminder of the turmoil unfolding around me. The mannequin, the car accident, the possibility of foul play—it all swirled through my mind in a chaotic storm of emotions. The woman I loved was out there, somewhere, and I would do whatever it took to bring her back home safely.