Content Warning: The following is not intended for people of alternative romantic orientations and fujoshi, please think carefully before continuing
Tristan lowered his head.
His voice was small, as if he did not want to disturb the silence that had settled over the room:
“I’ll head back first… I hope you catch him soon.”
Jay nodded and raised a hand in a brief signal:
“I’ll walk you out.”
When Jay returned to the room, Mariana and Thomas were already waiting by the door, arms crossed, as if they had anticipated something.
Knight spoke quietly, yet clearly enough for both of them to hear:
“We need an urgent meeting in Unit A.
White has just found a new lead.”
The group moved swiftly down the corridor.
All of them headed for Unit A’s soundproof meeting room.
Inside the room, every gaze fixed on White.
Jay, Thomas, Mariana, Knight all remained silent, waiting for something more important than an ordinary report.
White exhaled lightly, as if steadying the line of reasoning in her mind.
“I’ll summarise briefly.”
“Regarding Ryan’s disappearance,” White began, her voice even and steady.
“We suspect the killer disguised himself as a cleaner, waited until Ryan entered the restroom, then rendered him unconscious.
The forensic team swept the entire area with UV light and found no blood traces whatsoever.”
She paused for a beat, then continued:
“As for Mark’s case, we now have an important new lead concerning the suspect.”
She stood straight, opened her laptop, and Steven’s image appeared on the screen.
“The suspect’s name is Steven Harmus.
Third-year medical student.
Through Milio’s confirmation, we know he is the person Mark and Milio rescued three months ago.”
She did not speak quickly, yet each sentence seemed to drive a nail into the ceiling of the room.
“He possesses every characteristic that matches our earlier deductions:
– A field of study that gives him access to medical-grade anaesthetics.
– The original reason for his suicide attempt: a severe romantic rejection… or his family discovering his orientation.
Or both.”
She switched to Andrea’s photograph.
“This is Andrea, Steven’s close friend.”
“The hair found on the victims may belong to Andrea.
According to my initial hypothesis, she has a boyfriend.
Steven witnessed their relationship.
He wanted that kind of happiness for himself.
Therefore he confessed his feelings to Mark the person who had saved his life.”