White tightened her hold on the wheel and floored the accelerator.
The car surged onto the highway at the speed of a Formula 1 racer wind screaming past the windows, rain lashing the bodywork like a thousand tiny arrows.
Knight sat in the passenger seat, one hand locked on the door handle, his emerald eyes behind the glasses wider than usual.
“Avis… maybe slow down a little?!”
White didn’t turn her head.
Her gaze remained fixed on the road ahead, her voice cutting through the cabin like ice:
“Be quiet.
You’re being annoying.”
The atmosphere inside the car was heavy.
Only the roar of the engine and the relentless drumming of rain against the windshield filled the silence.
Ten minutes that stretched like a nightmare and the Lamborghini had already plunged into the heart of the city.
Ahead rose Glass Tower Police Headquarters: a cold grey building whose tall iron gates stood severe beneath a leaden sky.
White braked hard; the tyres screeched across the wet asphalt.
She stepped out into the rain that continued to fall in heavy drops on her hair and shoulders.
From her crossbody bag she took a collaborative detective ID card and swiped it lightly across the reader at the gate.
A short electronic beep sounded.
The heavy iron gates slowly swung open, like a door leading into deeper darkness.
White returned to the driver’s seat without a word and pressed the accelerator more gently this time.
The golden car glided into the headquarters courtyard and parked neatly among the rows of gleaming black police vehicles.
The two of them climbed the rain-slick granite steps; water dripped from the overhang onto their shoulders.
The heavy glass doors of Glass Tower Police Headquarters opened, admitting them into a vast, cold lobby.
Harsh blue-white ceiling lights spilled across the polished floor, reflecting the trails of rainwater they had carried in.
It was Sunday.
The headquarters felt oppressively empty only a few scattered night-duty officers moved slowly at the far end of the corridor, like ghosts haunting the enormous building.
White walked toward the reception desk, her steps light yet decisive.
Behind the counter a female officer with short black hair and sky-blue eyes looked up from her computer screen.
Her voice was slightly drowsy, yet still professional:
“I’m Merry.
How can I help you two?”
White extended her hand first a polite, brief handshake.
Her palm was cold from the rain and from something deeper.
“Pleasure to meet you, Merry.
I’m White.”
She drew her collaborative detective ID from her coat pocket and placed it lightly on the counter under the white light.
The card caught a small glint, a quiet reminder of her true status.
“I’d like to know which room Modric has prepared the serial case files in.”
Merry glanced at the card.
A flicker of surprise crossed her blue eyes before her expression returned to neutral.
She typed a few keys; the screen’s glow reflected on her tired face.
“The latest case by the serial campus killer is being handled by Team A.
Thomas is on duty there right now.
Team B’s leader, Jay, has already prepared the file on the first case for you, as requested.
It’s in Team A’s soundproof meeting room.”
Merry looked up, her gaze shifting to Knight, who stood silently behind White.
“And the young man beside you…?”
White tilted her head slightly.
Her voice was even, yet carried a quiet protectiveness.
“He’s my new partner.
Knight.”
Knight stepped forward and extended his hand.
His handshake was warmer and more friendly than White’s, though the emerald-green eyes behind his glasses still held a barely concealed sharpness.
“I’m Knight.
It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Merry.”
Merry gave a small smile and returned the handshake, her warm palm pressing lightly.
“Nice to meet you too.”
The handshake ended.
The brief warmth between the three of them lasted only a moment before it was swallowed again by the cold of the lobby and the weight of the case.
Merry pointed down the long, dim corridor to the right.
“Team A’s soundproof meeting room is at the end of the hall, door number 12.
Thomas and Jay are waiting.”
White gave a slight nod and said nothing more.
She turned and walked ahead; K9 followed quietly behind her.
Their footsteps echoed steadily across the cold granite floor, mixing with the relentless drumming of rain against the large glass windows lining both sides of the corridor.
Each step seemed to deepen the heavy atmosphere of the nearly empty headquarters on a Sunday.
Within seconds they stood before the door of Team A’s soundproof meeting room a glass door framed in metal, sealed without a single gap, as if designed to swallow every sound from within.
White knocked three short, dry times.
A moment later the door opened slowly.
A tall young man in a fitted grey T-shirt and black trousers stepped out.
His neatly cut golden hair caught the light; bright blue eyes looked out from behind thin-framed glasses.
A hint of surprise touched his smile, but it remained friendly.
“Hello, you two.
I’m Thomas.
The dark-haired guy over there is Jay.”
White offered her hand.
The handshake was polite and brief; her palm felt as cold as if she had just come in from the rain.
“Hi, Thomas.”
K9 followed suit, gripping just firmly enough, a half-smile flickering across his face.
“I’m Knight, White’s partner.”
Thomas’s smile widened, genuine surprise in his voice.
“Well, this is unexpected.
Mariana only mentioned you yesterday… White.”
He stepped aside, gesturing for them to enter.
Inside the soundproof meeting room the air felt even heavier.
A wide brown leather sofa sat against the wall.
In front of it stood a large glass table buried under case files, crime-scene photographs, and a city map marked with dense annotations.
A few tiles away hung a large magnetic board.
Five victim photographs were pinned in a neat row.
Red marker lines criss-crossed between them like a bloody spiderweb, connecting faces to times and locations.
White and K9 went straight over to the remaining officer, Jay.
He was a young man with a sharp black undercut and deep brown eyes, dressed in a plain white T-shirt and dark-blue jeans.
In his hands he held a thick case file, its edges already soft and worn from being flipped through too many times.
Jay extended his hand first, his voice low but steady:
“Hello.
I’m Jay, team leader of Unit B.”
White shook it short, cold, yet carrying a quiet respect.
“Pleasure to work with you.”
Knight followed immediately, gripping a little firmer, a polite smile still on his lips.
“Pleasure to work with you.”