The rain had not stopped when Alya left the hotel. It was nearly midnight. The streets looked deserted, but her thoughts were growing louder by the second.
The name Adrian Blackwood kept surfacing in her mind.
Who was that man? Why had his photograph been hidden inside the safe? And most importantly, what connection did he have to the victim?
“Alya!”
She turned. Detective Ryan came running toward her with a folder in his hands.
“There’s something from the forensics lab.”
“What?”
Ryan handed her the report. “The blood found on the floor didn’t all belong to the victim.”
Alya opened the folder at once.
“Then someone else was injured in that room?”
“That’s right. There was a small amount of blood with a different profile.”
Alya fell silent. If the killer had been injured, they had a chance to find his trail.
“Where was the sample found?”
“Near the window.”
Alya immediately returned to the hotel. She headed toward Room 307 at a brisk pace. The forensics team was still working there.
“Search for every drop of blood around the window,” she ordered. “Don’t miss anything.”
A few minutes later, an officer found a small stain on the floor.
“Detective, over here!”
Alya crouched down. The bloodstain formed a short line leading toward the window.
“This isn’t the victim’s blood,” she said quietly.
Ryan looked at her. “So the killer really was injured.”
Alya nodded.
“But he left the trail on purpose.”
“Why?”
Alya stared at the open window.
“To make us chase him.”
Suddenly, her phone vibrated.
A message came in from an unknown number.
You’re too close, Detective.
Alya sent a brief reply.
If you’re afraid of getting caught, don’t leave a trail.
Less than ten seconds later, another message appeared.
I’m not afraid of you. In fact, I want to see how far you dare to chase me.
Alya’s gaze sharpened.
Ryan watched her. “Who is it?”
“The same person.”
Alya put her phone away and looked at the blood trail on the floor.
For the first time, she felt that this murder was more than just a case.
Someone was inviting her to play.
And Alya had no intention of backing down.
Alya followed the blood trail to the emergency stairs. The red stains grew fainter and then disappeared on the second floor. She turned on her flashlight and checked every corner.
“He went down this way,” Ryan said.
Alya shook her head. “No. Look at these shoeprints.”
On the wet floor, shoeprints led toward the hotel’s back door. However, their size was different from the shoes worn by the man they had seen in the earlier footage.
“That means there were two people,” Ryan said.
“Maybe.”
Alya slowly opened the door. The cold night air struck her face. In the alley behind the hotel, a light flickered repeatedly. There was no one there.
Then she saw something near the trash can.
A black handkerchief.
Alya picked it up with gloved hands. There was a small bloodstain in one corner of the fabric, along with a letter embroidered in silver thread.
A.
“Adrian?” Ryan murmured.
Alya didn’t answer.
She remembered the man’s gaze from across the street—a cold stare that seemed to know her every move.
Suddenly, the sound of an engine rang out.
A black car sped away from the alley.
“Ryan, get the license plate number!”
Ryan ran into the street, but the vehicle had already vanished around the corner.
Alya stared in the direction the car had gone, her expression grave.
“We almost had him.”
Ryan returned, shaking his head. “The plate was covered in mud.”
“He prepared for this.”
“Do you think Adrian is the killer?”
Alya tightened her grip on the handkerchief.
“There isn’t enough evidence yet.”
Her phone vibrated again.
A photo came in.
A photo of her standing in the hotel alley.
Alya fell silent.
The picture had been taken from behind only a few seconds earlier.
Beneath the photo was a single sentence.
I’m always watching you.
Ryan read the message, and his expression changed.
“He’s still somewhere nearby.”
Alya looked around the entire alley. There was no one in sight, only the rain and the sound of vehicles in the distance.
But this time, she wasn’t afraid.
Instead, she smiled faintly.
“Then this game will be easier.”
Ryan frowned. “Easier?”
“He thinks he’s hunting us.”
Alya placed the handkerchief in an evidence bag.
“But without realizing it, he’s leaving us a path straight to him.”
In the distance, a shadow stood beneath the roof of a building.
The man watched Alya for a moment before turning away and disappearing.
His smile was shrouded in mystery.
Their game had just begun.