That morning, Alya arrived at the office carrying the black card found outside her apartment. The words on it were still clear in her mind.
We’ll meet again, Detective. This time, no secrets.
She had barely sat down when Ryan rushed in.
“Alya, there’s a new case.”
“What happened?”
“A man was found dead in an old warehouse near the harbor. We haven’t identified him yet.”
Alya immediately grabbed her coat.
Throughout the drive, her thoughts remained fixed on the killer’s message. Especially one line that made her hesitate.
Don’t trust Ryan.
She glanced at Ryan, who was driving.
“Something strange?” Ryan asked.
“No.”
Alya chose to stay silent. For now, she wouldn’t tell Ryan about the message.
When they reached the warehouse, they went straight inside, passing through the police tape. The damp smell mingled with the scent of blood, filling the room.
A man’s body lay on the floor. There was no wallet, ID card, or phone nearby.
Alya crouched down.
“Estimate the time of death.”
“About three to four hours ago,” the forensics officer replied.
Alya examined the victim’s hands. A small piece of crumpled paper lay in his palm.
She slowly unfolded it.
THE KEY UNLOCKS THE TRUTH.
Alya immediately remembered the object the killer had given her the night before.
A small key engraved with the letter B.
She slipped a hand into her pocket and touched the key.
So the victim knew something.
Maybe before he died, the man had been trying to tell her about the key.
“There’s something beneath the body,” Ryan said.
Alya turned.
A black circle symbol was faintly visible on the floor.
The same symbol had been found on the hotel and apartment victims.
“He left another mark,” Ryan said.
“No,” Alya replied softly. “He wants us to find it.”
Suddenly, a phone rang.
Alya’s phone vibrated.
A message came in from an unknown number.
You brought the key, didn’t you?
Alya’s gaze sharpened.
She had never told anyone about the key.
Not even Ryan knew.
Alya slowly turned toward her partner.
Ryan was standing several feet away.
For the first time, real suspicion took root in her heart.
One body.
One key.
One message.
And yet, the questions filling Alya’s mind felt far more numerous.
Who killed that man?
And most troubling of all—
How did the killer know she had the key?
Alya slipped her phone into her pocket. The killer’s last message left her thoughts even more tangled. There was no way he could have known about the key without seeing it himself.
She looked at Ryan.
“Find out who knew the victim’s identity.”
Ryan nodded. “Okay.”
As Ryan walked away, Alya resumed inspecting the warehouse. Her eyes stopped on the floor near the back door. Several drops of blood formed a line leading to an old safe.
She approached it.
“Open that safe.”
An officer tried to open the door, but it was locked.
Alya took out the small key the killer had given her.
Ryan had just returned and immediately noticed it.
“Where did you get that key?”
Alya looked at him for several seconds before answering.
“Evidence from the previous case.”
She inserted the key into the small keyhole in the safe.
Click.
The door opened.
Inside were several folders, an old phone, and a photograph of a man with a woman.
Alya picked up the photograph.
The man in it was the victim.
But the woman beside him left Alya stunned.
She recognized that face.
The woman was the person seen in the warehouse’s CCTV footage.
“Who is she?” Ryan asked.
“I don’t know yet.”
Alya turned the photograph over.
On the back was a date from five years ago and one name:
Elena Voss.
Alya opened one of the folders. It contained a list of transactions, addresses, and several names, some of them crossed out in red ink.
One name was still clear.
Adrian Blackwood.
Alya’s heart pounded.
So Adrian really was connected to the victim.
Before she could read any further, the sound of shattering glass came from outside.
All the officers immediately went on alert.
Alya ran toward the window.
A shadow leaped from the warehouse roof and disappeared behind the building.
“Get him!” Ryan shouted.
Alya ran after him, but stopped when she saw something on the ground.
A black card.
She picked it up.
The white writing on it made Alya hold her breath.
You’re getting closer, Detective. But the closer you get to me, the more people will die.
Alya clenched the card in her hand.
At last, she understood the killer’s game.
Every clue did more than lead her closer to the truth.
It also brought death to anyone connected to her.
And now, Alya had to choose.
Stop pursuing the killer—
or risk the lives of everyone near her.