Alya stood in the storage room, the black card still in her hand. Adrian's message kept replaying in her mind.
Don't trust anyone in that office. I'll give you the real evidence.
Ever since meeting Adrian, more and more questions had emerged. The man was clearly hiding something, but Alya was beginning to doubt that he was the real killer.
“Alya.”
Ryan's voice made her turn.
“You haven't gone home yet?”
“Not yet.”
Ryan glanced at the black card in her hand.
“That's from Adrian?”
Alya didn't answer right away.
“How do you know?”
Ryan fell silent for a moment.
“I was just guessing.”
Alya studied him with a sharp look. The answer felt strange. Before she could question him further, an officer came hurrying over.
“Detective! We found something in the forensics room.”
Alya immediately followed him.
A black envelope lay on the table. There was no sender's name. Only the same black circle symbol.
Alya opened the envelope.
Inside was a photograph of a man whose face had been deliberately crossed out with black ink.
Written beneath the photo were the words:
NAMELESS KILLER.
Ryan frowned.
“Who is he?”
“That’s what we have to find out.”
Alya turned the photograph over. There was an address on the back.
Hotel Blackstone, Room 214.
Alya's heart began to beat faster.
“That hotel has been abandoned for a long time,” Ryan said.
“That’s exactly why we have to go there.”
They left that night.
Hotel Blackstone looked dark and sinister. Dust covered the floors, while the room doors had been left open.
When they reached Room 214, Alya found the walls covered with photographs of victims.
Hotels.
Apartments.
Warehouses.
Every case she was handling was displayed there.
But one photograph made her freeze.
A photograph of herself.
Written beneath it were the words:
NEXT TARGET.
Ryan stood behind her.
“Alya…”
Suddenly, the room door slammed shut.
Alya spun around and aimed her gun.
There was no one there.
Then a voice came through an old loudspeaker.
“Detective Alya Laurent.”
The man's voice was low and cold.
“You're looking for a killer who has no name.”
Alya scanned the entire room.
“Who are you?”
A soft laugh echoed.
“I’m the person you’ve been looking for all this time.”
The lights went out.
In the darkness, Alya heard footsteps approaching.
One step.
Two steps.
Then a whisper sounded directly behind her.
“And now, you’re too close.”
Alya spun around, but there was no one behind her. The lights came back on. Ryan stood near the door, his face tense.
“You heard that voice?” Alya asked.
Ryan nodded.
Suddenly, the old screen on the wall flickered on. The image of a man wearing a black mask appeared.
“Welcome, Detective.”
Alya stared sharply at the screen.
“Who are you?”
The man laughed softly.
“I don’t have a name. People just call me Killer.”
The screen went dark.
Alya immediately searched the room. There was a flash drive beneath the table. She picked it up and handed it to Ryan.
But before they could leave, Alya's phone vibrated.
A message from Adrian came in.
Don't open that flash drive at the office. They're waiting for you.
Alya fell silent.
She looked at Ryan.
For the first time, her suspicions returned.
If Adrian was right, then someone in the police department was indeed working for the killer.
Alya slipped the flash drive away without telling Ryan.
“We’re going home,” she said.
Ryan nodded.
As they left the hotel, Alya glanced up at the top floor.
A shadow stood behind a window.
The man raised his hand, then slowly pointed at Alya.
Then the room's lights went out.
Alya gripped the flash drive in her pocket.
Now she knew one thing.
The nameless Killer was hunting her.