Chapter Text
Cale squinted his eyes as he gazed at the “brightly shining” man—as he described—standing in front of him while holding a book with an oh-so-familiar cover.
Cale felt like trouble had found him after looking at the man’s face—a deadly combo of blond hair, blue eyes, and a blinding smile.
Cale felt chills as he met the man’s gaze.
This guy is here for something else, he thought, as the corners of his lips rose to match the man’s blinding smile.
Fans who witnessed the interaction couldn’t help but gush at the sight of their favorite author smiling so prettily with another fan—one whose looks could slap celebrities in the face five times.
They watched the wholesome moment between the two, completely unaware of the hidden tension.
Cale Henituse is a famous mystery-thriller novelist.
Many readers compliment his immaculate writing style and plot twists. His novels are described as brilliantly written; each word builds up settings that can be clearly visualized and felt by the readers.
Moreover, fans felt that his writing had become even more chillingly realistic in his recently published books: Someone’s Dead and A Murderer’s Karma.
One such fan is Alberu Crossman. A detective.
One week ago, before the book signing event, Alberu had finally taken a day off.
He had been “punished” by his superior—also his aunt, Tasha—for continuously investigating various cases without rest for two consecutive weeks.
Recently, chaos had been erupting in the country.
A mysterious criminal organization had been committing various crimes such as kidnapping, human trafficking, murder, terrorism, and more.
At first, the authorities weren’t aware of the organization’s complete existence.
That changed when a gory family massacre occurred, forcing them to be aware of the organization's and their crimes.
They tried to keep it hidden from the public to prevent unrest.
Only those privy to the matter were fully aware of the extent of the incidents that had taken place.
The authorities decided to move covertly while continuing their investigation. However, the recent plaza bombing—and the news that leaked to the media—forced them to publicize more detailed information regarding the incidents.
It was done to warn the public and also to fully mobilize their forces after witnessing the chaos the organization tried to create.
To make matters worse, a new case involving confirmed serial murders had emerged.
Alberu had been tasked with investigating the recent serial murders.
Initially, they were thought to be isolated cases.
However, the newest victim was identified as Redika.
He was found dead in an alley near the plaza where the bombing occurred. It was confirmed to be the work of the same mysterious organization.
Redika, the one who incited the event, had been spotted openly that day, which made him easy to identify.
He had already lost all signs of life when officers discovered the body.
His eyes were still open, filled with pain and terror. His legs were forcefully twisted, and his right arm was missing. His cause of death was asphyxiation due to his throat being slit by a sharp object.
After confirming Redika’s identity, Alberu’s instincts screamed at him to investigate the identities of the other recent murder victims.
After a thorough search, he realized all the victims were connected to that same organization.
Some had been involved in the recent kidnapping case in Blue Wolf Village.
Others were small-time human traffickers who had been found to have dealings with the organization.
Venion Stan, the son of a CEO, was found tortured to death for unknown reasons, was also identified as having connections to the organization.
Alberu’s continued investigation led him to conclude that this was the work of a serial murderer targeting people from the organization.
However, there was a disturbing discrepancy.
Among the 11 victims, five had died either from blood loss or asphyxiation caused by being slit with a sharp object. Four others had been poisoned with dangerous and deadly chemicals.
The last two victims—Venion and a drug dealer who had been selling one of the most dangerous drugs on the black market—had experienced the most "creative" deaths. Though they died from blood loss, unlike the five who had been stabbed, these two had been tortured to death.
The idea that not just one, but possibly three different serial murderers were involved gave Alberu goosebumps.
After connecting all the dots, Alberu stood up abruptly from his table at the office.
His sudden movement caught the attention of his colleagues, who were also working overtime that day.
Before he could even open his mouth to share his discoveries, a sudden wave of dizziness overwhelmed him.
His vision blurred and twisted until everything blacked out.
His coworkers were alarmed at his sudden collapse.
The next time Alberu woke up, he was greeted by a white ceiling and the strong smell of disinfectant.
“You’re awake. Took you almost a day,” a man’s voice said. Alberu turned his head and saw his uncle Shawn rising from his chair, preparing to call a doctor.
Seeing Alberu’s confused expression, Shawn gave him a reassuring smile and told him that he’d explain after the doctor checked his condition.
That day, Alberu was discharged—not only from the hospital but also from the office.
His relentless investigation had finally taken a toll on him.
After finalizing his report on the discoveries he made during the investigation, he was “forced” by his coworkers and Tasha to take a week off from work.
Shawn would temporarily take over for him.
He was about to refuse when his phone rang. His father, Zed Crossman—who should have been busy with politics—berated him.
Knowing his personality, Tasha had cooperated with Zed and kicked Alberu out of the office to ensure he recuperated properly.
Alberu spent the first two days catching up on sleep.
Afternoon on his second day of rest, he just laid on his bed while staring at the ceiling, completely blank.
He was a workaholic. He doesn't admit it though.
Without work, he didn’t know what to do with himself.
Then, his eyes wandered to his mini library, where he spotted the two new books he had bought just before being assigned the serial murder case.
They were CH’s works.
Alberu picked up the one titled Someone’s Dead.