The car driven by Detective Harper sped along the road toward the Downtown Precinct, the siren on its roof wailing sharply as it cut through the city's bustle.
"Aren't you abusing your authority right now?" Aron remarked from the front passenger seat, his tone relaxed but edged with subtle sarcasm.
"Consider yourselves lucky," Harper replied without taking his eyes off the road. "I'm racing against time."
He paused briefly before continuing. "Last night, not one—but three deaths were reported."
"Three?" Aron turned toward him. "Murders?"
Harper gave a slow nod. "That's why I want both of you to be more careful. Don't assume this city is completely safe. There are wild animals roaming out there."
"What do you mean by that?" Aron asked again, his voice still calm.
In the back seat, Victoria—who had remained silent all this time—lifted her head. Her usually cold expression hardened, as though Harper's words had struck something buried deep within her.
"Honestly, I'm not entirely sure myself," Harper admitted. "But the victims' injuries show marks like claw wounds and bite marks. As if they were attacked by wild animals."
He shook his head. "And it's not limited to my district. It's happening all over New York. The worst cases are in areas controlled by gangsters."
"Any arrests?" Aron asked.
"Not yet." Harper let out a short sigh. "All I can offer is advice. Be careful when you go out on dates."
"We're just coworkers," Aron replied with a grin.
Harper shot him a sideways glance. "No way a woman that beautiful is just a partner."
"Yes. Just a partner," Aron insisted, maintaining the same smile.
Harper chuckled softly before changing the subject. "That judge's child case… how did you manage to get solid evidence?"
"That wasn't me," Aron said. "My partner found it."
"Impressive," Harper said. "You're really lucky."
Aron laughed lightly, not turning around.
Victoria, however, remained silent. Her expression did not change, as if the conversation had never reached her ears—or perhaps she was contemplating something far darker than an ordinary murder case.
Not long after, Harper slowed the car and parked it by the roadside near the entrance of the Axel Building.
Victoria and Aron stepped out first, followed by Harper. The three of them entered the spacious yet quiet lobby. At the corridor leading to the elevators, two police officers stood guard, preventing anyone from accessing floors seven, eight, nine, and ten. All four floors had been completely sealed off to facilitate the investigation.
"There's CCTV inside the elevators. Have you checked it?" Aron asked.
"Yes," Harper replied as he pressed the elevator button. "The footage shows that after eleven-thirty p.m., no one went up."
"There's another elevator," Victoria said suddenly.
Harper turned to her, frowning. "How do you know there's another elevator?"
"This company operates in the investigation business," Victoria replied calmly. "Do you really think their clients would enter through the front door?"
Harper fell silent for a moment before giving a slow nod. "That makes sense."
He let out a short breath. "But we didn't find any other elevators in this building."
"There has to be one," Victoria said firmly. "That's why we need to look for it."
As the elevator doors opened, Harper leaned slightly toward Aron. "Your girlfriend is impressive," he whispered.
"She's not my girlfriend," Aron replied with a grin.
"You'd better hurry," Harper added quietly. "Before someone else gets there first."
"That's out of my control," Aron said. "I have to remain professional."
Harper shook his head lightly. "Don't regret it later."
Victoria cast Aron a brief but sharp glance. She said nothing as the elevator doors fully opened on the tenth floor.
The three of them stepped out. A police officer stood guard beside the elevator doors, watching silently. Harper gave a brief signal, and they continued down the corridor toward the office of the company's owner.
Aron slowed his pace, his eyes scanning the surroundings. The entire floor looked neat and orderly—too perfect for a crime scene. The floors gleamed, the white walls were spotless, and the scent of cleaning agents still lingered in the air.
They passed three office doors before Aron spoke. "What's the name of this company?"
"Meridian Corporate Services," Harper replied without turning around.
Aron let out a low whistle. "Didn't expect a company this big to be founded by a woman."
Harper paused. "She's not an ordinary woman," he said. "She's a former CIA agent."
"Seriously?" Aron looked at him, clearly surprised.
Harper nodded.
They stopped in front of a spacious office. On the floor, near the desk on the left, an outline marking the position where the body had been found was clearly visible.
"The victim was lying here," Harper explained. "Everything on the desk was neatly arranged. No signs of a struggle."
He scanned the room. "And there's no CCTV in this office."
Aron examined the space more closely. Yet something disrupted his focus.
Victoria wasn't there.
He glanced left, then right.
"Where did your partner go?" Harper asked, having noticed her absence as well.
Silence settled over the office.
Aron stepped out of the room, Harper close behind. Without a word, he turned right—toward a corridor they had not explored earlier.
Their pace slowed, almost cautious, their eyes watching both sides. The corridor was quiet, with only the soft echo of their footsteps. Before long, they reached the only junction, leading to the left.
They turned into the corridor.
On both sides, the walls were painted a deep, absorbing black, swallowing the light and making the space feel narrow and oppressive. They continued forward until they had to turn right again.
That's when they saw Victoria.
She stood rigidly in front of a black wall, as if waiting for them.
"What are you doing here?" Aron asked, his voice tinged with confusion as he scanned the dark walls around them.
Victoria didn't answer. She simply extended her index finger and pressed a specific point on the wall.
Immediately, the section she touched glowed faintly. A subtle mechanical whirring sounded before a hidden door slid open.
"How is there an elevator here?" Harper asked, clearly surprised.
"There's CCTV above," Victoria said, pointing toward the top of the wall—though nothing was visibly there. "And this elevator has a hidden camera inside as well."
Aron looked up, trying to spot the camera, but saw nothing. Harper had already stepped inside the elevator, his eyes scanning every corner.
"This elevator seems custom-built just to reach the tenth floor," the detective said. "If there really is CCTV, then only the victim would have had access to view the recordings."
"Exactly," Victoria replied calmly. "Through the computer on their desk."
Harper turned sharply. "How do you know that?"
"Let's just say I've investigated cases like this before," Victoria answered briefly.
Without waiting for a response, she turned and walked away from the dark corridor. Aron and Harper exchanged a quick glance before hurrying to follow her.
The three of them returned to the office of the company's owner. Without hesitation, Victoria moved behind the desk, pulled out the chair, and sat down.
Harper simply watched, neither questioning nor stopping her.
Aron stood at the side, observing as Victoria moved the mouse. The monitor lit up instantly—clearly, the computer had never been fully shut down. It had only been locked, requiring a password to access the system.
Victoria's gaze became intensely focused. Her eyes scanned the keyboard as if trying to recall something invisible. Silently, she remembered the movements of the deceased—the way their fingers had typed, the rhythm between each keystroke.
Then her fingers moved.
One key after another was pressed, precise and deliberate, as if replaying someone else's memory. Seconds passed before the screen in front of them changed. The system's main interface appeared.
Victoria rose immediately and looked at Harper.
"Your turn to check now," she said simply.
Harper didn't wait for a second instruction. He stepped forward while Aron gave space, standing beside Victoria and watching as the detective took the chair.
Harper moved the mouse, the cursor gliding smoothly across the screen before stopping on a folder. One click.
Two CCTV feeds appeared simultaneously. One displayed the hidden dark corridor, while the other showed the inside of the secret elevator.
"You were right," Harper said quietly. "Only they would have access to this place."
"There must be footage from last night," Aron interjected, eyes fixed on the screen.
"Hold on," Harper replied. "I'll find it."
He moved the mouse again, his index finger pressing several commands to open the folder containing the full archive. In an instant, the monitor filled with small windows—each displaying video clips sorted by date and time.
Harper and Aron leaned closer, scrutinizing each clip. Their eyes moved rapidly, filtering through every second of footage. Only Victoria remained in the background, standing as though none of it concerned her.
Suddenly, Harper and Aron spoke almost at the same time.
"This one."
Their fingers both pointed to a single video window—footage from last night, capturing the very last moments the secret elevator was used.