Rain poured heavily over the city of Barcelona, the dark clouds covering the evening sky as thunder echoed in the distance. Water streamed down the large glass windows of the crime investigation department building.Outside, the streets glowed under yellow streetlights, the wet pavement reflecting the restless movement of cars and people rushing to escape the cold evening rain.
Inside the building, most of the offices were quiet.
In one of the rooms on the third floor, the atmosphere felt quiet and slightly dim. The ceiling lights flickered faintly from time to time as the storm outside affected the electricity, making the room glow in a soft low-voltage light.
Lina stood beside her desk, leaning slightly against the edge of the table as she watched the rain slide down the window, the dim flickering office lights reflecting faintly across the room. At twenty-three years old, Lina had already built a reputation in the Barcelona Crime Investigation Department for being observant and intelligent. Her dark hair was tied neatly, and her sharp eyes carried a calm determination.
Across from her sat Ayla, her colleague and closest friend in the department. Ayla leaned back in her chair, scrolling through files on her tablet before looking up at Lina.
"You've been staring outside for a while," Ayla said casually. "Something on your mind?"
Lina exhaled quietly and took a sip of her coffee.
"Rain always reminds me of something," she said softly.
Ayla tilted her head slightly. "Something good… or something bad?"
Lina hesitated.
"Both," she replied.
The lights flickered again for a moment, casting faint shadows across the room.
After a brief silence, Lina began speaking again.
"I was thirteen when it happened."
Ayla sat up a little straighter, sensing the seriousness in Lina's voice.
"My parents died that year."
Her words were calm, but a quiet sadness lingered in them.
"My dad worked as a professor in Valencia," Lina continued. "He taught literature at the university there. He loved teaching… and he always believed knowledge could change people."
A faint smile appeared on her face before disappearing again.
"And my mom was a dance teacher. She had a small studio where she taught classical and modern dance. She always said dancing was the best way to express emotions."
The rain outside intensified, tapping loudly against the glass.
"We all lived together in Valencia back then," Lina said. "Me, my parents… and my little sister, Elia."
Ayla nodded quietly.
"Elia was only eight years old at the time," Lina continued. "She was always following my mom around, trying to copy her dance moves."
For a moment Lina looked down at her coffee cup.
"But everything changed one night."
Her fingers tightened slightly around the mug.
"There was a gas explosion in our house."
Ayla frowned.
"The investigation report said it was caused by a gas leak," Lina said slowly. "But something about it never felt right to me."
Her eyes grew distant as the memory tried to surface.
"I remember the smell of gas… and then suddenly the fire."
Her breathing slowed slightly.
"The flames spread everywhere. The house filled with smoke."
The office lights flickered again, briefly dimming.
"My parents tried to get us out," Lina continued quietly. "They pushed me and Elia toward the door."
She paused.
"My sister and I survived."
Her voice dropped.
"But my parents…"
She didn't finish the sentence.
Ayla looked down for a moment, unsure what to say.
Lina leaned back slightly in her chair.
"The strange thing is… I can't remember everything clearly."
Her eyebrows tightened slightly.
"The memories are blurred… like pieces missing."
She pressed her fingers lightly against her forehead.
"Whenever I try to think too deeply about that night, my head starts spinning."
Ayla looked concerned. "You mean like headaches?"
"Worse," Lina replied quietly. "Sometimes I faint."
The rain outside continued to fall heavily.
"Maybe it's trauma," Ayla suggested gently.
"Maybe," Lina said.
She stared out the window again.
"But one thing I know for sure…"
Her voice became firm.
"That explosion wasn't just an accident."
Ayla looked surprised.
"You think someone caused it?"
Lina nodded slowly.
"The gas line in our house was damaged in a way that didn't make sense. I read the investigation report years later."
Her eyes sharpened.
"That's when I decided what I wanted to become."
"A crime investigator," Ayla said.
Lina nodded again.
"If someone really caused that fire… if someone took my parents away from us…"
Her voice turned quiet but determined.
"I want to find the truth."
The room fell silent for a moment.
Elia's face briefly appeared in Lina's thoughts — her little sister laughing, dancing around their old house in Valencia before everything changed.
"Elia's studying at university now," Lina said after a moment. "She's doing well."
"That's good," Ayla replied with a small smile.
Suddenly—
RING.
The sharp sound of the office telephone echoed through the quiet room.
Lina reached for the receiver.
"Investigator Lina speaking."
A serious voice answered from the other side.
"A homicide case has just been reported. You've been assigned to the investigation."
Lina straightened slightly. "What happened?"
There was a brief pause before the officer spoke again.
"A young woman was found in a street near the old district of Barcelona. She was brutally assaulted and raped. The report says there were three attackers."
Lina's expression hardened.
"Is she alive?" she asked quietly.
"No," the voice replied. "She died before the ambulance arrived."
The room suddenly felt heavier.
"The suspects fled the scene. At the moment, all three rapists are missing."
Lina's grip on the phone tightened.
"Your team needs to reach the crime scene immediately," the officer continued. "Details have been sent to your system."
Lina slowly placed the receiver down.
Ayla looked at her from across the desk.
"Bad one?"
Lina picked up the case file appearing on her screen, her eyes growing cold as she read the report.
"Three men," she said quietly.
"They attacked a girl on the street… and left her there to die."
The rain outside continued to fall over the dark streets of Barcelona.
Lina closed the file and looked toward Ayla.
"Let's go," she said.
"We're finding them"
Will the girl get justice? Will the criminals be caught? Will Lina be the one to deliver it?