Back in the control room, the routine was already familiar—sit, pull the footage, and hope the system hadn't been butchered again.

It had.

The cameras covering the murder site had gone dead—exactly five minutes before the estimated time of death, and five minutes after. And just like last time, the footage had been deleted using Erdmann's credentials.

Hase rubbed his temple. The exhaustion hadn't faded, but now the annoyance was creeping in again.

"This one too?" he muttered.

Erdmann just agreed grimly. "Same pattern. Same window."

But this time, Hase didn't look at him with suspicion.

He'd been there—Hase had been with him the entire time since the murder. And before that? He'd been asleep in a chair not two meters away. If Erdmann had tried to move, Hase would've noticed. Hell, he would've woken up.

His senses might've dulled a little over the years—but not enough to miss something like this.

Years of living with a woman like her had kept him sharp. Mischievous didn't even begin to cover it. She was fierce, quick-tempered, sharp as a whip—but underneath all that, kind. Kind in the way that mattered. Beautiful too, though she never believed him when he said it. Gods, what a woman.

So no. Erdmann didn't do it. He reached that conclusion

Which meant someone else could steal his credentials.

That made it worse.

They rolled the footage back—looking for anything. And just before the blackout, Hase found something.

"There." he pointed.

A figure, vague in the darkness. Deep in a corner near the scene. Barely visible. One arm unnaturally angled. An upgrade. The other hand glowed faintly. A cigarette, burning low.

It was hard to see. Erdmann squinted. "That's it? A smoker?"

"This isn't just a smoker," Hase said. "That's an upgraded man in the kill zone seconds before the cameras went out. That's not coincidence."

"He could be anyone." Erdmann countered. "what are we gonna accuse him of? Smoking?"

"No," Hase said. "But he's someone. Someone who was there, who knew the angles, who timed it with surgical precision. That's our lead."

"And—wait. Him?" Hase leaned in, narrowing his eyes at the barely visible silhouette. He studied it in silence for a moment. "You know what? Yeah. That is indeed a him. You've got a good eye, councilman."

"Not really." Erdmann said. "I'm just young. I'm still forty."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hase shot back, almost smiling. "You saying I'm old?"

"Yes." Erdmann replied, deadpan. "You are old."

"Fuck you, I'm not that old."

He didn't say it out loud, but they both knew: in a place where nobody noticed anything, noticing something this specific was the closest thing they'd had to a win in weeks.

And now, they had a shadow to chase.

Now came the hard part.

A new list.

Erdmann had made one before, back when he was working alone—chasing ghosts, leaning on instinct, and building dead ends. That list had gotten him nowhere.

The familiar names returned.

Lili—already arrested.

Lukáš—still the primary suspect. He didn't match the new profile—no upgrades, not a smoker—but Erdmann insisted on keeping him. Said he still had a gut feeling. Said sometimes the profile lies.

Miroslav— from the scene of the first murder, and spotted near at least two others.

But now, they had more to go on.

The killer had an upgrade—a grip capable of cracking a skull.

He smoked—something distinct, harsh, unlike anything Robert Hase had smelled before.

He knew how to stay in the shadows—until the camera cut out.

Only a few people Lili had interacted with fit that profile.

Miroslav again.

A nurse—one working off-grid, treating Lili unofficially, giving her medication outside the hospital.

A young man—possibly a boyfriend, seen with her a few times in what looked like intimate conversation.

A soldier—a woman Lili had exchanged words with in passing.

And Another one. A young man named Kjell.

He had one upgraded arm. He smoked odd cigarettes—black paper, marked with two yellow-golden rings near the filter. The kind of thing Robert had never seen before, not around here. Not on anyone else. He didn't interact with Lili much, but he fit the profile.

That made six names.

Lukáš—kept in by Erdmann's insistence.

Miroslav—twice.

The nurse.

The boyfriend.

The soldier.

Kjell—the smoker.

Six suspects in total.

Six threads to pull.

And only one had to unravel.

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