The First Encounter

City X is described as a dark city not only because of its citizens with dark past but also because it is literally dark. Even though it was noon, the clouds hid the sun and the surrounding was still covered with mist.

Ryan was studying the pale corpse that had no distinct external injury. It was really not different from the first victim. However,

"Are these needle marks?" Ryan asked as he studied the corpse's hands. Both Julian and Allen came to check.

"It seems so" Allen remarked.

"Sorry, captain. I didn't notice" Julian said. He had already studied the corpse before his captain came.

Ryan shook his head. "It's not your fault. They are really inconspicuous. Just learn from experience and you will improve later"

The small spots were located just under the nails and because there was no blood or redness, it was truly hard to notice them.

"Yes, captain" Julian replied.

"Tell David to check the first victim's hands, too. Her parents would not have taken the corpse yet" Because Jean was wearing nail polish and her nails were longer, it was even easier to miss those marks.

"I'll call him now" Julian took out his phone from the pocket and walked away from them.

"They look fresh" Allen said the words which were also on Ryan's mind.

"Yeah. May be they were made just before he died" Ryan checked the surroundings and found a 24 hour convenience not too far from them.

Even though this neighborhood was not as quiet as the first crime scene, most people are out for work at this time of the day. Even the kids who found the body were on their way to school at that time.

Being a crime city does not mean that it does not have offices and schools like the normal cities. The business centers here are even larger and the tycoons even richer. It is just that they will not check your records when you apply for a job. They do not even care if your name is real or not as long as you are useful to them. That is the reason why most ex-convicts migrate to this city. But in exchange, you will not know who or what you are working for. Tax evasion cannot even be called a crime in this city where mass production and dealings of drugs and arms occur in broad daylight. However, no employee wants to know about their employer's true identity either. People who would be regarded as garbage of the society are given a second chance here. As long as they can fill their stomachs while doing whatever they want, including drugs and gambling, who cares?

"David checked the first victim. There were similar marks in the same places" Julian showed them the pictures David sent.

"That means there must be some kind of drug in their system" Ryan said.

"Yes, captain. David also said the investigation results for the samples from the first victim will come out today. We can know for sure by that time"

Ryan nodded. "Have you checked that convenience store for any eye-witness?"

"Um… not yet. We were still asking around the houses before you came"

"And where's your partner?" Ryan asked in an amused tone. That woman had left the rookie alone and ran off to who knew where.

"She… was still behind me when I walked to you. I will go look for her and go to that store" Julian looked like a nanny who just lost the kid he was looking after.

"Never mind. Just continue gathering statements from the neighborhood after you've found her. I'll go there with Allen"

"Yes, captain" Julian answered in a low voice.

"Damn that old hag" Although the last words were said in a very low voice, Ryan still heard them.

"I'm too awesome, right, to make up such a pair? They complement each other"

Allen became speechless at his grinning friend who was so full of himself. It made him wonder if the rookie would still treat his captain with respect when he realized the latter was taking pleasure in his troubles.

Their trip to the convenience store was in vain as the clerk did not see anything or at least she was not revealing whatever she saw. They were leaning towards the second option as the corpse was disposed in a place which can be seen clearly from the store. As they were planning to leave, the rain suddenly poured down. It was not strange in city X since it rained here most of the days. So, it was no surprise that such a meticulous person like Allen would be bringing a folding umbrella wherever he went. As Allen opened the umbrella, Ryan heard someone murmured.

"Oh, he was killed using the same drug"

Ryan turned towards the voice to see a slender figure taking shelter from the rain under the roof of the store. The hoodie she was wearing was too large that it covered most of her face and only her fingers could be seen peeking out of the long sleeves. One of her hands was holding a Popsicle which she was eating with relish and a plastic bag with the mark of the convenience store was hanging down from her other hand. When Ryan looked carefully, he could see that the plastic bag was filled with Popsicles, too.

"Same drug?" Both Ryan and Allen asked at the same time.

The woman finished her Popsicle unhurriedly before looking at them with her clear, blue eyes. Ryan at first thought that person was an addict as he was too thin and pale but those clear eyes cleared of his suspicion.

"The same drug that was used on the bartender" The woman said in a lazy tone.

"How do you know?" Even they did not suspect the use of drugs until they saw the needle marks.

The woman eyed them as if they were the stupidest people on earth.

"Do you think such kind of wound could make a person bleed to death in a matter of hours?"

"How do you…" Before Ryan finished the question, the woman impatiently answered.

"Mr. Detective, you should know that you can buy anything in this city as long as you can pay for the price. That isn't only for objective things like arms and drugs. The same goes for information"

"How do you know that we are detectives?" Allen asked suspiciously.

The woman looked at Allen as if she was surprised by his dumbness. Allen felt like his IQ of 120 was being challenged by this woman. He could not deny the fact that they were surprised by this woman's knowledge over and over again, to the point that they had to keep on asking the same question of 'How do you know?'.

The woman pointed at their clothes and then at the crime scene. Although they are not wearing uniforms, their clothes could not be described as casual or office clothes. Okay… when she pointed it out like that, it seemed rather obvious. Allen let out a dry cough in embarrassment.

"And the fact that I've seen you walking back and forth near the crime scene and questioning the store clerk."

The continuation of the woman's answer made Allen want to curse out loud. 'If you have already seen that much, even a grade-schooler would know that we are detectives. Why are you acting so high and mighty for?'

Ryan chuckled noticing his friend's rage but the woman acted as if Allen's glare was not meant for her.

"I'm gonna leave if you have no more questions"

"Wait" Ryan caught her bony wrist as she was going to run into the rain.

"We still want to ask you some questions if you have time"

The woman gazed into his eyes and bit the stick from the popsicle which she was playing with her fingers. Then she opened her freed up palm towards Ryan.

"Like I said, you can get anything in this city, including information. The only question is if you've got what it takes to pay as the price" She sounded weird as she was biting the stick in an angle of her mouth.

"What do you want?" Ryan asked with a smile.

"Information about the corpses"

"No way. They can't be disclosed to civilians"

"You know that I have my own resources. It's just that the payment for you would be cheaper"

True enough. Even if they did not deliberately give her the information she wanted, she had her own means to obtain them.

"Why do you want to know about the corpses?" Even when paying close attention to her face, Ryan could not detect any change in her expression. It was as if she was wearing a mask.

"Let's just say I'm interested in human bodies"

Although her answer was quite strange, Ryan did not want to dig deeper. In addition to the fact that she would be helpful to the investigation, he felt like he should keep a close watch on this woman.

He held out his right hand eventually.

"Deal"

"Deal" The woman shook his hand.

Ryan felt that her hand was too cold but it was not strange when he thought about what she was eating with that hand earlier. He grinned as he looked into the blue eyes of the woman who liked to eat ice so much. He had found another interesting thing to look forward to in this city.