The Familiar Figure

"You said the wound alone couldn't kill them and that some kind of drug was used?" Ryan asked inquisitively.

They had moved into the car with the woman sitting in the back and the two detectives sitting in front seats.

"Have you ever heard of 'hirudin'?" The woman started eating another popsicle.

"Like the one leeches secrete?" Allen proved that he was not called 'Smarty pants' for no reason.

"Uh-huh. When leeches suck blood, they produce hirudin so that the blood won't clot. Give me your hand"

Allen gave his hand reluctantly. The woman took out a pocket-knife with her free hand and made a scratch on the back of Allen's hand. The action was so swift that they did not realize what she was planning until the deed had been done.

"What the …"

Allen flinched and wanted to take back his hand but the woman held it forcefully. Allen glared incredulously at the woman who dared to harm a police officer so openly but did not try to withdraw his hand again as he wanted to know what she was trying to do.

The woman put back the knife into her pocket and this time, she took out a handkerchief. She pressed the scratch with the handkerchief and the bleeding stopped almost instantly. A glint passed through the two detectives' eyes as something hit their mind while watching the woman's action.

"Unless an artery is damaged, the bleeding would stop eventually in a normal person"

"You mean they used 'hirudin' so that bleeding won't stop?" Allen questioned.

The woman shook her head. "'Hirudin' is just an example. There are many other chemicals with such kind of effects" The woman finished eating and started playing with the stick again. Her speed of eating was even more astounding than her depth of knowledge.

"I have to go now. My snacks are gonna melt" The rain had also stopped.

"Wash the handkerchief. Always keep it on your body so that you can give it back to me when we meet again" Her last words were directed at Allen.

As the woman got out of the car, Ryan followed suit.

"Wait. How can I contact you?"

"You don't have to. I'll come to you" The woman said without looking back.

"Let's go back to the station" Ryan got back into the car.

Allen started the engine and drove back to their station.

"Did you notice?" Ryan asked suddenly.

Allen looked at Ryan before answering "You noticed, too. I thought I was being paranoid."

"I thought I was thinking too much, too. But the feeling did not disappear even after we changed location from the store to the car"

His senses had sharpened after working as a police officer for ten years. He noticed that they were being watched since they got close to the woman. The feeling disappeared only after the woman walked away.

"She's not so simple" Allen scrunched his eyebrows.

Ryan smiled. "Is there anyone simple in this city?"

Allen could not refute that.

Just before they reached the station, they got a call from David and changed their destination. David was waiting for them in his office with the investigation results on his desk.

"There really are some chemicals in Jean Moore's body, especially in the liver. The composition of the chemicals is rather new and the lab hasn't found out all the exact effects, yet. But there was something interesting"

"Let me guess. They can stop blood from clotting?"

"How did you know?" David was stunned by Ryan's response.

"We got some input from a … professional" Ryan found the woman hard to describe.

David nodded. "You are right. In addition to that the chemical can make a person alert"

"You mean like amphetamine?" Allen asked.

"Not really. By 'alert', I meant the person would be clear-headed and calm. It clears away fatigue and may even help with insomnia. But it does not give pleasure and excitement like amphetamine"

Ryan's head became filled with various thoughts after hearing that. They left the coroner and got back on their way to the station.

"Tell me Allen. Who do think will use this drug when it becomes a complete product?" Ryan asked as soon as they became alone.

Allen thought for a bit. This drug was not exactly a recreational drug. He could not argue that it had great effects. But 'pleasure' was not one of those.

"People who have to use their brain a lot and always under stress? Like scientists, doctors, researchers..."

"And they would have to afford the price" Ryan added.

"You wanna say… business tycoons?" Allen frowned.

Ryan nodded. "Don't forget that someone powerful is behind those deaths"

Allen gasped. He knew that this case would be dangerous but if it was really like what Ryan said, they should just give up their lives before continuing the investigation. If those gang leaders from underworld were cold-blooded wild wolves, those 'businessmen' in this city would be 'wicked wolves in sheep's clothing'. To do business in this city, they would have to be influential enough to deal with the underworld leaders while maintaining the peace with politicians like the governor and the senator. Power, ruthlessness, vigilance and smarts, none of those would be lacking in such people. Facing those people as opponents, death would be an easy way out.

"We have to stop the investigation immediately. Even the two of us should not dig deeper anymore"

Allen became restless when his friend kept on smiling and did not comment on his words.

"Don't be too stubborn!" Allen raised his voice.

Ryan helplessly sighed. "You know why I came here. I have a feeling that if I want to find that person, I need to get to the core of this city. If I'm being scared away whenever something like this happened, when will I achieve my aim?"

"Your parents would not want you to get into this mess." Allen did not want to see his friend destroy himself either.

"You are right. My mom told me to forget about everything with her last breath." One side of Ryan's lips rose up to give a sardonic smile.

"Then why?"

"I'm not seeking revenge or anything. I just want to ask that person some questions"

Ryan's determined look is telling Allen that he would not be able to talk him out of it.

"Then, be careful. And don't leave me in the dark. I'll help you in any way I can. Like you said, I don't have a wife or a family anyway." Allen gave in eventually.

"Thanks" Allen could feel the sincere gratitude behind that word.

When the captain suddenly decided to close the case, most of the officers did not give much reaction. They had been working in this city for quite a while and they knew how things work here. Only Julian gave him an unsatisfied look. And there was another person…

"Oh! So, you can also get cold feet?" Shelly teased Ryan. She thought this young captain was fearless as he faced head on with the gangs time and time again during the two years.

"Yeah, something like that. Disappointed?" Ryan responded with a smile.

"Not really. It's nice to have you as a captain and you can't be captain anymore if your head is riddled with holes" Shelly chuckled and made a gesture as if she was shooting Ryan's head with a gun.

That night, Ryan was not able to sleep and he kept smoking cigarettes next to the open window. There was a drizzle and some raindrops got on his face but he did not bother with them. He rarely smokes but tonight was special as he needed a way out from his messed up thoughts. When he closed his eyes, he could still hear his mother's last words.

"Ryan, don't try to find the killer. It would be difficult but forget about everything. Find your own happiness"

For the first few years, he did follow his mother's words and tried his best to forget what happened. But he realized that his resolve was pretty weak when a letter found its way to him.

He opened his eyes again and looked at the letter he was holding. It was already yellow and crumpled as he had read this letter for who knows how many times. He had already learned the contents by heart, as the letter had only one sentence.

"Come to City X if you want to find out the truth behind your parents' death"

As Ryan could not sleep anyway, he went out for his morning jog earlier than usual. There was still thick mist in every direction and night people were still active. However, no one tried to trouble the police captain as the small-timers were not daring enough and the bigwigs were not stupid enough to face the consequences. Moreover, as a police captain, Ryan was skilled and armed to protect himself. So, the people from the shadows continued what they were doing and did not bother with him.

Ryan was still feeling dejected because of all the stress and sleeplessness he was going through. But that was only until he saw a familiar figure wrapped up in a big hoodie. As soon as he saw the woman jogging in the mist, his lips curled up.