Detective Charles

The next day, Alex received a call from the police, asking him to come to the station for further questioning. As he entered the precinct, he asked for the detective in charge.

 "Detective Charles is expecting you," the receptionist informed him, directing him to a small, cluttered office at the end of the hall.

 Alex knocked and entered. Detective Charles, a middle-aged man with sharp eyes and a grizzled demeanor, looked up from his desk. "Mr. Smith, thank you for coming in," he said, gesturing for Alex to take a seat.

 "Call me Alex," he replied, sitting down."Alex, I've got a few questions for you," Charles began, his tone professional but probing. "The report indicates you visited the O'Connor residence the day before the incident. You were also registered at the Royal Hotel. Can you explain your connection to Linda O'Connor and why you were at the hotel?

 "Alex took a deep breath, steadying himself. "Linda was a good friend. I knew her husband from my time in the military. Since his death, I've tried to be there for her and her daughter, Emily."

 "And the Royal Hotel?" Charles prompted, raising an eyebrow."

 Linda mentioned she was meeting someone there," Alex continued. "She had received a mysterious note and was worried. For her safety, I decided to stay at the hotel too, in case she needed help."

 Charles leaned back in his chair, scrutinizing Alex's face. "Did you see or hear anything unusual that night?"Alex hesitated, the memory of his transformation flashing in his mind. "I... fell asleep," he lied, knowing that the footage of his transformation might have been erased. "I didn't wake up until the next morning."Charles nodded, jotting down notes. "Is there anything else you can tell me about the note she received or who she was meeting?"

 "Not much," Alex admitted. "The note was vague. It just mentioned the Royal Hotel and a time. Linda was worried, but she didn't want to involve the police. She thought she could handle it herself."

 "I did check the hotel's CCTV footage," Alex explained. "I saw Linda come out of room 607 with a piece of paper in her hand. I was hoping it might provide some clues."

 Charles leaned forward, interest piqued. "What about the note in Linda's hand? Did you see what it said?"

 Alex shook his head. "No, I didn't get a chance to see the note up close."

 Detective Charles sighed. "Well, because she fell into the canal, the water did quite a damage to the paper. But the forensics team is working on it. They might be able to salvage something."

 Alex nodded, a flicker of hope sparking. "Do you have any leads on who she was meeting?"

 "We're following up on all possible angles," Charles replied. "But right now, it's too early to say."

 Charles sighed, closing his notebook. "Thank you, Alex. We'll be in touch if we need any more information."

 As Alex stood to leave, Charles's eyes locked onto his. "And Alex, if there's anything else you're not telling us, now would be the time."

 Alex met his gaze steadily. "I wish I knew more. I want to find out who did this to her as much as you do." Alex couldn't but suspect the military had hand in this as, what she was looking into might have had to do with what he heared in the military camp.

 As Alex and Detective Charles were leaving the office, Alex's attention was caught by a group of policemen gathered around a computer screen, laughing and pointing at a video on YouTube. He moved closer, his heart sinking as he saw the clip.

 On the screen was a grainy, shaky video of a monstrous figure tearing through the night. Red eyes glowing, claws extended, the creature looked terrifyingly familiar. It was him, in his werewolf form, from the night before. The clip showed him running through the streets, clearly searching for something or someone—Linda.

 "Look at this," one of the officers said. "Some nutjob in a monster suit terrorizing the city. Can you believe this stuff?"

 Alex's mind raced. Someone had recorded him. Was it the woman he saved? How did this video leak? He felt a wave of panic but forced himself to remain calm. He listened intently, hoping to catch more details.

 "Yeah, it's wild," another officer replied. "Looks like it was taken near the old industrial district, not far from here."

 Relief washed over Alex as he realized the video was not close to the Royal Hotel. It was still a risk, but at least his location and actions there hadn't been compromised.

 Alex quickly turned to Detective Charles. "I just remembered, there's something I need to take care of urgently. Can we continue this later?"

 Charles gave him a puzzled look but nodded. "Sure, Alex. Just make sure you stay available. We might need to talk again soon."

 "Of course," Alex replied, trying to sound calm. He left the station as quickly as he could without drawing attention, his mind reeling. Once outside, he leaned against his bike, taking a deep breath.

 Could the woman he saved have recorded him? Or was it someone else entirely? The questions swirled in his head. He needed to find out who had posted that video and why. And more importantly, he needed to make sure no one connected that monster to him.

 His first priority was Linda. He hoped Detective Charles and his team could uncover something from the note she had carried.

 "Emily... Emily!" Alex called as he approached the O'Connor home. The little girl turned towards him, her innocent eyes searching his face for answers.

 "What about Mummy?" she asked softly.

 The nanny looked at Alex, her expression somber. "Emily," Alex began gently, crouching down to her level, "Mummy has gone to a better place, to be with the angels."

 Emily's eyes widened with confusion. "When is she coming back?" she asked, her voice trembling.

 With a heavy heart, Alex swallowed hard. "We will all see each other again one day," he said, his voice thick with emotion. He then distracted Emily with a game, trying to keep her mind off the painful truth. They played together until she was fully immersed in the game, her laughter a bittersweet sound in the somber household.

 The nanny approached Alex, her eyes filled with concern. "I've tried to reach out to her family, but I can't get in touch with anyone. Those I did manage to contact don't want to take responsibility for Emily. She can stay with me for a while, or we could put her in a foster home," she suggested, though the idea made Alex's heart clench with pain.

 "I haven't asked for your name," Alex said, looking at her with gratitude and determination.

 "Zara," she replied softly.

 "Thanks, Zara. I'll take it from here," Alex said firmly. He couldn't bear the thought of Emily being sent to a foster home. He would do whatever it took to keep her safe and secure, just as he had promised Linda and for his Serge O'Connor 

 Zara nodded, a look of relief washing over her face. "I know you will, Alex. Emily needs someone like you right now."

 As Zara walked away to give them some privacy, Alex looked at Emily, who was still happily playing. He knew that the road ahead would be challenging, but he was determined to provide Emily with the love and support she needed. No matter what it took.