Vaelor and Truman went to the Eagle Eye office and submitted the report about Edin's death. According to the medical records, Edin had died because of lung cancer. It was natural, no signs of foul play. At this point, the only remaining clue in the case was Nancy.
We also went to the Nancy's house, but she wasn't there. Only her little sister answered. Truman said I also gave her our contact number and asked her to tell Nancy to call us as soon as she returned. But It didn't seem like they would ever contact us.
Back at the office, Augustin listened to everything carefully. He nodded and said, "You both did well. From now on, I'll personally gather information about Nancy. You can go home."
Vaelor thanked him, but as he stepped out of the Eagle Eye building, a strange feeling settled in his chest. Something didn't add up. One clue still felt unsolved.
Instead of going straight home, Vaelor returned to the Newlife Church. The place was quiet, filled with the soft smell of incense. Sister Allena was there again, arranging books near the altar.
"Excuse me, Sister," Vaelor said. "I'm from special investigation. I came here earlier with my superior. I wanted to ask… do you have any address records of Edin? Anything at all?"
Sister Allena thought for a moment, then nodded. "Wait here."
She went into a small storage room and returned after a few minutes, struggling with a large, heavy notebook. Dust rose as she placed it on the table and slowly opened it, flipping through old pages.
"Yes," she said. "Edin lived at Maridona Street, Building J, third floor."
Vaelor froze for a second. Maridona Street… He lived there too.
Without wasting time, Vaelor headed straight to Maridona Street. Edin's building was just three houses away from Nancy's place. The building looked old, painted in a yellowish-grey color. Every floor was rented out.
Vaelor entered and climbed the stairs to the third floor. Edin's gate was locked—but that wasn't a problem for him.
"Sens estoppel," he whispered.
He passed through the gate easily. Inside, everything was neat and well-maintained. If he died in the hospital from cancer, Vaelor thought, there shouldn't be anything suspicious here.
In front of him was a small hall with a television, a glass table, and bookshelves neatly arranged. Vaelor checked carefully, but nothing seemed out of place. Then he moved into the bedroom.
On the wall above the bed was a poster of a girl. She had a small mole near her lips. Vaelor searched the drawers, under the bed, everywhere—but found nothing.
He sat down on the bed, slightly annoyed. Maybe there really is nothing here.
Then his eyes went back to the poster.
Something was written on it in bold letters.
"I like you, Nancy."
Vaelor's expression changed instantly.
He rushed to the kitchen and opened the fridge.
Inside, floating in a strange liquid, were two human fingers.
Vaelor stepped back, his mind racing. "Now it makes sense…"
Edin also liked Nancy. Just like Carter.
"That means Nancy was Carter's next target," Vaelor muttered. "Edin must've found out. He killed Carter to protect her. They were friends… that's why Carter wrote about Edin in his notebook."
Everything connected now.
"It's too late," Vaelor said quietly. "I need to leave."
He carefully put everything back exactly the way it was, leaving no sign that anyone had been there. Then he took a taxi and went home.
When he reached the house, Perun still hadn't returned.
Vaelor sighed. "Good thing I have a spare key."
He opened the door just as the landline phone started ringing. He picked it up.
It was Serin.
"Perun won't be coming home for a week," she said. "His job needs him to stay away. He asked me to tell you."
Vaelor was stunned. "What? A whole week? How can he do that?"
Serin replied gently, "If you want, you can eat at our place."
Vaelor forced a small smile. "No, it's fine. I don't want to trouble you. I can cook… a little."
After cutting the call, Vaelor felt frustrated and lonely. He went to the kitchen, found some bread, roasted it—almost burning it—and ate it anyway.
"It's bitter," he muttered.
Soon, exhaustion took over, and he fell asleep.
On the other side of the city, Perun had finished dinner with Melody's entire family. He went to the guest room, lay down on the bed, and stared at the ceiling, wondering what Vaelor might be doing at that very moment.
Meanwhile, Vaelor slept deeply.
But the next morning
Chaos broke out in the house.