The next day, Drake went down from his room in the inn. He saw Colette eating her breakfast. He found out that Colette also stayed in the same inn as him. Last night they reached the inn together and went to their separate rooms to sleep.

“Morning Detective,” Drake greeted with a smile as he joined Colette for breakfast.

“Morning Detective,” Colette greeted back with a smile.

Drake ordered a sandwich for breakfast from the innkeeper. As they were having their breakfast, they saw the senior guard coming towards them with a panicked expression.

“Morning Dan. You don’t look so good,” Drake greeted the senior guard. He had an amused smile on his face as he saw the anxious expression on Dan’s face.

“Hey, Dan. You have some news for us?” Colette asked, also with a slight smile.

Dan looked confused seeing their reactions. He came as soon as possible to give them that news and urge them to leave the case. But as he saw their knowing smiles, his eyes widened as he concluded, “Both of you know about it?”

Drake and Collete merely nodded at his query.

“Hey, none of us did anything, we were at the inn last night,” Drake said with an amused laugh as he saw Dan eyeing them suspiciously.

They quickly finished their breakfast and left the inn. Dan saw on going in a specific direction and he was even more confused as he was sure that they were not lying when they admitted that they knew about that. But he was confused as to how they knew it if they didn’t leave the inn last night.

They reached Stephen’s house after some time.

“Can we investigate the crime scene?” asked Colette.

Dan nodded, “Yes, but don’t take too long. I can’t cover too long for you guys.”

Drake and Colette entered Stephen’s house. There they saw Stephen’s torso lying on the table with a reverse five-pointed star drawn with a bladed weapon on his stomach.

Since his house was small, it was not very difficult to find his other body parts. His head was on the top shelf of his kitchen. His arms were in the bathroom, and his legs were in his bedroom, one beneath his bed and the other one in his cupboard.

“He must be angry that we disrupted his plan,” Colette said as she looked around the house for any clues.

“Ha, he worked hard to prepare those three for the ritual for greater gains but because of us, he had to make do with only two,” Drake said while checking Stephen’s cupboard.

They looked around and as expected they didn’t find anything. The only thing they found was the dolls that Stephen used to pour his anger on.

Dan who was watching their every move exclaimed after hearing them talking, “You know who killed him! Is he the one behind all these murders?”

"Relax, Dan," Drake reassured. "Yes, we know who did it, but he is not the mastermind, that’s someone else."

“Before you ask, yes Stephen was the one who killed James”, Colette confirmed his doubts.

“Do you know who is the mastermind? We will catch that person and put an end to this series of murders,” Dan said excitedly, He even started dreaming of his promotion.

Drake and Colette were amused seeing his reaction.

“We suspect someone, but if he is the one then you can’t catch him. He is too dangerous. Leave it to us,” said Drake with a serious expression. He refused him because he knew that Dan couldn’t bring a strong force to raid the enemy because of the pressure he was facing and taking fewer people would only prove life-threatening for him and those he would bring.

Colette nodded to Drake’s proposal. She agreed with him as when she saw him for the first time, her instincts honed from solving many dangerous cases warned her against him.

She also respected Drake’s decision because she could see that he was a good detective, miles away from her, but still good.

But the main reason for her agreeing to deal with the main perpetrator together with him was also her instincts. When she placed the knife on his throat, she felt she was stared at by a beast. Those bored and calm eyes had hidden an abyss that would devour her whole.

Even in front of the Extraordinary she never felt that way, but a Mortal chosen one made her feel that way. That’s why she decided to partner up with someone for the first time and solve the case with him.

Dan eyes them suspiciously. He pulled them together towards a corner where no one could hear them.

“If you think it's that dangerous, then leave this case. Both of you are good detectives, I don’t want you to die prematurely,” Dan said, or rather almost pleaded.

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

Drake and Colette smiled warmly at him.

“Don’t worry, buddy. Nothing will happen to us. Today is the end for that mastermind,” reassured Drake.

Dan nodded heavily, “Do you need any help?”

They refused and left Stephen’s house. Drake climbed his motorbike and Colette sat behind him. They reached Kevin’s shop again.

As Drake and Colette stepped inside, they noticed the mourning atmosphere inside. Kevin was staring in the distance blankly. Peter looked anxious and Sam just stayed in the background nervously.

They noticed them stepping into the shop. Kevin saw them and then ignored them. Peter looked desperate, he was clearly in a fight or flight mode. Sam just stared at them nervously like before.

“Mr. Kevin, please accept our deepest condolences for your loss,” Drake expressed sympathetically in a gentle tone.

Kevin just nodded. “It was true I was disappointed with him. But in the absence of my own family, I considered him my only family. But now he…”

Colette put her hand on his shoulder sympathetically.

Earlier when Kevin opened the shop, he noticed that Stephen didn’t come to the shop and he always used to come on time. After waiting for some time, he called him, but the phone was picked up by someone else. That person was one of the town guards who informed him that Stephen was murdered by someone. He had been in that state since then.

“Mr. Kevin, I understand that nothing can bring back Stephen, but I am determined to help you find justice for him. We believe his murderer may be linked to the recent string of killings plaguing the town. We have a lead, but to bring this killer to justice, we need your assistance,” Colette said solemnly.

Kevin's eyes narrowed, a mixture of grief and determination flashing in his gaze as he listened intently to Colette's words. With a solemn nod, he replied, "I'll do whatever it takes to bring his killer to justice. You can count on me, Detectives."

"Before we proceed further, there's one more crucial piece of information we need to share with you, Mr. Kevin," Drake announced solemnly, his tone conveying the gravity of the situation.

Kevin nodded solemnly.

“We found evidence from Stephen’s house proving that he was the one who killed James,” Drake continued.

“Wha… Why?” Kevin could barely say anything. His favorite apprentice was killed by his apprentice whom he considered family.

“It was like you said. He was envious of James’s talent.”

A lone tear fell from Kevin’s eyes as he heard that. “It’s all my fault. I should have given more attention to them,” Kevin blamed himself.

“Mr. Kevin now is not the time to blame yourself. We still need to look for Stephen’s killer,” Colette reminded gently.

Meanwhile, Peter was pale from fear. As both the detectives turned their faces towards him, he almost peed his pants.

“Peter, where were you last night?” Drake asked sternly. Kevin’s eyes widened as he thought of the implications of that question.

“I was at my house last night. I didn’t kill Stephen. I promise. Please believe me. I didn’t kill him,” Peter explained desperately before they even him that question.

“But Peter, as we have found, you have the motive to murder him. You didn’t like Stephen, and when you found that he killed your best friend, James, you killed him in a fit of anger the same way he killed James” accused Colette.

“No, it's false. Who said I didn’t like Stephen? We were great friends. Moreover, I only found out right now that he killed James from you,” Peter explained desperately.

“Oh really,” Drake smiled amusedly, “I didn’t know that great friends bully and beat each other.”

Peter's eyes widened.

“I saw what happened between you and Stephen yesterday,” Drake continued with a smile.

Peter secretly glared at Sam as if blaming him for telling them, but Sam hurriedly shook his head discretely to indicate he didn’t say anything. Of course, the other three noticed their secret interactions.

“Th-that was ju-just playing around between friends,” stuttered Peter. But no one believed him. Kevin watched him with a disappointed look.

“I swear, I didn’t kill him. I was at my house last night. Yes, yes, yes, you can ask my parents, they can prove that I was at my house the whole night,” Peter vehemently protested, his voice tinged with desperation and fear.

“Of course, we will ask them. You don’t have to worry. But for now, we will believe that you didn’t kill Stephen,” teased Colette, her tone laced with skepticism as she emphasized the words "for now".

Drake turned his attention back to Kevin and said, “Mr. Kevin, for now, Peter is still a suspect. But we need your help regarding Stephen.”

Kevin merely nodded to show his support.

"We believe that he might have had some outside help. Do you know any of his friends or someone else who might have helped him or influenced him to make that decision?" Drake inquired, his voice steady but probing. "It's possible that he was also connected to the recent string of murders happening in the town. Perhaps he was silenced to stop the trail to them. We cannot ignore that possibility."

Kevin's gaze hardened as he heard that, and then he took a deep breath.

"I shouldn’t have left him on his own. It’s my fault. I found that he made friends with some unsavory people. I warned him once but didn’t bother to check again. It might be them," Kevin admitted, his voice heavy with guilt and regret.

“Yes, they might be related to the case. Can you tell us where to find them?” Drake inquired.

“Yes, I know, as they have come to my shop to buy weapons,” Kevin answered, “But I must remind you that they are a very dangerous group of people.”

“Don’t worry Mr. Kevin. They are just a bunch of thugs,” dismissed Colette.

Kevin nodded. “But please let me come with you. I ignored Stephen and pushed him onto a path of no return. But now I want to atone. So, please let me help,” he begged.

“Mr. Kevin, it's not that we don’t mind, but as you said, they are very dangerous, we don’t want to put your life in danger,” implored Colette to let Kevin change his mind.

“Don’t worry, detective. I hammer iron every day with these hands, hammering some thugs is no big deal if the need arises,” Kevin boasted.

“Then, thank you, Mr. Kevin,” thanked Colette.

Kevin's car rumbled to life as he pulled away from the shop. Drake and Colette wasted no time and quickly mounted Drake's bike, the engine roaring to life beneath them as they followed Kevin to the town’s slum area.

With each passing moment, the tension in the air grew palpable. But Drake and Colette remained undeterred, their resolve unshakable as they followed Kevin into the heart of the slum area, ready to confront whatever dangers awaited them there.