The next day at work, Jubilee couldn't concentrate on the surveillance footage she was supposed to be monitoring. Instead, she drummed her fingers against the desk where she sat, staring out the window and thinking over everything she'd learned about Law from the night before.

This whole time she’d held out on telling him everything she could see because she didn't trust him. Because I barely knew him, she thought, a little defensively. But now that she understood the detective a little better, thanks to Wayne…maybe it was time to be more transparent. Perhaps that would help them to finally make some headway on this case.

"Miss Wong," Law's voice interrupted her thoughts. "I hope you are focusing on your job."

“Yes.” Jubilee turned to him. “I think it’s time for me to tell you exactly what I’ve seen so far.”

Law looked up from the folder of documents he'd been shuffling through, his gaze locking with hers.

She continued, "You already figured out that I've seen the demon vanish from Zhengyi's side twice already. Well, the other thing is that she may be able to sense when it is or isn't with her."

Law's expression remained neutral. "What makes you say that?"

"The first time I saw the demon vanish was on-camera, and I saw her nodding right before it did," Jubilee explained. "Which could've just been a coincidence, but…the only other time I've not seen that thing with her was when she came out of the club on Friday night. And, like I said then, she had looked relieved. Plus," Jubilee remembered, "The dark haze around her was lighter."

"Dark haze?" Law repeated.

"Her aura," Jubilee clarified. "I always just figured it was dark because of the demon being near her, so I didn't bring it up before."

Law gave a slow nod, indicating for her to continue.

"Something else I think I saw that night," she went on, "Was something weird happening with her aura while she was standing in line. I don't know how to explain it, but it looked like it was clotting up. And the same thing was happening with that other guy's aura. Liu something-something." She fumbled to remember the man's name. "Mustache man."

"Liu Xiaozheng," Law said, his gaze unwavering. "What exactly does that signify?"

Jubilee faltered. "I don't know."

He observed her for a second in silence. "And what does it mean when someone's aura becomes lighter?"

She bit her lip. "I don't know that either. I’d never seen it before."

The detective continued to regard her with a hard, scrutinizing look that made her feel self-conscious. "But Yang Zhengyi's aura is darker whenever the demon is with her?" he asked.

"Yes," Jubilee said, relieved to have an answer to give at last. "I imagine it's probably an indication of demonic oppression."

Law steepled his hands in thought. "Well, Miss Wong," he said after a moment, "Based on your experience, do you have any conjectures as to how this might relate to the case?"

She hesitated before looking back at the monitor playing footage of Zhengyi. Beside the girl, the demon strolled, and around them in the city streets there churned a confusing myriad of colorful auras and other vague figures following passersby.

For all that Jubilee could see, it didn't matter much if she could make no sense of it. She'd thought she could contribute to the case by sharing what she knew, but it'd become apparent just how little that actually was.

"I—I'm trying, but I can't understand anything I'm seeing," she admitted, a bit crestfallen. "I’m sorry. It seems that even with everything I can see, it’s not very helpful.”

“How do you mean?” Law sounded inquisitive, not reproachful.

Jubilee sighed and pointed at her screen. “Well, there’s Zhengyi with a black haze around her and a ten-foot-tall demon following her, as usual.” Her finger shifted to other pedestrians on the street. “There’s a man with two grayish clouds hovering over him. Here’s a woman with something red and snakelike coiled around her. And this little boy has an angel standing behind him.” Her hand dropped, and she slumped back against her chair. “I could go on, but what’s the point? I can’t tell which parts, if any, are relevant to the case.”

Law gazed down at her, his eyes pale and piercing. “You can see all that?”

“Yes,” Jubilee huffed, “But I can’t see a connection between any of them—if there even is one. So I can’t see how any of it might relate to the investigation. And I can’t see how that girl and that demon are connected, either.”

The detective observed her for a moment longer. “Ironic,” he said finally. “For you to contradict yourself by saying that you can’t see, three times in a row, immediately after detailing just how much you can see.” He leaned down, his eerie eyes boring into her. “Has anyone ever told you that you don’t give yourself enough credit?”

Jubilee stared back, a little stunned. Was that a compliment?

“Miss Wong,” Law continued, “Might I suggest that you are, in fact, much more competent and capable than you are making yourself out to be, that you have plenty to contribute to the case, and that you ought to—as some people might put it—buck up.”

Jubilee blinked. He had an off-putting way about it, but it seemed like he was actually trying to encourage her. Wayne was right—the man didn’t really think badly of her, after all. In fact, he might even be giving her too much credit at the moment.

“Thanks,” she said hesitantly. “But I’m not like you, Mr. Law. We both know that I’m not as smart as you.” It was an obvious statement but humbling to admit aloud. “I don’t know how to connect the dots between everything I see. And, despite being able to see more than most people, I still struggle to see the big picture.” A bitter laugh escaped her. “Honestly, maybe you should’ve gotten my ability instead.”

Law lifted a shoulder. “I was given other abilities. As you said, I have far greater intelligence than you.” He caught the sharp look she shot him. “Though, at the same time, I am not as gifted at communicating well. That’s why I hired someone else to do most of it.”

She smiled.

“So,” the detective continued, “There’s no use comparing our respective abilities, seeing as how we cannot trade. ‘Having gifts that differ according to the grace given us, let us use them,’ as Romans twelve-six says.”

Her smile dropped a bit. The guy had memorized scripture, too? But he’s right, she thought. There are many parts, but one body. That was one verse she remembered, though she couldn’t recall the exact citation.

Part of her just wanted to buckle down and keep doing what she could by herself until she finally figured something out. But Law was undeniably more skilled than her when it came to deduction, and she needed that ability in tandem with hers if she wanted to make any progress. Ironic though it was, he also seemed way better than her at this whole Bible thing, which chafed a bit. But maybe it was time to swallow her pride.

Taking a deep breath, she said, “Will you help me? Help me learn to understand what I see. To do what you do…to take the things that I see, and string them together into something that actually makes sense.”

There was a long silence, as though the detective was measuring what to say. He’d probably never expected her to ask for assistance—which was fair, because she hadn’t either.

Finally, he spoke. “Look for patterns and similarities. Then, compare and contrast any differences you find. Coax out the connection between all the different pieces, like a jigsaw puzzle. That is how you see the big picture. That is how you do what I do.”

She mulled this over. “That sounds...easier said than done,” she said, a little sullenly.

He walked back to his desk then, and for a moment Jubilee thought he’d given up on her already. But then he returned, rolling his chair over before taking a seat. “There are many moving parts and mechanisms behind this job, Miss Wong,” he said, as Jubilee moved out of the way to give him room. “But there are tried and true tools of deduction that are almost always worth utilizing. Here.” He tapped her computer screen. “Pull up one of the earliest footage videos of Yang Zhengyi that you have viewed thus far, along with a more recent one.” After she did so, he instructed, “Now play them side by side.”

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A video of Zhengyi from months earlier, walking to campus with the demon beside her, played alongside footage of her from the other evening when they’d been tailing her just before she entered the mall. Jubilee stared between the two videos. Now that they were beside each other, the difference was obvious. “It definitely changed,” she murmured.

“What did?” Law sounded intrigued but not surprised.

“The haze around her. It’s darker and more opaque in the second video.” Jubilee sat back, baffled. How did I not realize that at the time when we were there? Even as she thought about the question, she knew the answer. It was because it hadn’t been clear to see until compared and contrasted with earlier footage, like Law had suggested she do.

The detective was quiet with thought. “Look again, Miss Wong,” he said after a minute. “Try to see exactly what makes the later footage look different.”

Jubilee bit her lip. She couldn’t see more than she already could—could she? Not without help, she realized, glancing over to Hellenos in the corner, who nodded encouragingly. Letting out a long breath, she closed her eyes. Dad…she thought, before faltering. It had been so long since she had talked to him, instead of just about him. Would he answer her? Sorry, she began again, hanging her head. For being disconnected lately. But if you’ll give me another chance—help me to see what you see.

Opening her eyes again, she looked at the two Zhengyis on screen. Then, almost imperceptibly, the aura of the one in the later video shifted and sharpened into... “The clots!” Jubilee exclaimed. “That’s why her aura is darker. The clots started accumulating as early as when we were at the mall.” So, they hadn’t been her imagination, after all. In fact, they were vividly clear now—like blobs of black soot mixed with mud, revolving around Zhengyi amidst the expanse of her aura.

Jubilee sat back, dumbfounded. How had she been completely unaware of this when they were at the mall? Why had it not become obvious until later, at the club?

Quickly, she opened another video file of Zhengyi waiting outside the club, then played it alongside the video of her outside the mall. Ah-hah. That’s why. Jubilee turned excitedly to Law. “The clots increase when she gets to the club.”

The detective pressed a slim finger to the screen, indicating another figure in the line. “And Liu Xiaozheng?”

Jubilee looked. “He...I think he has them too.” Or he did, didn’t he? She rubbed her eyes.

Law leaned forward and opened the same video file of the scene outside the club, so that a duplicate of it popped up beside the first. Then, fast-forwarding the second video to ten minutes in, he hit play on both videos and sat back. “Well?” he said after a moment.

Jubilee watched the two Liu Xiaozhengs onscreen, one further ahead in line than the other. “Yes,” she said slowly. “The clots show up in his aura, too. But only—” She rewound the second video and fast-forwarded the first. When Liu Xiaozheng’s aura started to look the same in both—equally dark, and with a small smattering of clots—she hit pause. “Starting around here.”

“And what changes there?” Law’s unblinking gaze studied her when she hesitated in thought. “Play them again, Miss Wong.”

She did, glancing to where Zhengyi stood onscreen. The demon had bent to be level with the girl as though to whisper in her ear. Jubilee’s breath hitched.

“What do you see?” Law instantly drew closer, scrutinizing Jubilee’s expression up close.

Still staring at the screen, Jubilee was too preoccupied to be perturbed by his sudden proximity. “I think the demon spoke to Zhengyi. That’s not abnormal in and of itself,” she hurried to clarify. “I’ve seen demons do that sort of thing before, and humans don’t have a clue. But this happened right before Liu’s aura started clotting up.” Her brow furrowed. “What could that mean?”

Law said nothing for a long moment, and Jubilee finally turned to look at him. It struck her then just how close he was. He stared at the screen, paying her no attention as his mind worked. Lights and colors danced and twined together above his head.

How did I never notice that before? she thought, baffled. It suddenly hit her that she’d never allowed herself to truly look at him and see him—the way she saw everything else—until this moment. And it had all been out of her initial dislike for him, which had blinded her to the fact that she’d never yet fully looked at him in the spirit.

His usual gray aura hung like a heavy veil over him, several shades darker than the color of his eyes. But there was something underneath it that made her breath catch. Beyond the gray flashed occasional, sporadic spurts of dazzling color and soft light, like stars hiding behind a cloud. She caught sight of an obscure gleam that was bright and beautiful and which her brain couldn't quite fathom. Feeling strange, she looked away, blinking hard to dissipate an odd and foreign sensation of gentle warmth.

Law didn't notice any of this—or if he did, he didn’t seem to care. Instead, he lurched forward from his seat to grab the mouse again, his shoulder knocking hers in the process. She flinched at the contact, suddenly nervous. He didn't apologize, however, and instead pulled up another video. It was dated three months earlier.

“What do you see here?” he asked, pointing at the image of Zhengyi seated at a table, in what looked to be an ice cream parlor. A man sat before her and the demon loomed to her right.

Jubilee blinked. “Clots in her aura.” They were dense and heavy, almost as though they were weighing the girl down.

“As I anticipated,” the detective murmured, then pointed to the man. “And here?”

“The same clots, but fewer.” Jubilee’s brow furrowed. “Who is that?”

“Ai Bing, the first suicide victim listed in the case file.” Jubilee turned to Law with wide eyes, but he motioned back towards the screen. “Keep watching and tell me what else you see. I suspect it may be something…notable.”

She nodded and eyed the footage with rapt attention. Zhengyi appeared to be talking. It was hard to make out the expression on the man’s face, but he sat hunched over, not meeting the girl’s eyes. Then, Zhengyi leaned over, placed a hand on his arm, and said something else.

Jubilee’s eyes grew round as the clots in Zhengyi’s aura rapidly streamed into the man, like a raging river of muddy water, debris, and darkness. “What in the world?” Jubilee gasped.

Law leaned in close. “What is it?”

Jubilee didn’t answer as, onscreen, the demon stepped from Zhengyi’s side and over to the man, whose aura had coagulated from the clots until it looked almost solid. Zhengyi stood then and, without another word or glance at Ai Bing, left the shop. The demon didn’t follow her.

Alone at the table, the man lowered his head into his hands.

“Miss Wong,” the detective pressed. “What did you see?”

“The clots,” Jubilee whispered. “And the demon. They…transferred. From her to him.”

"Indeed,” he said thoughtfully. “What else? Can you determine any methodology behind Zhengyi’s actions—something to suggest a cause of subsequent death other than suicide? Some kind of discreetly administered drug, perhaps?”

“Give me a minute,” she said, frantically grabbing the mouse. She rewound the footage and watched again. Once more, the clots, like chunks of dirt getting sucked through a large tube, leaped from Zhengyi to Ai Bing. But, this time, Jubilee detected something else—a small, subtle stream of clots flowing first from the demon to the girl and then into the man.

As the demon stepped from Zhengyi’s side over to the man’s, a wide grin stretched across its thin, dark lips. Then, it tilted its head at Zhengyi, as though in a nod of confirmation, and the girl returned it with the slightest dip of her own head just before she stood to leave—her aura lighter, now that it was free of the clots.

Jubilee’s eyes didn’t leave the screen, but her heart plummeted with dreadful revelation. She was sure now, without a shadow of a doubt, that that girl was knowingly involved with the demon—and, it seemed, the deaths. The reality of that harsh and bitter truth settled like a weight in the pit of Jubilee’s stomach. She lowered her head into her hands, her breath shallow.

All this time, she’d made it her mission to look for evidence that would acquit Zhengyi Yang of guilt. She’d even thought it was her purpose for being here. But now, seeing the truth with her own eyes, Jubilee realized it might be just the opposite—to bring this demonically oppressed girl to justice.

The thought brought a sour taste to her mouth.

“I don’t know about the cause of death,” Jubilee whispered. “But I do know who she’s taking orders from.”

She felt Law’s eyes dart to her. “Who?”

“The demon.”

The detective went silent.

“I know it sounds crazy, but...they’re definitely interacting,” Jubilee continued. “I’ve witnessed it happen multiple times now, both in person and on video.”

Law took a moment to speak. “So, you are positing,” he said slowly, “That the one who is ultimately behind all the deaths is not a human—but a demon.”

“Well—yeah. I mean, what if that is technically always the case in these kinds of situations?” Jubilee’s eyes grew wide as she continued, “And what if those clots are an indicator of who the demon targets? Of who is about to die?”

“We cannot arrest a demon,” Law said flatly. “But your latter statement, at least, overlaps somewhat with my deductions. It does, however, leave the question of why these ‘clots’ would be on Yang Zhengyi herself.”

Jubilee considered this. “Maybe they need to be transferred to the target? And that’s what...kills them, somehow?”

Law slowly raised an eyebrow. “Death by invisible clots? We need a tangible cause of death, Miss Wong.”

“Okay, I need to flesh that out some more,” she admitted. “I know it doesn’t line up with Liu Xiaozheng still being alive, either.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t say that,” Law said.

She looked at him. “What do you mean?”

He gestured at the footage. “Ai Bing died three days after the date of this footage. I hypothesize that deaths aren’t instantaneous after this…supernatural transfer that you witnessed, and that Liu Xiaozheng will still die—at some point.”

Jubilee gaped at him. Just then, a voice interrupted from the doorway in Mandarin. “Excuse me.”

Jubilee looked up. It was the police officer who Law had had arrest her. What was his name again?

“Officer Chang,” the detective greeted. “How can I help you?”

“I didn’t mean to interrupt,” the older man said gruffly. “But Chief Yue said to let you know right away that the Ministry of Public Security will be officially undertaking this case with you.”

Both of Detective Law’s eyebrows lifted, the most off-guard Jubilee had seen him.

“The Chief is out of the province now,” Chang went on. “But he will be back next week, so expect to meet with him then. A few other officers, including myself, will also be present.”

“There must be some mistake,” Law said. “This is a private case and of little interest to Chief Yue or the rest of the MPS.”

“That was true,” Officer Chang conceded. “Until some high-roller CEO was found dead in a hotel room this morning, seemingly by suicide, and his wife filed a report to us suspecting foul play. Since the circumstances of the victim’s death make your case overlap with ours, Chief Yue wants to collaborate. Thanks to her late husband, the wife holds a lot of sway with the MPS. ”

Law’s gaze had locked with Jubilee. She could discern a knowing glint flash over his head as he asked, “What was the deceased's name?”

“You might have heard of him,” Chang said. “Liu Xiaozheng.”