Chapter Twelve - Absurdism, Part 3

  I floored the gas as soon as the destination was mentioned by one of the officers. The place where we were headed, and also the scene of the crime, is a seaside warehouse by the name of Good E’s. From the sound of the conversation, the cops have yet to arrive there, so we might get there before them, and by extension, see the Face around there somewhere. This massive time advantage proved to be useful because of that. What we need to focus on right now is not the murder caused by the killer, but the perpetrator herself. I was not willing to let this opportunity go.

  I rushed through the city at top speed, ignoring any traffic lights or stop signs. I was determined to not let this chance slip out of my grasp, because this time, I was prepared. A few broken traffic laws are a cost I am willing to pay in order to solve this god forsaken case. Sylphie held on tight by the handle above the passenger door, thinking that I was about to crash any second, having not a shred of trust in my driving abilities. A few drifts here and there had to be done to clear the corners of certain intersections, throwing her left and right. From her point of view, the driver was a complete madman behind the wheel. However, I felt no such thing, in fact, the correct emotion was relief. Relieved to know that my gamble on May 11th was right, that is what I was.

  I hope for some certainty this time – not something like Linda Miller. I want a definite witness, and also for that witness to be the same person who called the police. I did as much as I could to cut out all the fluff, the rest is outside my means, as unlucky as that is.

  Good E’s is located to the south of the city center where we departed from. Right there, a seaside district lays, and along with it all of the city’s harbor warehouses. If the police call suggests anything, it is that this is a place full of machinery and enclosed spaces optimized for work efficiency, maybe even breaking a few workplace regulations in the process. In other words, it was a bold move for the Flawless to act with. In broad daylight, contrasting the hotel incident, there must have been someone to witness this homicide.

  We were about two minutes away from the harbor, and only more intrusive thoughts amassed in my head. What if there will be something new, something unexpected? What if we are already too late to find anything of use? What if? No, none of these are helpful thoughts. None of these what-ifs are contributing to our hunt. Of course, there will be something unexpected, and we could be late. Even so, I am a detective. And what makes a great detective is not being extraordinary, but being appropriate. The limit of detectives is set by how little they can forget, and not how much they can achieve. At this level of S-tiers, there is no room to go further upwards, we can only remain constant, and that is the real struggle.

  Our arrival marked the count of ’10:44’. Despite that, however, the skylight is the furthest it can be from depicting a time of noon, rather than that, it is cloudy. The sky is cloudy enough to block out any sunlight, providing us with a rather gloomy atmosphere. This is the ideal and somber weather that appears before a downpour – rain will soon commence. The bustling city sounds receded as we moved away from the center of Misult City, providing us with an alternate noise of a high tide crashing against the concrete walls by the coast. The surroundings were especially unwelcoming, showing that they were only made for efficiency and pumping numbers. A few large carrier ships were present and docked, towering over the two small dwarves that Sylphie and I were in comparison.

  We got out of the car as fast as possible. I even parked it right at the closest point to the building as I could. As I recounted the exact time when we heard the police radio, I was relieved to know that it took us a mere four minutes of time to get here. It was a head-start against the police, who were not even here yet. Without further ado, both of us barged inside the structure.

  The inner chambers of the large warehouse building were fitted with several crude production lines with conveyor belts, presumably made for human input instead of machinery. Around the whole area were scattered various items, gadgets and tools that served no purpose but to clutter up the zone. Avoiding any obstacles that found themselves under my feet, I headed all the way to a set of stairs that led into a seemingly important-looking hallway. There was something unusual about this place – no one was here. No panic, no screaming, and no person in sight. I avoided the potential thought of us being too late to even see the Face here, and ventured further up the small metal staircase.

  A small turn to the right later, I have found myself inside a particular section of the warehouse that served as an office, from the looks of it. There was a small balcony overlooking the halted production on the left, and a much more sophisticated office hallway to the right. We headed right, of course, scanning for anything unusual as we dashed past. I held my gun out in case of emergency, showing that I was unafraid to use it against any mask-wearing fiend.

  The hallway twisted to the left with a ninety-degree turn. However, before that turn could be made, something alarming caught my attention. Right by the corner, there were stains of blood. Traces of blood in this MC-13 crime scene? That is preposterous, and so I headed at blitzing speed down the hallway, all the way to the left turn. What I saw next exceeded my expectations in the worst ways possible. Yes, multiple ways.

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  There laid a dead man, supported up against the wall. A circular hole in his neck was leaking blood as we spoke, displaying that the murder weapon might be the one we are looking for – a large handheld nail. However, the state of this man was not the only surprising thing. He was dressed in what seemed to be a robe, that kind of garment that a crazed cultist would wear. Who is this person, and why is he here? Not only that, but why is there a genuine corpse here, and not a paralyzed person placed on a chair?

  “Sylphie, secure this place! Now!” I ordered her to scout the area, which she immediately began doing.

  The entrance that we came from would undeniably be the front entrance, from where there was only one road leading out. If the Face was truly here as the wound of the man suggested, then they must have fled from a potential back entrance. With that theory in mind, I rushed down the office hallways. My eyes have never worked more overtime than now – anything could be a hiding spot. Neither of us were particularly stealthy, I would be unsurprised to learn that the Face is aware of our presence. Regardless, they cannot hide from me. The hallway expanded into a room filled with half-walls and dividers separating the computers, spanning about three meters in every direction. I didn’t even stop here, nor was there anything suspicious. I merely ran by while analyzing the surroundings.

  The killer has no reason to stay here. They are on a run. They are the prey that I am chasing. And I was sure of that, because after a while of running in one definite direction, I started noticing signs of an escapee. A few splattered drops of blood made a clear path for me to follow, presumably from the dead man I left Sylphie with. The trail ended with a backdoor exit, marked with an appropriate sign. They must be close, I felt that notion churn in my gut and pressed on further. After opening the door, my senses were proven to be correct. There she was, the Face ran down the pier in a hurry. I abandoned all reason and vaulted down from a greater height which I could have avoided with the staircase on my left, but there was no time to waste.

  I put all of my strength in my leg muscles in order to run the fastest I ever did. I wasn’t letting her get away this time. Today is a different time than before, Face. I am smarter, and I am faster. Before, I knew not a fact about you. But now, I can confidently state that your wrongdoings end here. These were no lies I told to myself to keep me motivated, for I was catching up. She was in my line of sight in the exact same visage she had in the Trelton Hotel. A white straight-faced mask, and a slick-looking outfit that only made me disgusted. This lady thinks that she is doing something distinguished, something regal. But the opposite is the case – the Face is a filthy killer who kills for the sake of nothing. A person like this is not allowed to roam free.

  I galloped towards her, closing the approximately thirty-meter gap between us at rapid speeds. I was significantly faster, despite my bulky build. She made it apparent that she knew I was behind her with a worried look. I could not see her expression, but there was nothing else to think about. Her expression was fear, I was sure of that. Only fear could be felt when you are being chased by the greatest detective. We only learned of each other mere ten days ago, yet here I am, chasing you from back then, here and now.

  You are the key to this case. Once a live accomplice gets captured, it is only a matter of time until we learn the rest there is to be known. I knew that it would not take long to arrest you, Face. A sullen killer of the likes of you would never evade my sight, not even for a single moment. I screamed towards you, ordering you to stop. But I knew you wouldn’t, it only served to stress you out and slow you down.

  Fifteen meters. At this range, I could pull off a good shot to immobilize her. However, I must abide by the stupid rules that the DPD imposed on us. Ah, yes, the DPD – the only damn thing preventing me from solving this case. It isn’t the Flawless that is the problem, not even the rabbit I am chasing, but the DPD, because of a frantic vendetta they have against me. Screw the rules – I was going to take this chance no matter what.

  My body was exerting the maximum. My legs were producing a ton of strength to keep me going. My lungs were pulling in swaths of oxygen to prevent me from dropping dead. And my eyes – they were filled with fiery rage against everything in my way. The Flawless, the Face, and the DPD. And once this arrest is made, I will personally deal with the rest-

  In a swift motion, the fleeing Face whipped her arm backwards, launching the murder weapon in her hands straight into my shoulder. My whole body seized up in an instant, rendering me unable to continue pursuing her. I tried, my legs were still moving, but that was no use when I stumbled and came crashing into the ground. The pain came soon after as the nail jammed itself inside the tendons of my shoulder.

  It's over. I laid here like a helpless baby, frothing with rage and pain all the same. I could only watch as the heartless killer ran away, not even looking behind at the scene she caused. My arms still wished to claw towards her, and my voice yearned to scream her name. But there was no point anymore. The nail in my shoulder only served as a reminder of my failure – this was caused by me. I was overcome with emotion, blinding me from what truly mattered. I was deathly aware of the weapon in her hands, but my aspirations and hopes clouded my reasoning against the situation. The searing pain is merely a punishment I deserve – I should have remained calm and kept pressuring her. But truthfully, the only person I pressured was myself.

  The rain started pouring in that moment. As I was laying on the concrete road, I could only feel as if this was symbolic of something. My failure, and my collapse, it seems. Compared to a few moments ago, this is peaceful. This is nice. The cold drops of rain hitting my cheeks cooled me down, working like some kind of calming medicine. This is pleasant. This is acceptable, I thought to myself.