When Briannova Carlos chose to be a detective, she hoped that she would be able to solve difficult cases. The moment she pledged to her duties, Nova knew that mysteries in her life will never stop. Cases, some more brutal than the others, disturbed her mind like a serial killer on a rampage. But when he thought he had experienced all the possible mysteries in this town, Detective Briannova Carlos seemed to have made a mistake.
Now, she was following her partner down the deserted halls of DEATH's headquarters. They almost ran down the hall. Her heart pounded wildly insider her ribcage. 'What's the plan of a' to ?! ' He still couldn't understand what was happening or why Nico was in such a hurry.
"Nico, slow down! W-What's really going on ?!"
It did not budge.
Nova's legs are already hurting from running. Recently, they went through the admin office. When he asked the young man what for, he quickly turned the hallway and ran to this place. 'She's going crazy!' But Nova can't do anything if she doesn't follow Detective Nico.
The night was getting darker, but here they were about to solve one of the most complex cases he had ever handled.
And Nova needs to place her trust on her partner.
"We're here," Nico announced.
They stopped running.
"Shit! Could you at least explain your plan first ?!"
Nova gasped as she looked at the door in front of them. When Detective Nova recognized the familiar metal door and high-tech security features, he was even more confused. "I-It's ..." He couldn't finish what he was about to say when Nico suddenly took an access card out of his pocket. He swiped the card and entered the code.
Soon, the giant metal blockade opened, revealing a dark room filled with shelves and cabinets. Her eyes widened when she realized where they were.
"Nico, are you sure not ---!"
"Damn, Sherlock! What are you waiting for ?! We don't have time, Nova!"
He followed Nico into the area. The smell of paper and dust mixed in the air, giving the vault an eerie feel. 'Why are we here?' Tension engulfed the surroundings even more. Nova has a bad feeling about this. Even before Nico could walk away, he quickly grabbed it by the arm. Her sharp eyes rivaled his dark ones. "Nico, why are we here? You've been acting weird since you saw that photo of ---"
"You still don't understand, Nova? Cassio Salvador wanted us here."
Nova was stunned by what it said. Her eyes widened, "W-What do you mean ...?"
Nico carefully pulled out the photo Minnesota Gervacio had taken, along with a parker pen from his pocket. He flipped it over and hurriedly wrote, "The poem .. it was a riddle. Do you remember?
Poor, pretty Gwendolyn,
rotten underground
She cannot break the silence,
no trace, no sound.
She wasn't good with names
nor with their number
for she never liked the way
I am obsessed with order.
Keep quiet, detectives
Gwen can still see me.
She is the heartless killer,
who caused my insanity ... "
"But Cassio doesn't say anything there! The poem just indicates that he blames Gwen for what happened," Nova said confused. Just then, it clicked. He sighed in shock when he noticed the message line, "names ... numbers ... his obsession with orders!"
Nico nodded, "When I heard Minnesota was kidnapped by Heartless Killer, I was suddenly surprised. It never made sense ... until Minnesota told us that she only rescued her friend. She was not Cassio Salvador's target, but her friend. Feralda Castillo. Notice their names. "
Nico showed his writing. Detective Briannova Carlos gasped when she realized it. 'Darn it, why did I just think now ?!'
"We know that Cassio Salvador has been monitoring these women for a long time. But apart from the fact that they are cheating on their relationships, is there any other reason why Cassio chose his victims?" Detective Nico Yukishito smirked and pointed to what he wrote, "If we list down the first names of his victims in chronological order of when they were attacked, we can decipher an interesting message ..."
Covaline
Bonnie
Thami
Feralda
Nico continued, "He's obsessed with the 'order' of these names. If we pay attention to the first letters of their names and how many of these letters are based on their alphabetical order, you'll get .. . "
C = 03
B = 02
T = 20
F = 06
"03-02-2006 ... Does it ring a bell?" Nico flipped the photograph. Only now did Nova see it clearly.
This is a wedding picture. The bride, the groom, and the best man. On the side of the photo, there is a printed date. "03-02-2006, March 2, 2006 --- the date when Gwen and Cassio got married!"
Nova shuddered when she remembered one important thing, "Shit! It's March 1 now, isn't it ?!"
Nico nodded and headed to a cabinet. She has already started digging into some employee files there, "Nova, this has something to do with what happened then. She wants revenge on the man who became Gwendolyn's relationship, and she plans to take her revenge on the date of their 13th wedding anniversary ... The best man in that photograph is the man he is going to kill, and we only have 30 minutes left before midnight. He left us that clue. "
"But why are we here ?! Why don't we just go to ----"
"Nova, look at the names again. Cassio Salvador is really a psychopath who's obsessed with orders. He has another one we want to see ... The C in Covaline is third in the alphabet, isn't it? Try to count which letter in the name 'Covaline' is in third place order. "
Nova's hands shook, "Letter V." The third letter of the name C-o-v-a-l-i-n-e.
"Yup. See the pattern? He really is a bastard to notice the letters' orders in their first names."
Nova tried to decipher the other names.
Covaline.
C = 3
The third letter in her first name is "V"
Bonnie.
B = 2.
Second letter in her first name is "O"
Thami.
T = 20
The 20th letter in her first name, if repeated, is "I"
Feralda.
F = 06
The sixth letter in her first name is "D"
03-02-2006
V-O-I-D
"Bullshit!" Nova was weak and shoved the gun in his pocket. He became alert to the environment. 'What if Heartless Killer is just here?' He already understands everything .. "He plans to take revenge this 13th anniversary of his wife. He's gonna kill the man who took Gwen away from him! So, you think he's gonna kill him here? Do you think HK set up a trap for him? " Nova's voice echoed throughout the Void --- the place where some important company documents are hidden.
'Did HK left us a clue? Is this where he plans to kill his wife's relative? '
Whatever happens, they need to be careful. Time is running out.
"Actually, I think he wants us to find something in here. I don't know what Cassio is planning, but it looks like these documents will help us ..." Nico quickly opened a folder. It contains employee records. They hurriedly glanced at what was written there.
'This doesn't make sense.' Nova seemed to hear a crack. He quickly turned the vault door. She clutched the gun in her hands, and narrowed her eyes at the silence. If she learned one important thing about being a detective, that is to never trust the silence.
Her heartbeat quickened and she glanced again at Nico who was still busy reading.
"Nico, are you sure you can find someone here? Are you sure he's here planning to kill the man who ruined his relationship with Gwen ?!"
Nico didn't say a word. He looked too preoccupied to answer. Even before Nova could speak, she was startled to notice something on the floor. "What the --- ?!"
Everything fell into chaos.
Suddenly thick smoke enveloped them. Nova let go of her gun as she inhaled the smoke. Her gun fell on the metal floor and the noise masked her coughs. Nico gasped when he noticed the smoke. "Damn, Sherlock!" He coughed and held his breath.
Then, they heard the footsteps.
A faint applause they heard as a man in a gas mask appeared from the smoke. The man spoke in a deep and terrifying tone, "Bravo, detectives! You figured it out! Bravo!" He laughed out loud and effortlessly snatched his gun from Nico.
"D-Damn it, you bastard!" The young detective shouted before he fell. Nico and Nova were coughing, struggling to breathe.
The Heartless Killer grabbed their guns, Nico's cellphone, and the access card they used to open the Void's security system. Nova's gaze deepened at the demon in front of them as she waved the access card in the air, "Without an access card, you won't be able to get out of here. You're really good detectives, but you have one mistake in the your conclusion ... "
The Heartless Killer walked away, his voice only a distant echo to Nova's ears.
"... the Void isn't a trap for the bastard who took Gwen's heart away from me. No, detectives! HAHAHAHA! It's a trap for you! Soon this building will collapse, along with a loud explosion which will mark Gwen and me's 13th wedding anniversary --- and will signal the death of the man who ruined our relationship back then. "
Nova felt her head spinning. He is weak and has difficulty standing. His gaze deepened at Heartless Killer, his face still masked.
"H-You won't succeed! You'll pay for everything you've made you demon!"
The serial killer stopped walking and waved at them, "What a shame! Looks like your time is up."
And the Void's giant metal doors closed, locking them inside.
---