Lauren entered the expansive premises of the National Division of Investigations. She had one objective in mind for her visit to the office that day: to obtain her mother's case file.
As soon as she stepped inside, she noticed the curious gazes of her colleagues in the office.
"Lauren!" Stephanie, her partner, called out as soon as she spotted her.
"Well, hello to you too, partner. How kind of you to grace us with your presence today," Stephanie uttered sarcastically.
Lauren rolled her eyes in response before making her way into the tactical room.
"Why am I being stared at?" Lauren inquired of Stephanie.
"Oh, that. Well, you can't blame them. They just discovered that our dear captain is the niece of one of the wealthiest and most influential families in the country—the Benneth family," Stephanie replied enthusiastically.
"Oh, that," Lauren replied dismissively, returning to her task.
A few minutes later, her phone rang. "Good morning, Director Shaw," Lauren greeted.
"Yes, sir. I'll be there in a minute," Lauren replied before ending the call.
"I'm going to see Director Shaw," she announced to Stephanie and departed.
"Come on in," a voice from within the office beckoned. With a turn of the doorknob, Lauren pushed open the door and stepped inside.
"Please have a seat, Agent. How have you been?" Director Shaw greeted.
"I'm fine, sir," Lauren responded, taking her place in the chair.
"We received a call from your aunt, Veronica Benneth, excusing your absence last week, stating that you had fallen ill for a few days. I hope you are feeling better now?" the Director asked.
"I have recovered, sir," Lauren confirmed.
"Good, good! It's wonderful to have a fully fit captain back with us. Welcome back," the Director expressed warmly.
"Thank you, sir," Lauren replied. Before leaving the office, she sought permission from the Director to visit the file archive and retrieve a specific file.
"Very well. Present this note to the officer in the archive room," the Director said, handing her a small note bearing his signature.
"Thank you so much, Director," Lauren expressed her gratitude before departing.
A few minutes later, Lauren found herself in her office, clutching her mother's case file in her hands. Calmly settling into her chair, she opened the file, revealing a photograph of her dear mother.
Running her finger gently over her mother's face, she felt a tightening in her chest as fresh waves of anguish washed over her. However, she needed to verify the truth. Gingerly, she turned a page, only to be confronted with multiple pictures of her mother's lifeless body lying in a pool of blood.
Examining the wound on her mother's neck closely, Lauren paused, as something about the injury seemed eerily familiar. Closing her eyes in concentration, she tried to recall where she had encountered such a wound before.
"Of course," she murmured to herself, reaching for her phone and dialing a number.
"Hello," a calm voice answered on the other end.
"Hi, Dr. Derek. This is Lauren Turner," she stated.
"To what do I owe the pleasure?" he inquired.
"I'll get straight to the point and please don't lie to me. The wound on my neck during the raid in Italy... It was from a vampire bite, wasn't it?" she asked, her voice filled with anticipation.
There was a momentary silence on the other end before Derek responded.
"Yes, it was indeed a vampire bite," he confirmed.
"Who was this vampire?" she inquired, holding her breath as she awaited his answer.
"Mazariou. He was the vampire whom Damien killed that night for what he had done to you," Derek revealed.
Hearing the name Mazariou triggered a flood of memories from that fateful night in Italy, causing Lauren to experience a temporary feeling of dizziness as the recollections overwhelmed her.
"Lauren, are you alright?" Derek asked, his voice tinged with concern.
"I'm fine. Thank you for sharing the information," she replied.
"You're welcome," Derek responded.
"Also, please ask Damien if he could swing by my house today to pick up his suit jacket. He forgot it last night," Lauren requested.
"Unfortunately, Damien is indisposed at the moment, Why don't I send you his address so you can drop it off with his butler?" Derek suggested.
"Oh, I see... alright, send it over," Lauren agreed before ending the call.
Examining the photograph once again, she became increasingly convinced that her mother's killer was a vampire, not the result of an animal attack as indicated in the official report.
Turning to the last page of the file, she was taken aback to discover the name of the officer who had spearheaded the investigation at that time. Clutching the case file tightly, she stormed towards his office.
"Director Shaw, were you the officer in charge of my mother's murder case?" she confronted him as soon as she entered his office.
The director looked up, sighing, as he removed his glasses and motioned for her to take a seat.
"Is that the case file you wanted to examine?" he inquired, noting her determined expression.
"In response to your question, yes, I was the officer overseeing the case, and I ultimately closed it," he confirmed.
"You stated that it was an animal attack, but this report does not specify the type of creature or whether it was captured. Additionally, there is no CCTV footage attached," she stated matter-of-factly.
"That's because we couldn't locate it. I led the team that thoroughly searched the entire city, but we were unsuccessful in finding any trace of the creature. As for the CCTV footage, it was peculiar that there was no footage captured at all," he recounted.
"That's because it wasn't an animal," she thought to herself.
"Perhaps it was a deliberate and premeditated attack, and someone intentionally tampered with the footage. What if it wasn't an animal attack?" she questioned him further.
"Well, that was a thought that crossed my mind at the time. That's why I pursued the case until I reached a dead end... Why are you looking into your late mother's case? Do you know something we don't?" he inquired, seeking answers from her.
"No, I simply wanted to uncover what truly transpired that day. That's all," she replied.
"Hmm, alright... Do you have any more questions?" he asked, reclining behind his desk.
"No, sir," she responded, before departing from his office.
Around 6:30 PM, Lauren left the agency and drove off, determined to review the CCTV footage herself.
Parking her car by the side of the street, she glanced across the road and realized that this was exactly where she had parked her car in her dream. Taking it as a sign that she was on the right path, she stepped out of her car and crossed to the other side of the road.
As dusk settled, she aimed to conclude her investigation before heading back home.
Standing near the dimly lit alley where her mother's body had lain in her dream, she carefully observed her surroundings. Various locations were equipped with CCTV cameras, so she captured photographs of each one.
While she was still examining the area, her phone began to ring. "Hi, Chloe," she answered.
"No, I haven't returned yet. I'm still in the field, but I'm almost done... Alright, wait for me. I will pick you up at the office soon," Lauren informed Chloe on the other end.
Remaining vigilant, she pretended ignorance of the intruders and tucked her phone into her back pocket, leaving the call connected.
Drawing her gun from its holster, she swiftly pivoted towards the lurking shadow in the darkness.
"Who are you, and why are you following me?" she demanded, pointing her weapon at the intruder.
"Come with us peacefully, and we won't harm you. Resist, and I can't guarantee your safety against them," the intruder said, stepping out of the shadows.