"Ronald, who do you think could be the killer here?"
Adolf, his temples graying, stared at the surveillance screen, constantly pondering over who the murderer could be. Eventually, following his normal deduction, he focused most of his attention on the physically imposing African American Ralph and Max, who was dressed in plain clothes.
Only these two men displayed the physical capability necessary to meet the basic requirement of the murder: to hoist an elderly woman up and forcibly hang her from the pre-prepared rope…
However, as Adolf looked at the old lady hanging motionless in the air, he still harbored some doubts.
He couldn't understand, nor figure out how the killer could accomplish so much in such a small space like an elevator…
Ronald, too, was fixated on the surveillance screen, his mind racing with theories, but like Adolf, he couldn't make sense of it.
"I don't know. What I'm wondering is why the killer wanted to murder this old lady?" Ronald expressed his confusion.
"And this rope used for murder, how did the killer manage to set it up silently and swiftly? It was even tied to the ventilation shaft, something we hadn't noticed before…"
Their initial intention was to deduce who the killer was, but instead, they ended up with more questions. Adolf spread his hands in helplessness.
"I don't know either. Let's leave these questions to the officers."
Ronald didn't respond, his gaze still locked on the monitor.
At that moment, there was a disturbance in the elevator. The lights began flickering erratically, turning on and off.
"Please! Please don't go out!" In the elevator, the most panicked one, a man in a grey suit who appeared out of sorts, Vic, was the first to shout.
Compared to him, the others like Ralph and Max in plain clothes just looked up at the flickering lights, their faces guarded. Both were extremely alert and tense, ready to react to any sound.
"Damn it! What now!"
Abigail, huddled in a corner with her handbag in front of her, watched the flickering lights. Her face showed signs of collapse, fearing she might be the next target as she was the weakest.
The tense atmosphere in the elevator was palpable, even without being there in person.
Although no sound came through, both Adolf and Ronald in the surveillance room could empathically sense the nervousness and fear of the people inside.
Ronald, his brows furrowed, continued to stare at the flickering monitor and picked up the walkie-talkie, pressing the PTT button.
"Hello! Gene..."
At that moment.
In the dim basement.
Maintenance worker Gene, flashlight in hand, was making his way through the metal frames towards the elevator. Hearing the walkie-talkie beep, he picked it up.
"Hello?"
Hearing the response, Ronald looked at the monitor, feeling the growing tension inside the elevator.
"Gene, it looks like there's a short circuit in the elevator, the lights keep flickering. Did you cut the power?"
Gene, looking at the path, felt even more perplexed. He clearly remembered that the wiring was in normal operating condition during the previous inspection.
"No, I'm on my way to the elevator shaft, I can't cut the power."
Hearing this, Ronald looked at Adolf. Both felt a strange sense of unease, as if everything seemed normal but something was amiss.
"The lights keep flickering, and the passengers are scared. Gene, can you speed up a bit?"
"Okay! I'll speed up!" Gene, hearing the conversation through the walkie-talkie, looked ahead at the dark pathway. He put away the walkie-talkie and quickened his pace.
Click, click, click! With faster steps, the only sound in the deathly quiet basement was Gene walking on the metal frames. To someone not accustomed to the environment, it would have raised goosebumps.
Gene, however, was used to it. It didn't take long for him to reach the service area for elevator number six, the one with the malfunction, commonly known as the elevator shaft entrance.
He shone his flashlight into the empty shaft and, seeing nothing unusual, continued walking until he reached a small electrical box and stopped. He opened the box door while picking up the walkie-talkie.
"Hello."
The sound transmitted through a channel echoed in the surveillance room. Adolf was talking to the people in the elevator through the walkie-talkie, assuring them that the line would be restored as soon as possible and calming everyone's nerves.
Ronald, hearing the beep, looked at the monitor and picked up the walkie-talkie.
"Hello, Gene?"
"Ronald, is it still flickering?"
Gene opened the box door, holding the walkie-talkie in one hand and the flashlight in the other. With his experience and solid skills, he immediately noticed that the elevator control box wiring was functioning normally.
Hearing this, Ronald glanced at the still flickering monitor and pressed the PTT button.
"Yes!"
Gene frowned, perplexed by the seemingly normal wiring.
"That's really weird. What could be the problem?"
Despite the strangeness, as a maintenance worker, he had to resolve the issue. Gene pressed the PTT button.
"I'm going to try restarting the control system, see if that helps..."
Ronald looked at Adolf.
Adolf nodded, indicating he heard. He picked up the walkie-talkie and comforted them.
"Due to maintenance, the lights might go out temporarily but will be restored quickly. During this period, the killer won't be able to do much. We're keeping a close watch; the killer would expose themselves if they tried anything…"
This message echoed in the elevator, causing annoyance in the four remaining people.
"NO!!!" Vic, crouched in a corner in his grey suit, shook his head, his face tense.
"Damn it!" Abigail, still keeping her handbag close to her swollen chest, maintained her cursing.
The other two, Ralph and Max, exchanged wary glances.
Max had been watching Ralph all along.
Their eyes met, each cautious of the other.
Seeing Adolf's message communicated to the elevator, Ronald pressed the button and spoke into the walkie-talkie.
"Okay!"
Hearing the response, Gene, by the elevator shaft, turned a switch and then immediately reset it.
This action caused the lights in the elevator to extinguish momentarily, and the monitor screen also went black.
Adolf and Ronald kept a close watch.
"NO!!!"
"Oh my God, please"
"…"
Screams erupted in the elevator.
The next second, the lights came back on, still flickering. The situation in the elevator was the same as before, with no further incidents. Only Abigail screamed, and Vic, in his grey suit, flailed his arms and legs in the air.
"Damn it! It's still not back to normal!"
Adolf cursed under his breath, worried he might not make it to retirement if the situation wasn't resolved.
Ronald felt equally helpless and picked up the walkie-talkie.
"Gene, there's no change in the situation."