Drake purchased a motorbike to travel in the territory and left for Cornfield Town where the murders happened. He had replaced a few fog coins for local currency for day-to-day transactions. The entire territory used the same currency established by the empire.
When he reached the town, he went to the local guard's office to inform them that he had taken the case as per the protocols.
"Hi, I am Drake. This is my ID. I have taken the case regarding the recent murders," Drake said as he presented his ID to the senior guard he found inside.
The guard's hands reaching towards his ID momentarily stopped when he heard about the case but then continued as if nothing happened. Drake caught that small detail but didn't point it out.
"Another one," the guard said as he examined his ID. After confirming that it was authentic, he returned it.
"What do you mean by another one?" Drake asked as he put his ID inside his pocket.
"Nothing, just another detective took the same case, a few hours ago," the guard answered.
Drake nodded and asked, "Did anyone else take it before?"
"Yes, a few," the guard answered while looking at some case files. Drake noticed that it was regarding a murder case.
"Did they find anything?" Drake asked, pulling back his focus from the case file.
"No"
"Are they still working on the case?"
"No"
"Why?" Drake couldn't believe that all of them would just give up on the case.
The guard looked up from his files, his eyes serious, he said, "They are all dead."
Drake raised his eyebrows hearing that.
"How?"
The guard looked a bit irritated but the flash of fear in his eyes was telling something else. He warned, "Sometimes asking too many questions is not good."
Drake smiled upon hearing that. He said, "But for a detective, asking questions is part of the job."
The guard thought Drake was one of those hot-blooded youngsters, who are not afraid of anyone.
He sighed deeply and looked around to check if someone was hearing them. When he found that no one was hearing them, he lowered his voice, and said, "Listen, kid, this case is not as simple as you think. This is unlike any simple murder case. There is something big behind it. These murders are the precursors to something big that may happen in the future. Anyone who worked on the case died, including both guards and private detectives who took the case from the mission hall. You shouldn't jump in these muddy waters, you have a long life ahead of you. Don't rush to die."
Drake attentively listened to whatever the guard said. He could tell that he was afraid of whatever was happening in the town, but was unable to do anything about it.
"Thank you for your advice," Drake thanked the guard sincerely as he could tell that the guard warned him for his well-being. He continued with a smile, "But I have decided to take this quest, and I will complete it."
The guard sighed once again. He could tell that Drake had decided to work on the case despite the dangers it presented.
"This is the copy of the case file. This is the most I can do to help you. I gave it to the detective who came before too. Maybe both of you can solve the case together," the guard said as he gave him a file.
"Thank you," said Drake while silently noting the fact that the detective who came before him also took the quest despite the guard's warnings.
After he left the guard office, he rented a room in the inn. As he entered his cheap room, the weight of the case hung heavy in the air. He had superficially looked in the file, the images of the victims were enough to make him frown. Closing the door behind him, he sank on the worn weathered chair ready to read the file on the wobbly table.
The file has information about the seventeen victims who were murdered gruesomely, ten males and seven females. And the seventeenth victim was the one whose file he saw with the senior guard. Those included all the guards and detectives killed later while investigating the case.
All of them were killed the same way. They were killed in their house. Their head and limbs were separated and placed in different locations of their house. A reverse five-pointed star was drawn on their stomach by cutting their skin with a bladed weapon.
None of the victims were related to each other in any way. All of them were too generic. None was high profile. The last guy was an apprentice in a small blacksmith shop.
The murder spree started two months ago. The first victim was a girl who worked as an accountant at a general goods store.
She used to live with her parents. It was her mother who discovered that she had died. She had been in shock since then as she discovered her daughter's severed head in their fridge.
The parents and the guards who came to enquire couldn't believe that she died overnight and no one found out. One of her arms was even found beneath her parents' bed.
When the guards found the reverse five-pointed star drawn with a knife on her torso, they thought it was the deed of some cultist doing some crazy ritual.
The guards also doubted her ex-boyfriend who once threatened to kill her when she broke up with him. He was interrogated but was released later as he had a perfect alibi. The guards were still suspicious of him, but one week later he was killed the same way.
The murders increased even more from there on. From once a week, to twice a week, to thrice a week, and finally five murders in the last week. All the victims were murdered the same way.
Those incidents created panic in the town but it was forcefully suppressed as all the victims were either poor or from the lower class.
The guards who were involved in the case were also found dead in the same manner in their homes. Even the private detectives who took the case either from the town or those who came from outside the town were killed the same way.
It was as if the murderer was warning them to stop investigating the case.
As he looked through the pages, he only found a slew of generic information – names, ages, occupations – all mundane details that failed to capture the horrors of the crime.
Frowning, he sifted through the pages searching for any semblance of a lead. Yet, crucial information seemed to be missing or deliberately obscured. Witness statements were generic and forensic reports were vague at best. It was as if someone had meticulously scrubbed the file clean, leaving only scraps of information behind.
The information given by the senior guard should be generic information prepared for anyone who would decide to take the case later.
In the absence of any clues, he decided to search for new ones himself. He left the inn and proceeded towards James's house. He was the last victim of the strange murders and was murdered the last day.
He proceeded toward the impoverished areas of the town to visit his house.
The house was a modest, weathered structure with peeling paint and a sagging roof. It nestled amidst similar dwellings, each bearing the scars of time and neglect. The windows were smudged as if they had seen too much and couldn't bear to look anymore, while the front porch sagged under the weight of years.
As he approached the house, he raised his hand and gave a firm knock on the weathered door. After a moment, it creaked open, revealing a middle-aged couple standing before him.
The woman had worry lines etched on her face, her eyes darting with apprehension, while the man beside her wore a weary expression, his shoulders slumped as if carrying the weight of the world. "Can I help you?" the woman asked, her voice trembling with emotion.
Drake assumed that they were James's parents.
Drake cleared his throat gently. "I'm here to ask about the recent passing of your son," he said softly, his tone sympathetic yet probing.
The parents exchanged a glance, their faces reflecting a mix of sadness and suspicion. "Didn't one of your colleagues just come and ask us about that a few hours ago?" the father asked, his voice heavy with emotion and suspicion.
Drake understood whom they were talking about. He quickly spun the wheel in his mind to think of a plausible reason. "Yes, of course, they came. But actually, I transferred here, I just came to the town today. I was assigned this as my first case here. My colleague is working in a different direction, so I thought maybe I would be able to find another direction to crack the case."
The couple still looked suspicious but nodded as if to accept his explanation. The father sighed, talking again and again about his son was taking a toll on him. "Our son… It's a difficult time for us," the father replied to Drake's original query, his voice heavy with emotion.
Drake nodded understandingly. "I know this is a tough time for you both, but I need your help to understand what happened. Did your son have any enemies or get involved in any conflicts recently?"
The mother shook her head slowly, her eyes clouded with sorrow. "No, he was a good boy. He didn't have any enemies that we know of."
Drake leaned forward slightly, his eyes focused intently on the parents. "Was there anyone your son spent a lot of time with? Friends, acquaintances, anyone who might have had a reason to harm him?"
The father hesitated for a moment before responding. "He had a few friends, but nothing out of the ordinary. They were good kids."
Drake nodded, jotting down notes in his notebook. "And did your son have any unusual habits or behaviors? Anything that seemed out of character?"
The parents exchanged another glance, their brows furrowed in thought. "No, nothing comes to mind," the mother replied after a moment. "He was a normal boy, just trying to find his way in the world. He was very happy to become Blacksmith Kevin's apprentice and joined his shop after his recent nineteenth birthday when he came of age."
After getting only generic answers, Drake shifted his approach, "Can you tell me more about your son's work and his relationship with his colleagues?"
The parents exchanged a hesitant glance before the father spoke up, "As we mentioned, he worked at Kevin's Weapon Shop and was his apprentice. He was very appreciated by Kevin. He got along well with his coworkers, as far as we know. But he didn't talk much about work."
Drake confirmed that all the information given by the parents matched the case file. "Have you heard of a supposed cult operating in the area?"
The father's eyes widened in alarm and he exchanged another worried look with his wife. "A cult? No, we haven't heard anything about that. We try to stay away from trouble."
Drake nodded, taking note of their responses. He decided to end the interview to not bother the sad parents anymore. He smiled and said, "Thank you for your time. If you remember anything or notice anything unusual, please don't hesitate to contact me." He passed the cell number he purchased with his ID.
With a polite nod, he turned and left, his mind already spinning with the possibilities of the case.