The Number One Star in the Interstellar Era

Chapter 795: THE SHADOW WITHIN (IV)

DETECTIVE Lewis walked through the corridor of Greyhaven Central Hospital with his badge clipped to his coat where people could see it. The Psychological Services wing was much quieter than the other parts of the building. Soft lights lit the hallway. Most of the doors stayed closed. Voices were low when anyone spoke.

He stopped in front of an office door. A small sign next to it read: Dr. Nathaniel Stevens, Psychiatry.

Lewis knocked firmly, and a calm voice answered from inside. ”Come in.”

He opened the door and stepped inside, closing it behind him. The office was orderly, almost too neat. Shelves held rows of medical texts arranged by size. Certificates hung in straight lines on the wall. A desk sat centered with careful symmetry.

A man sat behind it. His black hair was combed back, neat and clean. Silver-rimmed glasses sat on his face, the frames catching the soft light. He wore a white doctor’s coat over a crisp white shirt and a black tie. His dark eyes studied something on a slim virtual display in front of him. Every part of him looked carefully put together.

Lewis reached inside his coat and held up his badge. ”Dr. Stevens?” His voice was calm but direct. ”Detective Adrian Lewis, Greyhaven Police Department.”

Dr. Stevens rose from his chair in a smooth, polite motion. ”Detective. How can I help you?”

Lewis put his badge away but stayed standing. ”Did you know a Miranda Kessler?”

The moment Lewis said the name, something changed in Dr. Stevens’s calm face. He stayed polite, but his posture stiffened a little. It was clear he recognized who Lewis was asking about.

”Yes,” he said. His voice stayed calm, but there was a quiet tension in it now. ”She’s my patient.” A faint crease appeared between his eyebrows as he waited for Lewis to continue.

Lewis looked at him for a moment before speaking again. ”Then I’m sorry to tell you she was found dead this morning.”

Lewis watched Dr. Stevens closely after giving him the news. He looked for any small reaction, anything that might show on his face. But the doctor stayed calm. His expression didn’t change. He slowly sat back down in his chair. No shock. No panic. Just a slow breath in and then out.

”I see,” Dr. Stevens said quietly. A hint of sadness touched his voice. ”That’s unfortunate.”

Lewis pulled a chair forward a little and sat down. He kept his eyes on Dr. Stevens the whole time. ”You don’t look surprised.”

”I’m a psychiatrist, Detective. People in my line of work learn to control their reactions.” The doctor’s fingers laced together on the desk, perfectly still. ”Though I assume you didn’t come here just to inform me.”

Lewis leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on his knees. ”No. I came because Miranda Kessler’s file had your name all over it. You were her primary therapist for the last eight months.”

”That’s correct.”

”Care to tell me what you discussed in your sessions?”

Dr. Stevens tilted his head slightly. ”Patient confidentiality applies even after death, Detective. But if you have a warrant, I’ll cooperate fully.”

Lewis did not blink. ”I could get one. But it’d be easier if you just told me what I need to know now.”

For the first time, something moved across the doctor’s face. It wasn’t fear. It wasn’t guilt. It looked almost like mild amusement.

”Easier for you, perhaps.” He leaned back in his chair. ”I’ll save us both the time. Miranda suffered from severe paranoia. She believed someone was watching her. Given how she died, it seems she wasn’t wrong.”

Lewis’ hand hovered over his Terminal. ”Did she ever name who she thought was following her?”

”No. Delusions of persecution rarely come with concrete details.”

The room grew quiet again.

Lewis studied him closely, watching for any sign of hesitation. He looked at the doctor’s hands for tension, watched his breathing for any change. Dr. Stevens held his gaze without looking away. His expression stayed calm and even.

After a moment, he finally straightened up. There was nothing more to get from this conversation. At least, for now. ”We’ll be in touch, Doctor.”

Dr. Stevens gave a polite nod. ”Of course. My door is always open.”

Lewis stood up and took one last look around the office. Then he walked out into the hallway. When the door clicked shut behind him, he thought about how calm the doctor had stayed through the entire conversation. It could have been just his training. But something about it felt off. He had nothing solid to go on, so pushing further now would not help. It’s better to leave for now and come back later if something turned up.

***

The investigation continued, but no new information came up.

For three days, Detective Lewis and his team explored every possible angle of the case. They reviewed surveillance footage from the streets surrounding Miranda Kessler’s apartment and the underpass where her body was found, tracked her transit logs, questioned coworkers at the Municipal Records Department, and checked hospital staff schedules at Greyhaven Central Hospital.

But nothing stood out. No one suspicious showed up in the footage. Her accounts showed no unusual spending or money problems. No one at work had argued with her lately. No one had a reason to want her dead.

Lewis also looked into what Dr. Stevens had said about Miranda thinking someone was following her. He sent officers back to her building. They talked to neighbors again and went through the entry logs and security footage from the past month.

If someone had been watching her, they had left no trace.

The footage showed the usual things. People walking by. Delivery drones moving through. Residents leaving and coming back. No one appeared more than once. No face showed up again and again. Nothing that looked like someone watching her.

Her digital records yielded almost nothing. There were no threatening messages, no suspicious accounts, and no anonymous warnings of any kind.

It seemed like whoever went after her had done it without leaving any trace behind.

By the end of the third day, the case board in the precinct still had almost nothing on it. A picture of Miranda Kessler. Notes from the autopsy. A map of Greyhaven with two spots marked. And a lot of frustration building among the team.

On the morning of the fourth day, Lewis was at his desk reviewing the blood trail photos again when his Terminal buzzed sharply. He glanced at the caller ID.

Patrol Dispatch.

He answered immediately. ”Lewis.”

The voice on the other end did not waste time. ”Detective, we’ve got another one.”

Lewis went still. ”Location?”

”Old factory district. Same staging pattern. You’ll want to see this.”

Lewis got up fast, already grabbing his coat. His stomach felt hollow at what dispatch had just told him. Another body. If this one was killed the same way as Miranda Kessler, then they might have a serial killer on their hands. His gut feeling about things getting worse had just proven true.

He hoped, for once, that his gut feeling was wrong. That this new body had not been killed the same way as Miranda Kessler. That they were not dealing with something worse.