The Number One Star in the Interstellar Era

Chapter 800: [THE SHADOW WITHIN] (IX)

WITH the profile in hand, the direction of the investigation began to narrow.

Dr. Stevens had described someone organized and careful, a man who planned his actions and chose victims who lived quiet and isolated lives. The victims themselves had already pointed the investigation toward Greyhaven Central Hospital. All three had received treatment there, and two had attended therapy sessions regularly in the psychiatric department.

At the start, the police had talked to people who had direct contact with the victims. Doctors, nurses, and therapists who treated them were questioned in the early days of the case. Those interviews did not lead anywhere. The victims did not know each other, and none of the staff seemed to have any personal issue with them.

The next step took longer to figure out.

The thought that someone might have picked the victims by going through hospital records did not come up until after they had the profile. Before that, the police had been looking for someone who might have watched the victims in their daily lives. Stevens pointed out that the three victims shared more than just routines. Each one had a background that made them easier to target. No close family. Schedules that did not change. Long term treatment at the same hospital. Things like that were not obvious from the outside. They were mostly written down inside patient files.

Once that idea came up, Lewis asked for the access logs from the hospital’s record system.

Every time a staff member opened a patient file, the system stored the login, the time, and the Terminal that had been used. Most access entries were routine and tied to scheduled appointments or medical work. A few of them were not.

Three employees had opened the files of multiple victims without clear reason connected to their duties.

All three were men who worked inside the psychiatric department. Each of them held positions that allowed quiet access to patient records, and none of them had been part of the earlier interviews because their roles did not involve direct therapy sessions.

The hospital administration preferred to handle the questioning on site rather than bring employees to the police station without stronger evidence. Since no one had been formally accused of a crime yet, the arrangement allowed the investigation to continue without disrupting the department’s operations or drawing unnecessary attention from patients and staff.

A small administrative meeting room was prepared for the interviews.

Inside the room there was a plain metal table and two chairs, with a wide mirror covering most of one wall. The mirror looked like an ordinary wall panel from inside, but it allowed observation from a narrow space behind it.

Lewis conducted the interviews alone while Dr. Stevens watched from the other side of the glass.

The suspects fit the general outline Stevens had described. All three were men in their early thirties who held steady professional roles inside the department and blended easily into the routine life of the hospital.

The first interview was with Caleb Morton, a psychiatric intake coordinator who had worked at Greyhaven for four years.

Morton sat across from Lewis with his hands folded loosely together. His posture was straight, and he carried himself with the quiet confidence of someone used to administrative work and patient intake meetings.

Lewis activated the screen of his Terminal before speaking. ”Mr. Morton, we are reviewing access logs from the psychiatric department’s patient records,” he began. ”Your login appears in several files connected to an ongoing investigation.”

Morton nodded slowly. ”I assumed this might come up.”

Lewis raised his eyes from the screen. ”You opened Miranda Kessler’s record two days before her death. You also accessed Adrian Wolfe’s file a week later, and Naomi Rivas’s file three days before she died.”

Morton did not react strongly. ”Sometimes I double-check background information when files are reorganized.”

Lewis leaned back slightly. ”You reviewed their personal history sections late at night.”

Morton gave a small shrug. ”I stay late sometimes to finish paperwork.”

Lewis watched him carefully. ”The logs show the access happened at eleven thirty in the evening.”

”That sounds about right,” Morton replied calmly.

Lewis made a short note before closing the file. Behind the mirror, Stevens observed without speaking.

***

The second interview was with Victor Hale, a behavioral assessment specialist who worked alongside several of the department’s psychiatrists.

Hale entered the room wearing a simple dark shirt and pressed trousers. His appearance was neat and professional, and he carried himself with the composure.

Lewis gestured toward the chair across from him. ”Mr. Hale, thank you for coming.”

Hale sat down and folded his hands on the table. ”I understand this is about the patients who were killed.”

Lewis studied him for a moment before answering. ”It is related to the investigation. Your login appears in the records of three victims.”

Hale nodded once. ”I did look at those files.”

Lewis tapped the Terminal. ”Why?”

”I review patient profiles for behavioral research,” Hale said. ”I study patterns in how different conditions affect social functioning.”

Lewis kept his voice even. ”These patients were not part of any study.”

”They weren’t,” Hale agreed.

”Then why review them?”

Hale considered the question briefly. ”They had interesting case histories. People who live structured and isolated lives can show useful behavioral patterns.”

Lewis let the silence stretch before making another note on his screen.

***

The final interview was with Ethan Wright, a patient data analyst responsible for organizing the department’s long-term therapy records.

Wright entered quietly and took the seat across from Lewis without speaking. He appeared calm, with neatly combed dark hair and a posture that suggested someone used to spending long hours behind a Terminal.

Lewis activated the display on his desk. ”Mr. Wright, your login accessed several patient histories connected to our case.”

Wright nodded slightly. ”That makes sense.”

Lewis looked up. ”Explain.”

”My job involves reviewing archived therapy data,” Wright said. ”I run pattern checks for the department.”

Lewis studied the access log. ”You opened Miranda Kessler’s file at one in the morning.”

”I often run system checks overnight,” Wright replied.

Lewis glanced at the log again. ”The Terminal used was in the staff lounge.”

Wright gave a small nod. ”That Terminal connects to the main system.”

Lewis leaned forward slightly. ”You also opened Adrian Wolfe’s file three days before his death.”

Wright met his gaze calmly. ”Those records were part of a dataset I was reviewing.”

Lewis paused for a moment before closing the file on his screen.

None of the three interviews had produced a clear contradiction or confession. Each man had offered explanations that sounded reasonable on the surface, but the timing of the record access remained difficult to ignore.

Behind the mirror, Stevens watched the final suspect leave the room while quietly considering what they had learned.

***

Dr. Stevens’s office was quiet when Lewis stepped in later that afternoon. The other was standing beside his Terminal when Lewis entered, reviewing the notes that had been recorded during the interviews. Lewis closed the door behind him and took the chair across from the desk without being asked.

For a moment neither of them spoke. Finally Lewis leaned back slightly and let out a quiet breath. ”Well, that didn’t get us very far.”

Stevens turned from the Terminal and rested one hand against the edge of the desk. ”That was expected.”

Lewis looked at him. ”You expected them to give us nothing?”

Stevens nodded calmly. ”You were not conducting a formal interrogation. You were asking preliminary questions inside their workplace, and they knew that. Without a warrant or formal charges, there was a limit to how far you could push them.”

Lewis rubbed a hand over his temple. ”They all had explanations ready. Not great ones, but enough that I couldn’t challenge them without turning it into something bigger.”

”That is usually how these situations work,” Stevens said. ”People who are organized enough to plan crimes like these are also careful when speaking to investigators.”

Lewis sat forward again and rested his forearms on his knees. ”Still, if one of them is responsible, he didn’t slip even once.”

”They were aware of what the meeting was about,” Stevens said. ”Anyone who had opened those files would expect questions eventually.”

Lewis nodded slowly. ”The hospital administration also made it clear they didn’t want a full police interrogation happening in one of their meeting rooms. If we want to push harder, we need a warrant and a proper setting.”

Stevens gave a small nod of agreement. ”That would also give you the authority to examine their devices, work history, and movement records. Right now you only have access logs and their explanations.”

Lewis remained quiet for a moment. Then he looked up again. ”Out of the three, who stands out to you?”

Stevens folded his hands lightly on the desk. ”If you are asking which one could most likely commit these crimes based on what we know so far,” he paused before continuing, ”then Mr. Hale draws the most attention.”

Lewis frowned slightly. ”The behavioral assessment specialist.”

Stevens nodded.

Lewis leaned back in his chair again. ”Why him?”

Stevens spoke in his usual same calm tone. ”Mr. Hale’s explanation for opening the files involved studying behavioral patterns. That sounds reasonable for someone in his field, but the details of what he said are important.”

Lewis watched him.

”He described the victims as people who live structured and isolated lives,” Stevens continued. ”That is an accurate description, but it is also the exact quality the killer appears to be targeting.”

Lewis thought about that for a moment. ”Anyone reading their records could see that.”

”That is true,” Stevens replied. ”However, Mr. Hale did not simply say he reviewed the files. He immediately spoke about how those patients were interesting examples of social isolation.”

Lewis nodded slowly. ”You think that’s more than professional curiosity.”

”It might be,” Stevens said. ”His job involves analyzing behavior. Someone with that background could study victims the way other people study case material.”

Lewis crossed his arms. ”The other two had reasons that at least connected to their work. Morton handles intake files, and Wright deals with the data system.”

Stevens inclined his head slightly. ”Exactly. Their explanations follow the normal structure of their jobs. Mr. Hale’s explanation relies more on personal interest.”

Lewis looked toward the window for a moment as he considered it. ”You’re saying the one studying behavior might also be studying his victims.”

Stevens gave a small nod. ”It is only a possibility. We do not have evidence yet.”

Lewis stood up from the chair. ”Possibility is enough to keep an eye on him.”

Stevens did not argue with that. ”I’ll try to find out more about him personally. That will be easier since we work in the same building.”