The Number One Star in the Interstellar Era

Chapter 810: [THE SHADOW WITHIN] (XIX)

VARGAS turned her screen to face them, displaying a split image. On the left was Hale’s rough sketch of the remote’s markings, and on the right, a high-resolution photograph of a small metal plate.

”I ran the partial markings through the system and got a match,” Vargas said. ”The symbol belongs to a piece of lab equipment in the cryogenics storage unit at Thorne Medical Research Lab—the kind used to preserve tissue samples.”

Lewis leaned in for a closer look. ”Who has access to it?”

”That’s what you need to find out,” Vargas replied. ”I can’t pull the sign-out logs from here. You’ll have to go to the lab and check who checked out that device. The remote Hale used probably connects to that container.”

Stevens stood. ”If someone at Thorne signed it out and never returned it, they’re likely involved.”

Lewis nodded. ”Send me the details, Vargas.”

***

Lewis and Stevens arrived at Thorne Medical Research Lab less than an hour later.

The building was cleaner, and better maintained than most in Greyhaven. Lewis had seen places like this before. They weren’t unusual on their own, but here, in this part of the city, it stood out.

They stepped inside and approached the front desk. The receptionist looked up at them, her polite smile fading slightly when she saw their expressions.

”Do you have an appointment?” she asked.

”No,” Lewis said. ”We need to speak to whoever is in charge of equipment management. Now.”

”I’m sorry, but—”

Lewis pulled out his badge and placed it on the counter. ”That wasn’t a request.”

The receptionist hesitated, then nodded and picked up her Terminal. ”I’ll call the lab administrator.”

A few minutes later, they were led down a quiet hallway and into a conference room. The man who entered shortly after introduced himself as the lab administrator.

”I’m Dr. Colin Murphy,” he said, adjusting his glasses as he took a seat across from them. ”I was told this is urgent.”

Lewis did not waste time. ”We’re looking into a piece of equipment registered under your facility. A Zero-Point Thermal Vacuum.”

Dr. Murphy’s expression shifted slightly, but he remained composed. ”That’s part of our cryogenics division. What about it?”

”It’s been used in an ongoing homicide case,” Lewis said plainly.

Dr. Murphy straightened in his seat. ”That’s not possible. Our equipment doesn’t leave the facility without proper documentation.”

”And yet it did,” Lewis replied. ”So let’s skip to the part where you explain how.”

Dr. Murphy exhaled slowly. ”We have a rental program. Certain equipment can be leased to private clients or partner institutions. It helps fund our research. There’s nothing illegal about it.”

Lewis stared at him. ”How long do you rent these equipments rented out?”

”One week,” Dr. Murphy said.

”Can you give me a list of people who rented a Zero-Point Thermal Vacuum the past week?”

Dr. Murphy hesitated. ”There’s only one as far as I can remember. But I can’t disclose client information without proper authorization.”

Lewis leaned forward slightly. ”That device you rented out was used to kill someone. So you can either give me that information now, or I can come back with a warrant and a team that will tear through every system you have. And when that happens, we’ll be looking into your operation as well.” He held the man’s gaze. ”Or worse, we charge you with obstruction. Your choice.”

Dr. Murphy lost his composure. He swallowed hard, then reached for his Terminal. ”Let me check the records.”

The room stayed quiet as he searched. After a moment, he stopped.

”Someone named Georg Giese rented it.”

Lewis frowned. ”Georg Giese?” He glanced at Stevens briefly before looking back. ”Do you have a photo of this person?”

Dr. Murphy shook his head. ”No photo. But we do have a recording from the transaction.”

He turned his Terminal toward them and played the video.

The screen showed a man standing at the counter. He had a large build, his body covered in thick clothing despite being indoors. His face was completely hidden behind a full helmet.

Lewis’ jaw tightened. ”Are you kidding me? You rented out high-level equipment to someone whose face you couldn’t even see? Did he at least show any ID?”

Dr. Murphy looked uncomfortable. ”He paid ten times the standard rate. We... didn’t press too hard.”

Lewis cursed under his breath, frustration clear on his face. Beside him, Stevens let out a quiet chuckle. Lewis turned to him.

”What?” he asked, feeling annoyed.

Stevens stared at the screen, his dark eyes bright with amusement. He looked over at Lewis. ”I know who the killer is.”

***

Lewis stood at the front of the briefing room, the seal of the station behind him and several floating cameras pointed in his direction.

”We have taken a suspect into custody in connection with the recent series of killings happening at Greyhaven,” he said. ”The individual is currently being held for further investigation. Once we have gathered sufficient evidence, we will proceed with charges to the full extent of the law.”

A wave of murmurs spread through the room as hands immediately went up.

”Detective Lewis, can you confirm the identity of the suspect?” one reporter asked.

”At this time, we are not releasing that information,” Lewis replied.

”Is this person acting alone?” another pressed.

”That is part of the ongoing investigation,” Lewis said. ”We are still verifying all connections.”

”Were the victims targeted randomly, or is there a pattern?” a third asked.

Lewis kept his tone even. ”We are looking into possible links between the victims. I cannot go into details yet.”

”Is the public still in danger?” someone from the back called out.

”We have increased patrols across the city,” Lewis said. ”We advise everyone to remain cautious, but at this time, we have no sign of an immediate threat.”

He bit the inside of his cheek, stopping himself from letting out a sigh. This was not his idea. Standing in front of cameras, answering questions like this, felt more like a performance than police work. But this was the plan he and Stevens had agreed on.

Once they got the call they had been waiting for, Lewis arranged this conference. The chief had agreed without hesitation. In fact, the chief wanted him to go further and declare the case closed.

Lewis did not.

If the chief knew what this was really for, he would have shut it down immediately. This was not for the press. This was for the real killer.

Lewis answered a few more questions, keeping his responses controlled and vague. Then the question he had been waiting for finally came.

”Detective,” a reporter said, leaning forward slightly, ”There have been rumors about the victims’ bodies. Is it true that their hearts were removed?”

The room grew quieter.

Lewis hesitated briefly before replying. ”Because it’s part of an active investigation, I can’t answer that directly,” he said. ”However, we have obtained information indicating that the items taken from the victims have been preserved and are being kept in a controlled environment.”

A few reporters exchanged looks.

”We are narrowing down the potential locations that can maintain these conditions,” he continued, ”And are close to confirming a specific site.”

The message was clear enough to be understood, yet specific enough to provoke a reaction.

He stepped back slightly as more questions were thrown at him, but he had already said what he needed to say.

Now, all they could do was wait. And see if the right person took the bait.