Miasma

'He lay there with his eyes closed as the waves hit him. The bullet that went straight into his head became a fatal wound that took the life of a full of vitality young man.'

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Ten o'clock at night, at the city police headquarters,

The elevator door was opened. A person hurriedly entered the floor of the area of the special team to investigate and prevent the crime. In his hand was an autopsy paper. Ignoring the tension and trembling of his hands, he pushed the door of the room hard. Inside, many people were looking at him. Everyone seemed to stop all action when that man enters. The atmosphere suddenly fell into silence.

The sound of the door opening from the room in the corner broke the silence. Another man with a serious face stepped out. He carried the breath of integrity and courage on his body. His voice also made people have awe.

"Already have the test results?"

Dai nodded. He quickly handed the paper to his boss and gathered with his teammates.

"Sir, according to the report of the forensic department, the injuries and handling are the same as in the previous cases." - Dai's words caused everyone in the room to tremble slightly. A chill run down their spines, resentful and helpless. However, the boss's face remained calm. Perhaps, he foresaw this. He told everyone on his team before entering his room.

"This time, everyone continues to work overtime. Daisy and Patrick, the two of you go to the census room to find out about the identity of the victim and see if anyone has reported a recent disappearance. Magnus, you investigate what connection these victims have to each other. The rest of you take turns going to the forensic evidence and forensic medicine rooms to see if there are any more clues. We will have an urgent meeting tomorrow afternoon."

"Yes, Boss."

Everyone quickly carried out their tasks. The boss walked into the room with a wrinkled test paper in his hand. On the surface, he showed himself as a calm and cautious person in everything. However, he was now trying to hide his anger and helplessness. He smoothed the paper and placed it on the table. The five sheets of paper were stacked side by side and placed behind the nameplate of Senior Inspector Lance Norwood. The phone on the table suddenly rang. Lance reached out to answer the phone, his eyes still focused on every word on the paper. The other end of the line was superior.

"Lance, superiors have heard about the case where a new victim has appeared. They want us to have this resolved within a week. Because the media is reporting extremely fiercely, this will make people confused and distrust the police"

"Yes, Boss. We are still doing our best to investigate. We will catch the killer within the next week."

"Okay. If Matthew was still alive, this case would surely have been solved in the hands of the two of you..."

After talking to his superiors, Lance hung up. He leaned back in his chair and did not hide the sigh on his face. He looked at the previous photo of the party, his eyes focusing on a smiling man standing next to him.

"Matthew, what should I do? Boss is right, if you were here, you would have given me the most perfect direction."

Lance Norwood and Matthew Collins were the same pair in the previous crime-solving team. The two of them always found the real culprit after thrilling cases. Everyone in the police department was a fan and proud of the two of them. The last mission that the two of them worked on together on was to investigate the case of a criminal gang that smuggles organs. When receiving the message of the two people pointing and needing support, everyone at the police station quickly gathered at the reported location. However, what they did not expect was that except for the criminals who were defeated in the workshop near the river, Lance and Matthew also disappeared without a trace.

Everyone immediately splits up to search for traces of the two of them. Not long after, Lance was found unconscious near a riverside barrier, his arm hanging out causing everyone to have thoughts of fear. They looked below in the hope of not seeing Matthew. However, their thinking was correct. Matthew was lying in the river. He lay there with his eyes closed as the waves hit him. The bullet that went straight into the head became a fatal wound that took the life of a full of vitality young man.

The criminal gang of organ smuggling was finally caught, in exchange for the loss of the police department. One person died and the other suffered a severe head injury. After days of treatment, Lance was officially discharged from the hospital and was promoted to the senior inspector by breaking a wanted criminal gang. He replaced his former boss and led this team to glory.

Two weeks ago, the body of a teenage girl was found in a small city theater. The girl was wearing a delicate white dress. She was hung by the perpetrator standing on her toes like a professional ballerina. After the autopsy, the forensic department discovered that the victim's uterus was removed, especially since the perpetrator did this while the victim was still alive. However, there was no sign of a fight or protest from the victim. Everything on the victim's body was spotless.

The old case still has not progressed, but a few days later, there were three new cases in a row with the same method. The body of the second lady was found in a drawing room with the shape of a beautiful goddess. The body of the third girl appeared at the riverbank, her whole body was sitting on a chair facing the sea with a large brim hat covering her face. If it were not for the jogging man nearby, her body probably would not have been discovered so soon. The next two girls were found in two parks near each other. All had their uterus removed while still alive and showed no signs of resistance.

Senior Inspector Lance Norwood felt for the first time being teased by the killer. His superiors were urging his team to quickly solve these consecutive cases. However, after two weeks of investigation, he still could not conclude. As an elite senior detective in the police industry, he certainly would not give up so easily. He slammed his fist on the table and promised himself that he would bring the killer to light. That night, the crime prevention task force did not sleep.

The next morning, everyone collapsed on their desks. Some people were still holding unfinished coffee cups in their hands. Lance opened the door to his room and witnessed this scene. He rubbed his forehead, then gently went out to buy some breakfast food. He looked at the familiar road and suddenly thought that he wanted to change to create a little stimulation in his mind and at the same time wanted to have new thoughts about recent cases. Not only that, but he steered the wheel through another stretch of road and headed for the unfamiliar restaurant.

After buying a burger and coffee, Lance leaned back in his car and enjoyed breakfast. He did not know if this would give him any good, but the food here just was not to his liking. The familiarity with the taste of old things was hard to let go of. He managed to finish his bread, then crumpled the paper up and threw it in a nearby trash can. However, the paper did not easily get inside the trash can as he thought it would but hit a man walking by. He immediately stepped forward, picked up the paper on the ground, and said.

"So sorry. Did I dirty your shirt?"

After picking up the paper, Lance straightened up. Unexpectedly, his chin hit the umbrella in front of him. He looked up at the sunny sky, and at the same time remembering the weather forecast saying there would be no rain today. So why was the person in front of him carrying such a big black umbrella?

The black umbrella slowly lowered. The appearance of a young man's face made Lance dumbfounded. This young man gave Lance a different feeling compared to other people his age. His eyes and face were full of dark, cold, and unapproachable emotions. The black suit on the young man's body accentuated what Lance is thinking.

"Meow!" - A cry rang out.

Lance frowned slightly. Only then did he notice that a jet-black cat with bright yellow eyes was wrapped around the young man's shoulder. If it had not spoken, Lance would have thought it was just a decoration on the young man's outfit.

The young man in front of Lance raised his hand and gently patted the cat's head as if patting it. He pretended not to see the curiosity coming from Lance but slowly said in a low voice.

"No problem."

Then, the young man passed Lance and went straight to the tea shop. Lance could not take his eyes off the strange man. However, there was one thing that made him feel weirder. There were two tea shops on that road. The young man's tea shop was decorated in dark and somewhat murky tones, seemingly without a single visitor. The other tea shop had a bright color and the customers were all young girls full of life. At this moment, the ringing of the phone interrupted his thoughts. After answering the phone, he immediately ignored the strangeness of the man and the two tea houses with different styles, then rushed back to the police station.

'Some say the world will end in fire.' (Fire and Ice, Robert Frost)

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A car entered the police station at a fast speed, proving that its owner is in an extremely urgent situation. Senior Inspector Lance ignored the coffee cup left in the car, he got into the elevator and went straight to the floor of the special team to investigate and prevent crime.

Everyone had been in the meeting room since when and just waiting for the appearance of boss Lance. The door opened and all eyes turned to Dai. In the team, Dai was seen as their big brother, so they had formed the habit of relying on him for communicating with the boss when the tired time came.

"Sorry for calling while you were having breakfast like that. The meeting is supposed to start this afternoon, but we have new details of the case." - Waiting for Lance to sit down, Dai said.

"No problem. The case right now is the most urgent thing we need to solve. Everyone starts going." - Lance put his hand on the table and replied.

The reports were immediately brought before Lance. Daisy said after finding out the identity of her and Patrick's victim.

"The victim's name is Jenny, seventeen years old. In just a few weeks, she'll be enrolling at a nearby university. The last time Jenny's family saw her was one day before her body was discovered. They said she would stay at her friend's house for the night. They didn't know that their daughter was missing. That's why they didn't report it."

"The previous victims are not older than eighteen years of age." - Lance heard the information Daisy provided and frowns slightly.

"Sir, I also investigated. These victims have no connection to each other, from family to study or friendship. However, they are seen as girls with outstanding talent and quite docile among their peers. They are all born into a well-to-do and highly educated family. Maybe this is the type of person the killer wants to target." - Magnus continues Daisy's words.

Dai nodded in agreement with Magnus' words. He provided more information for everyone.

"I went with the forensic department to the victim's house. There are many books in the victim's room. Her mother said that she often went to the park near her house to camp and read books on the weekends. The crime scene is also the park she frequents went to."

Dai brought up a photo of the crime scene when Jenny's body was discovered, making everyone hold their breath. The first victim of the case was probably the luckiest because she was still wearing a white dress. The next victims were more and more exposed by the perpetrator to their naked bodies for all to see. The killer not only wanted to kill the poor girls but also smear them, although they were dead. Jenny did not have a piece of cloth on her body. The killer tore the pages of her favorite novel and covered her body one by one, but did not cover the breasts and stolen uterus.

"What does he see these girls as? A work of art?" - Daisy shivered at the pervert of the killer.

Everyone sighed and mourned for them. Patrick observantly passed the glass of water over to Daisy to calm her down. Dai went on to say.

"However, this time we have a discovery. Jenny's mother gave me Jenny's diary. I took a look at it once and felt it might be an important clue."

Dai pressed to open the projector screen. On it, he showed pictures of Jenny's diary for the past week. Inside the diary, Jenny confided that she had met a fascinating guy with a wide understanding of literature. As the days passed, they met more and more and gradually became close. Dai stopped at a picture and said.

"Recently, Jenny has been in contact with a new friend. This new friend often meets Jenny at the park where the murder took place. I suspect this could be the killer. Although Jenny did not describe this person's physical appearance, everyone please look at this line."

Dai pointed to the words near the bottom of the diary page. He read what Jenny wrote.

"Not only did he surprise me with his love of literature, but he was also excellent at making tea. He said he was a tea brewer. Although it was a bit unfamiliar at first, the more I drank it, the more I fell in love with it. Today, he invited me to his place to enjoy the new taste of tea. I am very much looking forward to this."

Dai paused for a moment and then continued.

"These are the last lines before something bad happened to Jenny. This man is very suspicious."

Magnus, after hearing Dai's words, seemed to remember something. He quickly voiced his thoughts.

"According to the eyewitnesses of the five cases, they saw five girls often accompanied by a man who always wore a black shirt. They didn't remember the man's face clearly, but they did describe that the man was not tall. The victims' parents also said that the victims suddenly liked drinking tea."

"Tea brewer?" - Lance whispered. These factors reminded him of the person he had met in the morning. That strange man's physique was not tall either. Lance tapped the table with his hand. Everyone in the room knew every time he acted like that, he was putting all the details together to come to a common conclusion. At this moment, no one said a word for fear of affecting him. Lance quickly gave the next instruction after a few seconds.

"Maybe we missed this important detail. Foremost, we have to find this man. A lover of literature likes to make tea and wear black. Everyone splits up to the five victims' homes again to investigate if the victim still has anything related to that man."

"Yes, Boss."

Lance quickly returned to his room. He began to pick up a pen and wrote his thoughts on the whiteboard. Originally, this was Matthew's habit in solving cases, but because they were a pair of war gods in the special team to investigate and prevent crime, Lance was also gradually infected by Matthew. This was also Lance's way of remembering his best friend as well as feeling that Matthew was always here to support him.

"Tea brewer. Black shirt. Normal look..."

Lance thought about it, then decided to investigate his speculation. He drove down this morning's road to search for the tea house that the strange man had entered. He just parked in front of the tea shop before taking action. Lance felt that without solid evidence, he had no right to be so suspicious of others. However, he did not understand why his senses strongly prompted him to come here to investigate and this person might be involved in this case.

Lance adjusted the rearview mirror towards himself. He rubbed his head to let his hair fly, and at the same time took off his tie. Lance unbuttoned his shirt to reveal his broad chest, and removed his vest over it, then rolled up his sleeves. Now, Lance was no longer a serious high-ranking inspector, but an elegant and extremely charming man. There was comfort in his body. Finally, he got out of the car, one hand in his pocket, and slowly walked inside the tea shop called Salvation.

There was a jingle as Lance opened the door and walked in. The coldness and silence inside made him uncomfortable, too. An entire tea shop, not a single customer or employee. Seconds later, a person stepped out from the red curtain. That person was the strange man Lance had met in the morning.

"Welcome to our store. What can we do for you?" - That man said.

Lance looked at the row of tea cabinets behind the strange man and smiled a friendly smile. He put his hand on the table and made a joking gesture.

"If you go to a tea shop, you have to buy tea. Or do you have any other services?"

The man did not show any displeasure at Lance's gesture as if he saw too many of them.

"I just want to ask what kind of tea you want?" - He replied.

Lance went around sightseeing and said.

"At your shop, is there any kind of tea that just one drink is enough to make people fall in love with, even for those who don't like to drink?"

The man did not answer, but opened the cabinet and took out a small box of tea. He put it on the table and said.

"Here, tea is not picky, only people are picky about tea. I look at your face, perhaps you hadn't slept well in days. This tea has the ability to calm the mind and help sleep. You can buy it to try it out."

Feeling this man's strange calm, Lance did not continue to question. He paid for the tea, and before going out the door, he turned around and said.

"Some say the world will end in fire."

"Thank you and see you again. Wishing you a nice day" - The man still had a cold look, then slightly bowed his head.

Lance stared at the man and walked out of the store. The shop once again fell into its usual silence. The man followed Lance's back with his eyes and quietly entered behind the red curtain. He poured himself a cup of tea. At this time, the wind chime suddenly rang, and a girl came in from outside.

"It's too late, right?" - The man took a sip of tea and smiled softly.

'He sits up straight and faces the tea like he is facing a criminal.'

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"Did the man leave?"

A voice spoke in the room behind the Salvation Tea house. The strange man nodded once as a signal to the person who had just spoken up. The girl entered and gently sat down on the purple bench. A black cat suddenly appeared in the dark and jumped on the man. It found a soft spot and lay down. It was still looking at the girl with its head holds high. The actions of the black cat did not surprise the girl. Her face was still cold to the bone. The man gently put the teacup on the table, a small smile on his lips, and said.

"Now, it's just us here. What can I do for you, Jenny?"

Lance in the car still could not think. He looked at the small tea box in his hand. That strange man gave him a cold feeling that came from death. Lance shook his head, maybe he should go back to find more evidence before jumping to conclusions.

People spent the afternoon going to the victims' homes to find more evidence. Patrick asked the parents of the first victim to get into her room. After observing for a while, Patrick still could not find anything suspicious, so he had to return disappointed. However, when he stepped out of the girl's bedroom, Patrick saw her mother clutching the sweater she used to caress and remembered the deceased. Inadvertently, a small piece of paper in the pocket of her sweater was revealed.

"Can I borrow the sweater for a while?" - Patrick quickly approached and said.

The heartbroken victim's mother gave the sweater to Patrick. Patrick took a tissue to wrap the small piece of paper in the victim's pocket. That piece of paper was the business card of a tea shop called Salvation. Patrick felt glad, maybe he just found what he was looking for. He comforted the victim's family and quickly went to the headquarters.

When Patrick returned to the special team to investigate and prevent crime, everyone including boss Lance was there. Everyone had a disappointed face because they did not get any more news. Patrick quickly entered and handed Lance the tea shop business car.

"I went to the first victim's house and found this in the victim's coat pocket. Maybe this is the killer's workplace."

Lance and the others were quite excited as if they have found new hope. They all looked at the business card Patrick had given them.

"Salvation tea shop?" - Lance frowned slightly.

"What's up, boss? Do you know this tea shop?"

Lance then nodded, surprising everyone and wondering when did their boss switch to tea. Lance took the business card and said.

"Everyone goes to investigate whether this tea shop has anything to do with the other four victims?"

"Yes, Boss."

After giving instructions, Lance went into his room. He sat down in a chair and began to examine the business card. Its black color made him feel the same when faced with the murky atmosphere of the tea shop and its owners. Lance looked over at the tea, which he had just brewed, was smoking. He sat up straight and faced the cup of tea like he was facing a criminal. He picked up the teacup and took a sip. The bitter taste of the tea rushed into his mouth, fortunately, he often used bitter coffee to help keep his mind awake, so this taste still could not make him difficult. After a while, the slight sweetness in his mouth made him quite amused. However, this could not captivate him. Could it be that the strange man was hiding another kind of tea?

A knock on the door woke Lance from his thoughts. Daisy walked in and reported her discovery.

"I sent the information through your computer. According to the area camera, all five girls had appeared at Salvation tea shop once and stayed there for about half an hour before leaving."

Lance looked at the area camera shot of the moment the victims entered the tea shop. He thought for a moment, then stood up.

"Get everyone ready. We're going to Salvation tea shop to invite the owner over to talk."

"Yes, Boss."

At the direction of boss Lance, everyone quickly prepared their supplies and climbed into the car. Everyone was in a low mood because they thought maybe this was the only new clue to help them end this tragic murder. The car arrived in front of the tea shop ten minutes later. A team of five stepped down and headed inside.

The sound of the door creaking again alarmed the people inside the tea shop. Without keeping the five of them waiting for long, the strange man once again lifted the red curtain to come out. He was stunned for the first time when he saw such a crowded shop, but when he saw a familiar face among them, he calmed down.

"Welcome to our tea shop. You were the guest in the morning. You want to buy more tea, right?" - He walked over to the table and said.

At this moment, the four people behind Lance glanced at each other. It turned out that this was their boss's familiar place to buy tea, so when he saw the business card, he was a bit surprised. The four of them seemed to have understood their boss's feelings and become empathetic, who would want to arrest their acquaintance.

Lance had no idea what his subordinates were thinking behind his back. He seriously stepped back to stand in front of the man and used his strong voice to suppress the person in front of him.

"We are the police. We suspect you have something to do with the recent murder of five girls. We invite you to come with us to the police station to take statements. Every word you say is evidence in court. You have the right to remain silent and ask for a lawyer."

Dai quickly came up and handcuffed the man. The man looked down at his hands and up at the five of them with a strangely calm face, he still had not quite understood what was going on. Suddenly, a black cat jumped onto the table near where the man was standing.

"Meowwww!" - The black cat howled and ruffled its fur as if protecting its owner from strangers.

"Pheland, be good. This is not a way to greet customers. I'm fine. I will be back soon. You stay here obediently and watch over the tea shop." - The man clicked his tongue and said.

The black cat seemed to understand its owner's voice. It sat down and watched silently as its master was led away by strangers. At this time, the red curtain was lifted again to reveal the face of a girl identical to Jenny.

"He'll be okay, won't he? It's all my fault..."

A person and a cat watched as the figure of the car gradually disappeared into the crowd.

In the criminal interrogation room, Daisy and Patrick were taking statements from the man who had just been arrested.

"What's your name?"

"Joel Clifford."

"What is your job?"

"Can be said to be the tea brewer."

"Do you know these five girls?" - Patrick showed a picture of the five victims in the case and asked.

Joel looked at the five pictures and nodded.

"Yes, I know them. They used to come into my tea shop."

"How can you remember them so quickly? Are you close to them?"

Joel shook his head.

"No. All of you have also come to my tea shop and also realize that the tea shop is extremely empty. Probably less than five people a month. Oh no, this month doesn't count. So I can remember my customers very clearly."

"They only came to buy tea?"

"They didn't come to buy tea."

Patrick then stole Joel's words.

"Right. They came because you were the guy who seduced their feelings. After capturing them, you ruthlessly killed them and turned them into your creation."

Joel frowned slightly but calmly replied.

"I mean, they didn't come to buy tea because they went to the wrong place."

"Wrong place?"

"Yes, they mistook my tea shop for another tea shop."

"Then why did they stay in your tea shop for half an hour before coming out?"

"... This I cannot say."

Joel's silence made Daisy and Patrick choke. Lance stood behind the glass and witnessed it all. Joel had a calm that was beyond Lance's understanding. One was that Joel was innocent, so he could keep his composure like that. Second, Joel was a criminal with a high both IQ and EQ. Lance quickly contacted Patrick and told the two of them to get out. He wanted to try talking to Joel alone.

Lance sat across from Joel. The two were silent for about twenty minutes when Lance broke the silence.

"You seem so calm, don't you?"

"Well, it's just a habit."

"Habit of murder or habit of being in front of the police."

"You guys are wasting your time with me. I don't kill people. You can check my timing. I both had an alibi when those girls were killed." - Joel looked into Lance's eyes in silence, then seriously said. Lance did not hesitate to face Joel.

"We will investigate this. Temporarily, you will be locked up for 48 hours."

Lance stood up and was about to leave the interrogation room when he heard what Joel said.

"Maybe you should learn more about the victim's appearance than just focusing on their personality. Maybe you'll find a clue."

Lance did not turn around but left directly. After hearing Joel's words, he decided to go back and reviewed the pictures of the victims. Half an hour passed, and Lance put down the pictures on the table.

"If he's not the killer, how does he know these things?" - Lance wondered.