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So, this last kiss put an end to that crazy day, ending in a way Fred could never have imagined. But, it was probably better this way…
Read [the previous episodes](https://www.nicepremium.fr/culture/livres,36/nissart-killer,123/?var_mode=calcul)
The air was fresh in the early morning, and Fred let his mind drift back more to the sweet embrace of the day before than to the horrifying sight he’d witnessed in his friend’s apartment. The ringtone of his smartphone pulled him from his reverie.
“Hello, dude’, it’s Seb. How are you?” asked the friend.
“As you might imagine. The night was as short as this day is going to be long,” Fred replied.
“Are you free at noon? Shall we meet at Daniel’s?” Seb inquired.
“Normally yes, I’ll let you know in the morning if I have any delays,” Fred concluded, giving a virtual hug to his friend.
It was time to head to the bathroom to try to erase all traces of fatigue from his face. The “facelift” operation was completed in less than 15 minutes. Just enough time to pack all his things into his backpack, and Fred made his way to the station without a hitch.
The large courtyard was crowded with people and journalists who sprang into action at the entrance of his Guzzi into the parking lot.
“Was the last victim your friend? How exactly was he really killed? Are you sure it’s the same murderer…” Questions flew from all sides and Fred responded that a press conference would take place in the morning and all details would be provided then. Only one last journalist tried to insist heavily, but Fred’s gaze, coupled with a well-placed “No,” was enough to calm his enthusiasm.
“Hello Fred, I’ve put the updated file on your desk,” Céline explained, glued to the office photocopier.
“Thanks, nothing new, I suppose?” Fred asked.
“Nothing, Fred,” Céline replied, starting another round of copies.
Indeed, there was nothing new in this case, and Franck’s murder hadn’t progressed the investigation one bit.
“Hello Fred.” Marine had poked her head through the office door holding two cups of hot coffee.
“Hello Marine, come in, please…” Fred invited her.
“Here, I hope it does you as much good as the two I’ve already gulped down this morning.” She handed Fred the cup of scalding coffee.
“Did you get any sleep?” inquired the expert.
“Not really, and you?” replied the cop.
“Even my earplugs didn’t help much this time,” Marine lamented.
Three sharp knocks on the glass door interrupted the conversation.
“Hey Fred, this might interest you. I managed to retrieve a partial print from one of the spikes from your friend’s body. I’ve reconstructed a source fingerprint and I’m comparing it with our different files. The initial searches were negative but there’s still quite a few left.” Samy explained, handing Fred a plastic bag containing the critical piece of evidence.
“Good job, Sam, and how are things at home?” Fred knew about his colleague’s son’s illness, and the latest updates were rather reassuring with clear improvements in his overall condition and a return to a proper diet. Damn cancer!
“Can you send me an email with the print, I’ll forward it to our services,” Marine had asked, receiving an affirmative response from Sam, who had already vanished towards his lab.
Another knock on the door, and this time it was Vincent visiting, which wasn’t really a common occurrence.
“Fred, the Mayor is arriving in less than an hour and wants a complete update on the situation. Can you manage?” asked the boss.
“Yes, Vincent. No worries, we should welcome him with the colleagues and experts. I’ll prepare a full brief with a PowerPoint… And don’t ask what that is, otherwise, you’ll get an earful,” Fred joked, lightening the atmosphere a bit.
“That’s fine, I even signed up for the level 1 training starting next week,” Vincent replied, smiling.
So the meeting was set for an hour later with the new mayor who was, in fact, the same as the old one since he had just been re-elected the previous weekend. The murder of one of his party members had made headlines over the past days, but nearly all the media had already moved on to a juicier “Who’s next?”
“I’ll let you finish your presentation and I’ll inform the colleagues about the meeting with the Mayor,” Marine ended, closing the door behind her.
His phone began to vibrate. “Hello Fred, if I may call you that, at this rate we will start to become… close,” declared the voice Fred immediately recognized.
“Close, I don’t know? But more intimate maybe?” Fred had questioned.
“Don’t abandon your searches in the direction I pointed you. Instead, explore those who seek enlightenment rather than light,” the voice concluded before ending the conversation.
Fred remained planted for a few seconds, staring at his smartphone screen, which displayed “Unknown number” and the 16 seconds the call had lasted. He didn’t even take the time to call the lab, which would undoubtedly give him the same answer as before. He turned back on his computer and got to work.
Minutes passed, and Fred was quite pleased with his work, although he had hoped that going through all the murders and files again might allow him to discover even the tiniest clue he hadn’t seen so far. But nothing at all. He enjoyed making the presentation more attractive by adding visual effects; it almost felt good to play around like this.
“Fred, the Mayor’s car is entering the courtyard, shall we go?” Vincent called from behind the glass bay separating his office from Fred’s.
Fred removed the USB drive to head to the meeting room to set up the projection.
“Did you have a good evening, boss?” Céline asked as Fred walked by, leaving him bewildered by the question.
“Not the time, Céline…” the boss put an end to the conversation, continuing on his way.
But why on earth had she asked the question? And how did she know what evening he had had? And, after all, if her question, unusual as it was, was just what she meant? Questions swirled in Fred’s head as he switched back to cop mode as soon as the mayor and part of his team entered.
