[26th November]

Tamara Rixley had spent many nights at various nightclubs over the last weeks and tried to find out who the dead women or the two men were. Even though the woman hadn't been at 'Limelights' - the nightclub the two male shifters had been before they were murdered – that didn't mean that she - or the other men - hadn't visited other ones too.

With a beer in hand she leant at a pillar, peering over the rim of her sunglasses observing and deciding who would be the most likely persons to actually remember something important. She heaved a deep sigh and wished it would have been a regular bar. Bars were easy. What the barkeeper didn't know a regular did. Regulars at bars where easy to spot, mostly they were sitting around at the counter, aside from others. Regulars at clubs? Not so much.

She pushed her sunglasses back up her nose to conceal her golden eyes, her tattoo hidden under the collar of her jacket and her blond hair. This made her wolf beast unhappy but Tamara didn't care - not that it could complain but Tamara had the feeling that her beast's disapproval felt stronger lately. She didn't like it.

She took a sip and tried to wash away the emerging memories of her awakening - it didn't work.

She never wanted to be a shifter – it had scared her and it still did. She once saw a video of a shifter running amok and had to be ended - it was secretly recorded footage by a reporter who filmed an awakening. She was scared that whatever lived inside her would overwhelm her and starting to kill.

But then she had gotten sick. The doctors didn't know what was wrong and only treating the symptoms but it had gotten to a point it was a question of days to a few weeks before she would die. Her parents had found this shifter who was able to awaken beasts. She wasn't convinced but her parents were very persuasive once it was confirmed she carried a beast and so desperate Tamara agreed for their sake.

The beast felt her distress, her illness and her fear but it was sure to convince the human soul, that it was harmless. It decided to trust Tamara and they formed the balance. The beast healed her but its trust was never returned. Tamara never stopped to fear her newfound powers and her beast killing someone.

Tamara always suppressed the beast as much as she could and the beast grew more and more angry in return.

Her tattoo swirled around her neck and temple as the beast's only option to show its frustration. Tamara took another sip and started for the barkeepers to ask them her questions but other than that the woman had indeed been here - they remembered her colorful hair - they couldn't help her. Patrons sitting at the bar were not helpful too, as was the bouncer she asked last when she left the club. One remembered one of the men being there but they weren't sure.

Frustrated, Tamara slammed the roof of her car with her hand. At least she now knew the woman had indeed been at clubs around the time of her death. She pulled her coat tighter around herself when the wind freshened up and was about to get into her car when a man approached her.

"They are really dead?" the man asked. He was quite tall, of lean build. He had the golden eyes of a shifter but his tattoo was partly hidden under the collar of his jacket and the part which was visible, Tamara couldn't place - maybe Coyote or Fox?

"You knew them?" Tamara answered his question with one of her own.

"Not really. Loners they are… were. They didn't want to join a pack." The man looked down sighing.

"What can you tell me about them?" Tamara wanted to know and when the man kept silent she added "They were murdered. I want to find out who did that." She offered a business-card with her name and contact info to him.

The man's head snapped back up "Murdered?" he asked in disbelief, took the card. And after a glance on it he pocketed it away "My name is Walter." He introduced himself before he came back to what they talking about "They weren't happy shifters. Andrew, Billy and Hel I mean." Walter started and Tamara pulled out a small notepad, scribbling away.

"Have they been friends?" Tamara asked but Walter only shrugged "I don't know. Never saw all three of them together. They were mostly alone by themselves." He shrugged.

"Do you know if they spoke with someone else? Where they lived? Their full names maybe? Anything can be important." Tamara wanted to know.

"I don't know where they lived or there full names…" he mused and Tamara felt her hopes drown "But…" he suddenly looked at Tamara with gleaming eyes "There was this guy. Really tall. He wore a dark Hoody deep into his face - looked quite creepy." He remembered

"When did you see him the last time? And was it here at this club?" Tamara was eager to know more.

Thinking, Walter looked up in the air "Not here… must have been the 'Limelights'. That was a while ago… Late August or early September I think."

Tamara looked at him expectantly "Sorry that's all I got." He held up his arms defensive, palms forward

"Thank you Walter." Tamara smiled at him "Can you call me, if you see the hooded man again?" she asked "Will be worth your while." She added

"Will do." Walter nodded and disappeared into the shadows again, leaving Tamara to get into her car. Progress. Finally.

She looked at her notes. She had three first names now - and she now knew why she had been unable to find out anything about the three victims. She knew they all spoke to a mysterious hooded man. The two males - Billy and Andrew - had been at the 'Limelights' the night before their deaths - that they knew from the dated stamp - very considerate of the management - even if no one remembered them. This had been 30th of August.

She fished out her phone and dialed for Novac.

"What?" a sleepy voice answered grumbling

"It's Tamara Rixley. I may finally have a lead for the shifter murders." She started "But I need your help to get some CCTV feeds." She added

"And that couldn't wait for tomorrow?" he asked

Tamara was silent for a second "Of course. I apologize, Detective." She was about to hang up when the detective sighed "Sorry, I'm cranky when I get woken up middle of the night." Tamara could hear him shifting in his bed "E-Mail me all the details please. I'll see to get you what you need." He promised

"Thank you… and good night." Tamara hung up

The next few days, Tamara and her coworker Aaron Moore where busy sifting through days' worth of CCTV material until they found what they were looking for. "This is not helpful." Aaron sighed, looking at the grainy picture of the CCTV feat showing a hooded figure and something maybe a face. Tamara agreed "Maybe Cian can bring our Lord of Swearing to help." She grumbled "I need to update our Chief anyway." She pulled out her phone and put it on speaker.

The Tribes chief answered after the third ring "Emergency?" he wanted to know because a call from Tamara at this hour usually meant business "No… but maybe a lead for the dead shifter case." Tamara replied.

"Listening…" Cian sounded tired but relaxed a bit, now that there was no immediate problem.

"We have three first names. They were loners - that's why no one knew them - but someone saw a hooded, tall man approaching them before their deaths." Tamara informed him "Novac provided CCTV Material and Aaron and I have been through this the last days." She sighed "We found the person but the material is rubbish. Can Ben help with that?" she wanted to know.

Cian sighed "The two of you need to sort this! I'm not your secretary." he growled but added "Come over to my office tomorrow morning and show Ben. If he can help, he will." Cian was sure.

"Thank you, Chief." they hung up and Tamara leaned back "And we call it a day too, Aaron." She decided.

When Ben entered the Building Cian's business had its offices in, he was already in a bad mood. When he had left his apartment he overheard two of his neighbors talk.

"Yeah… I'll give Logan from 12a a sweet smile, fluttering eyelashes again and then ask him to do it for me. It worked the last few time too…" She laughed but didn't realize Ben was in earshot and flinched when he suddenly spoke up "Maybe looking for some other idiot…"

He had given her the finger, walking by ignoring them both in the process. God he hated women. It was always the same and always would be. His thoughts went to Anya, his new coworker, and he couldn't help but wonder if she was playing him too.

Lost in his thoughts he nearly slammed into Cian who waited for the elevator.

"You look like you had a bad morning." His Boss commented but Ben only grunted "Just idiot neighbors." Ben waved it off when they stepped into the lift.

"Tamara will come by shortly. She needs your help." Cian informed Ben making the developer groan again "Ben, be civil! She may have a lead on the dead shifters." He stated

"Fine… I'll play nice." Ben answered and left the lift.

Before Ben entered the Lair, he took a deep breath. Inside he threw his jacket over his chair.

"Who or what pissed you off?" Anya asked worried. "Idiots." Ben answered, letting himself fall into his chair. "I dealt with it. Just still a bit pissed." He started his computer.

Anya pulled a golden package out of her bag, opened it and placed it between them "Chocolate helps." She winked.

"Thank you…" he skeptically reached for the golden bag and helped himself, watching Anya "What?" she asked confused "Nobody offered you chocolate before?" she asked teasing

"Not without ulterior motif, no... You just carry around chocolate in your bag?" he answered. Anya sighed "You seem to hang with the wrong crowd…" she answered with a raised eyebrow "And I carry a lot of weird things around like…" she grinned and held up a small sewing kit consisting of thread in four colors, a needle and a safety pin packed in paperboard.

Ben laughed "What the fucking hell?" he let out "I thought that went with the seventies." Before Anya could respond someone entered the Lair after a short knock.

"I thought Cian told you to stop the swearing…" a blond woman looked at Ben reprimanding.

"We tried that… irritated the hell out of me." Anya responded without thinking making the women frown "Tamara, this is my new coworker Anya. Anya… vice versa." He introduced them but Tamara wasn't interested much. "Let's do this fast so I can be out of here." She handed Ben an USB device "I got some surveillance material from outside a nightclub from Novac." She told him while Ben opened the folder on the USB. It filled with about a hundred of files "Which one...?" he asked, fearing she wanted him to look through all those files "That one." Tamara pointed on a specific file and Ben forced himself not to slap her finger for touching his screen. He opened the file "Forward to 1:03am. The hooded guy somewhen looks straight in the cameras direction." She ordered and Ben did, pausing the video and creating a still of the person looking roughly at them "Ok… what do you need me for?" he asked

"Well not very useful like that, is it?" she raised an eyebrow "You are the computer nerd. I'm sure you can zoom it in, enlarge it… make a recognizable face out of it…"

Both Ben and Anya suppressed a groan. "You know this is the reality and not a bloody crime TV show?" Ben asked Tamara while he used the video viewer in-build zoom-in function - only blurring the image more.

"Logan! Take this seriously. This could be the one who killed the three shifters!" Tamara growled at him. Ben looked at her helplessly "If you only have 50 blackish grey pixels not making out a face, enlarging doesn't change that as you only get even more pixels with a slightly other blackish hue - the fucking information is just not there. What do you expect me to do?" - "To help for god's sake!" she nearly yelled, throwing her hands up "Fine. If you refuse to help…"

"You don't believe me?" Ben crossed his arms "Anya? Could you explain this to my… tribe-mate?"

Anya took in a deep breath, not sure if she liked being involved in this "Explain… the zoom in to see the face problem..." she let it sink in while Tamara looked expectantly at her.

Anya stretched her shirt "Wrong type of printing…" she mused and looked around the room and finally stopped at Ben's shirt with an airbrush TARDIS "Flocked… that will work…" she nodded, got up and stood behind Ben who looked very skeptical at her "Ok... look at Ncuti in the TARDIS on Ben's shirt." On Tamara's confused look Anya added sighing "The blue police box, the person looking out." She clarified and continued "Zooming in is the same as stretching the fabric… sorry Ben" she reached over the chair's backrest, gently stretched the shirt around Ncuti Gatwa peeking out the TARDIS doors before letting it go again "See? The face gets larger but not sharper - the contrary even. It blurs." She shrugged.

Tamara grumbled "So that's a dead end…" she admitted and held her hand out for the stick which Ben gave her "Thanks for your time…" Tamara left cursing under her breath.

"Ok… from now on you explain the tech stuff to dummies." Ben decided looking at the now closed door. Anya smirked at him one eyebrow raised up "Because I make them go away?" she asked and he pointed a finger on her "That and they leave not pissed at me." He added.

"The last time I did that I smashed a slice of Banana for demonstration." She wavered with her hand "Semi good but I was frustrated because it was the third time within a week I tried to explain this to the same person."

Tamara had slumped down on a park bench. She was frustrated about hitting a dead end again. She had a blurred image of someone talking to each of the victims. It had looked like they knew each other already, being kind of friends.

She took in a deep breath. Frustration wouldn't help her. She still had three probably first names to the victims. She would join Aaron in trying to find the full names and where they had lived.