The precinct was half-empty when Victor returned — a low hum of computers and the faint rattle of the coffee machine filling the space. Veronica sat at her desk, sleeves rolled up, going over the reports again. When she looked up, the clock behind her read close to ten.

"You were gone a while," she remarked, closing the file. "Jane Park talk that long?"

Victor shrugged out of his coat, expression unreadable. "I don't know about talking long, but I did find some things that are, well, interesting."

Veronica raised an eyebrow, gesturing to the seat across from her. "Is that so? What did you get?"

Victor sat, flipped open his notebook, and began with his usual detached precision. "She has been staying with Sehuj and Ina for around three months because of her health. They have been helping her with medicines, checkups, and the what-ifs."

"That much we gathered. Go on," Veronica nodded, without looking up.

Victor continued. "On the day of the incident, River took Jane for her checkup as they were busy."

"River...the friend?"

"Yes"

"Then he has an alibi, Jane Park?" Veronica asked, curious.

"That is where things get interesting," Victor leaned forward.

"After taking Jane Park to the hospital, he left her alone for a few hours that morning. No alibi during the estimated time of death."

Veronica's pen stilled. Victor leaned back now that he had finally gotten her attention.

He continued, "Also, Sehuj stayed at home that day because he had an online meeting with a potential client. A meeting that River supposedly arranged." 

Victor looked up from his notebook and saw Veronica staring at him, leaning on the desk.  

"Anything else?" she prodded further.

"Well, apparently, she's known the victim and River since school." He turned a page. "She lost touch with them a while back and got in touch after she heard she was sick." Veronica nodded as she flipped through a stack of papers. 

"And he was the one who found the body," Veronica thought aloud. Victor nodded, "According to Jane, he went back to get her medicines."

"Is that so?" she muttered, more to herself. Both of them fell silent, with only the sound of Veronica flipping through the papers. 

After a while, she frowned slightly and muttered, "Coincidence, maybe?" 

Victor leaned back, crossing one leg over the other. "Maybe. But he was the one who arranged the meeting, and the victim ended up dead before it even started."

Veronica gave him a long look. "You're jumping to conclusions fast, Victor. I hope you're not letting the first lead get to your head."

He offered a small shrug and that polite smile again — the one that never reached his eyes.
"Just connecting dots."

She studied him for a moment longer. "You think River's involved."

"I think," he said carefully, "he's worth keeping close. People close to the victim always know more than they let on."

Veronica didn't respond right away. She just flipped the corner of her notepad thoughtfully. "Alright. I'll read through your report. But we don't run with assumptions. Not yet."

Victor's eyes flickered, just for a second, before he nodded. "Of course."

"You can leave now, if you have nothing more to say. It's late."

Victor shook his head. Picking up his things, he left with a curt bye, leaving Veronica with her thoughts.

She sat there, alone, in the quiet office, the rhythmic click of her pen echoing in the stillness. She finally had a lead, something concrete after days of dead ends, and she wanted to feel relieved. Victor's observations made sense; on paper, River had both the motive and the opportunity. Even his calmness during questioning had seemed... unnatural.

And yet, something about it didn't sit right. For a murder that looked deliberate, there were too many gaps, too many details left hanging. Either River was far more calculating than she believed, or they were all looking in the wrong direction.

She sighed, eyes drifting to the case board. Sehuj's photograph stared back at her from the center, threads stretching toward Ina, Jane, and River. The last photo now bore a yellow sticky note.

"The Lead."

Veronica tapped her pen against the desk. If experience had taught her anything, it was that the most obvious path rarely led to the truth.

𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁