The Number One Star in the Interstellar Era

Chapter 808: [THE SHADOW WITHIN] (XVII)

"REYES, that son of a bitch. He really ingratiated himself in this investigation just because of the attention it would give him. But don’t worry, we will hold Hale as long as possible until we get a confession."

They were in the chief’s office. After Reyes stepped into the interrogation room, the chief had called Lewis in right away. Stevens followed without being asked, and now the two of them stood across the desk while the chief paced behind it.

At first, the chief had been in a good mood. He had commended them for bringing Hale in before he could leave the city. He even went as far as to say that what happened in Hale’s apartment would be handled quietly. He made it clear that no report about that entry would move forward.

That alone showed how badly he wanted this case closed. If that detail came out, everything they had could fall apart.

Then his tone changed once he brought up Reyes.

"Reyes is not someone we want involved in this," the chief continued, his voice tight with irritation. "He doesn’t take cases unless there’s something big in it for him." He stopped pacing and looked at them. "He’s not in this because he believes Hale is innocent," he added. "He’s in this because the case is all over the news. It’s high profile. The public is very much invested in the result. That is the kind of case he builds his name on."

Lewis, of course, knew about the defense lawyer.

Reyes had a reputation. He took on big cases and made sure he won. The truth did not matter to him. If he agreed to represent someone, he would find a way to get them free. That’s what made him dangerous.

After a moment, Stevens spoke. "Or maybe Hale is not the killer."

The room went quiet for a second. The chief then turned to him, his expression hard.

"Excuse me?" he said. "Aren’t you the ones who brought in all the evidence pointing to him?"

"Yes," Stevens replied calmly. "Conveniently so."

The chief let out a short scoff. "Convenient?" he repeated. "We have the weapon, the connection to the victims, and his attempt to leave the city. What more do you want?"

Stevens did not raise his voice. "He does not fit the profile."

The chief shook his head. "You and I both know profiling is not exact science. It’s not something we base a case on. It can be wrong at any time, and this could be one of those times."

Stevens held his gaze for a moment, then looked away slightly. "Maybe."

Lewis stayed quiet, but he was watching Stevens. There was something in how he spoke, something that did not fit with the calm certainty he usually carried. It was small, but it was there. Doubt.

Lewis felt it too. His mind went back to the interrogation room. To how Hale had reacted. To the moment his calm finally cracked. To the story he gave them.

It sounded unlikely. But not impossible.

Lewis clenched his jaw a little, the tension settling into the back of his neck. He knew exactly what the chief wanted him to do. Close the case. Put everything on Hale. Let the department move on to the next thing. It would be clean, easy, and no one would question it. But something about it did not sit right with him. And no matter how hard he tried to push the feeling down, his gut would not let him let it go.

***

"Do you really think Hale is not the killer?" Lewis asked after they entered his office.

He closed the door behind them and walked toward his desk, still thinking about what had just happened in the chief’s office.

Stevens did not answer right away. He moved to one of the chairs in front of the desk and sat down, crossing one leg over the other. "If I say yes, would you ignore the chief’s orders and turn your attention to another possibility just because of my guess?"

Lewis let out a quiet breath and leaned against the edge of his desk. "Then I need to hear this guess first before I decide if it’s worthwhile."

Stevens looked at him for a moment, studying his expression. Then he gave a small chuckle. "You really are interesting."

Lewis did not respond. Which only seemed to amuse Stevens further.

He rested his hands lightly on his knee before speaking again. "First, let’s consider the monetary aspect. Evidence suggests the culprit’s motive isn’t financial gain. The killings are too meticulously planned, and their timing follows a pattern that offers no obvious monetary benefit. This level of control and patience indicates someone driven by a desire for power over his victims, not profit."

Lewis listened without interrupting.

"If Hale were doing this for money, he would not need to take unnecessary risks. Selling the weapon after the fact is careless. It adds exposure. It suggests poor judgment, not careful planning."

He paused briefly before going on.

"Second, his interest in antiques. The books in his apartment were all replicas of well-known works from Earth. That alone doesn’t mean much, but it supports what he said about being a collector. People who are serious about collecting often start with replicas before moving on to originals, especially when the real ones are expensive and hard to get. It shows a consistent interest, not something he just made up on the spot to explain his situation."

Lewis frowned slightly, thinking it over.

"Third, his behavior during interrogation. He maintained composure at the start, which is expected. But when pressure increased, he broke. That is not consistent with someone who has carried out multiple killings in such a controlled manner. The real culprit would either maintain that control until the end or adjust their behavior to gain sympathy. Hale did neither."

He leaned back slightly in his chair.

"Execution is also a key consideration," he added. "The killings required planning, patience, and precision, and the consistency in method, use of a specific drug, and control over when the bodies were found suggest experience. Based on what we know, Hale’s actions do not reflect that level of discipline."

Lewis crossed his arms, his expression tightening.

"He panicked at the scene with Mercer," Stevens continued. "He ran. He picked up the knife without thinking. Those are reactive decisions. The person we are looking for does not act on impulse like that."

Lewis stayed quiet. Piece by piece, Stevens’ argument started to make sense. It was not enough to clear Hale completely, but it was enough to create doubt.

And that was the problem.

Lewis pushed himself off the desk and walked a few steps, his mind going over everything again. The evidence pointed to Hale. Everything lined up in a way that made it easy.

Too easy.

He stopped and looked back at Stevens. His gut had been bothering him since the interrogation. Now it fely it’s screaming at him.

Stevens watched him, then spoke again.

"Well, we can always check the conversation Mr. Hale claimed he saved."

***

"If you want access to my client’s Terminal logs, then you need to show some goodwill first. Let Mr. Hale out on bail."

Lewis gritted his teeth. Reyes knew exactly what he was asking. They could not release Hale. He was the main suspect in an active serial killing case, and there was already enough to justify holding him for further investigation. Reyes was not really expecting them to agree. He was just pushing, testing how far he could go, trying to get a rise out of them.

So, Lewis kept his expression neutral. They were back in the interrogation room. It was the only place where both sides could sit across from each other under clear procedure. Instead of responding to Reyes, Lewis turned to Hale.

"You said we can look at those conversation records," he said. "If you’re not the killer, you won’t let your lawyer block us from checking them."

Hale looked at Reyes, then back at Lewis. For a moment, he hesitated. Then he gave a small nod. Reyes let out a quiet scoff and shook his head, clearly disagreeing with the decision.

"That’s not advisable," he said, but Hale did not take it back.

With that, Lewis did not waste time. He and Stevens went straight to the tech department and handed Hale’s Terminal over to one of the analysts. The system was connected quickly, and it did not take long before the message logs were pulled up on a large screen.

The conversation appeared.

Lewis read through it, his expression tightening. Everything matched what Hale had said. The messages showed instructions sent in short, direct lines. A location. A time. A simple task. Turn on the device, then leave and proceed to the next place.

He leaned slightly toward the screen.

"Trace the account," he said to the analyst. "I want everything you can get. Location data, access points, anything. Be thorough."

The analyst nodded and started working.

Beside Lewis, Stevens had gone quiet.

Lewis glanced at him and saw that his attention was fixed on the screen. His eyes moved slowly over the messages, then stopped on one part.

Stevens straightened slightly and turned to Lewis. "The first location given to Mr. Hale. The place where he was told to stand and activate the device. Doesn’t it look familiar to you?"

Lewis frowned and looked again. His eyes moved over the coordinates, then paused. He immediately recognized the location.

"The old water treatment plant," he said, almost a whisper.