“He was a jerk,” Amber declared, punctuating her point by fiercely slurping down some latte. Luna had agreed to meet with Haruki and tell her more about L. Joe, but only if she could bring Amber along.

Haruki nodded as she studied the two girls, who she’d met under such different circumstances a year ago. They looked so happy and confident now that she had to smile sadly. Had everyone who’d been touched by The Lobotomist case ended up better off than before except her? She shook her head slightly and tuned back into Luna and Amber’s conversation.

“Jerk’s too nice a word for him,” Luna countered. “I was thinking…misogynist? No, that’s still too nice.”

The detective smiled slightly. “I get the idea. What did he do?”

Both girls spoke at once. “-total player-”

“-different girl every week-”

“-bragged all the time about how many he’d slept with-”

“-he kept notes about them. Can you imagine-”

“-and after he was done with them, he’d call them s,” Luna said indignantly. “Such a pig! He’d tell them it meant nothing and humiliate them in front of everyone else.”

“Was it…consensual?” Haruki suggested, which seemed to relight the fury in both girls. She wondered if either of them had had an unpleasant encounter with L. Joe, considering their vehemence towards him.

“He said it was,” growled Amber.

“I heard that a lot of them weren’t really willing,” Luna murmured and Haruki’s face darkened. She’d been suspecting something like this. “Ugh, I can’t even-”

“There was one girl,” interrupted Amber, lowering her voice. Haruki instinctively leaned forward slightly, though she had a pretty good idea of what was coming next. “He got her…you know.” She gestured toward her stomach and Haruki nodded quickly. “And when she called him out on it, he acted like he didn’t even know her. He and his friends would -shame her and humiliate her, posting lewd messages on her Facebook wall and turning everyone against her. Even the professors…they started treating her differently, too.”

Haruki nearly crushed the coffee cup in her hand as she clenched her jaw. She needed to have a word with the administration here… “What happened after that?” she asked as lightly as she could.

“She tried to kill herself,” Luna whispered. “Bought a ton of pills, I’m not sure which kind, and took them all at once. It was a Friday night, I think?” Amber nodded. “And so the dorm was empty except for her. Luckily, her roommate came back to change her shoes, found her, and called for help. They took her to the hospital and pumped her stomach, which saved her life, but…well…” She stirred her drink, which had already gone cold.

“She lost the baby,” Haruki finished. Both girls nodded and the trio sat in silence for a while.

There it was. The connection between L. Joe and the other guys. The evidence that L. Joe had mistreated women.

Haruki frowned slightly when she realized she hadn’t called the dead men “victims.” It was strange, but she really didn’t think of them as victims. Or, when she thought about it in context of the case, maybe it wasn’t so strange. After all the suffering they’d caused innocent girls-

“He deserved it,” Amber said viciously. “The school is a better place without jerks like him.”

“The world is a better place without guys like him,” Haruki said softly. She signaled Seohyun for the check and paid for all three drinks. “It was nice catching up with you two again.”

“Maybe we can meet up again when you’re not investigating a murder,” suggested Luna and Haruki laughed.

“Thanks for all your help, girls,” she replied. “Do you need a ride back to school?”

“Nah, we’ll take the bus,” Amber said with a smile and a nod. “Good to see you again, Detective.”

“Bye, Haruki,” Luna called.

Haruki waited until both girls had left before pulling out her cellphone. She found the number in her contacts list and her thumb hovered over it for a good minute before she firmly pressed down.

“Hey! You’ve reached the cell of Tiffany Hwang. Sorry I can’t answer right now. Leave a message and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. Thanks!”

“Hey Tiffany,” Haruki said, careful to keep her voice low even though she was sure no one was watching her. “It’s Haruki.” She swallowed hard. “Y-you were right when you said I’d call you. When can we meet?”

Kangin looked up from the monitors as Siwon and Donghae walked into the prison. “Not a good time,” he warned. “Don’t tell anyone this, but we’re a bit short on manpower at the moment.”

“Why? What happened?” asked Siwon.

“It’s not a big problem,” Kangin said quickly. “Hopefully, they’ll resolve it soon. What are you here for?”

“We need to speak with Tiffany,” Donghae replied. “Is that alright?”

Kangin stopped rocking back and forth in his chair and sat upright. “You mean, you haven’t heard? Tiffany was released yesterday. She was bailed out.”

“Guess we’ll have to call on her at her house, then,” sighed Donghae. “Thanks Kangin.”

“That’s not all,” Kangin said quickly and both men turned back. “Her ankle monitor’s been deactivated and we haven’t been able to find her. We’ve searched her house and everything. She was last seen at Heartquake Café. She walked out of there and vanished without a trace. Many of our guards are still out looking for her.”

“Tiffany’s missing?” Siwon repeated dumbly. “But that…” The detectives exchanged a troubled look, which Kangin caught.

“What is it?” he asked.

“Nothing,” Donghae said quickly. “It’s just…nothing. Thanks for the heads up. Do you need help in searching for her? We could call Chief and-”

Kangin shook his head, looking embarrassed. “Thanks for the offer, but we’re going to track her down on our own. It’s a little awkward, you know, to report that-”

“We won’t say a word,” Siwon reassured him. As they walked out of the prison, though, the smile on his face vanished. “Donghae…”

“This is bad,” Donghae murmured. “She’s jumped bail and is hiding out somewhere. Do you think she’s at Falls Point Motel?”

“Call up your friends over there and ask them to investigate, but I don’t think she is,” Siwon replied. “Tiffany’s a smart woman. If she doesn’t want to be found, she won’t be. The real question is: what will her next move be?”

About the fifth time Jiyong let out a long sigh, Youngbae threw up his hands in exasperation and turned around. “Will you stop that?” he snapped. “For crying out loud, just tell us what’s wrong!”

Jiyong gave him a forlorn look and nodded towards the empty computer next to his. “Yeah? What about Seungri?” asked Youngbae, casting a pleading look towards an oblivious T.O.P., silently willing him to take over the conversation.

“That’s just it,” Jiyong replied. “It’s the second day he hasn’t come into work. He didn’t mention anything to you guys, did he?”

“No, but we’re not his keepers, so he wouldn’t have to anyway,” Youngbae replied. “Besides, he’s probably just playing hooky. Wouldn’t be the first time one of you two pulled off that trick.”

Jiyong grinned, ignoring the reproachful glare the older man was giving him. “Yeah, that’s always fun.” Then he became serious. “But, think about it, dude. This is Seungri we’re talking about. He had dates with two different women on Saturday night, remember? Do you think he wouldn’t come in and brag about that?”

“Maybe they didn’t go as well as he thought they would,” Youngbae shrugged. “He’s probably just too embarrassed to talk about it.”

“It’s Seungri,” Jiyong repeated. “Even if it went badly, he’d make up some story about how well the whole thing went.”

Youngbae scrutinized him carefully before a grin broke across his face. “Ha! You’re just worried about him.” He slapped the arm of his chair and spun around a couple times, laughing his head off.

At this, T.O.P. finally looked up. “What’s so funny?”

“Jiyong’s worried about Seungri!” Youngbae giggled. “Who’s the one who always says that worrying is for girls?”

T.O.P. chuckled at this, but grew serious after a moment. “It is odd that he wouldn’t show up for two days in a row.”

“Maybe he’s working on something at home and doesn’t want us distracting him,” Youngbae suggested. The three of them lasted half a second before dissolving into laughter. As if that would be the case. It was much more likely that Seungri would be the one distracting them.

“Still, it’s unlike him to keep things hidden from us,” T.O.P. said thoughtfully. “And we all remember what happened to the last guy who kept things hidden from us…”

“It’s nothing,” Youngbae insisted, although he suddenly didn’t look so sure anymore.

Jiyong pushed back from his desk and stood up, grabbing his jacket off the back of his chair. “I’m going to check on him. Just to make sure.”

T.O.P.’s face lit up. “Ooh, can I come?”

Jiyong rolled his eyes. “It’s not a field trip, you know.”

“But it’s an invasion of privacy, so it’s still fun,” T.O.P. replied, bouncing out of his chair. “I’m coming with you!”

“Wha- hey!” protested Youngbae. “What if someone from the FID comes in with work for us?”

“I’m sure you can handle it, man,” Jiyong replied innocently as he and T.O.P. rushed out the door, slamming it shut behind them, but not before hearing Youngbae’s frustrated howl.

Heading down the hall, Jiyong noticed Sungmin walking towards him and grabbed the other man’s arm. “Hey. You got a moment? I need help with something.”

“Sure. What’s up?”

“Seungri hasn’t shown up to work for the past few days. I just wanted to check up on him. Will you come with me?”

Sungmin looked doubtful. “I’m sure he’s fine. He’s probably out sick or something.”

“I can’t explain it,” Jiyong sighed. “But I just have this gut feeling…something’s wrong."

"Well, what do you need me for?" Sungmin asked. 

Jiyong faked a look of shock. "If something is wrong, I can't do anything about it. I'm not a police officer. You, on the other hand..." He grinned. "Come on, it'll be fun." 

Sungmin rolled his eyes and sighed. “Alright, fine. You go first and I’ll follow you after I finish up a few things. Do you have his address?”

Jiyong scribbled it down on Sungmin’s palm and smiled cheekily. “Thanks!”

“What’s got you so worried all of a sudden?” T.O.P. asked as they settled into Jiyong’s car and drove out of the parking lot.

Jiyong shrugged. “It’s just an intuition, I guess. I don’t know. I can’t really explain it. It’s probably just the case I’ve been working on with Haruki, Siwon, and the other guys. It’s got me a little on edge.”

T.O.P. looked confused. “What does your case have to do with Seungri?”

“Nothing.” Jiyong tried to smile and just shake it off. After all, it probably really was nothing. Still, there was an uneasy feeling in his gut and he just wanted to make sure Seungri was alright.

T.O.P. nodded and fell into a respectful silence, which he promptly broke five seconds later. “So, what’s your take on Haruki suddenly quitting like that yesterday?”

“I have no idea what’s on her mind,” Jiyong replied.

“I wouldn’t have expected something like that from her,” T.O.P. replied. “I mean, angry outbursts were more Heechul’s style. Haruki’s always been so…together. You know what I mean?”

Jiyong shook his head. “That’s just an act. Haruki tends to explode when she’s pushed far enough. Remember when she arrested Daesung? She pulled a gun on him in a café full of people. And Jessica, her old roommate, told me that Haruki flipped a guy over her shoulder for calling Jessica a .”

T.O.P. grinned. “No kidding.”

Jiyong left T.O.P. chuckling over that while he went back to puzzling over his sudden urge to rush over to Seungri’s place. There was some pattern in the case that he couldn’t quite put his finger on. He probably should discuss it with Sungmin or Donghae, even though that wasn’t part of his job description. His job was just cracking computers. Their job was to solve cases.

But he still couldn’t help thinking that there was something he’d figured out on a subconscious level…

“We’re here,” T.O.P. announced suddenly and Jiyong slammed on the brakes to keep from driving past the narrow street.

They went up to the third floor and knocked on Seungri’s apartment door. No answer. Jiyong frowned and tried the doorbell. It was broken. He knocked harder. “Hey! Seungri? You there, man?”

T.O.P. grabbed his shoulder. “Wait! What are we going to say if he answers and everything’s fine?”

“Somehow, I don’t think that’s the case,” murmured Jiyong.

A few minutes later, Sungmin arrived, still looking faintly annoyed. “Well?” he asked.

“He’s not answering,” Jiyong replied.

“He’s probably not home,” Sungmin replied, turning away when he stopped and stared down at the mat, a frown crossing his face. Jiyong followed his gaze, noticing three rolled up newspapers, from the past three mornings, tucked under the doormat.

Without warning, Sungmin took a few steps back and charged forward, slamming his shoulder into the door, which splintered open. T.O.P.’s jaw dropped as he spluttered, “But…what if…”

“I’ll tell him I was sorry,” Sungmin replied, no trace of humor on his face as he drew his gun and slowly advanced forward. There were still dirty dishes in the sink and used coffee cups on the table near his couch. Jiyong followed Sungmin past the mess and towards the bedroom.

Even before they reached the door, he could smell it.

Sungmin cautiously pushed the door open a crack, then rushed in, snatching up his phone as he checked the dead man’s pulse unnecessarily. “Hey, it’s me. There’s been a murder…”

Both T.O.P. and Jiyong stood frozen as they stared down at their friend, still dressed in his crumpled date night clothes. There was the smell of decay in the air, which made Jiyong gag as he moved forward slowly, unable to take his eyes off the blazer that had choked the life out of his friend, which was still wound around his neck.

“I can’t believe this,” Yoona murmured as she adjusted the focus on her microscope.

“I know,” Kyuhyun replied, sorting through the evidence that had been collected from Seungri’s room. “I mean, Seungri? Why would anyone want to kill him? He didn’t have any enemies, as far as I know.”

“A bit obnoxious, but that’s no reason to murder a guy,” Minho murmured. He was scanning Seungri’s blazer with a magnifying glass, searching for clues.

“I can’t believe he’d been there for three days before he was found.” Kyuhyun shivered at the thought. “Jiyong said he was already starting to decay. You could smell it and-”

“Ugh! Gross!” Minho held up his hands in surrender. “I don’t need the details. There’s a reason I don’t work with bodies!”

“It seems so random,” Kyuhyun said. “Just a random act of violence. Poor Seungri.”

“Chief will probably want us to pull away from the serial killer case and focus on this until we get it cleared up,” Minho murmured.

Yoona gave a slight shake of the shoulders as she looked up with a start. “Huh? What? I didn’t mean the murder. Look at this.” She pointed to the fiber she’d been examining, and then held up a white glove. “This was found in Seungri’s bedroom. Does it look familiar to you?”

“Should it?” frowned Minho.

“The fibers,” Yoona replied. “That rare new fiber I couldn’t identify from the gun that killed G.O. and that we found on Chunji’s body?” She waved the glove at them. “They match the fibers from this glove.”

Kyuhyun nearly jumped out of his chair. “I’ll go look up all the clothing stores in the area. See if anyone carries this type of glove.”

Yoona nodded and turned to Minho, carefully handing the glove to him. “I think there might be DNA on this, Minho,” she said softly.

Minho’s eyes widened as he took it from her. “I’ll run it right away.”

“What’s wrong, Jessica?” Sohee asked as she walked by the blonde to see her rummaging frantically through her bag.

“I know I had them in here,” Jessica muttered as Yunho approached her with an exasperated look.

“Jessica, what are you doing? You’re not even dressed for the shoot! Where’s your red dress?”

Jessica waved a hand at her dressing room, then plunged it into her bag once again. “I’ll get dressed when I’m ready,” she grumbled. “I can’t even find all my accessories for this outfit!”

Yunho sighed. “What are you missing? We can help you look for it.”

“My glove! I’m missing one of them! Ugh, this is so annoying. Never mind. Sunny!”

The short-haired girl came running over. “What’s wrong, Jessica?”

“I’m missing a glove for the shoot,” Jessica replied, crossing her arms. “Get me another one.”

“Left or right hand?” asked Sunny.

“Left.”

Yunho frowned disapprovingly. “Jessica, you know those gloves were specially made for Fashion Week. They’re really expensive, and-”

“It happens,” she said crossly. “People lose things, you know.”

“Here you go!” Sunny held out an identical glove and Jessica sighed, rubbing the soft fabric between her fingers.

“Not quite broken in.” She flicked her hair over her shoulder. “Oh well, it’ll have to do.”

“Hurry up!” yelped Yunho. “You have five minutes!”

“Fine!” Jessica stormed off towards her dressing room.

Yunho glanced over the crowd of models dressed in fifties-style outfits, complete with permed hair and stylish accessories. They were doing a special “noir”-themed shoot for Fashion Week and the girls were dressed in the style of the women in detective movies from the fifties- the mysterious “dame” who would saunter into a detective’s office, bringing him nothing but trouble.

He shook his head. True to her word, Jessica emerged from the dressing room five minutes later, miraculously transformed in a silky red dress, high heels, gloves, and a long cigarette holder that dangled between her fingers. Her hair had been quickly curled as well. She was pouting, though, which ruined the “femme fatale” aura slightly. “How come I don’t get a gun?” she complained. “I already know how to hold one.”

Yunho sighed. “Just get in place, would you?” He rubbed his temples as she stomped off to join the other girls. He couldn’t wait for this nightmare to be over.