Jessica was taking everything out of the refrigerator when Haruki finally arrived home that day.

“I’m afraid to ask, but what are you doing?”

The other woman whirled around upon hearing her voice, scowling as she brandished the jar in her hand. “Have you read the labels on these things? Do you know what this is?”

“It’s peanut butter.”

“It’s fat!” she snapped. “Ugh! Seriously! Is there anything in this house that I can eat?”

“Unless you’re allergic to nuts, it won’t kill you. But you’re welcome to go shopping,” Haruki muttered.

Jessica huffed and crossed her arms. “It’s already bad enough that I’m sleeping in the living room and now-”

Haruki held up a hand to cut her off. “Jessica, look. I’m really, really not in the mood for this.”

The model glared at her for a moment, before her face softened slightly. “Bad day at work?”

“It could’ve been better,” Haruki replied, about to sit on the couch, when Jessica shrieked.

“Hey! Watch it! That’s my pillow!”

“Right. Sorry.” Haruki tossed the silky item aside and flopped down with a sigh.

Jessica carefully fluffed up the pillow and set it at the other end of the couch, before sitting beside the detective. “So, what happened?”

Even though Haruki knew she was asking out of curiosity and not genuine concern, it still felt good to have someone to talk to. “Well, another brain-dead girl showed up, one of our most loyal detectives is the prime suspect, and a y reporter wants to ruin my life.”

“You said y.” Jessica raised her eyebrows in surprise. Haruki just grunted in response and drew her knees up to her chest.

After several more moments of staring, Jessica stood up and tugged on Haruki’s arm. “Come on.”

“Where are we going?”

“To get you drunk,” Jessica replied as she hustled the detective out the door.

“What?”

“Haruki had a migraine after questioning Siwon, so I made her go home,” Donghae announced as he entered Jiyong’s office. “Sorry to make you wait.”

“No worries,” Jiyong replied, turning back to his computer. “Take a look at this.” Donghae peered over his shoulder at the screen, looking at the three usernames listed there. “The first one was used to contact Choi Sulli.”

HuntingCat

The hacker moved his finger down to the next one. “This one was used to contact IU.”

AmazeWarrior

“And the last one was the one Krystal talked to?” Donghae asked. Ragebeast. “Man, this guy has issues.”

"That’s not all,” Jiyong replied. “If you put together the first letter of each one…”

…H…A…R… Donghae frowned, shaking his head slightly. “Don’t you think you’re jumping to conclusions, Jiyong?”

“It does seem like something out of a bad crime novel,” Jiyong admitted, “but the killer appears to have a thing for Haruki.”

“It could be a coincidence,” Donghae argued.

“I don’t believe in coincidences. Anyway, that’s not the only thing I wanted to show you, though. I managed to get a trace on the IP address. It links to a computer in Falls Park, a small city a couple hours away from here.”

"This doesn’t make sense,” the detective murmured.

“Of course it does. He thinks he’s safe if he’s farther away,” the hacker replied. “But of course, he’s never safe from my hacking skills.”

“That’s just it, though.” Donghae took a step back and began pacing around the office. “Why now? Haruki says you’ve been working on this ever since IU’s body appeared almost a month ago.”

Jiyong looked slightly insulted, but grudgingly had to agree. “You think that this is a trap?”

“I think it’s meant to throw us off track,” Donghae replied. “But it’s probably worth checking out anyways.”

“Definitely,” Jiyong nodded. “I’ll let Haruki know so she can go-”

“No. Don’t tell her,” interrupted Donghae. “I’ll go by myself. Just give me the address.”

“You sure about this? I mean, she’ll probably kill you when she finds out. You know how important this case is to her,” the hacker frowned, even as he pulled out a notepad and scribbled down the information.

Donghae shrugged. “I’ll live.”

“Any reason she can’t come along?” Jiyong held out the note, which the detective pocketed immediately.

Donghae smiled uncomfortably. “Come on. We both agreed it was a trap…I just…it’s better I check it out alone.”

Jiyong’s eyes popped open in surprise. “Who are you and where is the real Donghae?”

“Hilarious,” Donghae growled. “Thanks for the info. I’ll let you know what I find tomorrow.” He turned to leave, but Jiyong pushed back in his wheeled chair and blocked the door with his legs.

“Oh, come on! You think we haven’t noticed your sudden spurt of maturity? When was the last time you barged into someone’s office and annoyed them until they had an aneurysm?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Donghae tried to sidestep the chair, but the hacker kept up with him easily. The detective could practically see the wheels turning in the other man’s head as Jiyong’s face lit up in comprehension.

“For that matter, when’s the last time you had a date?”

“Jiyong…”

“Fine, fine.” The hacker kicked out of the way, allowing the other man to pass. “You know Chief Park is going to throw a fit though. He doesn’t approve of inter-partner relationships.”

Donghae just scowled over his shoulder as he stomped out of the room.

“Let me know if she says yes!” Jiyong called after him, chuckling to himself when the detective slammed the door shut in response.

Psychedelic colors flashed against every surface, the rapidly shifting lights forcing Haruki to squint. She winced in discomfort as she passed a strobe light. Her ears ached from the throbbing of the music, which vibrated the floorboards and threatened to bring down the roof as well. A couple of people squeezed past her, pressing so closely that she could almost feel their sweat and cringed in disgust. She turned away from the gyrating bodies on the dance floor.

This was Haruki’s worst nightmare come to life.

“Welcome to Club No. 1,” Jessica announced, ignoring her roommate’s discomfort. “It’s got the best drinks in town. Let’s go!”

“I don’t drink,” Haruki snapped, but the model grabbed her by the wrist and led her straight up to the bar, where she hopped up onto the nearest seat. The detective rubbed her arm when her roommate finally let go. Jessica’s hands might be small, but her grip was like a vise.

“Hey, Jessica. Looking good as ever,” grinned a man in a bowtie as he leaned over the counter. “You haven’t been here in a while.”

"Things have been…hectic lately,” Jessica replied. She was smiling, but there was something uneasy about the way her hands were clasped on the countertop.

“I was sorry to hear about your sister,” the man continued. “It’s terribly tragic what-”

“I’m here to forget about it,” Jessica snapped and this time, she definitely sounded tense.

The man looked embarrassed, but nodded, switching his attention to Haruki. “You must be Jessica’s friend? I’m Doojoon, the manager of the club.”

“Haruki,” the detective replied, shaking his outstretched hand.

“I’ll get someone to wait on you right away,” he promised. “Tonight’s been kind of busy, so-”

“It’s fine,” Jessica muttered. She waved her hand dismissively, staring down at the table and Haruki smiled apologetically at Doojoon.

“What’s up with you?” Haruki asked when the manager was out of earshot.

“Nothing,” Jessica snapped, holding her hands on the counter and resting her chin on them.

“Ladies?” A dark-haired young man moved over from behind the counter, wiping his hands on a cloth. He was followed by another bartender with blondish hair, although the blond was standing back, seemingly observing the first man’s work. “Can I get you anything?”

Jessica tilted her head lazily to the side as she studied the bartender. “Aren’t you Doojoon’s new kid? Yoseob, right?”

“That’s him. Still in training though,” the light-haired bartender replied, ruffling the younger man’s hair. Yoseob looked disgruntled. “You haven’t been here in a while, Jessica. Everything okay?”

“Hyunseung,” Jessica acknowledged, her voice barely louder than mumble as she pointedly ignored his question.

Hyunseung glanced over at Haruki, who shrugged, and he stared as if she’d sprouted a third eye on her forehead. “You’re being rude,” she head Yoseob hiss.

"Hey, have you been here before?” Hyunseung asked. Haruki just shook her head.

“I’m, uh, Jessica’s roommate,” she said, quickly holding her hand out. “Haruki.”

“Uh-huh. Do you live around here?” he asked, not noticing the gesture. Her hand wilted slightly and she drew it back into her lap, blushing.

“What?”

Yoseob cleared his throat loudly. “Anyways. Is there anything I can get you?”

“Two Cosmos. Extra ice,” Jessica replied, folding her arms on the countertop and glancing disinterestedly over her shoulder.

“Jessica, you’re driving later,” Haruki protested. “You shouldn’t be drinking.”

“Of course not.” The model sat up straight, glaring at her roommate as if insulted. “You think I’m stupid? That’s for you. I’ll take a Diet Coke.”

“Coming right up,” Yoseob replied, turning away.

“You sure you’ve never been here before?” Hyunseung asked. Yoseob made an impatient noise and the light-haired man hurried after him. The look on the younger bartender’s face a mix of amusement and irritation; really, who was in charge of who here?

“Hey, wait-” Haruki reached for the man’s sleeve, but he’d already gone. “Jessica, I told you I don’t drink!” she snapped in a hushed voice.

“I brought you here to relax, Haruki,” Jessica retorted. “So you’re going to relax, damn it.”

The detective gave up. It was no use arguing with her new roommate. As much as she’d insisted Jessica not keep all her belongings in the apartment, the model had ended up bringing even more things in. Every single window had been covered with flowery curtains when Jessica deemed the apartment too bland, much to Haruki’s irritation. Somehow, whenever they fought, Jessica always won.

Plus, something was off about her today. It was best to drop the topic completely.

“Do you come here often?” Haruki asked.

“When I can,” Jessica replied. “This place is a really cute café during the day, but it’s much more fun at night. See the DJ?” She pointed towards the dance floor, but Haruki couldn’t see anything through the flashing lights and dancing bodies. “That’s Junhyung. He’s a friend of mine.”

“Two Cosmos and a Diet Coke,” announced Hyungseung, sliding the drinks across the counter. “Enjoy.”

“Idiot, you forgot the napkins,” scolded Yoseob, pushing a stack towards them.

Haruki smiled. “You know, I don’t think he’s the one who needs more training.” Yoseob looked smug at that comment and stuck his tongue out at Hyunseung.

The detective picked up one of the glasses and passed it back and forth between her hands, examining it from all angles. “It’s not poison,” Jessica snapped.

“Technically, it could be,” Haruki retorted.

“First time drinking?” Yoseob asked and she nodded. “Now that’s just sad.”

“It’s just vodka,” smirked Jessica. “Or are you too scared?”

Haruki picked up her glass, examining it from all angles. Her spine was prickling with several pairs of eyes fixed on her. Raising the glass to her lip, she took a tiny sip.

Instantly, she slammed the glass on the counter, eyes watering and nostrils smarting. She coughed and sputtered as the vodka stung . Her face burned as Jessica and Yoseob collapsed with laughter. Hyunseung merely looked confused as Haruki snatched up a napkin and wiped her face, cheeks red with embarrassment.

“Guess I’m not much of a drinker,” she mumbled.

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t Morita Haruki.” Sungmin’s partner, Ryeowook, hopped up into the seat on her other side, grinning broadly. “Last place I’d expect to find you. I should take a picture for proof.”

Haruki smiled slightly. “Hey, Ryeowook. Is Sungmin here?”

"He wouldn’t come along,” Ryeowook frowned. “Said he was busy with something, but I don’t believe that.”

Jessica cleared and Haruki hastily turned to her. “Uh, that’s Kim Ryeowook, one of the other detectives in my department.” He smiled and reached across her to shake the model’s hand. “Ryeowook, this is my roommate, Jessica Jung.”

Ryewook’s hand froze mid-shake. “Oh…”

“Yeah, my sister was murdered,” Jessica grumbled. “Spare me.” She played with her Diet Coke, eyeing Haruki’s untouched drink.

What the hell. “Take it.” The detective pushed the glass towards her. “We can call a cab later.”

“Thanks.” Jessica took a huge gulp, squeezing her eyes shut as the alcohol burned . She shook her head, grinning broadly now. “Whoo! That’s much better. Hey, I’ll be right back!” She jumped off the seat and dashed off towards the dance floor, instantly blending into the crowd.

Haruki shrugged and turned back to her own drink. Steeling herself for that burning sensation, she raised the glass to her lips and tilted her head back. “I’ve got it!” Hyunseung burst out.

The detective choked, spraying half her drink across the counter. Both men instinctively ducked aside, and thus avoided the brunt of the attack. Ryeowook pressed the back of his hand to his lips, his cheeks stretching up into a smile. “I’m so sorry,” she gasped.

“Way to go, moron,” Yoseob snorted, punching the older bartender’s arm. “You scared her! Don’t worry, we’ll clean it up. Oi! Dongwoon! Where are you?”

“Sorry about that,” Hyunseung said as his colleague walked off, clearly not apologetic at all. “But I just remembered where I’ve seen you before.” Haruki raised an eyebrow in feigned interest. “There’s this man who used to come in during the day. I remember him because he had these pictures of all these girls, and yours was one of them.”

Haruki instantly sat up straighter and looked him in the eye, ignoring Ryeowook’s gasp of astonishment. “What did he look like?” she demanded.

“Why the hell am I on the midnight shift?” Henry grumbled, twisting his chair behind the security desk from side to side. “Oh, sure. ‘Henry’s young and he can handle less sleep. Young people are tougher like that, right Henry?’” He muttered a several choice words under his breath and dropped his forehead onto the desk.

More importantly, why did the hospital really need a midnight security shift? No, the real question was, why did the hospital need double the usual midnight security all of a sudden? He’d heard some of his colleagues discussing a girl who’d been attacked and badly injured. Supposedly, the Valenti Police Department had insisted on protecting her, though Henry couldn’t understand why. She was nobody important, just some college girl who’d probably been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Why would she still be in danger?

He sighed and kicked his feet up onto the desk, pulling his phone out of his pocket. Might as well play Fruit Ninja until Zhou Mi came along to relieve him in five freakin’ hours.

Absorbed in the game, he didn’t notice the person approaching the desk until they’d reached it. He finally peeled his eyes away from the phone screen and frowned at the person. “Can I help you?”

In the next instant, he was lying in a crumpled heap on the ground with a bruise at his temple. The figure smirked slightly as he walked past, pushing open the doors of the emergency room in search of his prey.

Haruki frowned as she downed another shot, rubbing at her temples. Her head was buzzing slightly, which she assumed was a sign of intoxication, but she didn’t even care.

“Screw everything,” she muttered.

She’d gotten next to nothing from Hyunseung. No name of the man with the photographs, no description, no estimated age. The bartender couldn’t even tell her if any of the victims of the killer matched the photographs the man had with him. All she could do was get him to promise the next time he saw the man, he’d call her.

Then she’d downed the rest of her drink in one gulp and ordered some more vodka.

“Uh, Haruki?” Yoseob said hesitantly. “If this is your first time drinking, maybe you shouldn’t have so much.”

“Shut up and give me another one,” she growled, slamming her empty glass on the bar.

Jessica was slumped in the seat beside hers, glowering blankly at her arms. “You okay?” the detective asked.

“Talked to my parents today,” Jessica slurred and Haruki straightened, shaking off her buzzed state slightly to listen more intently. “Mommy and Daddy are sorry they’ve ignored us for so long.” The model sighed and let her head flop onto her arm. “They want me to go to Krystal’s funeral next weekend.”

“Are you going to?” Haruki asked.

“Duh.” Even drunk, Jessica managed her trademark look of disdain. Then the moment passed and she slumped back on the countertop. “But I don’t want to see my parents.”

It had to be the alcohol talking; the real Jessica wouldn’t reveal any such feelings to her roommate. Haruki realized this had to be the reason why Jessica had been in a bad mood all day, why she’d suggested going out for drinks. They both needed it. Though they’d regret it in the morning since it was a weeknight.

The music stopped and the DJ- Junhyung, was it?- called out, “Hey everyone, how are we doing tonight?” He was answered by a massive cheer. “Alright, before the night ends, we’ve got couple song dedications. The first one is to the lovely Miss Morita Haruki, from an anonymous admirer.”

Jessica raised her eyebrows. “You have an anonymous admirer?”

The moment the music came on, Haruki’s eyes flew wide open.

“A pair of perfect white hands

Neither trembling nor sweating

Crossed behind a smile

A hidden, dangerous persona.”

No amount of caffeine could possibly have been as effective. Instantly sober, Haruki leapt off the stool, staring around the room wildly. Everyone was looking at her- who was it? Where was he? He had to be here, he had to be, how else would he know where she was?

Her chest hurt. Can’t breathe, need air. Haruki staggered towards the door, shoving people out of the way as she brushed past the short bouncer guarding the entrance and stumbled outside.

A moment later, Jessica and Ryeowook found her vomiting in the bushes. Ryeowook rubbed the back of his head, awkwardly glancing around as if he hoped someone else would come along and spare him the trouble of dealing with this. “I’ll call a cab for you two,” he offered.

“No need,” the bouncer spoke up. “We’ve got a contract with a taxi service. I’ll call them now.” Ryeowook jumped on that idea and begged him to hurry up. The bouncer pulled a walkie talkie out of his pocket. “Hey? Yeah, Kikwang here. We need a cab…”

“You okay?” Ryeowook asked, crouching over a pale-faced Haruki as she wiped on the back of her hand.

“He’s in there,” she breathed. “He’s following me, or something.”

“Who?”

“Miss?” Kikwang, the bouncer, gestured to a taxi that had just pulled up. The driver was already helping Jessica into the back seat. “We better get you home soon.”

"Take care of yourself and drink lots of water!” Ryeowook called as the bouncer helped his colleague into the cab.

“Where to, ma’am?” asked the cabbie.

Haruki rattled off her address automatically. As Jessica dozed off beside her, she felt her phone buzz, indicating she had a message. Upon opening it, she dropped her phone and barely bit back a scream.

“You okay, ma’am?” The cabbie raised his eyebrows at her through the rearview mirror.

“Fine,” she replied curtly, bending down and snatching up the phone again.

It was a photograph of Victoria, eyes wide with fear, throat slashed to the jugular. Blood pooled around her head, more blood than had any right to be coming out of a person, staining her crisp white blouse. was open; she’d probably been screaming when she was attacked. Haruki forced her already upset stomach down and closed it quickly.

Frantically flipping through the numbers on the phone, she quickly dialed the Crime Scene Unit.

"Hello?” came the other woman’s confused voice.

"Yuri, it’s Haruki. Listen, you have to-”

“Haruki? Taeyeon and I were just about to call you.”

“Wait, you were? Why?” Haruki asked. Had Taeyeon and Yuri already found Victoria?

But Yuri’s hesitation suggested something else and Haruki felt her stomach clenching and clenching until it nearly squeezed out whatever vodka still remained. “Hyorin,” she whispered and could practically see the other woman nodding sadly.

“Someone killed the guard at the front desk and broke in,” the CSU investigator said softly. “She…she couldn’t have suffered too much.”

Damn it, damn it, damn it. “I’ll be right there.”

“We’re at your house, ma’am,” the cabbie announced, turning around and glaring at her.

“Sorry, but could you drive us to the hospital?” Haruki asked. “It’s urgent.”

Grumbling under his breath, the taxi driver made a sharp turn and began speeding down the street again. As Haruki rubbed the spot where her forehead had been slammed into the window, her phone buzzed again. Her jaw clenched.

"Did you like my present?”

 "Bastard,” Haruki grumbled and immediately fired back a message: “Who are you, and what do you want?”

The phone buzzed a third time, and she opened it slowly. She’d be glad if she never heard that damn sound again, it was so…

The thought died away as she read the words on the screen: “Find me if you can, my darling Haruki. I dare you.” 

A/N: I am SO sorry for the wait. I don't even have a good excuse- I hope this chapter was worth it, for those of you who've decided to stick with me. ><