Regrets

The case

"Captain, there has been a series of robberies in our city" Petra said

"yeah i heard about it, so what's so special in this one?" Hange said. She has lost connection to the world around her. She doesn't want to know especially about that city.

"They are very smart. They always outsmart us. All our plans failed. And now there has been a murder" petra said

"how can you say that this murder is connected with that robbery" hange asked

"there is a similarity. In the robberies, there was always a blank paper left. We cannot figure out why. In the murder also there was a balnk paper kept in the similar way."

Hange hummed. What if someone is trying to copy them. But this paper thing quite intrigued her. She feels that this has happened earlier also but where.. she was trying to recall but failed.

"Do you have those papers" hange asked

"yes captain"

Moblit handed her envelopes.

She examined it. But couldn't find anything. It was just a blank paper. There was nothing written.

"Have you checked the possibility of if something is written with an invisible ink" Hange asked

"Um-No" moblit said

"What? Are you so dumb. This wasn't expected from you two. You two were the best." Hange scolded. Since when these two have beome so dumb, they know how to do these things.

"that's why we want you to come back captain. Please" petra said

"I can't" hange said. She doesn't want to go back. She left everything there.

"Anyway, these robberies started last year. And as far as i remember the murder was almost 4 months back. For how long you were searching for me?" Hange asked.

"since the murder. We were confused. We didn't know what to do. So we thought that we should ask for your help. So we started searching for you" moblit said

"took you quite long enough"

"yeah. We didn't know where you lived. You left the city without telling us. There were 18 hange zoe in this continent so took a lot of time"

"you could have shortlisted it by age, height.. it would have taked lesser time. You even knew how i look" hange said. Her old self coming back.

"we didn't think of that" petra said

"Anyway lets head back to the case." Hange said

she smelled the paper. She was expecting it to smell like normal one. But it smelled like roses. Her eyes widened. No, this can't be true. Someone must be copying it.

"Hange san what happened" moblit asked

"nothing."

"so this is the photograph of the dead body" petra said. She could sense that hange knew something but she tried to change the subject. She doesn't want to make her idol uncomfortable by interrogating her.

hange saw the dead body. The guys throat is sliced. The cut was a clean. That must be a sharp knife and a quite powerful man. The murderer must be taller than the victim. Hange thought.

"Where did this murder take place." As per photos it seems like its a house, can be of the victim

"it was on the west street..oh wait.. hange san it is the same mansion where we had the new year party remember?" Petra said.

Hange's hand went cold. Sweat was dripping off her head. She started to tremble.

The smell of roses, the blank paper, that mansion.. how can this be possible. No this can't be...