Nemesis, Vol. 1

A Recent Development

Group one finished their meal and headed straight back to the conference room within the motel. They couldn't focus much on anything else other than solving this case. Martin was surprised at their drive to do so. It was much more obsessive than most of the people he works with. Yuki, Kaso, Alex, and Olivia decided to divulge themselves into the history of Asclepius, the god of medicine as Vivian and Anastasia resumed watching tapes on Vivian's laptop.

Asclepius was killed by Zeus for healing someone at the cost of gold. I have a feeling that has something to do with these crimes..., Kaso thought as he read through the book placed in front of him.

"Ugh... I can't take it... this is boring..." Alex said.

"It is... I'm surprised he hasn't shown himself again..." Olivia remarked. She expressed some pessimism which is usually avoided from her lips.

"Well isn't that good that he hasn't killed another person?" Yuki stated.

"I mean yeah, but why? He didn't wait that long to attack his second victim, so why is he taking so long this time?"

Alex seemed more curious about the madness of the killer rather than particularly stopping this calamity from continuing. While they discussed, Vivian noticed something as she watched Aiko's last days. More specifically, her shopping within the supermarket, the same one the first victim was shopping at before her demise.

"What was that?" Vivian asked in surprise.

"It's a man giving Aiko bread..." Anastasia replied, not really knowing what importance this had to the investigation.

"I know that, but look, that man looks familiar." Vivian said.

Anastasia then takes a closer look, attempting to see the same thing that Vivian noticed. She couldn't understand what she was looking at, but this was all part of the process.

"Let's take a second look at the first victim's time within the supermarket." Anastasia said with a bit more enthusiasm than her usual monotone pitch.

Vivian minimized the tape of Aiko at the supermarket and swiftly clicked onto another file on her laptop. Vivian looked like she couldn't get any more intimate with her laptop. It was certainly a sight with Anastasia sitting closer to the display. Both youths were fully engaged in this clue.

Is it possible that this is the same man that made contact with the first victim? That can't be a coincidence..., Vivian thought.

She continued to fast-forward the recording from the first victim's last visit to the supermarket, hoping to find the evidence that she felt she saw before. Vivian's eyes lit brightly like candles. She freezes the recording in awe at a point where it is the same man, this time shaking the hand of the first victim. The image left Vivian and Anastasia in shock, both looking at the man they now assumed to be the only suspect.

"It's him..." Vivian softly said.

"The same man..." Anastasia said.

What the two, or even the rest of the group, didn't know was that the man they've now located is very aware of their existence. Not only that, he was already three steps ahead. He had already been plotting to find an opportunity where his candidate is vulnerable, a probable scenario where he can achieve his goal. Once he finds what he believes to be the candidate, his obsession is incomparable to theirs, his drive for his goal destroys even his work schedule.

"I think we found a suspect!" Vivian shouted as she stared at the cold display of the man on her laptop. Vivian flipped the laptop around for the others within the room to see.

"This man made contact with both of our victims a week before their deaths!" Vivian shouted in excitement at the recent development she discovered.

"The man with the glasses?" Yuki asked.