Honestly, when Ralph told me I would be taking a virtual reality class, I researched virtual reality on the web and thought it was some headgear thing I had to wear and play like a video game.
I didn't think it would be so immersive to the point where I could feel pain when pinching myself.
But what would I know?
I'm just a slave who stepped into the light half a month ago. How am I supposed to know how much humanity has advanced?
Well, I wasn't complaining. In fact, I was a bit excited. Classes like this were actually the safest way to help students experience real danger in a controlled environment.
It's a pity the CTS Class only holds once a month. I wouldn't mind if it was made a weekly thing.
Looking out the window, I couldn't help but frown at the foggy streets illuminated by lanterns and torches hung on building walls. Even with that, visibility was low.
"Here it is, my Lord." Constable John's voice made my brows furrow for a second.
Huff!
Exhaling loudly, I relaxed my face before turning in his direction. It was another parchment—a report on the tragic incident tonight.
"Donatus Flinn was a personal friend of mine. A hardworking young man who lost his wife during the birth of his daughter. Since then, he never attempted to remarry. Donatus dedicated his life and energy to fishing and raising his daughter. I can't believe such a good man suffered such a tragic fate." Constable John started tearing up as he spoke.
I just nodded occasionally while going through the report. According to this, Donatus had claw wounds all over his body and a punctured chest which revealed his missing heart. His 18-year-old daughter, Jena, who decided to go fishing with him, is missing.
'Another woman… and young at that.' My brows furrowed as I passed the report over to Ralph.
He quickly snatched it from my hand and buried his face in it while I returned my gaze to the Constable.
"If I'm not wrong, it's 8 p.m. Did he always work this late?" I asked, and John quickly nodded.
"Fishing is not really a lucrative business, so a lot of effort is needed," John explained. "Like I said, Donatus was a hardworking man eager to make ends meet, so taking night shifts, even though it was dangerous, was common for him."
I'm not some truth whisperer, nor do I have a lie detector, but I couldn't sense any deceit in what John said.
'God, I wish I had Lyxor with me here. Things would have been much easier.'
Errm.
My head snapped in Ralph's direction, and my brows rose at the sight of a rare serious facial expression.
"You said the victim was a good friend of yours." Ralph glanced at the report once more before shifting his gaze back to Constable John. "How often did he take his daughter out on these late-night fishing trips?"
Buzz!
To me, the question wasn't something serious, but I felt the atmosphere change. The sorrowful Constable suddenly turned anxious.
"I… I… I'm not sure." He stuttered. "How can I know something like that? I'm not his caregiver, so I don't monitor his actions."
The Constable's voice stabilized over time, but that one second of hesitation was all we needed. Ralph and I exchanged meaningful glances and said nothing else.
— Hollow Docks —
Even though our carriage stopped some distance away, the fish odor mixed with damp wood and salt was killing me.
Sniff! Sniff!
"Nice."
My head snapped in Ralph's direction. He was inhaling a terrifying amount of fish-infested air, leaving me confused. He noticed my questioning gaze a second later and froze.
"What?" He asked while avoiding my eyes. "I love fish."
'Is this kid for real?' My face twisted in disgust.
"My Lord, this way." John moved ahead of us, and we followed.
There were policemen lined up to guard the dock. They all moved aside and saluted as we approached, and I just nodded at them.
Several seconds in, we stumbled upon a small puddle of blood. The surface had begun drying up, making it more sticky than liquid.
Ralph crouched beside the puddle with a stern gaze, leaving me wondering why this didn't spook the timid kid who couldn't fight for himself.
Was it because he knew it wasn't real?
"I would say he was stabbed here and lost a lot of blood on the spot." Ralph said, but I ignored him and walked forward.
I followed the blood trail which led to the wooden piers, and from the looks of it, it seemed the victim was dragged here.
"The trail looks messy." Ralph's voice came from behind. "It seems like he was resisting while getting dragged." He speculated.
My surprised gaze shifted to Ralph with genuine shock. For a moment, it felt like he was a real-life detective.
"What?" Ralph turned shy upon noticing my gaze. "I've participated in six CTS classes, and I love crime novels." He said.
With a slight nod, my attention returned to the creaky wooden platforms stretching deeper into the foggy water. According to the report, the body was dragged past here and dumped into the water. A trail of blood won't tell us anything, and shockingly, the murderer didn't even get blood on his or her boots. If we had bloody boot prints, we would at least know where to go.
"Everything about this is strange." Ralph walked up to me and said.
"What about it?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.
"We're talking about kidnapping an 18-year-old and killing her father. Even if she didn't help her father fight off the assailant, there should be some signs of struggle from her while she's getting kidnapped." Ralph said, and I frowned.
My lips parted, but he quickly stopped me from speaking by placing a finger on them.
"But that's not all. We're talking about moving an 18-year-old out of the docks, not an infant. There are no carriage tracks on the way here, so it must have been done on foot. There's no way the police didn't see a thing." Ralph's gaze shifted to John, who frowned in reaction.
Carriage tracks!
Why didn't I think of that?
To kidnap someone, there must be some sort of transportation. If there is none, then it means they left on foot. How did the police miss people carrying an 18-year-old?
There are numerous questions Constable John has to answer.
I grabbed Ralph's hand and tried to push it away, but he applied more pressure and returned his gaze to me.
"Hold on! I'm not done yet!" He said with a proud grin.
'This kid is enjoying this a bit too much.' I rolled my eyes.
"If the police claim they saw nothing, who are we to doubt them?" Ralph chuckled, and a rare mischievous gleam flashed in his eyes. "It simply means Jena never left the docks. The people that took her came from the docks and left through the docks!"
Hearing this, I instinctively let go of Ralph's hand while my mind raced with countless thoughts. At first, I thought this kid was just spewing rubbish, but it made sense!
If the police didn't see a thing, then it means they never left the docks. And if they never left the docks…
That means…
"There must be a secret passage here somewhere!" Ralph and I screamed at the same time.