The Number One Star in the Interstellar Era [BL]

LEWIS watched Victor Hale walk out of the building where his upscale apartment was. From where they sat in the parked car across the street, they had a clear view of the entrance. Hale came out in neat, pressed clothes, his posture straight, and walked right toward his car without stopping.

“I didn’t think a behavioral assessment specialist made that kind of money,” Lewis said as he kept his eyes on Hale.

Stevens, seated beside him, gave a small shrug. “If he manages his finances well, it is possible.”

Lewis let out a quiet breath. “That would go against what we’ve seen so far.”

Their check on Hale’s finances had not come back clean. His records showed a steady pattern of money moving from his account to another one that did not match any known service or expense. The transfers were consistent, almost like they were scheduled. Tech flagged it, but that was as far as they could go. Without the right approval, they could not look into where the money was going or who was receiving it. Privacy laws blocked them. If they had something solid to work with, they could have gone deeper into his accounts and traced every transaction.

They watched as Hale got into his car and drove off, his vehicle disappearing down the street.

Lewis waited a few seconds, making sure he was gone, then opened the car door. “Let’s go.”

Stevens stepped out as well, closing the door quietly behind him.

Over the past three days, this had become their routine. Since the department could not assign officers to monitor the suspects, the two of them had taken it upon themselves to do it. They had already visited the apartments of Caleb Morton and Ethan Wright, checking what they could without drawing attention.

They had found nothing that directly connected either man to the murders.

Morton’s apartment had been almost empty. There were only a few basic items left, which matched the records showing he had been selling off his belongings to deal with his loans. There was nothing in the space that suggested anything beyond that.

Wright’s place had been the opposite. Clutter and filth filled it, and items scattered across the floor. Neglect had left it without proper maintenance for a long time. Lewis had also noticed a few men lingering around the building when they were there. The way they acted made it easy to guess they were connected to the lenders Wright owed money to.

Stevens had shared little of his thoughts after those visits. When Lewis asked, he only said that he wanted to see Hale’s apartment before making any conclusions.

Now, with Hale gone, they crossed the street and walked toward the building.

Unlike most apartment buildings in Greyhaven, this one had more security than usual. So they had to be a little creative about getting in without Lewis having to announce he was a detective. Luckily, Stevens seemed to have an idea how to handle it.

Of course, Lewis did not forget to turn on the small device clipped to his belt. The device could cut the camera feed whenever he and Stevens walked past. If anyone checked later, the cameras would not show them there. He had taken it from the tech department without asking, so he hoped no one would notice it was missing.

“How do we do this?” he asked Stevens, keeping his voice low.

Stevens glanced at him. Instead of answering, he simply walked into the entrance like he lived there. Lewis followed, confused. The woman at the front desk said nothing to them until they reached the elevator. When the doors closed, he turned to the doctor.

“Do you actually live here?” he asked in an incredulous tone.

“No.”

Lewis frowned. “Then how did that receptionist not stop you?”

Stevens turned to him with a calm expression. “People don’t question someone who looks like they’re supposed to be there. If you walk into a space with certainty, most will assume you have a reason to be there. She saw me move like I knew where I was going, so she didn’t feel the need to stop me.”

“Is that some kind of psychology thing?” Lewis asked.

Stevens looked at him like he was an amusing child. “You can think of it that way.”

***

The inside of Hale’s apartment was orderly. Everything in its place, surfaces wiped down, nothing left out. It did not look lived in so much as maintained.

The place had a simple setup. White walls, matching furniture, no extra decorations. A low couch sat in the middle of the living area, facing a screen on the wall. A glass table stood in front of it, completely bare. The kitchen was part of the same open space, the counters clean and empty. Nothing was out of place, and nothing looked like it had been used more than necessary.

Stevens said nothing about it.

Lewis slipped on a pair of gloves, and Stevens did the same. Neither of them intended to leave anything behind that could tie them to this place. They exchanged a brief look, then moved in different directions.

They both knew there would be no digital evidence here. Hale would not leave his Terminal behind, like any normal person should. That meant they had to find anything physical that looked remotely suspicious.

Lewis moved through the living area first, opening drawers and cabinets, checking anything that might hold documents or other objects. Everything he opened was either empty or held things that had nothing to do with the case.

Nothing stood out.

He moved to the next part of the apartment and checked again, taking his time this round. He wanted to go through everything carefully, but time was not on their side. The longer they stayed, the more likely Hale might discover them here, searching his place illegally. If that happened, it would turn into a problem they could not talk their way out of. At best, they would get complaints filed against them. At worst, it would end any chance they had to keep watching the suspects.

Then he heard Stevens’ voice.

“Detective.” Lewis turned immediately. “I found something.”

His pulse picked up as he crossed the room and stopped beside Stevens.

The man was standing near a small bookshelf placed against the wall. It looked out of place compared to the rest of the apartment. Actual books filled the shelves, neatly arranged.

Lewis glanced at them briefly.

He stopped when he spotted the shelf. Physical books. Actual paper, bound and kept on display. The kind of thing only people with money bothered to collect. The guy must be really doing well for himself.

Lewis turned his attention to Stevens. The other was holding one book open. From between its pages, he pulled out a small slip of paper and handed it over.

Lewis took it. When he read what was written on it, his eyes went wide.

***

Victor drove his car as fast as he could. He needed to get to the spaceport and leave this place.

The moment he got back to his apartment, he could tell something was off. When he stepped inside, the small piece of paper he had tucked between the door and the frame was lying on the floor.

Someone had opened it before him.

That sent him straight to the security system. He pulled up the feed and checked every camera, every entry point. There was nothing there. No sign of forced entry. No recorded movement. But instead of feeling relieved, the unease only grew. There had been a brief glitch on the screen. It lasted less than a second, easy to miss if he had not been paying close attention.

He went straight to the bookshelf and pulled out a specific book. His hands trembled as he held it. When he opened the book, the paper hidden inside was still there.

But that meant nothing.

If someone had been in the apartment, they could have pulled this book off the shelf. They could have seen the paper, taken a picture of it, then put everything back exactly where it was.

That was all it took for him to get the hell out of there.

Victor swore under his breath. He never should have taken that damn deal. The news over the past few days made it clear the police were feeling the pressure from this serial case. If no one got arrested soon, someone was going to take the blame. If he stayed, that someone was going to be him.

That’s why he bought a ticket fast, using one of his disposable identities that had no link to his real name. No trail that could lead back to him easily. If the police were already watching, they would not flag the purchase.

Now, all he had to do was leave.

He reached the spaceport and parked without caring about the rules. Pulling his cap lower over his face, he stepped out and hurried toward the boarding gates. The area was busy with people moving in different directions.

He kept his head down and moved faster. He was almost there. Then three men stepped in front of him, blocking the way. Like the universe was telling him his little hope was just a big joke.

“Sir,” one of them said calmly. “Please take off your hat.”

Victor’s steps stopped. For a second, no one moved. Then he turned sharply and tried to go the other way.

He didn’t get far though. Because another group of men had already closed in behind him.

Victor froze on the spot.

One of them, that annoying detective who interviewed him, stepped forward.

“Victor Hale,” Lewis said in a hard voice. “You’re under arrest.”