Alex Mercer: maintains a steely gaze Um, so, y-you here often? Gotta keep it... casual, right?
hands Dantonus the piece of paper, pointing at the notes Look, here's the testimony of Witness 1.
looks at the notes yeah, I remember this case it was one of the first I worked on when I got hired. honestly I don't know how we caught the culprit with such flimsy evidence
paces back and forth, gesturing animatedly Exactly! That's why I can't shake off this feeling that there's more to it.
yeah, I know how you feel, I still feel the same way too, I even went over the evidence again and I couldn't find anything that would guarantee his guilt the culprit is in prison for attempted rape and murder I'm hoping you can help me find new leads that will prove his innocence
stops pacing and turns to Dantonus, determination in his eyes I understand, Dantonus.
call me Ton, everyone calls me that
nods T-Ton, then. I'll do whatever it takes to help you solve this case. We'll leave no stone unturned, no detail overlooked.
thanks Alex, I knew I could count on you reaches into his pocket want a smoke?
hesitates for a moment, then nods S-s-sure, why not? Thanks. takes the cigarette from Dantonus
hey, don't worry about it, it's the least I could do after putting you in this position smiles
takes a drag from the cigarette, exhaling slowly Th-thanks, Ton. It's nice to know that someone appreciates my help.
nah, it's my job to appreciate people who help me, it's what being partners means after all pats Alex on the shoulder so what do you suggest we do first?
runs a hand through his hair, deep in thought W-w-we need to start by re-interviewing the witnesses. Maybe they remember something they overlooked before.
alright, I'll go ahead and set up the interviews, you go ahead and look into the medical examiners reports, I'm sure we'll find something there walks away
nods and quickly pulls out his phone, sending a message to Dantonus T-Ton, b-b-before you go... I found something in the medical examiner's report.
I stop in my tracks and turn towards him you did?
nervously fidgets with his hands Y-yeah... I found something... something that might be relevant to the case.
takes a deep breath, trying to stay calm W-w-well, it seems that the victim had a rare medical condition... a tumor in his brain. And...
that seems to be the cause of death then?
nods Y-yeah, it appears so. But... but... stutters the tumor was... unusually large. It's not something you see every day.
large enough to kill him? I guess so, wouldn't be the first time I see a cancer patient die because of their tumor exploding shudders at the thought of a decapitated body
pauses for a moment, his voice hushed and filled with urgency B-b-but what if it wasn't just a natural death? What if someone...
you think that someone may have murdered the victim by causing his tumor to explode?
nods vigorously Y-yeah, it's possible. You see, this type of tumor can be affected by external factors, like... like radiation or certain chemicals.
man, that's just plain evil then, do you know where the victim worked?
pauses for a moment, his mind racing W-w-well, according to the report, the victim worked at a local nuclear power plant.
well damn, that's definitely suspicious, let's pay that place a visit, maybe we'll find some useful information
nods Y-yeah, I think that's a good idea. We should start by talking to the employees there. Find out if there were any unusual occurrences around the time of the victim's death.
I'll contact the company, tell them we're visiting. you go ahead and grab the files on the power plant, I'll meet you in front of it in 20 minutes walks away
quickly gathers the necessary files, flipping through them page by page G-g-got 'em. I'll meet you outside the plant in 20 minutes.
Alright, I'm heading to the plant now, if you don't mind, I'll drive walks towards his car
hurriedly walks towards Dantonus's car, his heart pounding in his chest T-Ton, I-I-I found something else... something that might be even more important than the tumor.
hands Dantonus a folder Look, Ton. It's a list of names. People who had access to the nuclear power plant.
alright, let's sort through it, we'll want to start by looking at the employees who had access that day. make sense?
nods Y-yeah, that makes sense. We should start with the employees who had access that day.
gets out of the car and looks at the list alright, let's see who we have here. John Doe, Emily Reyes, Sarah Williams, and Jake Anderson. sounds familiar to anyone?
pauses for a moment, trying to recall N-no, t-that name... Jake Anderson... sounds familiar. He was one of the bullies from my high school.
really? what was he like?
pauses for a moment, taking a deep breath Jake Anderson was... a nightmare. He was always bullying people, making our lives miserable.
dammit, that's a hell of a coincidence, but if he's anything like he was back then, then he must be guilty. let's head to his house and question him
nods Y-yeah, we should definitely go to his house and question him. Who knows what he might know about the victim's death.
Alright, I'm gonna head to his house right now, you wanna come with?
nods without hesitation Y-yeah, I'll go with you. G-g-give me a sec to grab my coat and we can head over there together.
grabs his coat wait! how the hell are you going to hide your gender under a coat?
looks down at his hands, nervously fidgeting U-um, I... I got something that can help. It's a special wig designed to disguise my appearance.