Killian and I had breakfast with Evangelina. I found out through a text from Úrsula that Sarah had left really early. Lucius arrived near the end, but he didn't sit with us. Instead, he said, "Check your phones. I'll send the address for the meeting."
An hour later, a map popped up on our screens pointing to Warehouse 33. Killian said, "Let's go. I know exactly where that is."
We used a black armored SUV to get there—something low-profile. It was a massive, seemingly abandoned facility right in the middle of the poorest part of the city. When I walked in behind Evangelina, I got my first surprise: it was an old warehouse packed with sealed crates labeled "The Longfield Factory." Lucius explained it was an old computer assembly plant for security systems. It hadn't been operational for two decades, but it held a secret.
"I don't know, girl. The whole thing felt so surreal to me." We walked down a wide set of stairs into the basement, where he opened a massive gate leading into an abandoned, miles-long tunnel. Another armored SUV with tinted windows was parked inside. Lucius said:
"An old subway project that was never finished. It leads straight out to the outskirts of the city, where we set up a hangar right over the exit to hide the entrance. No one will see us leave from here. When the press and the justice system find out that we are 'the Vertex,' they'll try to stop us. But no one will be able to—believe me."
Bruce arrived seconds later. We piled into the vehicle and drove through the tunnel. We manually opened the iron gate separating the underground construction from the hangar—nothing too sophisticated—but inside there was a helicopter similar to Killian's and several other armored vehicles. I opened the door, and outside there was nothing but a short concrete apron leading into an endless forest. No roads, no paths—as if the wilderness had reclaimed a half-built station over decades, leaving only buried foundations behind.
Killian helped Lucius pull down a screen while Bruce turned on a projector. The first image that flashed into view was of the kidnapped twins. Their names are Daniel and Walter Phillips, age 16—at least according to the file.
The detective handed us a copy of the case file, which I refused to look at because of the photos. Pointing at the screen, he explained: "Fourteen victims, always the same modus operandi. He kidnaps them near their homes on Tuesdays, keeps them tied up for six days, and kills them by applying pressure to their throats from behind with a blunt object. He buries the bodies upside down near a river, leaving their feet sticking out to make his presence known to the world. The authorities call him 'the Punisher' because they believe burying the corpses headfirst is a ritualistic way to punish their souls—to make them suffer. We don't care what his motivations are, because I think I know exactly who he is. We go in, we arrest him, and that's it. Meet Will Terranova, the former police chief of that region. An older man. They brought him back into service to hunt himself when the bodies started piling up and they realized they had a problem. Any breakthrough in the investigation reaches him first. Without us, this is never getting solved."
"How do you know?" I asked.
Evangelina, who was looking at the printed photos from the file, said in astonishment, "The marks on the bodies. The autopsies indicate a final, desperate struggle to break free. The aggressor doesn't hate them—he didn't torture or harm them beforehand. They were well-fed, clothed. He gave them a slow death due to a lack of strength, not to enjoy their suffering. Bruce probably thinks he kidnapped them at gunpoint, and it looks like he killed them with a tonfa—an old police baton. I think I know the motive: youth. Envy, or fear of the young."
Bruce added, "My thoughts exactly. That's why I'm saying it's this man. Will Terranova had a breakdown that kept him out of service for a year back in 2010—trauma from a hand-to-hand fight against a younger, stronger thief. He almost died."
Evangelina said, "And now that he's older, he sees all younger males as a threat. He's blind in one eye, isn't he? Or he barely has any vision on his right side."
Bruce said, "Yes, complications from that old fight. That's why I'm certain it's him."
Evangelina explained, "It says here that at some of the crime scenes, they found pieces of the killer's torn clothing snagged on the brush—always on the right side of the path. He can't see on that side. How did they miss that in the report?"
While they talked and debated every detail of the case like two geniuses, my mind could only focus on those twins—the sheer terror they must be feeling, tied up somewhere out there. So I just blurted out:
"Where? Where do we find them?"
Bruce said, "Here's the hard part. His hideout must be somewhere in this area, between the rivers. It's the only way he could distribute the bodies along the banks. An old cabin or a mine where he keeps them and goes every night to feed them. I still don't know why he kidnaps them on Tuesdays."
Evangelina, with the calm of a brilliant mind, solved it: "I think it's because he has the perfect alibi. On those days, he goes to a chess club. He's a smart man. The club meets on Tuesday evenings at a cabin near the river. He kidnaps them, ties them up in his truck, and drives over there. At some point, he heads into the woods, leading them at gunpoint to the hideout, where he locks them away, and then he continues on to play with his friends. He does it because if everything goes wrong—if he's accused of anything—he has witnesses who can swear he's always there on Tuesdays. It's perfectly calculated. Only someone like him, with a thousand investigated cases under his belt, could plan it so meticulously. He's never going to stop. This man doesn't want to be found."
Killian said, "All right, we'll use the chopper to scan for heat signatures tonight."
Evangelina shot it down, stating, "It would be too loud. He might get spooked and skip feeding them, or just never come back and leave them to die. We'll sweep the area on foot, starting with the closest vehicle tracks. If we don't find the hideout first, we'll have to wait for him to arrive and follow him."
Lucius opened a large crate, and I nearly fell over when he said, "Emilia Touré, our resident tailoring genius, modified some tactical suits for us. Welcome to 'the Vertex.'"
I'm not lying to you, girl—there were suits just like in the movies. Not quite as glamorous, since they had protective plating all over, but they weren't too heavy. And as always, Emilia Touré knew exactly what she was doing. They were completely black, except for a thick adjustment band around the collar. Evangelina's was red, Killian's was green, Lucius's was blue, Bruce's was solid black, and mine was a mix of green and blue.
Lucius said, "Bulletproof Kevlar plates. Your belts hold the basics: a knife, a taser ready to fire that will drop anyone unconscious, and an SOS button in case of real danger. If anyone presses it, we all rush to the rescue. There's a camera on the collar—evidence for the courts. Bruce and Killian are the firearms experts, so they're the only ones carrying guns, but they can't use them unless it's a clear life-or-death situation. We are psychopath catchers, not vengeful executioners. If we kill him, we're in trouble."
I looked at Lucius. The words of Clara, the psychic, flashed through my mind: "Make sure he wears a bulletproof vest and his watch, or you won't be able to do anything for him."
I verified he was wearing his watch and begged him to wear a bulletproof vest—an extra layer of protection—or I would walk out right then and there. He replied, "We're all wearing one. We're going after an armed cop. We're billionaires, not idiots."
The five of us took a photo together and took off in the helicopter. On the way, Killian told me, "You stay behind me at all times. We'll land on the outskirts and move in on foot to the marked zone. If we don't find the hideout beforehand, we'll hear any vehicle entering at night or spot its headlights."
When we touched down in the middle of a field, we began walking toward the towering trees. The only sound was the chirping of birds. The GPS showed us where the paths were. Whoever found anything was supposed to hit the SOS button, and we'd all converge on their position.
Killian walked ahead of me. Everything seemed normal—just endless woods. An hour later… I felt it. That unmistakable but faint scent, which vanished in seconds. I pointed in that direction and said:
"Burning firewood, cooked meat… over there."
As we advanced toward where I had indicated, the scent became more distinct, like burning plastic. The forest ended at a cliff about twenty feet high, but there was no need to climb down. The smell was coming from right there. I pointed out some fallen branches beside an ancient tree.
Trembling, I pressed the SOS button when I spotted a thick wooden hatch beneath those branches and a half-buried chain used to lift it.
I ordered Killian to open it, but he refused, saying, "Trust me. When the others get here, our rear will be covered, and I'll go down with Bruce, not you. You guys will stay up here on lookout."
Evangelina, Bruce, and Lucius arrived just ten minutes later. They hauled open the wooden hatch, revealing a wide set of wooden stairs leading down. Just as Killian stepped onto the second step, I saw him turn to look at me. It was as if a vision suddenly blinded my eyes, and I screamed, "Get out of there! He found us! Shoot—shoot twice!"
Bruce and Killian drew their weapons and asked if I was sure I had sensed him, if it was a certainty. I told them yes, looking in every direction, my breathing ragged as I said, "I saw it in my mind. Will Terranova is here, and he found us."
Lucius grabbed his neck and said, "We can forget about the superstitions. It's already getting dark, and—"
But right at that exact moment… Bang! Bang! The first gunshot echoed from the forest, striking straight into his watch at neck level while he was touching it. I watched as the impact threw him backward, and the second bullet hit him square in the chest, and—exactly like in my visions—he fell from the edge of the cliff.
As I lunged forward to try and catch him, screaming in absolute horror as I realized I wouldn't make it in time… I felt Killian's heavy hand grab my suit, pulling me away from the edge while he fired toward the trees. Bruce ran forward, shooting as well, shouting, "I hit him! Cease fire! Impact, impact!"
Killian, like an enraged lion, ran off to find a way down to reach his brother. Evangelina and I followed him… Lucius, down below… wasn't moving.