Turu

“How’s the investigation coming along,” Julie inquired, clearly hoping for some good news. 

“Keith said he found something, so now I owe him lunch,” Mira said, “Though he did tell me to lower my expectations. Apparently it’s not much, but it is something.”

“Isn’t it always,” Julie sighed, “This Spectra Phantom is as meticulous as always. Makes you wonder what he does during the day.” 

They’ve all come up with theories of course. Some suspected he was an engineer due to the traps he’s been able to build. Others suspected that he’s a doctor since he seemed to know how far to push the human limits. Baron had suggested that he had some plain old job to throw off suspicion. Mira was never set on one theory. It wouldn’t do her much good without any evidence. 

“After lunch Dan and I are going to the restaurant the victim works at. Interview some of the coworkers, ask if they noticed an odd regular.”

“Good idea,” Julie said, “Keep in touch with him. If we’re lucky, something might come back to him. Something we missed.”

“Of course, Captain.” Her phone buzzed. A text from Keith.

“I suppose I should let you go to lunch,” Julie said, knowingly, “Keep me posted, okay?” 

Mira nodded, waving goodbye as she began to leave.

“Mira,” Julie called out before Mira was out the door, “Stay safe. That’s an order.”

“Then I better follow it,” Mira said with a grin.

————

The restaurant, like most during the lunch rush, was incredibly busy and, much to Mira’s dismay, nosy with the customers’ chatter and the screaming matches Mira could hear between the the cooks and the waiters. The clatter of dishes being thrown into bus trays was the only music that could be heard. Mira was considering ordering to go and having lunch back at the precinct when she spotted Keith casually waving to them from a booth he had procured. She could feel the jealous stares from the other customers as Dan and her moved past them and straight to the booth. 

“Nice to see you again, Daniel,” Keith said as the two slid into the seats across from him. 

“Just Dan’s fine,” Dan said, looking embarrassed at the usage of his full name.

“Did you order already,” asked Mira.

“No,” Keith said, “That would have been rude. You are paying after all.”

At this, Dan looked ecstatic. “Mira’s paying? Great, I know exactly what I’m getting.”

“Hold your horses, Dan,” Mira said, quick to strike down any ideas, “I’m paying for Keith’s lunch. You were never part of any deals.” 

Dan’s enthusiasm deflated instantly, and Mira almost felt bad. The cash in her wallet prevented the feeling from lingering. 

Keith chuckled at Dan’s expression. “Don’t worry, Dan. I’ll be sure to include you next time.”

The waitress then arrived, introducing herself quickly, clearly in a rush to get to as many customers as possible. Her anxiousness rubbed off on Mira and Dan, and the two quickly looked through the menu while Keith took a great delight in ordering the priciest item on the menu, much to Mira’s chagrin. 

“What did you find, Keith?” Mira asked once they finished ordering. 

“Always quick to the point. We haven’t even gotten our food,” Keith said, “Besides, I told you to lower your expectations. It wasn’t much.”

But it was something,” Mira said. When you had nothing on a serial killer, the little things meant everything. They could even be the very thing that solves the case.

“Alright, Mira. I’ll indulge your impatience,” Keith sighed, “We found a hair particle at Gus’s apartment.”

Mira’s eyes widened at that. A hair particle meant DNA. Could it be after all this time they had Spectra Phantom’s DNA?

“Well, what seemed to be a hair particle. Turns out it was synthetic fiber.”

“Synthetic fiber?” Dan asked, voicing both of their puzzlement.

“It means he’s wearing a wig,” Keith clarified.

“Huh. So Spectra Phantom’s not a real blonde,” Dan said, “Should have known. That hair was too ridiculous to be true.”

“Just great,” Mira sighed, running a hand through her hair, “So that means he could look like anyone. Feels like we’re back to square one.”

“Hey don’t look so down, Mira,” Dan said, trying to comfort her, “We still have to go to Gus’s work. His workers could have noticed someone suspicious.” 

She doubted they did. Spectra Phantom had abducted (# of victims) without being noticed, and she doubted he was going to start slipping now. 

“Or maybe it’s someone Gus knows?” Dan tried. 

“That would suggest Spectra’s targeting people he knows,” Keith said, unconvinced, “I doubt you’ll find someone who personally knows all the victims.”

“Then he’s picking them at random,” Dan suggested.

”Not at random,” Mira sighed, “Some convoluted reason that makes sense only and I mean only to him.”

“I’m sure you’re right, Keith said, with a smile.

“I can see why you guys haven’t caught him yet,” Dan said, a bit deflated, “How do you catch a guy who’s untraceable?” 

“Wait for him to make a mistake,” Mira said.

“Maybe he’ll get bored and send a clue,” Dan said, an attempt at a joke that even he did not find very funny. 

“One can only hope,” Mira sighed, “Because if this is all we have, then we’ll be sitting on our hands until the next game. The next death.”

“Or,” Keith said as the waitress arrived with their food, “The next survivor.” 

~~~

The return of Spectra Phantom, as it often did, demanded heads be lowered in shame and the disappearance of idle chatter. Despite the gloom and doom that seemed to taint the department, Dan hardly noticed it. He was eager to introduce himself to his fellow officers, quick to compliment if he knew of their achievements, and liked to crack a joke or two. Much to Mira’s surprise, many found themselves in a much better mood after speaking to her partner.

Having been alone for the last few weeks, Mira was not prepared for Dan’s boisterous personality. If it wasn’t about the case, Mira’s social skills evaporated, and she found herself frustrated when she struggled to continue a simple conversation. The old Mira wouldn’t have struggled. The old Mira was a social butterfly. The old Mira had Ace.