The morgue in the police station basement was dark and musty. The unique chill of the basement wafted around like fog. Occasionally, a nauseating smell wafted in, enough to make one gag.

Christoph leaned against the wall, his arms folded. His sharp eyes carefully observed the man in front of him.

“I didn’t know you also did autopsies, Dr. Liam. Captain Nicholas said it would be good to hear the coroner’s opinion directly, since the coroner happened to be here for another case. I didn’t think I’d run into you here.”

“Didn’t I tell you? We’ll be seeing each other frequently.”

“Is that what you meant?”

“Well, it can mean many things.”

With a slight smile pulling at the corners of his eyes, the doctor wiped his hands and offered a handshake. Only then did Christoph move away from the wall and shake his hand.

“I’m Christoph Schneider, a police consultant.”

“…”

Liam raised an eyebrow, and Marianne awkwardly withdrew her half-extended hand. Christoph seemed like a guard dog preventing her from shaking hands with anyone.

Marianne, who had been discreetly observing him, exchanged an awkward smile with Liam when their eyes met. Liam looked back at Christoph with a gentle smile on his face.

“Pleased to meet you, I’m Liam Cluuk. As you can see, I’m a doctor and a coroner.”

“Do you have anything to say about Nina?”

Christoph brought up the matter with an indifferent tone.

“Nina Keller, you mean?”

He took slow steps. Out of the three beds in the autopsy room, two were occupied. Liam nonchalantly removed the white sheet.

“Uh.”

Marianne frowned and swallowed her breath. The days-old corpse looked even more horrifying than it did initially. Despite the cold basement, it was impossible to prevent the body’s decay.

“!”

Then, Christoph walked towards the corpse. Thud, thud. He stood between the bed and her, and the corpse disappeared from Marianne’s line of sight. All she could see was his broad, straight back.

With emotionless eyes, Christoph looked down at Nina. Liam began explaining in a regretful voice.

“As you speculated, the cause of death is a crushed skull. It could be from hitting the stairs or being struck by a blunt object. Either way is possible. However, it likely didn’t take long for her to die. She probably didn’t even have a chance to scream.”
Marianne listened to Liam’s story, her eyes fixed on Christoph’s back, standing firm like a colossal wall. Perhaps he was considering her feelings. A man who usually cared little for others.

“……”

But that was not what she wanted. Marianne didn’t want to stare at his back; she wanted to stand beside him.

She slowly took steps forward and stood next to Christoph. It seemed as if his dark gaze touched her for a moment.

Instead of looking back at him, Marianne turned her gaze to Liam.

“And then.”

Liam, who had stopped speaking dramatically, moved beside Nina’s bed. His fingernails had what appeared to be the perpetrator’s blood on them.

He rubbed the blood with his own finger and immediately put it in his mouth. With a slurp, he licked his finger.

“Gasp!”

Marianne involuntarily swallowed at the shocking sight. A moan of horror escaped her lips.

Christoph’s back tensed, and he shielded Marianne from Liam’s view as if facing a dangerous animal. His dark pupils momentarily emitted a chilling light.

At the same moment.

“Ahaha. I apologize.”

Liam raised both hands with a friendly voice. He scratched his temples with a awkward face.

“I was trying to say that it’s not blood, seems I startled you.”

“Not blood… you say?”

Marianne asked inadvertently as she breathed a sigh of relief. Liam grinned and wiped his finger on a dry towel.

“It’s raspberry juice.”

“Raspberry? Not the perpetrator’s blood?”

Apparently, even Christoph had not anticipated that. He slightly furrowed his brow.

Liam nodded vigorously and looked back at Nina. A trace of pity crossed his face.

“It’s definitely raspberry juice. Would you like to try?”

“Thanks, but I’ll decline.”

Christoph refused in a stiff tone. Liam smiled gently and turned his gaze to Marianne.

“Um… I’ll also pass, Liam.”

At Marianne’s words, he erupted into another “ahaha” as if he didn’t intend to say that.

Liam spread his arms and then lowered them.
“Ah, it’s not all raspberry juice. There are minute bits of flesh and traces of blood under the nails. We can’t rule out the possibility that the victim, as you suspected, scratched some part of the assailant during the struggle. However, the red fluid on the nails is raspberry juice, not blood.”

“I see.”

Marianne nodded, lost in thought. Liam squinted his eyes and let out a charming smile.

“My role ends here. Uncovering the truth is now up to you.”

“Thank you, Liam.”

Liam, who had covered Nina’s face with a white cloth, looked back at Marianne. He furrowed his brow in a sorrowful expression and asked,

“I heard Nina’s sibling has been arrested as the perpetrator. Is that child really the culprit?”

“Well.”

“Whoever the real culprit is, please catch the person who did this terrible thing to a young girl.”

“Of course.”