Chapter 39: In the Details
The flickering light from the screen cast sharp shadows across the walls. I sat in the dimly lit police archive room, the scent of stale coffee and dust settling around me. The officer had granted me access to the footage, but I could tell he was skeptical. To them, Sasha was already guilty. But I wasn't after easy answers—I was after the truth.
The video file loaded.
[Observation (Lv. 5) Activated]
I scanned the screens, my heart still steady, searching for the cracks beneath the surface. Faces flashed—David, laughing at some joke, his expression easy, casual. Logan, walking past with a clipboard, steady and composed—
And then Sasha.
Her posture stiff, her fingers clenching and unclenching at her sides.
I watched her, rewound, then watched again.
She wasn't moving like someone in control. There was tension in her shoulders, the way she glanced around like she expected someone to be watching her. Her hands twitched toward her phone at least three times before she took a deep breath and forced herself to stay still.
[Psychological Insight (Lv. 1) Activated]
Anxiety detected. Confidence: 64% → 39%. Suppressed panic.
She wasn't giving orders—she was waiting for them.