The Trickster's call was unexpected. This was my chance to get as much as I could out of him.

"Gotta admit," I said. "I didn't expect you to call."

"I wanted you to solve that damn case already so we can get down to business," he spoke. "Don't bother tracing this call. You won't find me that way."

I expected him to be prepared against tracing anyway. He wouldn't be so dense to call me from an ordinary number.

"I didn't think so," I replied. "What was the point of the heist, anyway? You steal the diamond, then have it planted in my house. Not to mention your weak attempt at getting me framed. Gary Spence and Rhodes were murdered for no reason. This isn't about money."

"Nah. They were in the way. I had no choice. Honestly, all I wanted was to grab your attention."

"Well, you could've just called."

"Now where's the fun in that?"

I rolled my eyes. "It was an effortless heist, I'll give you that. A fake diamond made of ice? It sounds bizarre when you think about it, yet you pulled that off somehow. Then you got those security guards and that woman doing your bidding."

He chuckled. "You know, the ice thing was experimental, so to speak. I did puzzle you for a moment there. As for those three idiots, they were at the wrong place at the wrong time. Mary was the prime witness. She saw my face. I couldn't risk her spilling the beans, so I did my research and found leverage against her. Against them. If you have something precious to them, people will do anything you ask."

"Their families."

"Bingo. You're quick."

"What do you want?"

"Ah yes, the important question. I want to kill you, is all. It won't be simple, though. I want you to suffer first. I want you to break. When you do, you'll be wishing you were dead. And then I will take pleasure in killing you."

That was intense. Then again, I had received threats like this before, so it failed to take me by surprise.

"Sounds fun. You'll have to get in line though," I said, coldly. "'Cause how many criminals wanted to kill me? Oh yeah, all of them."

"I have a couple of spies in place. They report to me regularly, so I know everything. If I want them to, they'll put a bullet in Henry's head, and you won't see it coming. You'll watch him die in front of your eyes and there'll be nothing you can do about it."

That struck my nerves. And along with that spark of anger, I felt apprehension too. I didn't give a damn if someone threatened me, but I couldn't stand those threats being directed at Henry. It was a line that should never be crossed, considering how extremely protective I was of him. I glanced to find him and Martin staring at me.

"Do I have your attention now?" the Trickster said.

I turned away, lowering my voice. "This is between you and me. He's not involved."

"Oh, he is. This has something to do with Amanda, and someone else."

"What about her?"

"You'll see in time. I told you, I want to break you first. Whatever you do from here on out, it's all on you. Starting now, you play my game. And remember—I'm watching."

The call cut. Martin and Henry stared at me.

"Who was that?" the latter asked.

"Trickster," I replied.

"You mean the guy behind all this?" Martin asked, surprised. "What did he say?"

"That he wants to kill me." I shoved my phone in my jeans pocket. "He's going to kill many people to get to me."

"How do you plan on finding him?"

"Hold on, we need to bring the caretaker into custody," Henry said. "You saw the surveillance. He knew more than he told us that day, when we questioned him."

"You're right," I said. "Mary Coleman saw the Trickster's face, which is why he has her under his control. She isn't the only one, though. The caretaker's seen him too. Trickster's got everyone under his control."

"Alright," Martin said. "Henry will bring him in. Take Robert and Louis with you. Find him and arrest him."

Henry sighed. It was clear we had to work with those two in this case, so we had to keep our differences aside.

"Mind if I tag along with him?" I asked.

The chief dismissed me. "Go on."

Henry walked beside me as we headed to the elevators.

"You sure that's all he told you on the phone?" he asked.

"He's holding hostages," I replied.

"What? Why didn't you tell the chief?"

"I can't tell everything. Toby, Dustin, and Mary? Their families are the hostages. I don't know where they're being held captive. If I tell the chief, he'll do everything to hunt them down, and right now, we can't risk that. If the Trickster catches us trying anything, he will kill them."

"You don't know that."

Somehow, deep down, I had a gut feeling I did. He was someone from my past whom I couldn't remember yet, someone who seemed vaguely familiar. My memory was too clouded to recall anything.

"Actually," I said. "I think I do."

***

While Henry drove, I read through Mary's profile. A successful businesswoman, divorced about two years ago, and had an eight-year-old son, Jacob.

"We're here," he said.

We arrived at the caretaker's house. Since the jewelry store was a crime scene, he should be home at this hour of the day. Robert's Ford Taurus pulled over behind us—with Louis in the driver's seat—and the two of them stepped out. I walked up to the door and rapped on it.

Nobody answered, even after a few moments.

"Do we know his name?" Henry asked.

"Uhh... Rhodes?" I frowned.

"That's the owner, dumbass. You looked up his address. You must've checked his name."

"Well, I took a glimpse of his photo and then went straight to his address. Didn't pay attention to his name. I think it's Mark or something..."

"For Christ's sake."

"We just announce ourselves," I yelled at the door. "NCPD! Open up!"

No response. Louis walked to the windows next to the door and peered in. The curtains were drawn close. He squinted, trying to get a glimpse of something through the narrow gap.

"Can't see anything," he said. "There seems to be—"

I scoffed and kicked the door. The latch snapped, and it burst open, almost falling off its hinges. Louis jumped at the sound.

"Jesus Christ!" he snapped. "Are you out of your mind?"

I entered the house. "He's not answering."

"So you tell us!" Henry exclaimed. "In case you forgot, you don't have a badge!"

"It's okay. You got my back," I replied.

"Nope. I don't want to lose my job twice."

The place was unusually silent. I went to the living room and found it empty. The caretaker should've been running to see who barged into his house by now. Henry gestured the other two to search the living room and kitchen, while he and I went to the bedroom.

He took his gun out as we neared the door.

I opened it slowly. The caretaker lay spread-eagled on the bed, blood crusted across his shirt. There were three gunshot wounds—one on his head and two through the heart. Point-blank range too, judging by the size of the entry wounds. His eyes were fixed in a blank stare, one a little clouded.

"Shit." Henry sheathed this gun. "Guess he knew we were coming."

I went to the body to get a closer look. From how the blood had dried, and the state of rigor mortis, he had been dead for several hours. The Trickster had been well ahead of us. Well ahead of me.

"I need some air." I stepped away from the body, already having noted the lack of footprints and any physical evidence. "I need to think."

Outside the house, I took a deep breath. One pain in the ass theory at a time. First, I wanted to figure out what Mary's role in the heist was. At first, I thought she might've assisted in stealing it, given how cautious she was of the cameras, but maybe that wasn't it. She was most likely scoping out the place, making sure there were no other customers. She was the last one there, after all. Of course, this was still a theory.

As for the caretaker's murderer, it couldn't be Toby. He was in custody.

Engrossed in thought, I wasn't aware of the brisk pace at which I walked. I thought somebody called my name, but I didn't pay attention.

"Aidan!"

It almost startled me when Henry appeared beside me. "Where the hell are you rushing off to?"

"Nowhere. I'm thinking," I replied. "Everything's happening too fast. I need to clear my head."

He stopped and looked elsewhere.

I stopped too. "What?"

He pointed across the street. "Isn't that the woman from the surveillance?"

Across the street, I saw Mary staring at the caretaker's house. Remarkable timing, I would say. Just the person I wanted to see, even though it was strange to see her here. Anyone would assume she was responsible for the man's death.

I walked out to the road, making my way to her, when she turned and walked away in a hurry. I jogged to catch up with her, unaware of the road, before sturdy hands gripped my collar and yanked me back suddenly.

"Aidan!" Henry pulled me towards him as a vehicle rushed past. "Watch where you're going!"

"She could give us answers," I said. "Come on."

"At least be careful!"

This time, I looked both ways before crossing. In the distance, Mary was getting into a cab. I was about to lose her.

"Shit!" I broke into a run.

Henry followed suit. The poor fellow was so used to getting dragged into chases, it didn't surprise him anymore. If anything, it exasperated him. 'Why can't we drive?' he often asked. I guess I was used to chasing criminals on foot.

I ran after the cab along busy streets, bumping into people often despite telling them to move, knocking some of them to the ground by accident. It wasn't my fault. Idiots should've cleared the way when I told them to. It was hard enough running along a crowded sidewalk.

The cab was pretty far off and I couldn't catch up with it. It headed to the corner of the street and disappeared around the bend.

I spotted an alleyway that cut across the street.

"This way," I said to Henry.

We ran as fast as we could through the alley. The second we came out on the other side, the cab rushed past us.

"You might be a lunatic but I'm not," Henry said. "There's no way I'm chasing them on foot."

"Yeah, you're right." I held my hand out. "Give me your badge."

"Why?"

"Your badge, quick!"

He pulled his badge from his belt and handed it to me. I went to the road and held up the badge, stopping a car that headed my way. It screeched to a halt in front of me.

"Are you crazy?" the shocked driver yelled.

I went to him. "Nothurst City PD. I'm gonna need your car."

"You've got to be kidding me. No freaking way!"

I glanced at Henry. "Can I have your gun?"

He shot me a look. "No." Pulling the weapon out, he held it up in front of the driver who turned pale.

The man scrambled out of the car. "Okay, okay."

"Only I get to use my gun," Henry said, replacing it in his holster.

The two of us got into the vehicle and I drove off, leaving the frustrated driver behind. Henry wasn't too happy about stealing someone's car.

"This is the second time I've stolen a vehicle from a civilian," he said.

"Technically, I stole it," I said. "If it makes you feel any better."

"I helped."

"You'll get used to it."

I had to focus on the road, considering the speed at which I drove. I took a right turn at a traffic junction and spotted Mary's cab at a distance.

Henry glanced at the side-view mirror. "Uh, we have a tail."

I looked at the rearview mirror to see Robert and Louis following us, blaring their horn.

"Ah, they'll catch up," I said. "I can't lose her."

Vehicles came in my way, and I overtook them. Henry clutched the door handle as I maneuvered my way through traffic. I was gaining in on Mary when a car veered in front of me.

It startled him. "Whoa!"

I braked with a screech, veering into another lane. Circling the car, I glanced at the driver and snapped at him.

"Jackass!"

"Try not to get us killed, will you?" Henry said, anxiously.

"Relax, we're closing in on her."

Mary's cab approached closer. I slammed my foot on the accelerator and the car groaned, creaking as it picked up speed. My foot was pressed against the floor and the car still felt slow and heavy. Trust me to pick something without a turbo.

Henry braced himself against the door. "Come on, man!"

In the distance, the cab turned right. Swinging across incoming traffic, I mounted the curb and screeched across the corner after it. Once we were close enough to rear-end them, I wrenched the wheel and pulled us out alongside. The car behind me honked.

Mary glanced out of the window at me, and blanched. She said something to the driver—no doubt telling him to go faster—and I willed the hunk of metal under me to speed up.

Finally, we pulled ahead of the cab. I swung back into the inner lane and stomped on the brakes. The cab blared its horn and screeched to a halt, inches away from my rear bumper. My car barely had time to settle back on its suspension before I was out.

Mary got out of the backseat, slamming the door. "Are you insane?"

It had become quite frequent, people asking me that.

Henry got out of the car and came beside me. "He was born that way."

I looked at him, then back at her. "Where are you headed, Mrs. Coleman?"

"I'm going home to my apartment, you psycho," she spat.

I flashed the badge at her. "Detective Aidan Hunter. I want to ask you a few questions."

That moment, the cab driver got out of the car as well, walking towards me. As pissed as she was.

"Hey! You seriously starting a conversation in the middle of the road?" he yelled. "Move your damn car!"

I showed him the badge as well, along with a threatening glare. "Police business. I'll start a conversation when and where I want. Get back in your car and wait."

The intimidated cabbie swallowed, then backed away. "I need to get paid. I got bills to pay, you know?"

Henry snatched his badge back, scowling at me.

"I know who you are," Mary said.

"Oh." I frowned a little. "Well, this will be easy then. It was quite a coincidence seeing you at the caretaker's house. I rarely believe in coincidences in my line of work, but I gotta admit, it's been helping me a lot lately."

"I'm in a hurry."

"Are you?" I smiled. "I'm sure little Jacob can wait a few minutes for his mother. He is home, isn't he?"

She froze. Her anger vanished in an instant and she inched back in surprise. She lost her words for a moment.

"Of-of course he is," she stuttered.

Henry took a step forward. "You look nervous."

Mary almost flinched, her gaze darting to him. I wondered what she was afraid of, what she was hiding. Robert and Louis pulled up behind the cab.

The latter got out. "What're you doing?"

"Having a conversation. Do you mind?" I turned back to Mary. "What were you doing at the caretaker's house?"

"I was making sure—"

"Of what?"

"That he was dead."

Henry and I exchanged glances.

"Did you kill him?" he asked.

"No!" She blinked away the wet, silver lining on her lower lashes. "I didn't kill him, I swear! He told me to make sure the man was dead."

"He? The Trickster?"

Before she could answer, my phone rang. Goddamn it. I closed my eyes, gesturing her to wait.

The caller ID on my phone showed the familiar 'Blocked Number'.

"Hi. I'm in the middle of something, so not interested to talk," I answered. "I'm hanging up."

"Do that and you'll be scraping the bodies of those two idiots off the ground," the Trickster said. "One of my men placed a bomb under Robert's car while you lot were in the caretaker's house. I know you care about them, even if you pretend you don't."

This guy must have lost his mind. Me, caring about those two insolent morons? If they were stuck in a burning house, I'd be outside with a bag of popcorn.

"The two guards and the woman know too much," the Trickster said. "Witnesses. Suspects. Call them what you will."

"They're definitely suspects," I said.

"And you don't get to talk to them. Of course, they can't reveal any information, if they want to see their loved ones alive again, that is. I could shoot these hostages in the head anytime. It's as easy as one, two, three."

"So you got only three hostages."

"I kidnapped the people they loved the most. Three is more than enough. As I said, I want to make you suffer. I know you can piece together what little information you find and get to me. Which is why I don't want you spoiling things so soon. If you don't back away from her, I will kill your friends."

The sense of helplessness angered me. Unwillingly, I stepped back. The call cut.

Henry looked concerned. "Was that the Trickster?"

"Get the car away and let her pass," I said to him, then turned to Mary. "You may go."

"What, just like that?"

"Do it."

A tear rolled from the timid woman's eyes. I saw the extent to which the Trickster had her under his control. She could barely say anything without fear. Henry got inside the car and drove in reverse, moving near the sidewalk. Mary returned to the cab and left. I watched her leave.

Henry stepped back out. "What the hell was that? You wanted to question her so badly. We chased her here, and now you're letting her go? You pulled off this stupid stunt for nothing. I know it was the Trickster on the phone. What did he say to you?"

"That I can't go near her," I replied.

"That's fantastic," Louis said. "First, you guys take off without telling us. Then we come after you, all because of this."

"Since when did the Trickster start calling you?" Robert asked.

"Can we go back to the HQ first? This isn't a good place," I said. "We're literally in the middle of the road."

Louis huffed and turned to his car. "Whatever, man." He took the keys out of his pocket hastily, dropping them and his phone. "Shoot."

He stooped down to pick them up. As he reached for his phone, he stopped. I frowned, seeing him peering closely at it. Getting down on his knees, he bowed and glanced under the car.

"Is that a—?" he said.

My eyes snapped wide. "Louis! Get away from there!"

Racing towards him, I yanked him to his feet. We barely ran a few meters when the car exploded. The shockwave threw us off our feet, and we hit the ground hard. Chunks of metal flew around. We stayed down, shielding our heads with our arms until the explosion died down.

I raised my head and stared at the burning car. I couldn't see Henry or Robert. Something that tasted a bit like fear rose in my throat and I scrambled to my feet. I spotted them lying on the ground past the burning vehicle, alive but disoriented.

I rushed to help Henry. "Hey, you alright?"

"Yeah," he said, breathy. "Robert, you good?"

"No." The other clutched his head. "Ah, goddamn it."

"You'll live," I said to him.

Henry stared at the flames. "What the hell was that?"

My phone pinged. There was a text message:

'That was a warning. Next time, you won't see it coming.'

I tried to catch my breath. I never caught a break from all this chaos, ever since this case started. Until now, I hadn't been afraid. But after this, I didn't have the luxury of confidence.

Things were about to get worse.