Berlin. The heart of Germany is a really fast-growing city. Everyone is busy with their own business and doesn't care about their surroundings, but one day, they will explore the unknown once again. They will probably fight against the wind of change! But the past will glory once again.

  – Daniel, I know you're inside! You haven't paid the taxes for this month. You didn't answer my calls and did not receive my emails.

  Lady Rebecca is the housekeeper of this apartment. She was really angry about the situation, but this day, her patience came to the concussion and she rapidly started knocking on the door...

  Unexpectedly, the heavy solid door cracked and opened a little, but the door chain stopped it from opening fully.

  She was desperate to understand what was happening, so she took her debit card and unlatched the chain from the door's socket! The door fully opened. But something was off... She was a little worried. But that money was needed for her children's college debt, so she jammed through the door and entered the silent apartment! Everything was silent. Even her own sounds seemed strange.

  She entered the kitchen environment, but it was empty. Same for the living space and bedroom... she was confused. Daniel was not here, but there were strange sounds coming from this apartment the previous night.

  Rebecca came to the exit and looked back. And in the moment before leaving, she saw the door to the bathroom. The door opened...

  Berlin. The police department. It has been really busy lately—so many cases and crimes were reported that it was full of calls and emails. About a hundred cases were reported only today.

  But in every noisy place, there is a quiet corner...

  That place, in this case, is called the interrogation room.

  Mr. Oliver comes through the door with a messy case folder in his right hand.

  In front of him was a silent man waiting for Oliver to sit down.

  He dropped the folder on the gray table and sat on a similarly colored chair.

  – So... why am I here? – asked the silent person.

  – Detective Blake. I know you're a busy man, but there is a really strange case I want you to see.

  Mr. Oliver pushed the folder toward Blake. He grabbed it and lifted it up to his eyes. He opened it. Several photos fell out from inside. The title that led to the beginning of the case was written down: Black Berlin.

  – You know that I am retired?

  – Yeah, I know. But there's no one else who can do the job!

  Blake rolled his eyes and read the first sentence...

  It was a description of a young adult named Daniel Brown.

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  One of the photos that fell was a picture of him. He was a tall guy with black bushy hair and a mustache. On one of his ears was a black ring piercing the soft part of the ear.

  He lifted another picture, and the rotting corpse of Daniel showed up in front of his eyes.

  His dead body was in a bathtub soaked with dirty water! His skin was in awful condition—it had started to dye in a green, nasty color. The long, curvy hair was wet and dirty.

  – His corpse was found this morning by the housekeeper.

  – It looks like a normal case. I've seen much worse things!

  – Don't be so sure, Blake! He was seen alive the day before. This is no ordinary case. His body decayed faster than it should have.

  – What!? – Blake was shocked and intrigued. After a minute, he asked:

  – Is there another clue that has been found?

  – Yes, there is another thing. Open the second page.

  Detective Blake leafed through the second page and saw two pictures.

  The first captured a chessboard game placed in front of a broken mirror.

  The second had a close-up look at the broken mirror. On the glass, the word Society was written.

  Detective Blake reached upward toward the ceiling so his sleeves fell down. There was a tattoo on his forearm of an angel trying to spread out its wings, but heavy-duty chains were limiting the movement.

  He crossed his fingers and asked Oliver:

  – It is an interesting case. But what will be my charge for this side job of yours?

  – Solve this case, and I'll give you two things: a reward... and access to something no civilian should ever see.

  Blake left the station, and the bright ball in the sky blinded him. He grabbed his sunglasses and walked toward his car. The car was a retro cabriolet. He was an old dog that hated everything new. His type of lifestyle wasn't for everyone. He had a phone only for work purposes. He didn’t watch television or anything the new generation did in their free time. But who can judge him? This is his life, after all.

  The engine roared. The tires spun out in a burst of smoke as the vehicle launched ahead!

  In front of the apartment stood Grosh Emily. He was single-minded, focused on the case so much that even smoking didn’t help to clear his mind.

  – That kid is a really strange case. Died this morning but has two months’ worth of rotting – he thought.

  His daughter, Dori Emily, closed the car’s door and asked her father:

  – Father, do you think he was murdered or is it a suicide case?

  Her voice cleared his mind for a bit, and after a few seconds, he answered:

  – It's complicated. There is no evidence for murder, but wounds like his are not self-inflicted. They're 100% made by another human being!

  – But there is not a single fingerprint anywhere in the apartment. Even his own prints are not visible in his home.

  – You’re not right. There is one fingerprint in his home! – He took a long inhale and said – Ms. Rebecca.

  – But this is not a valid clue. She found the body, and the prints were new and match her statement.

  – There is no such thing as a valid clue! Every single clue is important!

  She didn’t say anything, just stared between them...

  – Look, I’m tired. We’ll talk about this another time, okay?

  – Yeah, yeah, understood – she looked back and entered the car behind them.

  Grosh’s cigarette burned out, and he dropped it on the floor and started walking to his car. But unexpectedly, Blake’s car parked next to him.

  – Well, well, well. Hello, Mr. Grosh. Long time no see! – he shouted from inside his vehicle.

  – Detective Blake? What are you doing here? I thought you were retired.

  – I was. But Oliver pushed me into this case — he wanted me to take a look at it.

  – There’s a catch, right? How can you accept a job without an additional profit?

  – Yep, there is one catch.

  – I knew it!

  – But I’m not here for the bonuses I’ll get. This case reminds me of something...

  – Ha, the legendary money-hungry Blake not doing work for the price. This is something I never thought I would say.

  – People say there’s always a first time.

  Grosh and Blake laughed together. But then, Mr. Grosh suddenly shifted tone and said:

  – Look, Blake, I really appreciate the help and your presence, but I need to go. My daughter wants to spend some time with me.

  – It’s okay, Grosh. Take your time — you deserve it.

  They waved at each other, and Grosh entered his car and drove away.