Bullet Train to Murder | ONC novella ✓

6 | renegade trivia

"Detectives," he began, his voice heavy with solemnity, "there's been a string of murders in the city. The bodies have been mutilated beyond recognition, seemingly by some sort of chemical attack."

There was a quiet hush over the room, broken only by the air conditioner's gentle hum. The detectives looked at each other warily, their faces displaying a mixture of astonishment, fear, and incredulity.

Lisa Connor was the first to break the tense silence, her voice steady and composed. "Do we have any leads? Are there any potential suspects?"

The officer shook his head solemnly. "Not yet. The investigation is still in its early stages, but we're treating this as a top priority."

Murmurs echoed across the room as investigators exchanged hushed chats, each coping with the gravity of the situation. Some pushed closer to their colleagues, exchanging imaginative notions and speculations. Others sat in startled quiet, contemplating the enormity of what they had just heard.

Sandro Tsiklauri, whose birthday celebration had been interrupted by the news, wore a troubled expression as he surveyed the room. The jovial atmosphere from moments ago had dissipated, replaced by an air of somber urgency.

Molly's gaze swept across the room, taking in the reactions of her colleagues. She could see the weight of the news settling on their shoulders, each one grappling with their own thoughts and emotions.

Without a word, she rose from her seat, her movements deliberate as she made her way to the whiteboard at the front of the room. Grabbing a marker, she began to sketch out a rough map of the city, marking each reported murder site with a red dot.

With a firm tone, Molly addressed the room, "We need to work together and coordinate with the other precincts. This is going to be a team effort." The detectives sprang into action, each one assigned a specific task in the investigation. Phones rang incessantly as calls poured in, while laptops flickered with reports being pulled up and closely examined.

Molly settled at her desk, her fingers tapping impatiently on the keyboard as she finished sending out the crucial information regarding the recent string of murders in the city. The urgency of the situation weighed heavily on her mind, each keystroke a testament to her determination to uncover the truth.

With the task completed, she found herself consumed by a restless anticipation, waiting anxiously for Miguel's response. The minutes stretched into what felt like an eternity, filled with unanswered questions and a gnawing sense of unease.

A notification popped up on her screen, signaling the arrival of Miguel's email. Without hesitation, she clicked to open it, her heart pounding with a mixture of anticipation and trepidation. The subject line read simply: Mr. Bingo.

Her heart skipped a beat as she clicked on the email, her eyes scanning the contents eagerly. Miguel had managed to track down Mr. Bingo's number, a feat that seemed almost impossible given the elusive nature of their target.

"How did you find this?" Molly typed quickly, her fingers trembling slightly with anticipation.

Miguel's reply arrived almost instantly, the words materializing on the screen within seconds. "I have my ways," he wrote mysteriously, providing no additional clarification.

Molly frowned, her mind racing with possibilities. Miguel had always been resourceful, but this seemed like more than just luck. Could he have connections she didn't know about? Or was he simply better at this than she was?

The thought unsettled her, stirring up a whirlwind of doubts and insecurities. She had always prided herself on her intuition and ability to navigate the gray areas of investigations. But now, as she pondered Miguel's seemingly miraculous revelation, she couldn't shake the nagging suspicion that perhaps she had underestimated her own colleagues.

Had she been too quick to judge, assuming she was the only one willing to bend the rules for the sake of justice? Or were there others in her department who harbored secrets of their own, just waiting to be uncovered?

Shaking off those doubts, Molly forced herself to focus on the task at hand. She scrolled through the details Miguel had sent over, her eyes scanning the screen for any sign of a lead.

The email was concise but thorough, detailing Mr. Bingo's known associates, known locations, and recent activity. It was clear that Miguel had put a lot of effort into compiling the information, and Molly couldn't help but feel a surge of gratitude towards her colleague.

"Thanks, Miguel," she typed quickly, her fingers flying over the keyboard. "This is exactly what I needed."

She hit send and leaned back in her chair, feeling a weight lift off her shoulders. With Miguel's help, she was one step closer to uncovering the truth behind Mr. Bingo's cryptic messages.

But even as she felt a sense of relief wash over her, Molly couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to Miguel's involvement than met the eye. She made a mental note to keep an eye on him, just in case.

Word Count: 812

A/N:

woo hoo! we finally have a chapter!! i know, i know i took so much time off of story, but, trust me, there's so much to uncover and so much going on here, its mind blowing even for me, as an author🤯

anywhooo- how have you been? how's your ONC going? what's your favorite line/excerpt that you wrote so far?

and there's a few days till the deadline for the first 2k word submission, during my time off, i did submit mine, have you submitted yours yet?

regardless, ALL THE BEST FOR THE ONC! or if you're a casual participator.. enjoy crafting those magical worlds 😌