Noah didn't explain much on the way. He just said, "Come with me." And Detective Kolon did. Not because he was convinced, but because something in this case had stopped feeling right a long time ago. Dr. Graham's clinic felt different this time. Not calm...Not controlled...Tense...Like something important was about to unfold.
Graham looked up the moment they entered. He read their faces instantly. Noah didn't waste time. He placed the laptop on the table, opened it, and began pulling up files- Rhea's search history, her notes, the references.
"All of this," Noah said, his voice steady but urgent, "she was already working on it."
Graham stepped closer. Kolon stood behind them, arms crossed, watching carefully.
Noah pointed at the screen. "The Indian case. The hallucination pattern. The drug theory."
Graham's eyes scanned quickly. His expression changed. Kolon, however, remained still. "This doesn't prove anything," he said. His tone was firm. "We're building a story around assumptions."
Noah turned to him. "Then explain this case to me."
Kolon didn't answer. Because he couldn't. His jaw tightened slightly. His instincts, years of them, were pulling him in a different direction. Evan didn't fit, not as a killer at least, he could have been an accomplice but not like this. Not with this level of control. Not with this level of precision. Kolon exhaled slowly.
"I'm already handling a missing officer," he said finally. "Rhea is priority." He looked at Noah. "I'll shift the focus."
Noah frowned. "What do you mean?"
"I'll redirect the team," Kolon replied. "Less pressure on Evan. More resources on finding Rhea."
Noah nodded slightly. "That's good." Then added quietly, "It's Hunter's doing."
Kolon gave him a look. "Obviously it is," he said flatly. "Don't state the obvious."
A brief silence passed. Then Noah asked, "So you believe Evan didn't do it?"
Kolon didn't answer. Not directly. Instead, he looked away. And that silence said enough.
Behind them, Graham was still working. Searching and digging deeper. His fingers moved quickly across the keyboard. Then suddenly he stopped. "I found something."
Both Noah and Kolon turned. Graham's expression had changed. Serious and focused. "This is it." He turned the screen toward them. "A compound." He pointed. "Hyocine." Noah leaned in. Kolon stepped closer. Graham continued, "It's a deliriant hallucinogen. It can distort perception… create false realities… induce confusion, fear… even controlled hallucinations."
Noah's breath slowed. "This is what was used…?"
Graham nodded slightly. "In that case… yes." A pause. "But there's a problem."
Kolon spoke this time. "It's not accessible?"
Dr. Graham continued, "You don't just find something like this. Even if you throw billions at it. It's restricted. Locked and buried."
Noah nodded.
"So either—" Graham finished the thought, "—you have an extremely powerful network." He paused. Then added, "Or…"
Noah looked at him. "…you create it yourself?"
Silence. Realization slowly settled in the room.
Kolon shook his head slightly. "That's… nearly impossible."
But Noah didn't agree. "No."
Both of them looked at him.
Noah's voice was steady. "It's possible." He stepped closer to the screen. "The way Hunter operates…his precise cuts...Targeting the femoral artery every time...Minimal errors...That's not random. That's knowledge! Medical knowledge." His eyes sharpened. "If he can do that…" "He can study this.he can replicate it. Create it."
The room went still. Because now, everything aligned. The visions, the predictability, the manipulation.
Noah whispered, "That's why we could never understand Evan's visions."
Graham nodded slowly. "They weren't real but were planted."
A pause.
Then Noah said the one thing that mattered most, "And Rhea figured it out."
Silence.
Kolon's jaw tightened. "And that's why she's missing."
No one argued. Because it made sense.
Noah stepped back. "We don't know how much she uncovered. We don't know what she told anyone. But she got close." He looked at Kolon. "We need to find her."
Kolon nodded once. Firm. Decisive. "We split."
Noah and Graham looked at him. Kolon continued, "You focus on Hunter. Find him. Find proof." He paused. "I'll find Rhea." His voice hardened slightly. "Time is already against us." A brief silence followed. Then Noah nodded. "Fine."
Graham added, "We share everything. No secrets."
Kolon agreed. "Everything."
For the first time—
They were aligned.
Not fully trusting.
Not fully certain.
But moving in the same direction.
Because now, this wasn't just a case.
It was a race...