Roxy sat still as he stared at the red file lying open in his hands. The room felt unusually quiet, as if even the air around them was waiting for what came next. His eyes moved slowly across the document, each line tightening the knot forming inside his chest.
"It's… a drug report," he said finally, his voice low.
Lovely stepped closer, leaning slightly to read over his shoulder. Her expression changed the moment she saw the contents.
"Speedball," she read aloud. "A mixture involving cocaine… extremely dangerous."
Stalin frowned. "What does it do?"
Lovely exhaled slowly before answering. "It puts extreme pressure on the heart. The body can't handle it for long. In many cases… it just gives out."
Silence filled the room.
Roxy's fingers curled around the edge of the paper. His breathing became uneven.
"So this is how they killed her…" he whispered.
The words felt heavy.
Final.
But even as the truth began to take shape, something still didn't feel right.
Roxy shook his head slightly. "No… this isn't enough."
Lovely looked at him. "What do you mean?"
"If it was just drugs," he said, his voice tightening, "why hide everything? Why erase her messages? Why go this far?"
Stalin slowly nodded. "He's right. This wasn't just an accident."
The answer was clear.
This was planned.
Stalin turned his attention back to the small locked box they had taken from Smily's locker. His eyes narrowed as he picked it up again.
"There has to be something inside," he said.
Without waiting, he began trying to force it open.
Roxy watched silently as minutes passed. The sound of metal scraping against metal filled the room. Stalin's hands trembled slightly, but he didn't stop.
Finally—
Click.
The lock gave way.
The room seemed to freeze for a second.
Stalin slowly opened the box.
Inside, there were only two things.
A small key.
And a folded piece of paper.
Roxy reached for the paper carefully, unfolding it with cautious fingers.
His eyes scanned the contents.
Then he froze.
"What is it?" Lovely asked.
Roxy lifted his gaze slowly.
"There's only one thing written here," he said.
"What?"
He turned the paper toward them.
A
Just a single letter.
Nothing more.
Confusion spread across their faces.
"That's it?" Stalin asked. "Just… A?"
Lovely took the paper, studying it closely as if trying to extract meaning from the simplicity.
"This isn't random," she said after a moment. "She wouldn't leave something like this without a reason."
Roxy's thoughts began racing.
A key.
The letter A.
And a hidden box.
"This is a message," Lovely continued. "She knew something was going to happen to her."
Roxy felt his chest tighten.
"She left this for us," he said quietly.
Hope flickered faintly in his eyes.
For the first time since her death, it felt like Smily was still guiding them.
Stalin reached out and picked up the key.
The moment his fingers touched it—
Everything changed.
His body stiffened.
His eyes widened.
Fragments of images flashed through his mind.
A hospital room.
Bright white lights.
A figure in uniform.
A nurse.
Holding the same key.
"Stalin?" Roxy called out.
But there was no response.
Stalin's grip loosened, and suddenly—
He collapsed.
"Stalin!" Roxy shouted, rushing forward.
Panic surged through the room.
Lovely quickly helped lift him as they hurried him to the hospital.
The familiar smell of antiseptic filled the air once again.
Roxy paced outside the examination room, his thoughts spinning wildly. Too many things were happening at once. Too many connections were forming.
When the doctor finally stepped out, his expression was serious.
"He's lucky," the doctor said. "This time, he survived."
Roxy's heart sank. "What do you mean 'this time'?"
The doctor sighed. "His condition is unstable. If something like this happens again, it could be much worse."
Roxy clenched his fists.
Nothing was under control anymore.
When Stalin finally woke up, his face looked pale, but his eyes were alert.
Roxy immediately leaned forward. "What happened?"
Stalin took a slow breath.
"I remembered something," he said weakly.
Lovely stepped closer. "What did you see?"
Stalin hesitated, trying to piece the memory together.
"I've seen that key before," he said. "At the hospital."
Roxy's eyes narrowed. "Are you sure?"
Stalin nodded slowly. "During one of my earlier visits… there was a nurse. She had the same key."
Lovely's eyes widened.
"A nurse?" she repeated.
The implication was terrifying.
The hospital.
The drugs.
The key.
They were all connected.
When Stalin finally woke up, his face looked pale, but his eyes were alert.
Roxy immediately leaned forward. "What happened?"
Stalin took a slow breath.
"I remembered something," he said weakly.
Lovely stepped closer. "What did you see?"
Stalin hesitated, trying to piece the memory together.
"I've seen that key before," he said. "At the hospital."
Roxy's eyes narrowed. "Are you sure?"
Stalin nodded slowly. "During one of my earlier visits… there was a nurse. She had the same key."
Lovely's eyes widened.
"A nurse?" she repeated.
The implication was terrifying.
The hospital.
The drugs.
The key.
They were all connected.
Roxy stood up straight, his expression hardening.
"Then we investigate the hospital," he said firmly.
Lovely nodded. "But we do it carefully. If the hospital is involved, then this isn't just a small crime."
Stalin looked at both of them.
"This is something much bigger."
Roxy stood up straight, his expression hardening.
"Then we investigate the hospital," he said firmly.
Lovely nodded. "But we do it carefully. If the hospital is involved, then this isn't just a small crime."
Stalin looked at both of them.
"This is something much bigger."
The key was no longer just an object.
It was a doorway.
To the truth.
To the lies.
To everything that had been hidden.
Roxy looked down at it one more time.
"A…" he murmured.
A single letter.
But it carried a meaning they had yet to understand.
Somewhere, the answers were waiting.
And now, they finally had a path to find them.
But as hope began to rise—
So did danger.
Because whoever had hidden the truth this carefully…
Would not let it be uncovered easily.