Inside the apartment, Leonid wandered around, searching for Charlotte, who had rushed inside in embarrassment. He checked the kitchen first, then the bedroom, but when he didn't find her, he sighed in frustration and headed toward the bathroom door, knocking on it without hesitation.
"You know… hiding in the bathroom isn't a wise choice."
"I'm not hiding here!"
Charlotte responded quickly as she placed the clothes she had been wearing moments ago into the washing machine, along with Kaiser's shirt, which had been left forgotten on the floor.
"Really? Then what exactly are you doing in there?"
Leonid raised an eyebrow, his tone a mix of amusement and provocation.
"What? What kind of question is that?!"
Charlotte turned around nervously, placing her hands on her hips, irritated by his unreasonable interrogation.
"Leave me alone! Can't you just let me be, even when I'm in the bathroom?!"
She shouted in frustration, but Leonid showed no intention of backing off. Instead, he replied lazily, his voice dripping with teasing:
"What can I do? I'm attached to you."
Before she could process his words, the door suddenly swung open. Her glare was sharp, her voice filled with defiance.
"Attached to me, huh?! You're nothing but—"
"Nothing but what, my dear?"
He cut her off swiftly, leaning toward her, resting against the doorframe. His tall, broad figure effectively caged her inside the bathroom, imposing his presence with ease.
Charlotte clenched her teeth, trying to suppress her irritation, then exhaled sharply and averted her gaze.
"Nothing, forget it… Just go start your laundry."
Leonid raised an eyebrow before smirking slightly, his voice laced with satisfaction.
"Alright, very well."
He lifted his hand and gently patted her head before stepping inside to do as she asked without any complaints.
Charlotte stood still for a moment, watching him silently before turning away and heading toward the living room. Her expression was filled with frustration, yet she couldn't deny one thing.
Talking to Leonid, despite his constant teasing, gave her a strange sense of comfort… as if, for once, she wasn't completely alone.
Charlotte was about to sit on the couch when the sound of the doorbell ringing halted her movement midway.
She flinched for a moment, then straightened up and looked toward the door. She remained still, quiet, until the bell rang again. This time, she couldn't ignore it.
Quickly, she turned and headed toward the bathroom.
"Leonid… someone's at the door."
"Hmm, maybe the cleaning service has arrived."
Leonid finished setting up the washing machine, pressed the start button, and then walked toward the door. Despite her hesitation, Charlotte followed him with unsteady steps, her hand unconsciously clutching the edge of his jacket.
He paused for a moment, turned his head toward her, and spoke in a calm tone.
"You don't have to come with me. You can stay in the living room."
But Charlotte shook her head, rejecting the idea entirely.
"No."
Then she added in a low yet steady voice,
"I want to stay with you."
Leonid observed her for a second. He didn't argue, didn't question her. He simply nodded before opening the door, saying in a quiet voice,
"As you wish."
In the hallway, Vladimir stood adjusting his uniform, preparing himself before Leonid opened the door. The moment their eyes met, Vladimir spoke in a formal tone:
"Cleaning service. Are you Mr. Leonid?"
He played his role flawlessly, despite his high rank.
"Yes."
Leonid replied coldly, then added,
"The door is unlocked, so you can proceed with cleaning apartment 399."
"Alright."
Vladimir lifted his cap for a moment before lowering it again. Before stepping inside, he cast a brief glance at Charlotte, who stood behind Leonid, her eyes downcast, her hand gripping the edge of his jacket.
He stared at her features for a second, then walked toward the apartment, followed by Dmitri and Vasily. Leonid could recognize them easily, but Charlotte didn't. She hadn't even bothered to look at them.
Charlotte remained silent for a moment before gently tugging at the hem of Leonid's jacket, as if trying to draw his attention to her.
"What?"
Leonid stopped watching his companions and turned his gaze to her. Charlotte spoke in a low voice.
"Can you go and tell them there's no need to clean my bedroom?"
"You don't want them entering your bedroom? But wasn't the floor a little dirty because of the officers' boots yesterday?"
Leonid knew his companions weren't cleaning experts, but he was certain they could at least put in some fake effort. Taking advantage of their presence to clean Charlotte's floor seemed reasonable.
"Well, maybe the floor is dirty, but I just don't feel comfortable…"
"How about this?"
Leonid said calmly, then added,
"I can stay with them while they clean… while you stay here and do whatever you like."
Charlotte blinked, considering his words, then asked slowly,
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
Leonid answered dryly but with sincerity. When she didn't respond, he added casually,
"I'll go take care of your room so you can feel at ease."
His eyes lingered on her innocent face as she looked up at him.
"I don't know when I'll be back it all depends on how fast the cleaning service is. So, wait for me, alright?"
"Leo—"
He gently cut her off, pressing his fingers lightly against her lips, silencing her words before they could form.
"See you soon."
He offered a faint smile before pulling his hand away and turning to leave. The sound of the door closing echoed behind him, leaving Charlotte staring after him in silence.
Charlotte continued staring at the closed door, as if waiting for it to open again. There was a faint sorrow in her features, a loneliness creeping back into her, weighing silently on her shoulders.
Meanwhile, Leonid stepped into Charlotte's apartment. Everyone was busy working except for Vladimir, who stood in the bedroom carefully examining her belongings, as if searching for something specific.
Dmitri was inspecting traces of blood, while Vasili was engrossed in looking for fingerprints that might help uncover evidence. Their movements were precise, reflecting their expertise just like Leonid's cautious steps as he made his way into the bedroom.
He paused for a moment at the threshold, taking in the scene before him. Charlotte's room remained unchanged, still and untouched, while Vladimir moved through it with measured slowness, his eyes catching every tiny detail.
"You won't find anything, no matter how much you look around, Deputy Commander."
Vladimir slowly lifted his head, his gaze meeting Leonid's with neutrality, though his mind was analyzing his words deeply. In a quiet tone laced with suspicion, he said:
"You're right… nothing here seems out of place. But that, in itself, is strange."
Leonid let out a quiet, sarcastic chuckle before replying:
"Strange isn't the right word for what happened here. What happened was a sacrifice… a great sacrifice made by my little husky pup, who defended this place until his last breath."
He paused for a moment, then added in a steady voice:
"By the way, I was visited by a secretary named Alex. He told me they had to cover up the truth and replace it with a fabricated story to avoid giving their enemies a chance to strike. Also, he said the killer turned himself in… but I doubt that's true."
"Hmm…"
Vladimir hummed, continuing to inspect the room before asking, without looking at him:
"And what did you say to him?"
He moved around the bedroom, opening drawers and running his fingers over the cold surface of the nightstand, searching for anything that might help him understand Charlotte Smith.
"I told him I wanted to meet the killer as the owner of the victim."
"A good idea."
Vladimir nodded, then added coolly,
"Actually, Aaliyah told me the same thing. But she said she couldn't interrogate that stray killer he acted insane when confronted by an officer."
He opened one of the nightstand drawers and found it filled with small sticky notes, their bright colors contrasting sharply with the room's somber atmosphere. Reaching in, he picked one up and continued in his monotone voice:
"Since you're the victim's owner, you can meet him. Perhaps you'll conduct your own trial."
He paused for a second before adding,
"Did that secretary agree?"
"He said the police follow their own protocols, but he'll do his best."
Leonid took slow steps until he stood beside Vladimir, both of them now looking at the note written in elegant handwriting:
[I failed.]
"Failed?"
Vladimir muttered before setting the note aside and picking up another.
[I feel upset… and happy at the same time. Is that normal?]
He exchanged a cryptic glance with Leonid. The latter pressed the note between his fingers and asked:
"Was she writing to herself? Or were these messages meant for someone?"
"I bet she was talking to herself."
Leonid's tone was confident he had often seen Charlotte do that. He leaned toward the drawer, pulling out more notes and reading them aloud:
[I am completely free… I feel like I'm flying.]
[I love looking into his eyes, even though they're as cold as ice.]
[My mother screamed at me and said I was worthless.]
"Wait."
Vladimir raised his hand, signaling for Leonid to stop. He studied him for a moment before asking:
"Did she have family issues?"
Leonid hesitated for a moment, then said slowly:
"I don't have a definite answer… but I doubt it."
Vladimir continued staring at the notes before picking up another one this time, it was different.
[The handsome man talked to me. He said his name was Leonid… just Leonid, nothing more, nothing less. But to me, that is more than enough.]
Leonid's brow lifted slightly, while Vladimir remained still, showing no immediate reaction.
For a few moments, silence hung between them until Vladimir finally spoke in a quiet tone:
"She's talking about you."