Before leaving Claire's apartment, Victor meticulously rechecked for any trace of his presence: door handles, teacups, places where he'd stood, and the edges of drawers he'd touched. To the untrained eye, these details would have seemed insignificant, but to him, they were like footprints leading back to the starting point.
After attending to these, he reminded Claire to be cautious wherever she went, to keep her phone accessible and to contact him immediately if she noticed anything unusual.
Claire nodded earnestly, finally realising that her brother had left her not just his belongings, but also some kind of trouble that would keep spreading.
The afternoon light was beginning to fade.
Victor drove off alone, heading towards Rafael's former residence. His mind raced the entire way. Mi
