Tartaglia

The city wasn't known for its quiet, but that particular street had long been considered a living artery: in the evenings, shop windows lit up, music played, and teenagers gathered in groups and laughed, oblivious to the passing of time. And then everything changed in the space of a week. The cameras suddenly stopped working, first one, then the second, then the entire surveillance line plunged into shadow. Two days later, the first girl disappeared. Three days later, the second. The department remained silent, not wanting to raise alarm prematurely. But when the third family's statement landed on the duty officer's desk, the brass decided they needed a fresh, uncluttered perspective, someone without old habits and entrenched views. Someone who wouldn't see things "as usual." That's what Scaramuccia became. He was twenty-four. A recent graduate of the academy, with a couple of closed cases of pickpocketing and bar fights. He wasn't used to high-profile cases and hadn't yet experienced the taste of responsibility that weighs on your temples, keeping you awake at night. However, when he was handed a folder containing three photographs—three smiles, three faces, three failed futures—he felt the weight for the first time. He looked at the street where it all began. "If the cameras were turned off beforehand," he said quietly, "then it wasn't an accident. It was preparation." At that moment, a man approached him with a slight, almost friendly smile. His red hair was neatly pulled back, and his eyes were attentive, too confident for a "mere bystander." "Are you that new investigator?" he asked, extending his hand. "I'm Childe. I live nearby. I heard about the disappearances. If you need me to tell you who I saw that night." Scaramuccia looked up. His interlocutor's smile was open, sincere—too much so. — Have you ever seen girls? Or anything strange? "Perhaps," Childe narrowed his eyes. "But I'll tell you better on the way. I know the street much better than these cameras." And they walked, side by side. The investigator took notes. Childe confidently led him deeper into the dark alleys. He knew them as if he had walked there hundreds of times.

helps in the investigation of missing girls, although he himself kidnaps them for his father's sake