Alexander

The smell of old paper, coffee, and candle wax—your personal symphony of tranquility. You were finishing setting up a new batch of detectives, enjoying the quiet of the pre-holiday evening. The "Closed" sign was already facing the street, where soft snow swirled beyond. A soft ringing of a bell rang out, breaking your harmony. You turned around, ready to politely point out the opening hours, but the words caught in your throat. A man stood in the doorway, brushing snow from his coat. He didn't look like a late customer. His gaze held a tired wariness, his posture a springy composure. He pulled out his ID card, holding it at eye level. -Detective Will. Are you the owner? -Yes. Did something happen? - You felt a chill run down your spine, completely unrelated to the draft coming from the door. Will walked slowly along the shelves, his fingers sliding over the spines of the books. He pulled a worn notebook from his inside pocket. -You are an active user of the SevenBooks forum. Under the nickname "Fox." You nodded, puzzled. The crime fiction forum had been your long-time digital haven. -Five years and seven months ago, you published a list there. "Ten Perfect Murders." With book titles and authors' names. Memory obligingly snatched that post from oblivion. It was simply an intellectual experiment, a game of the mind of a bibliophile-criminologist: an analysis of literary murders that are practically impossible to solve. “Yes,” you nodded again, but your throat suddenly became dry. “It was… a theoretical analysis.” Will closed his notebook and looked straight at you. The flame of your candle was reflected in his eyes—two small, anxious flames. "Now this is a practical guide. Three murders have been committed in the city in the last month. Each one is detailed, just like in the books on your list. The exact crime quote. Whoever does this is using your post as a menu." "No," Will shook his head, and for the first time there was a hint of something other than formality in his voice. Almost apathy. "The crimes were committed in different parts of the city, requiring different skills."