On the day of Barodius's trial, Runo arrived early to the courthouse in downtown Wardington to meet with local law enforcement. Alice carpooled with Runo and took a seat in the back with other civilians. Shun and Dan stayed at the hotel to help Wardington police escort Barodius to the courthouse.

After everyone parked their vehicles, Billy ran from the courthouse to the parking lot and greeted everyone. "There are more civilians inside than all law enforcement combined. I'm surprised."

"Shouldn't you stay inside since you're a material witness?" Dan asked.

"I still have time before courthouse security locks the doors."

"Any other witnesses testifying today?" Shun questioned. "State's evidence or not?"

"I'm not entirely sure. I've been following the narcotics ring for so long that I didn't know if there are other witnesses. But Dan's right—I should get back since I'm not supposed to be in proximity with the defendant, who's with you guys. Later!"

After Billy left, the two DSP agents and Wardington police escorted Barodius out of a vehicle and were about to cross a narrow driveway when an incoming black SUV's driver lowered a window and began shooting. "Everybody duck!" Dan exclaimed.

Every law enforcement office aimed their weapons at the surprise vehicle. The perpetrator shot back but mostly missed. After a while, the car disappeared into the distance. "No plates on that vehicle is illegal," Shun noted. "I don't know if they were trying to kill us or Barodius, but we need to get inside the courthouse immediately." Driving by was another black SUV, whose driver threw a smoke bomb before leaving. "Are you kidding me?!"

"Shun, just keep going!" the brunet replied. "The officers and I will clean this up and write a report afterwards."

After escorting Barodius to a separate room, the raven-haired agent took a seat next to Alice in the back. "Where's Runo?"

"She wanted to stand with Wardington police in case they need to suddenly run to the rescue." Alice looked around. "Where's Dan?"

"Cleaning up a mess outside." Shun repeated the events that happened to Alice. "Do you think Julio is sending us a warning?"

"That's so risky, though. Is anyone hurt?"

"No, but something tells me that the trial won't run smoothly."

The trial began once the judge arrived and took her seat. Amidst the talk between all the important players, the pair continued to whisper. "I don't know where the sudden drug trafficking accusations came from, but of course no one will admit because it's not the highlight of this trial," Alice commented.

"And I feel especially bad because Billy was working undercover with the narcotics ring and even got injured. He said that an anonymous tip informed them of suspicious financial activity, followed by an excerpt from a bank statement. Could Julio have been the anonymous tip? Maybe the deal went wrong, and he wanted all the money to himself."

"Yet he still turned state's evidence, likely because Barodius mentioned Julio's name. That means Julio foiled his own plot, if he wanted to pin everything on Barodius. Just because you turn state's evidence doesn't mean you're now the hero."

"About the drug trafficking...Billy said he collected decent evidence. What if all three were connected? Like you said, Barodius could've used the narcotics ring to produce fake medications and sell them as the proprietary name. Julio could've been the middleman that made everything look clean until the anonymous tip."

"I know that Barodius is the primary defendant, but if only there was a way to charge him for illegally giving medications to Soon."

After more witness statements and evidence presentations, the judge gave the jury sufficient time to discuss the case before receiving the final verdict. "On the count of embezzlement and money laundering, how does the jury find?"

"We find the defendant guilty, Your Honor."

"And on the count of drug trafficking, how does the jury find?"

"We find the defendant not guilty."

The judge smacked her gavel. "This case is dismissed. Please prepare Barodius Meunier for processing."

Shun whispered, "I feel like there's still more to this entire story that we don't know about, even if it wasn't our case to begin with."

"Results like this happen because people have money to buy their innocence."

While law enforcement escorted everyone outside, Julio suddenly yelled at Barodius, "This is what you get for stealing my money!"

"You know just as well that you didn't disclose all your earnings either."

"I'm surprised that you weren't charged for fraud because you sell fake medications to—"

Glass just shattered.

"Everyone, duck and cover!" Runo ordered.

People wailed as they crouched behind the benches for cover, followed by another window shattering. "Shun, are you staying inside or checking the shooter outside?" Alice asked.

"Let me ask—" Some people frantically ran toward the exit instead and knocked the agent and many others off balance. Then he realized that he and the redhead were both on the ground...with her under him. "Sorry...are you okay?"

They were just centimeters apart as their bangs touched each other's faces. Alice's heart rate accelerated from the close proximity and fear of the unknown shooter. "I'm fine. No injuries—" Suddenly, glass flew everywhere again as everyone around whimpered. "I know you want to protect me from the debris, but this isn't a permanent solution."

"I know, but it's the least I can do right now." Shun pressed his earpiece to talk to his colleagues. "Someone is shooting at the courthouse from outside. The windows keep shattering."

"I'm leaving the courthouse lobby right now to check it out," Dan replied.

"Wardington police and I are escorting Barodius and Julio away," Runo commented. "At least the shots aren't aimed at anyone in—OH MY GOD! THEY BOTH GOT SHOT!"

Police tended to each person's wounds as the bluenette called for ambulances. The gunshots finally stopped, and people stood up slowly again. "That was not the same gun used to shoot the glass," Alice noted. "I didn't hear anything."

"That means...we have two shooters?" Shun immediately saw residual glass in the redhead's hair and brushed it all off. "You don't want that on you forever."

"Thanks." Alice's face turned red at first, but then turned pale upon seeing a foreign object fly into the room. She held her hands up to catch it. "Someone folded and tossed a paper airplane inside here after the gunfire."

"Open it."

"It says...'A taste of your own medicine.' But whom is the note—"

"Sorry guys, but we lost Julio." Runo checked the mob boss's pulse in three places and shook her head. "Flatlines all around."

Dan was next to announce his findings. "Remember the two black SUVs from earlier? They just crossed the intersection outside. Those drivers came back!"

Shun took a 360 degree look at the entire courtroom while Alice asked softly, "Are you okay?"

"This is far worse and complicated than I thought..."

-x-x-x-x-x-

BREAKING NEWS: Gunshots were fired before and during the trial of pharmaceutical CEO Barodius Meunier, leading to one dead and one critically injured.

Marucho toggled from the news report back to his video call with Wardington police. "Hey Billy, everyone at DSP just finished watching the news replay. I know Julio didn't make it, but who was critically injured?"

"That would be Barodius himself. The hospital said he's still in critical condition. Meanwhile, I'm in the morgue with the coroner's report right there. From Julio, there was a hollow point bullet that was coated with paraffin and contained traces of oxycodone, methadone, hydromorphone, and even fentanyl in it. Cause of death was respiratory depression due to the unusual method of opioid overdose."

"Also an unusually fast overdose," Runo commented. "He lost his pulse within minutes of getting shot."

"I'm just as lost as you, Runo. These opioids are very potent. Anyway, I have a meeting with the narcotics team later because we're extremely concerned about how someone obtained the opioids used in this murder, especially the fentanyl."

"Does that mean you need to go back undercover?" Dan asked. "Or can you even still work undercover after testifying in this high profile trial?"

"Oh no, I'm done with undercover already. The information that Marucho provided us about the narcotics rings was sufficient to arrest guilty members. Their court dates are coming soon too. But Julio's death and the murder weapon took us by surprise."

Shun changed the topic slightly. "You said that your coroner extracted a hollow point bullet from Julio. Did the hospital extract any bullets from Barodius?"

"I only have x-ray images since surgery hasn't started yet. Our ballistics team believes that this bullet is solid and at least one centimeter shorter than the hollow point bullet. Also, there's a third type of a sharper bullet in the courthouse that we think was used to break the windows. I'm going to ballistics after our call."

"Speaking of multiple different weapons, do you have any updates on the two unidentified vehicles that were at the courthouse? Or if the bullets from the driveway or courtroom match anything in your database?"

"No updates on the two SUVs. There's not much to work with given tinted windows and no plates. No hits in our databases about those bullets or the smoke bomb. All of this combined is just unusual."

"Alright, how about this?" The raven-haired agent opened a web browser and shared his screen. "See all the abuse-deterrent and tamper-resistant formulations of opioid painkillers that Barodius was promoting? All four of those opioids you found are in this product lineup, except for the naloxone component because it's an opioid antagonist. This makes me wonder if Barodius was the intended target instead of Julio. The shooters tried to shoot us before the trial started, but Julio wasn't outside at all."

"Now I really don't know what to tell you, but I'll mention that during my meeting. I also have an update for Runo and Shun. Soon is doing much better in the hospital since she was started on appropriate medications for sickle cell disease. We can't build a case against Julio since he's dead, but we'll definitely look into what he was doing since Soon and Chris have spoken up. Anything else I can help you with?"

Marucho shook his head. "That's it for now. We'll keep in touch." Then he hung up. "We have our own DSP meeting in ten minutes. Don't be late."

Shun excused himself first and called Alice from a secluded hallway. "I have an update. Soon and Chris told Wardington police about Julio's illegal child labor, now that he's dead. Soon is also doing better since the hospital started her on the proper medications."

"That's great! But if Julio is truly a 'mob boss', then he must have a replacement or someone next in line..."

"It'll be Wardington police's case, but DSP will help them when needed. That's the most important thing that I wanted to update you on."

"Thank you. That means a lot to me. What about Barodius?"

"Still in the hospital after getting shot. The jury already declared him to be guilty, so now we're waiting for him to recover and serve sentence." Then he debriefed her on his theory on the unknown shooters. "We have no idea whose side they're on or whom they work for."

"Very random, indeed. Any more updates?"

"I have a meeting soon. What about you? Did Marucho tell you anything about the consultant position?"

"Nothing yet. I need to go the law firm again usual. I also have meet-and-greet with a news agency in a few days."

"How are you getting there? And what about the stalking reporters?"

"I haven't seen the reporters since I came back. I'm now the new legal of my grandfather's small old sedan, so transportation won't be an issue. I'll let you attend your meeting now."

"Later." Shun hung up and gripped his phone with unease. What exactly am I overthinking about and why?

In the conference room, Marucho led the meeting by presenting a new case. "Everyone, meet Klaus von Hertzon. He's a person of interest for money laundering and art forgery. There's an art auction at the Bayview Expo Center happening soon. I have notes saying that he doesn't get along very well with peers at events like these. Find out what's going on and what his next move—"

"Sorry for the interruption!" Julie's webcam window appeared on the screen. "You need to see what's on the news right now!"

Marucho turned on the TV as told. The current news report was located in front of Wardington's police station, with several reporters pointing their microphones at the police chief. "Does the Wardington police department have any leads on the unknown shooters present during the trial?"

"At this time, we do not. We collected all evidence found at the scene, but the downtown courthouse is still closed due to this open investigation. All hearings, jury duties, and trials will be temporarily conducted at Wardington Expo Center until the courthouse is fully repaired."

"How come security was inadequate to the point that it led to casualties?" another reporter asked.

"I'm not at liberty to comment since this is still an open investigation, but you have my word that the courthouse will be much safer after reparations."

A third reporter's question took everyone by surprise. "Do you believe that a vigilante group is responsible for this unfortunate events?"

The police chief stared in confusion. "Can you please clarify?"

The third reporter listed a series of cases that occurred in other cities, all of which were unfamiliar to the DSP field agents watching the news. "All the guilty parties or defendants were targeted in some way that led to death or severe injury. The first case documented took place three weeks ago. This high-profile case with CEO Barodius Meunier is no different. What does the Wardington police department think?"

"I don't have a comment on this theory, since Wardington hasn't had other cases of the nature you mentioned."

Once the news transitioned to another story, the brunet agent asked Marucho, "Have you heard anything about this 'vigilante' group?"

"No, and that reporter's question was extremely out of place. I've heard about the other cases that he mentioned, but that was unprofessional of him to make assumptions and draw conclusions like that on camera. I'll compare this case to the others at my own time, but all of you should focus on Klaus von Hertzon instead."

The blond director finished his meeting and dismissed everyone, but Shun chose to stay. "Speaking of reporters, I wanted to ask you about Alice's stalking reporters."

"Thanks for reminding me. Turns out that they're from the tabloids and have no connections to any credible news station. I sent the CEO a friendly reminder to leave Alice alone. Then he argued back saying that this is freedom of press. Then I said that stalking Alice is obstruction of an active investigation. He finally backed off. Simple as that."

"Tabloids? Since when were they interested in non-celebrity news?"

"I'd send them to investigate the vigilante rumors if they really have nothing to do. Any other questions?"

"Alice said she's meeting a potential employer soon at a news organization. Will that be a conflict of interest?"

"Not really. She did sign the confidentiality agreement with us. What are you thinking?"

"I know she'd prefer to work full time over there if hired, but I really don't know what I'm thinking. A lot has happened from when she got stabbed to enduring the courthouse shooting."

"Well...it was her request to go to Wardington for personal business. I shouldn't even have made that exception. But you're all very fortunate that the shooters weren't aiming at any of you."

"But do you plan to ask Alice to help with this new case?"

"Only for her professional insight. Obviously, she cannot do field work like you do, but I can't stop her from visiting the expo center at her own time."

"That's all I needed to know. Thanks, Marucho." Shun left the conference room and saw other DSP staff watching the news in the communal office area. Even though the jury delivered their verdict, it doesn't feel like this case is truly closed because of the unexpected shooting that injured Barodius and killed Julio. And even though DSP isn't the one in charge of investigating the shooting, I can't help but want to know more...and about the vigilante rumors too.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Alice exited the elevator of a company building and proceeded to locate her destination on the thirteenth floor. She approached a set of double doors that said BAYVIEW BROADCASTING STATION and knocked. I'm not sure if I'm ready to get back to work yet.

A young woman with short, spiky orange hair looked out a window and opened the door slightly. "How may I help you?"

"My name's Alice Gehabich. I have an appointment with—"

"So you're Alice! I'm Mira Fermin, editor-in-chief. Please come inside." The news employee led her guest to her office desk, where they both took a seat. "There's not much for me to ask you about, actually. You've worked with Chan Lee overseas, correct?"

"That's right. She was my supervisor and also the one who recommended that I apply here."

"She's an excellent journalist herself, and you made an excellent choice. Will you be staying in Bayview permanently?"

"I don't know about 'permanently', but I am from Bayview and plan to stay. I attended college overseas and worked with Chan for a couple years until I returned recently due to personal reasons."

"That's all I needed to know. I had no idea you were from here! Anyway, we only have a part-time position open right now. I'd also like to see how well you work first before offering you a full-time position. Does that work with your schedule?"

Part-time should be fine, in case Marucho needs my professional opinion on some cases for any reason. That consult position isn't even long-term anyway. "That will work out. What do you need from me?"

"I have some paperwork that you need to complete, but let me get your personal and contact information first. Any questions for me so far?"

"Um...I hope you don't find this question weird, but are there any tabloid agencies in the area?"

"I only know of one in all of Bayview, and it has a ton of staff publishing all kinds of gossip every single day. Why do you ask?"

"I recently got discharged from the hospital, and a group of self-proclaimed reporters were waiting at the front entrance and asking me inappropriate questions. They've been following me everywhere I go."

"Now that is weird. They couldn't possibly have known that early on that you intend to work here. Whether they're trying to recruit you or harass you, that company is no place for a great mind like yours. You deserve better. Let me know if they're still following you. Anyway, let's get the paperwork started."

"Agreed. Thanks for your input." Alice uncapped a ballpoint pen as she watched Mira push over several sheets of paper. Here's to a new chapter in my life...

-x-x-x-x-x-

A young woman held her long creamy-blonde hair back as she sprinted quickly to greet her three visitors at the front entrance of Bayview Expo Center. "Thank you for waiting! My name's Katie Lowery. I'm the interim building director while the actual director is on paternity leave. How may I help you today?"

"We have a lot of questions." Dan was the first to flash his badge and introduced himself. "A few days ago, we spoke with the actual director and had a mutual agreement to inspect the building prior to the art auction in a few days."

"Yes, he did tell me about that. My lead security officer will lead you around the building, but what exactly are you looking for?"

"We're here to double check your security to make sure that all blind spots are covered. It helps to have another set of eyes."

"Okay...I mean I guess."

A camera snap caught Shun's attention, which led him to asking the interim director, "Do you have other guests here?"

"Actually, I do. She's a reporter from BBS and currently taking pictures of the art auction's promo sign for an article. It was the director's idea to promote the auction to the public. He already answered the Q&A interview before going on leave."

"Shun, are you okay?" Runo asked. "Dan and I are going to the roof."

"You two can go without me. I'm going to talk to the reporter first."

"Suit yourself!" the brunet yelled before the elevator doors closed.

Shun approached the reporter but then gasped upon seeing who she was. "Alice? What are you doing here?"

The redhead turned her camera off. "I didn't expect to see you here. I'm here because I work for Bayview Broadcasting Station now. This is my very first assignment, actually."

"To write an entertainment article about this upcoming auction?"

Alice's smile flatlined immediately. "I have to work my way up from scratch, you know."

"I know, but...this isn't news. Or does your employer want to see how well you can write before offering you better opportunities?"

"Something like that."

"But what about DSP? Can you work two places at once?"

"Shun, you know that wasn't meant to be a permanent position. Consulting is only per diem, at best. Plus, I signed that confidentially agreement and won't reveal anything related to your cases to BBS. What are you doing here?"

"Examining the entire building, per Marucho's request. You know about the auction, right? Do you know anything about—"

"Hello?! Anyone here?!" A tall woman with wavy coral hair screamed at no one in particular. "So much for 'excellent' security. My passcode isn't working, and I can't even reset it even after scanning my attendee badge.

Katie stopped talking with a security guard and approached the woman. "Miss Vanessa, this is the millionth time that you've told me that the storage unit assigned to you has malfunctioned again. Which number were you assigned to?"

"You should know that off the top of your head by now because it's literally the only one that malfunctions here."

The interim director rolled her eyes and searched the directory on her business phone. "It's not intuitive at all when you and your sister register request for a storage unit under the name 'Dark Angels', yet you both use your legal names when requesting your badges for the—"

"Are you new here?! Because this is how Annie and I always sign up when we participate in the annual art auctions here. I want to speak with the manager!"

"I am the manager!"

"So that's where you went!" An equally tall woman with permed lavender hair ran downstair and dragged Vanessa away. "Miss Lowery, forget about what Vanessa said. I finally opened the lock again. We'll be on our way."

On the other hand, Shun dragged Katie over and asked softly, "Do you mind getting me copies of some documents?"

"Like what?"

"The lists of attendees, proposed auction schedule, and entire building's floor plan."

"And why?"

"To prevent people like Vanessa and Annie over there from asking for the manager during the actual art auction."

"Um...okay? Anything to help DSP, I guess."

After the interim director left, Alice asked, "You're not asking for those documents simply to improve customer service, are you?"

"Of course not. Anyway, I wanted to ask you earlier if you've heard about someone named Klaus von Hertzon. He's a person of interest for money laundering and art forgery, and he might be attending the upcoming art auction."

"I've seen his name appear on entertainment news before. In my opnion, art trade is quite dangerous and mentally exhausting."

"Really? How?"

"Some people love collecting art, simple as that. Others will exploit by forging fakes, reselling at inflated prices, or both. And there are truly obsessed ones that will go great lengths for a single piece of art. Which reminds me..." Alice searched up a new article on her phone and showed it to Shun. "My previous supervisor sent me this a while back."

The raven-haired agent skimmed the article quickly. "So, someone bought an expensive piece of art but was murdered shortly after..."

"I know it looks boring, but there's more to this than just—"

"WE NEED TO EVACUATE!" Runo's voice echoed loudly as she, Dan, and several other security guards ran down the stairs. "Something smells really bad on the second floor. We think it's a gas leak."

Without second thought, Shun grabbed Alice's hand and ran outside to the sidewalk. "Sorry. I heard Runo say 'evacuate' and just ran—"

"You did the right thing. Don't worry about it."

Katie just returned after printing reports and screamed. "Are you kidding me?! Ughhhhh!" She pulled the fire alarm lever, and white lights flashed throughout the building. "I'm calling the police."

"Alice, what a surprise," Runo greeted after she and Dan reconvened with Shun. "Anyway, the utility company will need to inspect and clear the building before we can finish inspecting the building. Off to a great start, guys..."