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The victim’s body was so torn up that Hector couldn’t even guess the gender. He was a bit surprised at how much sights like this still affected him. Part of him wished that he could just get used to it all, that he could be unflappable in the face of this sort of thing, but there was just something about seeing the aftermath of brutality. Seeing it actually unfold was horrible, too, but he could deal with that. It was only when he saw the outcome, the terrible end, that it really started getting to him, making his chest hurt and his stomach turn.

This poor person. Whoever they were, their death certainly did not look painless.

At length, Garovel stirred Hector out of his morbidity with a private question. ‘So what’re you thinking?’

Hector rubbed his chin with one hand. ‘Probably the same thing as everyone else. Ibai lost control and killed someone.’

‘That’s it? Nothing else?’

Hector’s mouth flattened.

‘C’mon, Hector, we’re investigators now. Doesn’t any of this strike you as strange?’

‘Well, there’s a dead person here.’

‘You know that’s not what I’m talking about.’

‘...I take it you don’t think Ibai did this?’

‘I don’t know. I’m asking your opinion. Your REAL opinion. The one you’ve formed using your actual brain. I know you’re a rational person, Hector.’ A beat passed. ‘Well, most of the time.’

Hector cocked an eyebrow at him.

‘Agh, I’m asking for your help. Don’t be an asshole about it. A fucking terrible thing happened here, and we need to figure out exactly what it was. Because if Ibai isn’t responsible for it, then that means someone else is, possibly with the intention to kill again.’

Hector knew the reaper had a good point. He’d known all along, really. He’d just wanted to be stubborn this time. Unfortunately, that didn’t seem to be an option. ‘Alright,’ said Hector. ‘Well... I mean... this IS kinda weird. When I imagined Ibai losing it, I didn’t think he’d be so... stupid about it.’

‘Exactly. Only an idiot would kill someone this way. And with his powers? He could’ve easily hid the body before anyone discovered it.’

‘Maybe, but he couldn’t have hid the mess,’ said Hector. ‘All this blood--this doesn’t strike me as something that was planned ahead of time.’

‘Maybe that’s what the killer wants us to think,’ said Garovel.