"Institute Of Death"

 

“You say the body was there. But he says it wasn’t.”

Cold. Silent. Foggy.
The gates of the Altamira Research Institute stood like the jaws of some mechanical beast—half-open, glinting under the pale morning light, steam rising from the frosted ground. A red "LOCKDOWN" sign blinked on the control panel outside.

Zane Faulkner exhaled, letting the cold mist from his breath fade into the dense fog. He adjusted his gloves, looked up at the security camera, and gave it his signature half-smile.
"Zane Faulkner, here to solve a murder you’re pretending didn’t happen."

The gate clicked open.

Inside, the institute smelled like metal, disinfectant, and secrecy. A woman in a lab coat, late forties, stern jawline, approached.

“Detective Faulkner,” she said curtly. “I’m Dr. Miriam Crowley, Director of Biochemical Research.”

Zane tilted his head slightly. “And the one who called in the murder… under the pretext of a chemical accident?”

She nodded. “If I hadn’t used that language, the board wouldn’t have authorized external entry. But it wasn’t an accident. Dr. Harold Quinn was murdered last night.”

They turned down a sterile corridor lit by flickering white lights. Eli trailed behind, scribbling notes.
“Why call us? You have internal security,” Eli asked.

Crowley stopped. “Because everyone here has something to lose.”

LAB 3B: 2:14 A.M.

The door opened with a hiss. The lab was scorched at one corner—burnt fragments of a table and a toppled oxygen cylinder lay near a half-melted security console.

And at the center… was the body.

Or what was left of it.

Charred beyond recognition, face unidentifiable, but the lab coat tag somehow untouched: Dr. Harold Quinn.

“Gas leak, chemical ignition, body caught in the explosion,” said Crowley. “That’s the official line.”

Zane crouched beside the body, scanning.

Then: “Crowley, how did his name tag survive but the entire torso is blackened?”

She blinked.

Zane turned. “And if he died instantly, why is the left hand tightly gripping the edge of the lab table? Burned bodies don’t cling.”

Eli looked up. “Meaning?”

Zane stood slowly. “Meaning someone posed the body after death. And this wasn’t an accident. This was theatre.”

THE SUSPECTS:

1. Dr. Miriam Crowley — Biochemical director. Calm, cold, brilliant.
2. Alec Hanlan — Robotics engineer. Nervous, keeps checking his watch.
3. Reva Song — AI programmer. Sharp-tongued, brilliant coder, sarcastic.
4. Dr. Kamran Dale — Psychologist. Observant, soft-spoken, too composed.
5. Isaac Flint — Head of IT security. Quiet, serious, hides something.
6. Lena Moore — Cleaning staff. Emotional, saw the fire first.
7. Theo Marsh — Intern. Pale, shaky, terrified.

Each was called into the briefing room. Zane would speak to them alone.

INTERVIEW 1: Lena Moore (Cleaning Staff)

She clutched her arms as she sat.

“I—I was finishing my shift. It was past two. I saw the lights flicker in Lab 3B, which is odd at night. I peeked in… and the fire had already started.”

“You didn’t see the body?” Zane asked.

“I did. I saw Dr. Quinn lying… on the left side, near the oxygen tank. He wasn’t moving.”

“You’re sure about the position?”

“Yes… he was flat, face down.”

Zane’s eyes narrowed.

INTERVIEW 2: Alec Hanlan (Robotics Engineer)

Zane offered him coffee. Alec didn’t take it.

“Where were you at 2 a.m.?”

“Working in Lab 2A. Finalizing the servo mechanism for our bipedal drone project.”

“Anyone with you?”

“No. I prefer to work alone.”

Zane tapped the table. “Did you notice any smoke, alarms?”

“Only when Lena screamed. Then we all ran.”

“Where was the body when you saw it?”

“Leaning against the central workbench. Slouched. Like he collapsed backwards.”

Zane raised an eyebrow. “You’re sure?”

“Positive.”

Later, in the hallway:

Eli whispered, “That’s two different positions. Lena said face down near the tank. Alec says slouched against the workbench.”

Zane smirked. “Let’s see how many more versions we can collect.”

INTERVIEW 3: Reva Song (AI Programmer)

She didn’t sit. Just stood, arms crossed.

“I know why you’re here. You think one of us did it.”

“I know one of you did,” Zane replied coolly.

She rolled her eyes. “I was running a late-night AI loop. Dr. Quinn asked me to test the heuristic behavior modulator.”

“At 2 a.m.?”

“That’s how he worked. Odd hours. Brilliant, obsessive.”

“Where were you when the alarm went off?”

“In the server room.”

“And the body?”

“I only saw it after the fire was out. He was lying face-up near the window.”

Eli: “Third version.”

INTERVIEW 4: Theo Marsh (Intern)

He was visibly trembling.

“Dr. Quinn was mentoring me... I-I just joined last month.”

“Where were you last night?” Zane asked.

“In the dorm area. I couldn’t sleep. Took a walk in the courtyard.”

“There are no cameras in the courtyard.”

Theo looked down. “I know.”

“And where did you find out about the fire?”

“Ms. Moore was screaming… everyone rushed. I… I didn’t look at the body. I couldn’t.”

Zane leaned forward. “But someone told you where the body was?”

Theo hesitated. “Dr. Kamran said… it was near the supply rack.”

Zane didn’t react. But something sharp flickered in his eyes.

Later, with Eli in private:

Eli whispered, “That’s four different body positions now.

Lena – face down near the tank

Alec – slouched on the workbench

Reva – face up near the window

Theo (via Kamran) – near the supply rack”

Zane nodded. “Beautiful, isn’t it?”

Eli blinked. “Beautiful?”

Zane grinned. “A web of lies this intricate… means someone’s trying very hard to hide something.”

Eli said, “Or they all saw something different?”

Zane: “Or someone made sure they all saw something different.”

Midway through the day, the fog thickened. Zane stepped outside to clear his thoughts. Snow had started falling—soft, silent, deadly.

He reached into his coat, pulled out his phone, and dialed.

“Lyra? I need you.”

She arrived two hours later. The fog parted just enough for her silhouette to emerge like a vision through the storm — sleek black trench coat, boots cutting through slush, her hair tied back.

“Zane,” she said simply.

“Lyra,” he smiled, “You’re just in time. They’ve all lied. Now I need someone who can smell a digital ghost.”

She raised an eyebrow. “I’m listening.”

Zane’s voice turned serious.

“One of these people... faked a fire, staged a death, and tampered with digital records. I need you to find what they tried to delete.”

Lyra smiled. “You know I love a chase.”

INTERVIEW 5: Dr. Kamran Dale (Psychologist)

Zane leaned back as Kamran sat, hands folded neatly.

"Tell me about Dr. Quinn," Zane began.

Kamran replied softly, "Brilliant mind. But lately… paranoid. He’d speak of ‘them’ watching. No names. Just shadows."

Zane's eyes narrowed. "And where were you last night?"

"In my office. Writing a paper."

"Anyone see you?"

He shook his head. “I prefer solitude.”

Zane paused. "Did you see the body?"

Kamran nodded. "Yes. It was crumpled near the supply rack."

Zane tilted his head. "You told the intern that too."

“I did.”

"But others say different things: the window, the tank, the workbench."

Kamran smiled faintly. "Memory is unreliable, Mr. Faulkner. Ask any psychologist."

Zane stared coldly. "So is truth."

INTERVIEW 6: Isaac Flint (IT Security Head)

Isaac was silent. Still. Like a statue.

"You disabled the CCTV last night," Zane said without preamble.

Isaac blinked. "System glitch."

"Interesting glitch. Only in Lab 3B. At the exact time of death."

"No proof it was me."

Zane’s voice dropped. "You knew Quinn had something on you, didn’t you?"

Isaac stared. "He… he suspected I was stealing prototype data. But he never caught me."

Zane leaned forward. "Where were you last night?"

"Server room. Monitoring backups."

"Alone?"

Isaac hesitated. “Yes.”

"And the body?"

Isaac swallowed. "I saw it near the emergency exit door."

Eli, from behind the glass, muttered, “Five positions now. All different.”

Zane smiled. “Almost too perfect.”

INTERVIEW 7: Dr. Miriam Crowley (Director)

Zane sat opposite the woman who had started it all.

"You found the body after the alarm?"

She nodded. “Yes. Quinn was facedown… burned beyond recognition. I identified him by the coat.”

"You didn't verify dental records? DNA?"

"There was no time. I know Harold’s build. His posture. I was certain.”

Zane tapped the table. "So you officially declared him dead… before verifying."

She stiffened.

"Where were you during the fire?"

"My quarters. I was asleep."

"No one saw you?"

“No.”

"You’re the director of this place. You should’ve been first on the scene."

Crowley’s jaw tightened. “I came as soon as I heard.”

Zane’s eyes turned to steel. “And what if I told you that wasn’t Harold Quinn’s body?”

Her face changed for the first time. “…What?”

ZANE & ELI: PRIVATE DISCUSSION

They returned to the observation room. Fog pressed against the glass. Snow still falling.

Eli laid out his notebook. "So, let’s count the contradictions."

Lena: Body face down near oxygen tank

Alec: Slouched on workbench

Reva: Face-up near window

Kamran: Crumpled near supply rack

Isaac: Near emergency exit

Crowley: Face down near center table

Eli frowned. “They can’t all be right.”

Zane’s eyes burned. “That’s the point. Someone moved the body. Repeatedly. Just enough to confuse.”

“But why confuse body position?”

“Because whoever did it… needed to buy time. And hide the truth.”

Eli paused. “You think it wasn’t Quinn?”

Zane turned to him. “I know it wasn’t Quinn.”

LYRA'S ENTRY: DIGITAL PROOF

Lyra walked in, a sleek tablet in hand. Her eyes glittered.

“I’ve recovered a partial AI log. Someone tried hard to delete it.”

She tapped the screen.

01:46 A.M.
Unauthorized entry detected in Chemical Lab 3B.

01:52 A.M.
Ventilation override activated.

01:57 A.M.
Emergency alarm manually disabled.

02:03 A.M.
Heat sensor triggered. Explosion registered.

Lyra looked up. “Notice anything?”

Zane whispered, “Seven minutes of unaccounted activity before the fire.”

Lyra nodded. “Enough time to kill… and pose a body.”

She swiped again. “And look — Quinn’s keycard was used at 2:09 a.m.… outside the lab.”

Eli gasped. “After he was supposedly already dead?”

Zane smiled. “Exactly.”

THEORY FORMING

Zane paced the glass room.

“It’s simple, really. Quinn had enemies. But someone knew he was planning to fake his death and disappear.”

Eli: “He faked his own death?”

Zane: “That was his plan. Use a cadaver, stage a fire, vanish. But someone found out.”

Lyra added: “And beat him to it.”

Zane nodded. “The killer used Quinn’s own plan against him. Killed Quinn… then staged the fire using Quinn’s own tools.”

Eli: “So whose body were they going to use originally?”

Zane’s voice turned quiet. “A missing cadaver from the medical wing. Stolen two days ago.”

Eli whistled. “Twisted.”

Zane: “But brilliant.”

FINAL SCENE: ALL SUSPECTS GATHERED

Snow was piling up outside. The air inside was still.

Zane stood before the seven faces. Eli to his left. Lyra to his right. A police officer stood at the door.

Zane began.

“Seven people. Seven stories. Seven versions of a dead man’s final moments.”

He walked slowly past them.

“Some of you lied to cover your secrets. Some lied to protect others. And one of you… lied to kill.”

Reva scoffed. “Get to the point.”

Zane smiled at her. “I will.”

He turned to the group.

“You see, the killer didn’t just murder Dr. Quinn. They anticipated he would fake his own death… and turned the tables. They stole the cadaver he was going to use. Killed him. Burned his body instead.”

Gasps echoed.

“They moved the body around the lab. Different positions. Different places. Each person saw it slightly differently. Chaos. Misdirection. No one questioned the identity because… why would they?”

Zane stopped in front of Crowley.

“You declared him dead… before confirming anything. That mistake let the killer vanish in the fog.”

Crowley whispered, “Then who is the killer?”

Zane’s eyes turned razor sharp.

“I wondered… who would benefit from Quinn’s death? Who had access to chemical tanks, camera feeds, and the body?”

He looked at each face.

“Who was always composed? Always calculating? Who planted subtle seeds in people’s minds about paranoia, mental decline, hallucinations?”

He turned… to Dr. Kamran Dale.

THE REVEAL

Everyone stared. Kamran blinked. “Me?”

Zane’s voice hardened. “You’re a psychologist, not a magician. But you almost pulled it off.”

He walked toward him.

“You planted the story that Quinn was paranoid. You subtly directed the intern where to ‘remember’ the body was. You conveniently found no one to corroborate your alibi. And you had access to the therapy files — including Quinn’s escape plan.”

Kamran’s jaw tightened.

Lyra held up the tablet. “And your keycard, Dr. Dale, was used to enter the cadaver storage the night before the fire.”

Kamran whispered, “He was going to destroy everything we worked for. Years of progress.”

Zane stepped closer. “And for that… you killed a man. Then made the rest of us question what we saw.”

Kamran slowly raised his hands. “I… would do it again.”

The officer moved in, handcuffing him.

AFTERMATH

Outside, the snowstorm had faded. The fog slowly lifted.

Eli stood beside Zane. “That was… the most confusing case we’ve ever done.”

Zane smiled faintly. “Lies are like acid. The truth takes longer to burn through… but it always does.”

Lyra approached, eyes wide. “Zane… the way you untangled every contradiction, every illusion… I don’t think even I breathed for the last ten minutes.”

Zane turned. “Then breathe, Miss Lyra. Mystery is done.”

She laughed. “You’re a walking enigma, Faulkner.”

Zane looked to the fog.

“Correction,” he said with a sly grin. “I’m the fog the enigma walks through.”

He turned his coat, and vanished into the snow.

THE END.