Chapter 5 - Chapter 5: The First Clue

The night had enveloped the University of Foggia campus like a dark cloak, a shroud of shadows that stifled every sound, leaving only a dense, almost tangible silence. In Andrea's room, on the third floor of the men's dormitory, the flickering light of the desk lamp was the only bulwark against the darkness pressing against the windowpanes. Shadows danced on the walls, long and twisted, like specters summoned by the chaos of papers scattered across the table: handwritten scribbles, incomprehensible botanical diagrams, cold coffee cups now crusted with dark residue. The hum of Marco's laptop, a monotonous and relentless sound, intertwined with the rustle of papers moved by Giulia, creating a symphony of tension that seemed to mirror the trio's state of mind.Andrea sat on the edge of the bed, the mattress creaking under his weight. His hands clasped in front of him were an attempt to anchor himself to reality, but his eyes wandered restlessly, lost among the fragments of text Marco had deciphered from Moretti's encrypted files. Every so often, his gaze fell on the notebook bearing his name, found at the crime scene—an object that seemed to stare back at him, accusatory and menacing. He couldn't shake the feeling that the notebook was a condemnation, an invisible thread tying him to the professor's death. He rubbed his eyes with his palms, rough skin against heavy eyelids, trying to dispel the mental fog that enveloped him after hours of uninterrupted work. Exhaustion weighed on his shoulders like a physical burden, but fear—that dull, growing fear—kept him awake, alert.Giulia, standing beside the bed, flipped through Moretti's paper notes with a concentration that seemed etched into her face. Her brown hair, tied back in a messy ponytail, fell across her face whenever she bent over a page, and she brushed it aside with a quick, almost mechanical gesture. Her slender but determined fingers ran over the handwritten lines, as if they could decipher not only the words but also the vanished professor's thoughts. It had been her idea to keep going, to push Andrea beyond his limits, and now her resolve burned quietly, visible in her green eyes that gleamed in the lamp's dim light.Marco, on the other hand, was a hunched figure in front of the laptop, a shadow among shadows. His fingers flew across the keyboard with an almost unnatural, hypnotic speed. The bluish glow of the screen illuminated his face, accentuating the deep circles under his eyes and the pallor of his skin. Every so often, he ran a hand through his dark, disheveled hair—a nervous gesture that seemed to betray a pent-up energy. He had been the one to crack the first layers of encryption in Moretti's files, but there was something in his demeanor—a hesitation, a silence too prolonged—that made the back of Andrea's neck itch.Hours had passed since they'd gathered in that room, an unlikely trio bound by necessity and mystery. The discovery of the Green Future Project, a study on sustainable farming that promised to revolutionize agriculture, had sparked a flicker of hope in Andrea. But that flicker was fragile, threatened by the shadow of an increasingly tangible fear: if Moretti had been killed for that project, then the three of them were already entangled in a dangerous game, one whose rules they didn't yet understand. Andrea wondered, not for the first time, if they'd made a mistake by digging so deep. But it was too late to turn back now."Here," Giulia said suddenly, breaking the silence like a stone thrown into a pond. Her voice was low, almost a whisper, but it vibrated with restrained excitement. She lifted a sheet from the messy pile, holding it between her hands with a delicacy that contrasted with the strength in her tone. "Look at this. Moretti wrote something about a 'Site B.'"Andrea leaned toward her, his heart leaping into his throat. He took the paper from her hands, feeling the rough texture under his fingertips, and examined it closely. It was a page of handwritten notes, Moretti's script messy but precise, as if every word had been chosen with care. At the top, a date: October 10. Below, a series of annotations that seemed like fragments of a larger puzzle. "Site B ready for VF-17 test," Andrea read aloud, his voice trembling slightly. "Preliminary results exceeding expectations. Need to increase security." On the right margin, an almost illegible scribble: "Internal coordinates, northwest.""Internal coordinates?" he repeated, frowning. The words spun in his head, heavy as stones. "What does that mean?"Giulia leaned in beside him, her warm breath brushing against Andrea's shoulder as she pointed to the line with the tip of her pen. "Northwest," she said, her voice tinged with dawning certainty. "It could be here, on campus. 'Internal' suggests it's not outside the university's boundaries. And 'Site B'… it sounds like a place separate from the main lab."Andrea nodded slowly, his brain starting to connect the dots with a speed that surprised him. "A hidden lab," he murmured, almost to himself. "Moretti must have had another place where he worked on VF-17. A place he didn't want everyone to know about."The thought sent a shiver down his spine. A secret lab meant bigger secrets, and bigger secrets meant greater dangers. He looked at Giulia, seeking confirmation in her eyes, and found only the same determination that had driven him this far. But when he turned to Marco, he saw something different.Marco looked up from the laptop, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand. The screen's light gave him a ghostly appearance, as if every ounce of color had been drained from him. "Hold on a second," he said, his voice hoarse after hours of near-total silence. "Are you saying there's a secret lab somewhere on campus? And you two think you're going to find it?""Exactly," Andrea replied, turning to face him. There was a firmness in his tone he hadn't expected, a certainty born of desperation. "If Site B is real, there could be evidence there of what Moretti was doing. Something that explains why he was killed."Marco shook his head, a bitter smile curling his lips. "You two are out of your minds," he said, leaning back in his chair with a weary gesture. "The police have sealed off the main lab, and you want to go hunting for another one? With you already on their suspect list, Russo?"Andrea felt a pang in his chest, a mix of anger and fear. Marco wasn't wrong: the notebook with his name had put him in a dangerous position, a witness who could easily become a suspect. But that was exactly why he couldn't stop. "We don't have a choice," he shot back, his voice hardening. "If we don't find something, the police will keep looking at me like I'm the killer. And I can't let that happen."Giulia set the paper down on the bed with a decisive gesture and stood, crossing her arms over her chest. Her slender frame seemed to vibrate with energy, a coiled spring ready to snap. "We have to look for it," she said, staring Marco straight in the eyes. "Tonight, if possible. The longer we wait, the more we risk someone else getting there first.""Tonight?" Marco asked, raising an eyebrow. His voice carried a tone of disbelief, almost mockery. "Are you serious?""Yes," Giulia replied without hesitation. "The campus is deserted at night. It's the best time to move without being seen."Marco let out a long, theatrical sigh, running a hand through his messy hair. "Okay, okay," he said, raising his hands in a gesture of surrender. "But I'm not coming with you to play detective under the moonlight. If there's a secret lab, there might be traces in the university's digital records. Blueprints, permits, stuff like that. I can try digging there."Andrea stared at him, surprised by the offer. "You're volunteering?" he asked, tilting his head slightly.Marco shrugged, but there was a tension in the gesture that didn't escape Andrea. His shoulders stiffened for a moment, and his fingers drummed on the edge of the laptop in an irregular rhythm. "Someone's got to do the dirty work on the computer, right?" he said, forcing a light tone. "Besides, I'm not the type to run around in the dark. I'd rather stay behind a screen.""Fine," Giulia said, nodding decisively. "You search the records, we'll go out in the field. If we find Site B, there might be something that ties it all together—the research, the murder, the notebook."Andrea stood from the bed, a surge of adrenaline chasing the exhaustion from his bones. "Then it's settled," he said, looking first at Giulia, then at Marco. "Tonight, we look for the lab. Marco, you see what you can find online."Marco nodded, but his eyes didn't meet Andrea's. He turned back to the screen, his fingers resuming their feverish typing. "Everything okay?" Andrea asked, keeping his voice low, almost intimate. There was something about Marco that unsettled him, a shadow he couldn't quite define."Yeah, relax," Marco replied without looking up. His voice was flat, but there was a tremor in his hands, a quick movement that betrayed his words. "I just… don't like the idea of poking around a murder. But I'm in, okay?"Andrea didn't press further, but doubt took root in his mind like a poisonous seed. Marco had always been elusive, a friend who favored sarcastic quips over deep conversations. But now there was something different, a tension simmering beneath the surface, visible in his nervous gestures, his silences too long. Andrea told himself it was exhaustion, the pressure of that endless night. But a part of him—a part he couldn't ignore—wondered if Marco was hiding something.There was no time to dwell on it. Giulia had already taken charge, pulling her phone from her pocket and opening a campus map she'd downloaded that morning. "We need to organize," she said, her voice cutting through the air like a blade. "If Site B is in the northwest, we need to know exactly where to go."Andrea stepped closer, watching the illuminated screen as Giulia zoomed in on the northwest area. The map showed a series of rectangular buildings—the old warehouses—near the campus boundary. "Here," Giulia said, tracing a red circle with her finger. "No one's used them in years. It could be there.""Makes sense," Andrea said, studying the map's lines. "Moretti would've wanted somewhere isolated, out of sight. But how do we get in?"Giulia smiled, a glint of mischief in her eyes. "Back doors," she said. "Or windows, if we have to. It wouldn't be the first time I've climbed over something."Andrea looked at her, surprised. "Really?""I have my secrets, Russo," she replied, her smile both a challenge and a promise. "Trust me."The next few hours were a whirlwind of preparation. Giulia took command with a natural ease that Andrea found reassuring, almost hypnotic. While she marked points on the map and checked the route, Andrea gathered what might be useful: a flashlight with half-dead batteries, a Swiss army knife he'd kept in a drawer for years, a dark hoodie to blend into the night. Each item he stuffed into his pockets felt like a step into the unknown, a commitment he could no longer retract.Meanwhile, Marco had plunged into his digital world. He'd set up a VPN in minutes, connecting to the university network with a skill that left Andrea in awe. "I'm getting into the records," he said, his voice focused as his fingers danced across the keyboard. "Blueprints, permits, maintenance logs. If there's anything about this Site B, I'll find it.""Thanks," Andrea said, placing a hand on his shoulder. Marco stiffened under the touch, a nearly imperceptible movement, but enough to reignite that doubt Andrea had tried to suppress. He said nothing, though, simply withdrawing his hand and turning to Giulia.By eleven, they were ready. Andrea pulled on the dark hoodie, the hood up to hide his brown hair, which might betray him under the moonlight. He grabbed the flashlight and tested it, the beam weak but sufficient for their plan. Giulia stuffed a screwdriver—"For locks," she said with a shrug—a water bottle, and a small first-aid kit from her bag into her backpack. "You never know," she explained, noticing Andrea's puzzled look."You're prepared," he commented, a half-smile tugging at his lips despite the tension."Someone has to be," she shot back, returning the smile with a hint of irony.Marco watched them prepare, his fingers drumming nervously on the laptop's edge. "Don't get caught," he said, his voice wavering between sarcasm and genuine concern. "And if you find anything, call me. I'll keep digging here.""Count on it," Andrea replied, trying to read something in his eyes. But Marco looked away, retreating to the screen as if it were a sanctuary.With a final nod, Andrea and Giulia stepped into the hallway, the door clicking shut behind them like a point of no return. The dorm was steeped in silence, broken only by the distant drip of a faucet and the faint snoring of some student beyond the thin walls. They descended the stairs on tiptoe, avoiding the steps they knew creaked, and slipped out into the cold night air.The campus at night was an alien world, transformed by the moon's pale light reflecting off the building facades. Tree shadows stretched across the ground like skeletal fingers, stirred by a light breeze carrying the scent of damp grass and earth. The air was sharp, almost cutting, and each of Andrea's breaths formed small white clouds in front of his face. They walked quickly, steering clear of the streetlights casting orange pools on the pavement. The northwest area was a ten-minute walk, but each step seemed to amplify his heartbeat, a drum pounding in his ears.Giulia walked beside him, her steps silent and sure. She wore a black jacket and dark jeans, her hair tucked under a wool cap she'd pulled from her backpack at the last moment. She seemed at ease in the darkness, as if accustomed to moving in such situations, and Andrea wondered again about those "secrets" she'd mentioned. But it wasn't the time for questions."Do you think we'll really find it?" he asked, keeping his voice low to avoid shattering the campus's silence."It has to be there," Giulia replied, her tone firm. "Moretti wouldn't have written those coordinates for nothing. And if Marco finds something in the records, we'll have confirmation."Andrea nodded, but his thoughts drifted back to Marco. That finger-drumming, that tremor in his hands—was it just nerves, or something more? He shook his head, trying to focus on the present. The campus sprawled before them like a maze of shadows, and Site B was their only solid lead. They couldn't afford distractions.They passed the library, an imposing building that at night resembled an abandoned fortress, its dark windows like blind eyes. Beyond it, the central lawn was a silver expanse under the moon, the gravel paths faintly glinting. Every so often, a sound—the rustle of leaves, the distant chirp of a cricket—made them jump, but the campus remained deserted, a realm of silence and mystery.When they reached the northwest boundary, the landscape shifted. Academic buildings gave way to older structures—cracked concrete warehouses that looked like relics of a forgotten era. The air here was heavier, thick with the smell of mold and rust. Andrea gripped the flashlight tighter, the cold metal pressing against his sweaty palm."Here we are," Giulia whispered, stopping in front of the first warehouse. "From now on, we need to be careful."They reached the old warehouses just before midnight, the sky above them a tapestry of cold, distant stars. The structures stood like silent sentinels, low and squat, their cracked concrete walls marked by time and neglect. The few small windows were coated in a thick layer of dust, some with jagged, broken panes that caught the moonlight. An air of desolation hung over the place, but there was something more—a tangible secrecy, as if those walls guarded more than just rusted tools and forgotten boxes.Andrea switched on the flashlight, its beam slicing through the darkness like a thin blade. He aimed it at a rusted door on the side of the first warehouse, the metal marred by patches of oxidation that looked like open wounds. "Where do we start?" he asked, his voice a whisper lost in the wind."There," Giulia said, pointing to a back entrance on the second building. Her voice was calm, but there was a tension in her movements, a restrained energy that betrayed the moment's weight. "If it's a lab, it won't be in plain sight. Moretti would've chosen a hidden access."They approached cautiously, their footsteps crunching on the scattered gravel. Andrea's heart pounded, an erratic rhythm echoing in his chest. Every shadow seemed to shift, every sound magnified by the adrenaline coursing through him. He held the flashlight ahead, the beam trembling slightly as it illuminated the back door. It was metal, like the main one, but older, the padlock securing it encrusted with rust and grime.Giulia knelt before the door, pulling the screwdriver from her backpack with a swift motion. "Keep watch," she said, glancing at Andrea. "If someone comes, we need to bolt fast."Andrea nodded, turning to scan the surroundings. The campus was still silent, but the feeling of being watched prickled the back of his neck. He swept the flashlight across the dark corners between the warehouses, the beam revealing only piles of dry leaves and a few abandoned cans. Yet he couldn't shake the sense that something—or someone—was out there, lurking in the shadows.Giulia worked on the padlock with surprising precision, the screwdriver slipping into the crevices with confident movements. "Not your first time doing this, huh?" Andrea asked, trying to ease the tension.She didn't look up, but a smile tugged at her lips. "Let's just say I had an… adventurous youth," she replied, her voice tinged with subtle irony. "Nothing illegal, don't worry. Just curiosity."Andrea was about to respond, but a sharp click cut through the moment. Giulia lifted the screwdriver with a triumphant gesture, the padlock falling to the ground with a dull thud. "We're in," she whispered, her smile widening. She pushed the door, which opened with a metallic groan, a sound that seemed to echo too loudly in the night's silence.They stepped inside, the warehouse's cold air greeting them like an icy breath. Andrea aimed the flashlight inward, the beam revealing a dusty, cluttered space. Metal shelves, some bent under time's weight, lined the walls, either empty or covered with moldy cardboard boxes. The floor was rough concrete, cracked and stained with dark patches that could've been oil or something else. The smell was sharp—a mix of rust, mold, and something less definable, perhaps the memory of years of neglect."Doesn't look like a lab," Andrea murmured, taking a few steps forward. The flashlight swept over dark corners, but nothing unusual stood out—just the wreckage of a forgotten warehouse."Wait," Giulia said, stopping beside a shelf. She crouched, examining the floor closely. "There's less dust here," she said, pointing to a cleaner strip of concrete running toward the back of the room. "Someone's been through recently."Andrea followed her gaze, his heart racing again. The strip led to a door at the far end of the warehouse, different from the entrance. It was newer, the metal shiny and rust-free, and beside it was an electronic panel embedded in the wall, a faint red light blinking weakly."This isn't just any warehouse," Andrea said, his breath fogging in the cold air as he approached. The door felt out of place, an anomaly in the chaos of abandonment."No," Giulia said, joining him. Her voice was a whisper laced with excitement. "It's Site B."They stopped before the door, Andrea's flashlight illuminating the electronic panel. It was simple, with a numeric keypad and a slot that might've been for a magnetic card. They had neither the code nor the key, and for a moment, a sense of helplessness washed over them. But Giulia didn't give up. She knelt again, inspecting the panel with the screwdriver in hand."Think you can force it?" Andrea asked, his voice uncertain."Maybe," she replied, already at work. "But we need to hurry. If there's an alarm, we're screwed."Andrea nodded, returning to watch the entrance. The warehouse was silent, but the weight of that door—and what might lie beyond—pressed on his shoulders like a dark promise.The silence in the warehouse was oppressive, broken only by the faint scrape of Giulia's screwdriver against the electronic panel. Andrea stood by the entrance, flashlight off to avoid drawing attention from outside, his eyes slowly adjusting to the dark. Moonlight filtered weakly through the broken windows, casting silver streaks across the dusty floor. Every so often, a sound—the wind rattling the walls, the creak of settling metal—made him flinch, his nerves strung tight as violin strings.Giulia worked with fierce focus, her brow furrowed as she tried to pry open the panel. "It's trickier than a padlock," she muttered, more to herself than to Andrea. "There's a circuit in here. If I break it the wrong way, it could trigger an alarm.""Do what you can," Andrea said, trying to keep his voice steady. "But make it quick."He couldn't see exactly what she was doing, but the sounds of her movements—the click of the screwdriver, the faint snap of something shifting—were the only signs of progress. He stepped closer, his breath shallow, and flicked on the flashlight for a moment, aiming it at the panel. The light revealed a tangle of colored wires, a mess Giulia was attempting to unravel."Don't keep it on too long," she warned without looking up. "If someone passes outside, they'll see us."Andrea switched it off immediately, retreating into the shadows. His mind raced, drifting back to Marco, the room, the notebook with his name. He wondered what Marco was finding in the digital records, if he'd already uncovered something about Site B. And then that nagging doubt again: could he trust him? Marco was a friend, sure, but there was something elusive about him tonight, a tension Andrea couldn't pin down.A louder noise made him spin around. It came from outside—footsteps on the gravel, slow but distinct. "Giulia," he whispered, his heart leaping into his throat. "Did you hear that?"She froze, the screwdriver hovering midair. She listened, ear cocked. The sound repeated, closer now, accompanied by a faint rustle, as if someone were walking through dry leaves. "Shit," Giulia muttered, ducking lower. "Turn everything off and hide."Andrea didn't hesitate. He switched off the flashlight and crouched behind a shelf, the cold metal pressing against his back. Giulia joined him, gripping the screwdriver like a weapon. They held their breath, eyes fixed on the entrance door, left slightly ajar.For a long moment, nothing happened. The footsteps stopped, replaced by the night's heavy silence. Andrea wondered if it had been his imagination, a trick of exhaustion and fear. But then he saw a shadow pass the window—a vague figure moving slowly, as if searching for something. His stomach clenched."Who the hell is that?" Giulia whispered, so softly Andrea barely heard her."No idea," he replied, his voice a thread. "A guard? Or…"He didn't finish. The thought that it could be someone else—someone tied to Moretti's death—froze his blood. He stayed still, breath held, as the shadow paused by the window. Moonlight briefly lit a profile, but it was too distant, too indistinct to recognize.Then, as suddenly as it had appeared, the shadow moved on. The footsteps resumed, fainter now, until they faded entirely. Andrea exhaled slowly, his heart still hammering. "They're gone," he said, though he didn't sound convinced.Giulia stood, returning to the panel with renewed determination. "We need to get in now," she said. "If someone's around, it means this place matters."Andrea nodded, stepping to her side. After a few more minutes of frantic work, a soft buzz sounded, followed by a click. The red light on the panel turned green, and the door cracked open a few inches with a mechanical hiss."I did it," Giulia said, a tired but triumphant smile spreading across her face. She pushed the door cautiously, revealing an even deeper darkness beyond the threshold.Andrea switched on the flashlight, the beam illuminating a metal staircase descending beneath the warehouse floor. The air rising from below was cold, carrying a chemical scent that stung his nose. "An underground lab," he murmured, his voice a mix of awe and fear."It's Site B," Giulia confirmed, placing a hand on his arm. "We're in, Andrea. Whatever Moretti was hiding, it's down there."They hadn't yet stepped across the threshold, but they knew they'd reached a turning point. The secret lab stretched out before them, a promise of answers—and dangers—they could no longer ignore.