The clatter of horses' hooves regularly echoing off the stone floor lulled the weary man to sleep with a soft melody, his eyelids growing heavier with each shake of the wooden carriage. The guard driving the horses occasionally spoke to his companions in a language Raziel recognized as Russian, while they exchanged brief remarks and gestures of little meaning to the detectives. Ruth, seated to the blond man's right, was tinkering with her watch with concentration, regularly wiping her face of the water droplets flowing lazily from her drenched hair. Raziel was sure that by the time they got there to finally do some actual work, they would both be sick of the trip. The dryness in their throats grew more and more troublesome, and the passing fields and meadows seemed never ending in their vast, rolling form.

- Do you happen to have any water? - the blond man focused his dark irises on one of the tall figures, whose sharp gaze measured his face judgmentally, then a pale, battered hand slid out of a window to his right. A firm tone ran forward to the coachman's place, whence, after a short moment, a small white bottle was handed to the outstretched arm. The guard pulled it efficiently inside and wordlessly handed it to Raziel, who felt slightly offended by the lack of any contact from the stranger. However, he accepted the bottle with a nod and, having quenched his thirst, passed the rest of the contents to the woman, whose focus shifted to the white, sloshing object in the blink of an eye.

- Are you sure it's not poisoned? - Ruth didn't touch the bottle, staring intensely into the cat-like eyes, whose pupils widened considerably and the hand holding the water quickly found its way under the detective's nose, prepared for the worst-case scenario. Ruth, however, merely laughed and snatched the bottle from the concerned Raziel, then took several deep sips. The uniformed man's watchful gaze, meanwhile, drilled into the body and soul of the Blond who had earlier dared to question the suitability of the local merchandise. The detective ignored the chilling gesture, however, as the few drops of water refreshed his mind enough to turn his attention to the colorful farmlands, fruit orchards, and pastures that lined both sides of the road.

- Damn...

- You need help? - Raziel gestured towards the brunette's wrist, but this one only shook her head and moved away, intent on dealing with the problem herself. The rest of their journey passed in silence, and when the carriage finally stopped, only the first few steps leading upwards could be seen from the small window.

- Oh, are we there yet? - the woman raised her gaze to the opening door, whose loud creaking caused an unpleasant shiver along the body.

- Apparently... - Raziel looked skeptically at the cobbled stones beneath the wheels of the carriage and then stepped carefully outside, greeted by strong gusts of wind and drops of waning rain.

- Welcome to the Black Asylum. My name is Nicholas Derico, the hospital's chief superintendent - a pale, slender hand slid out from under the sleeve of a white doctor's gown in anticipation of Raziel, whose gaze traveled unhurriedly from dark elegant shoes to mesmerizing blue eyes. Grasping the black-haired man's hand, the detective felt a strong electric pulse across the length of his right arm, and as his gaze involuntarily slid lower, he noticed a faint smile that seemed informally friendly to Raziel.

- Pleased to meet you, we hope we won't take up much of your time - Ruth smiled warmly, then habitually reached into her coat pocket, but Derico stopped her hand with a gentle movement and turned towards the silent guards standing near the entrance.

- No need, I trust their competence. My staff would not allow people with impure intentions to enter our premises - the doctor took a few steps towards the high double doors, but just as he was about to grab the massive handle, his head tilted slightly and his gaze darted over his shoulder landing for a split second on the bulge marking the brunette's hips.

- For the safety of our patients and staff, however, I would ask that you leave any work tools with these gentlemen - Derico indicated with a slight motion to the uniformed men, who took a few steps to cover the distance separating them from the investigators who were displeased with this order. As Raziel was completely stripped of his only source of a sense of control, and Ruth was handing over her entire inventory with a distrustful expression on her face, the doctor smiled at them once more, then opened the heavy door wide and gestured for the two to enter.

Raziel stepped across the threshold with a confident, determined stride, but a sudden assault on his heightened senses forced the man to take two steps back and bump into his still-moving partner. The faint stench of chemicals mixed with the smell of a basement that hadn't been ventilated in years hit Raziel's senses brutally, and as his vision adjusted to the gloom of the barely lit hallway, he realized that Ruth's proposal of a few hours ago had been a wonderful, missed opportunity. The narrow space seemed to suffocate in its own form, the row of wooden chairs on either side of the shabby, pale walls magnified the claustrophobic atmosphere of the space, and the metal doors built in at regular intervals almost screamed with the human voice locked behind their surface. There were murmurs and quiet moans coming from the room to the left, and several nurses were just coming down the winding metal staircase, carrying white bundles and thick syringes dripping with clear liquid in their skinny arms. All of this caused Raziel's skull to suddenly, painfully pulsate, quickly bringing his need to remain professional and his irresistible urge to retreat into collision.

- Don't exaggerate, it's not that bad – a quiet whisper reached the blond man's consciousness while Derico greeted two short women in blue aprons, indicating with a slight gesture the guests standing at the threshold of the Victorian building.

- We have an unexpected visit today, so please take care of my patients for the next few...- the black-haired man glanced at Raziel's pale face and the brunette's smiling face -...hours.

- I see - the older woman sent the two strangers a musty look and nodded at her companion, disappearing into another dark corridor. Blue eyes turned again towards the detectives, and the gentle movement of the hand ordered them to approach closer. Raziel walked slowly alongside of dilapidated seats without letting the doctor out of his sight, but after a few steps he felt a firm pressure on the line of his shoulders, and the next moment he was standing beside the black-haired man with Ruth treading on his heels.

- Welcome to the office - a gentle smile never left the doctor's face as he led them to an ornate black door set in a deep alcove on the right side of the hallway. The room seemed very cozy and simply furnished, but a certain design element didn't quite fit in with the rest of the neat, modest furniture.

- I know briefly what brings you here, but I would like to know more - a slender hand gently touched the keys of a black piano, then gracefully pointed Ruth to a low armchair opposite a massive desk that reminded Raziel of his own in the fourth floor room.

- We've been instructed to check the compliance of your facility's conditions with the guidelines of security doctrine and...

- I understand - cyan irises focused on the woman's figure became several shades darker, which did not escape the attention of the man standing in the darkened part of the room - In that case, I have to hand over some valuable things to you - the sound of a drawer being pulled out and the rustling of paper irritated their ears, and immediately afterwards, the doctor placed a bundle of yellow sheets of paper on the table.

- Here is a list of all the patients and the reasons why they are in our hospital. Would you like to speak to each of them personally? - in the soft, official tone that leaked from the smiling mouth, Raziel heard a hint of something he couldn't quite make out until he lifted one of the sheets of paper under the dim light of the lamp. The first page was filled with names and notes outlined in black ink, and each new record was reliably numbered.

- There is no need - the man replied calmly, looking at the endless list of numbers and columns. The doctor, on the other hand, gave Raziel a satisfied smile and took advantage of Ruth's inattention to the documents to study her figure unhurriedly.

The blond man, seeing this casual, bold gesture, stepped firmly into the field of view of the greedy eyes, which in return focused on his face with the same intensity.- It is enough for you to show us around the entire establishment - a gaze full of glittering fires followed carefully every movement of the laughing quietly man, whose black shoes were bumping on the floor almost like horses' hooves on the cobbled path.

- Follow me then.

The door to the stuffy office opened slowly, and the intoxicating smell of surgical instruments, bleach, and burned wood once again entered Raziel's nose.

- Ruth? - the man turned to the still-reading woman, who muttered quietly in response and, without looking up, walked out into the now empty corridor. Derico led them to the first metal door they had previously passed and, opening it, first held the handle and then entered the room with a jaunty step. Raziel made a mental note of the strange manner and followed his partner inside, who was now focused on the interior of the bright room.

- This is the group therapy room, usually the meetings are held here in the afternoon or evening - the man pointed at the chairs scattered around in disarray and one soft armchair standing in the corner - currently most of the patients are having breakfast in the dining room - another door opened hard, and behind them a few clumsily arranged flower pots and a large window with a stained glass appeared - here we let them rest and relax among the greenery, as they can rarely enjoy the sunshine outside - Derico carelessly moved one of the larger, spreading plants covering the entrance to the next room - and here...Oh

The young detective stopped with the other two at the threshold and squinted to better see the source of the head doctor's surprise. As his gaze adjusted to the poor lighting of the new room, Raziel quickly determined that "Oh" was a vast understatement here.