The white walls of the room resembled canvases painted expressively with deep, in places still liquid red color. The grey tiled floor seemed to be swimming in bloody tissues, used, disposable gloves and needles of various thicknesses. The cushions on the floor were ripped open, and the dust particles swirling in the air seemed like an extremely heavy memory among the remains of what it had witnessed only moments before.

- You'll have to excuse us, our patients sometimes go into a rage that is difficult to control - Derico picked up a piece of printed paper from the floor, bent the corners and put it in the inside pocket of his medical apron - We always try to be very careful, but...

- I understand that you care about the comfort and convenience of others - Raziel fixed his gaze on the dilapidated pillows, which looked more like a murder weapon than a soft, filled material.

-...but sometimes we can't stop them from self-harming - Derico finished, giving Raziel a sharp look, then led the two detectives into a room full of round windows built into the wall opposite the entrance. The light cast by the sun’s rays was striking the eyes accustomed to darkness, so Ruth used the protection of her hand to look calmly at the beds arranged in a row at regular intervals.

- This is where some of our proteges spend their nights, so they don't feel lonely and isolated from people with same problems - the doctor turned slightly to Raziel, whose hands involuntarily went to the metal frame and shook it gently. The beds appeared to be securely fastened to the floor, but their uniformity caused an awakening of nostalgia in the man's mind, clouded with impressions.

- Long-time patients too? - Ruth swept her gaze over all the nameplates she could see, and when the two turquoise diamonds hung on her figure, the brunette didn't break eye contact even for a moment as she waited for an answer. Raziel watched closely the doctor's furrowed brows, the concentration on his young face, and when for a split second that expression was replaced by a faint smile, the detective knew that the black-haired man had just analyzed something important in his mysterious mind, and it seemed that the conclusions were to his satisfaction.

- It depends on how many years they have been with us. You see - Derico approached Ruth unhurriedly, and his hand made a gentle gesture toward the courtyard - I have only been working here for five years.

The tension between the pair of staring eyes, one with determination, the other with quiet challenge, grew more and more intense, and Raziel couldn't understand why the atmosphere had suddenly become so heavy.

- So, are we in the right wing of the building? - was the first question that came to the Blond's mind in this awkward situation. Derico closed his eyes, laughed quietly and turned his intensely animated gaze towards the tense man.

- Yes indeed. If you wish to rest, then...

- Please lead us to the rest of the rooms - a firm, womanly tone interrupted the doctor, who nodded gently and moved towards the passage on the right. Raziel threw Ruth a questioning glance, but she was already busy analyzing the rest of the room before moving to follow Derico through a low, arched opening in the wall.

In such an atmosphere, the rest of the tour of the vast agglomeration of the asylum passed. Derico led the detectives to an area where patients were just receiving portions of medication at the hands of several nurses, whose blue clothes blended with the turquoise outfits of those waiting at tables, sitting on the floor, or watching nature outside the dusty window. Raziel noticed that many of them were carrying cards with numbers, and most looked very relaxed, even happy residents of the building. Pale faces with dark strands under their eyes smiled beamingly at them, and increased whispers came from the corners, but the women in aprons dispensing small cups did not grace the guests with their attention, directing only brief instructions and questions to their charges.

After several arduous hours of visiting individual rooms and many equal conversations with staff and patients able to answer questions consciously, the doctor led the two into another long corridor, hardly different from the one at the main entrance. Derico stopped at one of the metal doors, taking out a small, polished key from his pocket.

- This is where the isolation rooms are located. Let me open just one. Unless...

- No need, one is enough - Raziel refrained from an impatient snort as Derico slowly opened the door and let Ruth in, who was not particularly interested in this part of the asylum.

- Sometimes we need longer time to deal with the more aggressive patients, so for their safety and ours, we conduct examinations in these rooms.

Raziel looked around the cramped space, where the only furniture was a leather seat and a narrow mattress in the corner. The walls were covered with something resembling foam surrounded by intermittent fine mesh. At once, the man's memories rushed back to his youth, when he used to play hide and seek with his brothers and chose his father's workshop, whose walls were covered with the same material, as a perfect hiding place. Unfortunately, the door to the workshop was jammed, and had it not been for little Raziel's fierce pounding against the wooden shell, no one would have heard his cries through the thick layer of insulation. The blond man quickly pushed the unpleasant image from his consciousness and left the room, escorted by the watchful gaze of azure eyes.

- The rest of our island is the hospital's livelihood, we have a post office, a bakery, farmlands...- Derico led them down the stairs to the first floor from where they had started their rounds a few hours earlier - we try to take care of our patients in every way possible.

As they walked down the same dark corridor, the green curtain hung at Raziel's eye level moved uneasily, and the dark, sharp eyes saw a space larger than just a recess for another metal door. The young detective was about to turn back when Ruth nudged him slightly and pointed to the large clock hanging above the double doors.

- I think we've seen everything we needed to see - the brunette turned dryly to the black-haired man who had just directed the two women with bundles of documents to the second floor - we'll send you the full report and the decision of the investigation department regarding the further functioning of the hospital in a few days, but initially I can describe this assessment as positive - the official voice echoed through the empty hall, while Derico leaned his right arm against the pale wall and smiled slightly towards the detectives.

- In that case, I will escort you outside.

The doctor moved towards the exit of the building, but Raziel couldn't take his eyes off the now motionless material they had left behind. However, when he heard a soft, impatient murmur, he turned toward his partner and wordlessly followed after her. There were still three uniformed guards standing by the stairs, and when Derico heard the distinctive sound of the door opening, he hung his gaze on just one figure, who walked confidently towards him.

- Thank you for your time, I'm sure...

- Where has your partner gone? - Bright eyes focused on the top of the stairs for a moment, only to return to the confused brunette, who momentarily turned her gaze towards the entrance of the building

- Oh... I'm sure that... he was behind me... - the quiet, uncertain voice disappeared completely as the woman realized that she had lost the following reverberation of shoes hitting the floor somewhere halfway to the exit door.

- Hmm... maybe he went to the restroom, didn't tell you anything? - Derico stood just in front of the woman's field of vision, blocking her view on everything that was happening behind the taller man's back - We can wait for him, there are benches we can sit on - the slender hand indicated with a gentle gesture a place under two pine trees growing near the grey, closed fountain.

- Gladly, thank you - Ruth headed for a shady spot under two tall pine trees. As she took a seat on a well-worn bench, Derico squatted down next to her and began quietly whistling a tune that Ruth's subconscious knew very well, but she could not identify its origin.

- Interesting sounds - Ruth chuckled lightly, looking at the lone albatross resting on the branch of a leafless tree.

- I have something even more interesting for you - Derico didn't take his eyes off the cloudy sky, feeling more and more the intense gaze fixed on his figure, and his cherry lips slowly curved into a satisfied smile.