Chapter 1

My mind went completely blank, as if it'd just exploded.

Once I regained my senses, I hurriedly explained, "Officer! There's been a terrible mistake! I haven't even stepped outside today! Besides, I've never even interacted with that man before! How could I possibly have harmed him?"

The chief police officer, whose name badge said "Melvin Yoder", fixed me with a sharp, piercing gaze. He asked sternly, "You're Timothy Russell, right? Before Freddie Sanchez died, he left a final statement, claiming that you were the one who killed him."

With that, Officer Yoder pulled out his phone and played a recording. A weak, halting voice drifted out, chattering and whispering, "It's so cold… So cold… T-That Russell guy right above me is trying to freeze me to death with his AC unit… Please… save me…"

A shiver ran through my entire body.

Who else could it be but the man who claimed to be from Unit 402 earlier? But when had I ever tried to freeze him to death?

Before I could even process it, Officer Yoder tucked his phone away and stared at me with a scrutinizing look.

"Furthermore, according to surveillance footage, you were the last person Freddie sought out before he died. I expect your full cooperation with our investigation, Mr. Russell."

I was left speechless.

There was no denying it. Freddie had indeed come to my door just a few hours ago. So, I had no choice but to step aside and let them into the apartment.

Officer Yoder took in his surroundings, while the other two officers split up to inspect the other rooms. I suddenly remembered that I'd also set up a surveillance camera inside my own home, so I quickly pulled out my phone and played the footage for Officer Yoder to see.

"Officer, I really haven't left the house all day today! And I have the surveillance footage to prove it! Freddie's death has absolutely nothing to do with me!"

Officer Yoder took the phone and squinted at the screen.

In the footage, I could clearly be seen moving about inside my apartment. The only time I opened the door was when Freddie showed up, and I never stepped outside the entire time.

After watching the surveillance footage, Officer Yoder remained silent for a few seconds, then nodded.

"I can confirm that you do indeed have an alibi with this."

Just as I began to breathe a sigh of relief, Officer Yoder's tone shifted abruptly as he continued, "However, this doesn't entirely clear you of suspicion, Mr. Russell."

Taken aback, I asked, "Why? If I wasn't even there, how could I have committed the crime?"

Officer Yoder handed my phone back, his voice chillingly calm.

"As I mentioned earlier, Freddie wasn't murdered. He froze to death. And as you heard in his final words, this AC unit you installed in your home is directly linked to his death."

I was stunned.

Setting aside the fact that the AC unit I installed had absolutely nothing to do with Freddie's home, it was literally the height of summer right now—the temperature in any normal room without air conditioning would be at least 100 degrees.

Even if I cranked the AC to its maximum setting and funneled all that cold air into Freddie's home, the temperature would still only drop to around 60 degrees. So, how could a temperature like that possibly cause someone to freeze to death?