“Thank you for your time, ma’am.”
Nia finished writing down a few notes on a notepad as she turned away from the woman, but not before grabbing Lucien, dragging him away before he could begin flirting with the witness they just interviewed. “Ow! No need to be so–” 35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIUuP7n4l0U
“Oh quiet. You know as much as I do that you were going to be spending the next hour trying to flirt with her, an hour we can’t waste. Now then, did you get anything interesting from the man you interviewed?”
Lucien opened his mouth to protest but remained silent, realizing it was useless. Sighing, he spoke up. “Unfortunately, not a thing. He only spoke of things that we know of already: not having the kids enter, pacing around the building, things like that. What about you?”
“Same, though there’s still a couple of others we could possibly talk to, though the police are taking their sweet time with them. Makes me wonder if they have some information that we’ll need to know.”
“Who knows. Do you think that Joren and Amara have had any luck inside?”
“I’d be surprised if she did. At most, they’ll likely only find broken merchandise, but we have to cover all our bases.”
“Unfortunately, you’re correct in assuming they’re having no luck.”
The two looked over and spotted the officer who had picked them up from the station walking up to them. Nia gave him a polite smile. “I don’t believe we’ve ever gotten your name.”
“Darius. Been a detective at the department for several years now. Apologies though for the chief’s unwillingness to provide your investigation any meaningful assistance. It wasn’t his idea to ask for your assistance and has expressed his belief that your presence diminishes the public’s trust in the police.”
Lucien shook his head. “Eh, it’s all water under the bridge. You should have seen just how hostile the police at Cervest were when we were investigating a cult that had taken root there. They tried to place Joren under arrest after he ignored a directive from their chief and proceeded with the arrest of the mayor’s son as a member of the cult. Only getting a cool reception is like getting the red carpet rolled out.”
Darius chuckled. “I’ve heard about that investigation, as well as other feats your department has accomplished. I just wish that the public could be aware of just how much you’ve done.”
“I appreciate the thought, but if the public were truly aware of what we do, our jobs would be much more difficult to perform. Speaking of…”
Nia got her notepad ready. “While you’re here…would you be interested in telling us what you know about the other incidents or any other information about the suspect?”
Darius gave a wistful smile but nodded. “I’d be happy to…especially since I was one of the officers that the suspect approached before he started his crime spree.”
Nia and Lucien quickly glanced at each other before Nia frantically began writing on her notepad. “What exactly happened?”
“Well…I was just enjoying my lunch after sifting through several applications given to me by HR about a potential new partner. They wanted my input before making any decisions, so instead of being on the streets, I was doing paperwork all day. Needless to say, I was pent up and needed an escape, so I left the precinct and splurged a bit for lunch at a restaurant known for their amazing pasta dishes. I requested outside seating, and as I was waiting for my order, that’s when he arrived.”
Daris sighed. “He somehow knew my name and called out to me in a very grating voice. I remember being pretty annoyed hearing it for the first time, and only getting more and more annoyed as he continued to speak. He…did seem desperate though, immediately telling me that he desperately needed my help. I was already not in the best of moods, so I’ll admit I wasn’t the most…hospitable. I essentially told him I had no idea who he was and that he needed to leave me alone. That’s…when things got spooky.”
Darius sighed. “He started telling me things about my life that only my closest friends know. That I have a kid with my ex. That my father was in the military before dying in a freak accident during a training exercise when I was seven. He knew secrets about me that I know for a fact that I never told anyone. That’s when he told me that we were partners, assigned to the same patrol. Told me his name was Nathan Anderson…that I was his best man at his wedding, which supposedly took place just over a year ago.”
Lucien spoke up. “I assume that you have no knowledge of this wedding, or any memories of this ‘Nathan’, correct?” 35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq3O5O3rxHP
Darius nodded. “Correct, and I told him as much. He…didn’t really like that answer, and his desperation turned into pleading for me to remember him. At that moment, I could feel an intense headache begin to take hold. I told him off, threatened to arrest him if he didn’t leave, and that he was crazy.”
Looking away, Darius shook his head. “That’s…when I saw something visibly change with him. It was like the raw desperation he was feeling suddenly morphed into something I can’t quite describe. I swear I could see the light just…leave his eyes. He abruptly just turned around and walked away. Later that night, that’s when the first business was hit.”
Nia furiously wrote down notes, her forehead scrunching. “That would line up with what Evra theorizes…that this man has an ability as well that can affect the mind, given what you said about the headache…”
Lucien gave Nia a doubtful look. “Not to rain on your parade, but it could also be that he had enough of the man harassing him and stalking him to the point where it began having a physical reaction.”
“That’s a possibility. Though thank you Darius! We wouldn’t have gotten anywhere if it weren’t for you!”
Darius gently nodded. “Anytime. I just wish that I had arrested him right then and there. If I had, all of this could have been avoided.”
“Who knows what he would have done had you tried to arrest him by yourself. You might have met the goddess herself had you attempted that.” Lucien stated, giving him an empathetic expression. “It’s quite obvious that this man isn’t quite right in the head, and we have no idea what he is capable of doing once he’s cornered.”
Nia nodded in agreement. “We’ve dealt with a few casters who were losing their sanity, and they’re always the most dangerous when we’ve cornered them. Even if he thinks that you two were friends, had you tried to arrest him alone…”
Darius sighed weakly but nodded. “Yeah…you’re both probably right, and I’m not quite ready to meet the goddess so soon. She’d probably send me right back in annoyance.” He quipped,a small smile creeping on his face.
Nia chuckled at his joke, but before she could respond, Amara’s cool voice interjected. “If you’re all joking, I sure hope that means you’ve gotten a lead.” Amara and Joren approached the three of them, appearing dejected.
Nia shrugged. “Not so much a lead but at least we have some more information. For now, I believe we should interview the others he approached. They might have something else that could shed light into where he could strike next.”
“As long as they’re away from the captain, I’m all for it.” Joren mumbled, shaking his head. “He was micromanaging us to the extreme while we were sifting through the rubble. There’s no way we could find anything of use with him on our backs.”
Darius nodded. “Well, I have been assigned to assist you all wherever necessary.” Motioning to the vehicle he had driven them in before, he took out his keys from his back pocket. “Let’s go. I already know where to find someone who would definitely like to speak to you.”
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Elias quickly tightened the rope around the chair, securing the man in place. “I apologize for needing to take such drastic measures, but it would be insane to take your story at your word, wouldn’t you agree?”
The man struggled against his bonds, ignoring the pain of the rope digging into his skin. “I’m tellin ya the truth! I swear it!”
“And once it’s proven that you’re telling the truth, I’ll come back and release you, along with the payment promised. You have my word.”
“An’ why should I believe a word ya say as well?! You’re nothin but bad news!”
Elias sighed. “Compared to others, I’m an absolute saint. You wouldn’t want to have my acquaintance take an interest in you, trust me.” Walking towards the door, Elias turned and looked at the man again. “Though if I find out that you lied to me…well…I’m sure an introduction would be in order.” With that, he closed the door behind him and immediately stretched.
“He’s sending me on a wild goose chase it seems…” He muttered as he began walking down the alley. Taking out his phone, he typed in the address he was given and watched as the results popped up. However, he raised his eyebrows when he spotted several recent news articles. “Ah crap, that place will be swarming with cops for weeks…even more so that they’re probably now involved in the case. Maybe I should introduce the two of them just for making this simple grab and go such a pain.”
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and then Add to home screen.