Unexpected Death

Mr Ryan crouched down to my level, "Are you alright?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm good." I managed to say before getting up. The throbbing in my head was under control by then, but it was still hurting a little. "I heard from Noel that you called for me?" I asked.

"Ah yes." He smiled, "But first, let's have a seat."

I nodded and sat down on one of the chairs across from him while he sat on his desk. "I had something important to tell you." He said, "I'll be gone for a few months on a business trip, and I want you to take care of things here in the meantime. Would you be able to do that for me?"

I stared at him, perplexed by the sudden request. "I..don't know if I can—"

"Of course you can." He smiled, "Noel seems busy with his first case so I didn't want to bother him."

It felt like a huge responsibility to be so carelessly given to me, but I decided to help him after giving it a thought. "Alright." I said, "when will you be leaving?"

Just then, loud buzzing noises of helicopter fans startled me.

He chuckled, "Right now." I stared at him in utter shock. "He has a helicopter? Just how rich is he?" I thought as I stared at the helicopter from the window carefully landing on the orphanage ground.

"This is where our conversation ends. If there's any problem in the orphanage, contact me immediately. I'm counting on you, Rai." He patted on my shoulder before leaving me dumbfounded in the office. I sighed and decided to leave as well. I walked back to my apartment since I had to get ready for work. Just as I was about to open the door, I saw something from the corner of my eyes.

—Blood.

Fresh blood was oozing out from the space beneath the door of the apartment next to mine.That's when I realized that it was Sam and Aleck's apartment. My heart raced wildly as I took a step forward and slowly pushed the door open. Just as the door was open enough, I saw Sam's body on the ground covered in blood. Terrified, I stumbled backwards, "Wh-What is..going on.."

His body was stabbed and torn to shreads, while his head laid completely separated from the rest of his body. His gaping mouth and widened eyes stared back at me; dead and lifeless. I was almost about to throw up looking at the bloody scene. I ran out of the apartment while covering my mouth. My hands were trembling as I swung the door of my apartment open. Noel was eating on the couch when he saw me rushing into the washroom, "Rai? Did something happen?"

I didn't respond.

He grew concerned and followed me into the washroom. I threw up everytime the image of Sam's decapitated body flashed across my mind. "Did this happen because of me?" Just the thought of that made me tremble.

"Hey, are you okay? What happened to you all of a sudden?" Noel asked while patting my back. I washed my face and turned around. He was already bewildered by my sudden change in mood.

"Sam is... dead." I said softly and looked down, unable to meet his eyes.

"What?"

Sometime later, the police arrived at the scene and carried his body away. I couldn't shake off that horrifying image from my mind. After calming myself down, I decided to inform Mr. Ryan about Sam's death. I dialed his number and waited. "The number you've dialed is currently unreachable."

I sighed and tossed my phone on the bed. I thought back to the time he told to contact him in case a problem arises. "What a liar." I scoffed.

Noel had told me to not worry and go back to sleep, but there was no way I could get any sleep after such a traumatizing incident. I got dressed the next morning and decided to head to the coffee shop as usual. The news had spread throughout the city like a wildfire, and the orphanage was more somber than ever during his funeral that evening. It was ironic how there was no one crying at the funeral except for Aleck. He returned home that evening and found us at his funeral in the orphanage. He was devastated and broken. They were childhood friends, from what I'd heard.

But Noel wasn't convinced by Aleck's 'crocodile tears'— that's what Noel called them. He had two suspects in mind— one was Aleck and the other was Anastasia. He arrested both of them under the charge of suspicion the first thing in the morning.

"Were you able to get anything out of him?" Noel asked Prosecutor Elisa as they were heading to the interrogation room.

"No." She sighed, "He wouldn't disclose anything other than saying he isn't guilty."

"Did you find any footage of the backyard?"

"Unfortunately, it was turned off. The killer probably got in from there."

"What about Anastasia?"

"She said she'll only talk to this person called Rai." She shrugged.

Noel frowned as they stood in front of the room Aleck was being interrogated. "Alright. First, let's get something out of this Mr. Not Guilty."

Noel entered the interrogation room calmly and sat on the chair across from him. He switched on the recorder and began, "Alright, I'll start. You have the right to remain sile—"

"How many times do I need to say that I didn't kill him!" Aleck yelled.

Noel sighed and slammed his fist on the table, glaring daggers at him, "Look, you piece of trash, if you run that mouth of yours one more time unnecessarily, I'll cut it off."

Aleck flinched at his words but kept glaring at him.

"Noel, you can't intimidate the suspect." Prosecutor Elisa shot him a sharp look.

"Excuse my manners. Let's continue the interrogation." He took a deep breath, "I know you didn't kill him."

Everyone in the room went silent for a moment. Noel was the one who wanted them to get arrested under the suspicion of the murder. Aleck himself was startled.

"But I also know that there was something related to you that must've triggered this attack." Noel stared sharply at him, "You must've heard about the recent murders happening in the city, right?"

"Yes, what about it?" Aleck replied flatly.

For a moment, Noel saw something shifting in his expression, as if he was trying very hard to hide something.

All of a sudden, Noel's phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and picked up the call, "Did you find anything? Oh, any fingerprints? Alright, thanks."

After a minute, Noel kept the phone aside and looked down.

"Why didn't I realize this before?" Noel chuckled, mumbling under his breath.

Aleck was still glaring at him, with a hint of nervousness in his eyes.

"Ah yes, as I was saying, do you have any idea who this serial killer could be?"

"I said I don't know! Quit asking me such nonsense!" Aleck yelled at him again.

Noel leaned closer and smiled at him, "Then did those poisonous drugs magically appear inside your closet?"

Aleck's eyes grew wide in panic, "What...what drugs?" He was sincerely bewildered by what Noel was saying.

"The ones used by that serial killer."

Aleck's body tensed up. He slammed his hand on the table and yelled in a trembling voice, "N-No! It wasn't me! I-I didn't kill anyone!"

"All the evidences point at you, Aleck. You'll have to face the consequences for you crime— through death. This case is over..." Noel leaned back and smirked, "Unless you have something else you want to share?"

Aleck's lips were trembling and he was breathing heavily. He was putting a lot of thought into it. After all, he had to choose between his death and his secrets.

"Alright, if you're feeling the need to think over again before you die, then we'll take a short break and return back to you after 15 minutes." Noel got up from his seat and walked out of the interrogation room, completely satisfied by the outcome of the interrogation.

"Do you really think he did it?" Prosecutor Elisa asked curiously as they waited outside the interrogation room.

Noel glanced at her and smirked. "No."

She raised an eyebrow at him, "But you just said that."

Noel chuckled. "I tricked him."

"Then what about the drugs? Was that all a lie?"

"We did find that in his closet but there were no finger prints on it, which means the killer had kept it in there to frame one of them for being the serial killer. And I think Sam must've caught him doing it and was killed at the spot. There's someone else behind everything that's happening. I tricked him into believing that he would be facing the penalty for the murders so that he would get scared and spill out everything he knows."

Prosecutor Elisa stared at him in surprise, "That was...smart of you."

He hadn't been in the department for long, but he was already surpassing her in many ways. She smiled, realizing that he didn't need her mentoring anymore.

Just then, an officer came out to them, "Sir, ma'am, he said he's willing to talk now."

Noel smiled, "He better be."