His office is not very large, it is quite cramped; it has just enough space for a desk, two office chairs, a couch, and a small fridge. There's a large window with a beautiful view of the city. The warm orange glow from the sun setting fills the room, and it's a beautiful contrast to the confined interrogation room. “For a detective, you’ve got quite a small office.” He laughs and takes out two bottles of water from the small fridge. “Well, it’s rare to get an office as a detective. And as the youngest one here, I think it’s a mystery I even got one.”

  “How old are you?” I ask as I flop down on the couch.

  “I’m twenty eight. It was my birthday four days ago. And you?”

  “Twenty six, I see you’ve forgotten the report you’ve just written on me. And happy belated birthday, Mael!” He chokes on his drink and narrows his eyes.

  “Don’t call me by my first name. It’s weird. And this situation is already awkward as it is.” He takes a seat in the office chair behind the desk, and leans back with a yawn.

  “Well, you call me by my first name. It’s only fair that I do the same. Besides we’re almost the same age… in a way. And it wouldn’t be awkward if you hadn’t yelled at me.”

  “You asked me to call you by your name. And I wouldn’t have yelled if you had just been frank with me. People died, Kahira. You don’t seem to be taking that seriously.” He’s right. I should be more considerate. But death is a constant. After all these years it doesn't affect me much. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a psychopath. I am angry that so many people died. I am angry that I wasn’t able to save those people. But in my job, people die all the time. Their souls are still there… but their precious lives have been cut short in painful ways, when it was not even necessary. This case is weird. The family resembling my own... or maybe they don't. Maybe my brain is just trying to find anything that I connect to them. Diana surviving. Just like how I "survived". What’s so special about her? Who gets to decide which humans are more needed than others? I definitely need to speak to Aarav and Juno...

  “What’s wrong?” Mael's voice interrupts my racing thoughts. “Why?” “You look like you’re about to hit someone.”

  I realise how tensed up my body is, and how my face is scrunched into a deep frown. “Mael, I know I haven’t been the most open and honest person. In fact, I’ve been quite stand offish. I’m just as angry and confused as you are in all this. It's just that I'm not the best at being upfront about it.” He sighs and slouches deeper into the seat. “It’s a rough situation. I guess everyone deals with things differently. But you’re old enough to know that serious circumstances need serious action and care to be taken. If you did, I wouldn’t be here babysitting you.” Hearing him say that aggravated me a little. If anyone knew that it would be me. But I'm not in the mood for fighting right now.

  A large picture on the wall catches my eye. Maell and four other people, two men and two women. They look happy, and he looks younger. The photo shows them on a bridge in front of an amusent park, all holding each other and smiling brightly. "Who are they? You guys don't look related at all.” He grins. “They’re my friends. We’ve known each other since we were kids. You know… maybe if you had some friends, you wouldn’t be in these situations so much.” The nerve of this man! Why would Aarav and Juno assign him to me?! “Yeah well, maybe if you knew how to conduct proper investigations then you wouldn’t have such a small office!” He laughs loudly. “I’d rather have a small office than be unemployed,” he responds snarkily. “Oh no wait, is your job being a budget vigilante?” I bite down on my lip in an effort to compose myself. “I don’t like you.” I grumble. “The feeling is mutual.”

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  *****

  Eventually we both lay slumped on the couch, waiting for news of Diana’s testimony. The warmth of the office that I once welcomed turned into a heat that made me wish to return to the cold interrogation room. And since Mael's seat was right by the window he decided to move to the couch. He's need for a cooler place outweighed his disdain for me.

  Thinking about Diana makes me worry a little. I really hope I didn’t wipe out too much from her mind. If I did, then I’m in huge trouble. Juno will have to put in a lot of effort to get me out of this mess. “Kahira, let’s make amends. I don’t like hating people. It’s very energy consuming. And, well, I was being kind of an ass. Sorry." Mael puts his hand out for a handshake. “Fine… but don’t expect us to be friends or anything. We’ll just be civil.” I shake his hand. The handshake is warm and firm. It had been a long time since I felt nonviolent human contact, not including from victims that I saved. It’s a small and meaningless act, but it makes me a bit happy. Even though he’s insufferable, Mael is one of the few that I can tolerate being around.

  “What are you thinking so deeply about?” he asks inquisitively. “Hmm? Nothing much. Just worried about the outcome of this situation.”

  “Don’t worry too much. Even if Diana’s testimony doesn’t give us much to work with, you can still plea self-defence. The man was a murderer. He has twelve victims, that we know of. We can get the judge on your side."

  A loud knock sounds from the door. “Come in,” Mael calls. The Chief, Detective Jones and two other officers walk in. “Meet us in the interview room in about five minutes. We have Diana’s testimony."

  *****

  I shuffle in my seat. Even getting out of the heat and into the air-conditioned interview room is not enough to calm my nerves. Why am I nervous? I don't know. It's obvious I'm going to be fine. Maybe I just like the drama of it all.

  "Diana Vine has provided us with a very detailed statement," the Chief began. "She works the late shift at a fast food establishment, and closed the store at 10 P.M. When she arrived home, the house was uncharacteristically quiet and dark. She thought maybe her family had gone to bed early. When she walked in, there were blood splatters all over the living room and up the stairs. She turned to run out of the house but was caught by the perpetrator, who we’ve now identified as Adam Coleberg. She was beaten, cut, assaulted, and thrown into Coleberg's pickup truck along with the bodies of her deceased father, sister, and brother. They traveled for a couple of hours to the Nature Reserve. When they arrived, she was hauled out of the car along with her family's bodies. She said right before Coleberg was about to land the killing blow, Kahira appeared." He stops reading and looks up me over his large rimmed glasses.

  "Diana remembers Kahira fighting with Coleberg. She said at some point Kahira was hit over the head with a hammer and fell to the ground. Kahira stood up and they fought again. She states that her memory became hazy at this point, but she does remember Kahira stabbing Coleberg in the chest with what appeared to be a "long knife". And she has no recollection of anything after. She states that had it not been for Kahira, she would have died, and she hopes leniency is granted."

  The Chief pauses his long recount of the testimony. “Kahira Ghali, we will have to deliberate further with members of the prosecution and the court. For now, you’re free to go.”

  “Yes!” I throw my hands up in victory. “Hold on now, that doesn’t mean you’re innocent, just means you’re off the hook for now, and you’ll be under our watch,” the Chief explains. “And Diana Vine asked if you could visit her at the hospital. Remember, she’s not in a good state. She's traumatised and mourning.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind. Which hospital is she in?”