Chapter 7
It was dark where I was, with only a light bulb hanging from the ceiling as light. I was alone with them. They were circling around me.
What're they doing?
Their job was to ask me a few questions that I would answer then I would be on my way. I was waiting for that, just twirling my thumbs around each other atop of the table.
Are they doing it to scare me? . . . How unprofessional . . .
I gasped when one of them instantly swung the chair in front of me around & sat in it. It was the skinny one. He was looking at me as if I committed a sin.
I didn't kill anyone.
"Leifang, you & Jann Lee were close friends right?" he asked me.
"We were friends, but not close. We were partners in the tournaments. That's all. I tried being his friend," I told him in utter truth, looking at him & where I thought his partner was.
"Why was it so difficult to be his friend?"
"He was . . ."
I tried to think of the best way to put it.
"secretive . . ."
Oh, great, now they're gonna ask you more questions!
"Why?" he asked me, tapping his nose with his pen.
"Because he's a guy & guys tend to not show emotions, because they don't wanna get soft. Is that simple enough for you?"
I laid out & said it all. I had nothing to hide, because I knew I didn't murder him. Besides they weren't very good detectives. Pacing around me to scare me. That's the same as accusing someone. They must have watched too many movies . . .
"Hmm . . . When was the last time you saw him?" he asked once again.
"That night about five days ago, I think, Monday . . . Why does that matter?"
"What time was it?"
". . . Um, well, I left the club with my friends at around one so I think I last saw him at around twelve twenty . . .?"
"Did you talk to him?"
"I said the usual 'Hi!' & running up to hug him, me & Hitomi. And he said 'Y'all here again? Don't you ever get tired of this?' & I said . . . Well, we both said 'Nope! We come everyday to see you!' just to get on his nerves. And well, he said that he was tired of all this then said he had to take care of some things & left us. Because, you know, if he had stayed then we would torture him . . . Because he's fun like that . . ."
". . . Secretive & fun, I see."
Oh, boy . . .
"No, fun as in fun to mess with. Get on his nerves sometimes . . . It's a girl thing, you wouldn't know . . ."
You're too old to know.
The detective just looked at me like I was stupid. He froze then set his pen down.
Am I done yet? This isn't exactly fun . . .
The other detective that was lurking around in the darkness finally stepped into the light to whisper something in his ear.
What's this here?
"Oh, right, I almost forgot," he spoke as soon as he was done listening, "You said you were chased by a black car & that the man who you thought was driving the car or so was the same man from the auction you went to earlier today. Is that correct?"
"Yes."
"Describe the man."
Describe the man . . .
I tried my best to remember what he looked like. He was sitting far from me in the auction.
"He seemed old. Like forty close to fifty. He was sorta chubby unless that was muscle, because he was wearing a crimson suit so it was hard to tell. He had his hair combed back & it was wet-like. And he was very stern-like chin & um . . . a big forehead . . ."
The detective looked like he was about to laugh. Yeah, so it was kinda funny by the way I said it.
"Well, he did," I continued to say, "There were lines in it, too. And he had little dents in his cheeks. Probably from being old & um . . ."
What else can I say?
"Fair height . . . About six foot . . . Black eyes, I think. I can't tell you for sure."
"That's okay. And he supposedly chased you & tried to kill you over a little dragon thing, right?"
Dragon thing?
I looked at him & his partner that was standing a little in the light. Neither of them had taken notes on my description.
Well, if they decided not to . . .
"Uh . . . yes. I was competing with him over it for awhile. He just wouldn't give up."
"And you didn't want to give it up either, because it was the artifact of your beloved Jann Lee, am I right?"
Beloved?
"I wanted to be Jann Lee's friend & um . . ."
I wanted to be Jann Lee's friend . . .
"What's that you were gonna say?" the detective asked me.
He was messing around with his pen again, not even looking at me.
Have you no emotion?!
He didn't care what I said, as long as he got the answers he wanted. He didn't care that I was about to break down & cry right at that moment.
Don't cry, don't cry . . .
I buried my face in my hands. I realized I missed him a little more than I thought I did. He was just my partner in the tournaments & my victim at the clubs. And sometimes the person I would think about in my spare time. I wanted to be his friend. Someone he wouldn't mind talking to sometimes, someone he would listen to, even someone he wouldn't mind hugging every once in a while, appreciating the fact that that someone would stay by his side forever. He needed someone like that. He was always alone most of the time.
And why would I want all those things? I didn't know. Maybe I was overly obsessed with his behavior. His stubbornness. Maybe his appearance & how he presented himself. Or maybe I just thought the best for him: a friend. If I had realized this sooner then maybe I would have told him what I felt. And maybe he wouldn't have mind. Maybe . . .
"It's all right. You don't have to continue," I heard the detective say through my sobs.
I was crying . . . Finally crying after five days mourning his death. And all because I realized I wanted to be his friend, but never got the chance.
No, I had the chance, but never took it.
My hands were wet from my tears & so was the table under me. I couldn't move. All I could do was cry.
Those detectives made you cry . . .
I felt hands on my shoulder & heard a whisper in my ear. It said that everything was going to be all right & that I could leave now. I did.
As the detective walked me down the hall, I looked ahead of me to see what I thought were my parents & Hitomi. I could barely see. My vision was so blurry from my tears. And everything seemed to move so slowly. I could even hear my heart beating. Pounding into my ears, blocking my hearing. Someone was squeezing me & I wept into their shoulder.
That was when I made a promise to myself.
I'll find out.