Kel walked through the halls of the police station carelessly, walking into innocent bystanders that were in her path. She was a little preoccupied, thinking about the events of the night before. That case bothered her. There was no physical incriminating evidence, no fingerprints, strands of hair, or DNA anywhere. It was like no one was in the room when the victim died. Or maybe they were dealing with someone who knew how to hide his identity, someone who had killed before. That was it! She could search the database for similar crimes and see what came up. It was a long shot but it was the only chance they had at finding a suspect. As she was sprinting down the halls of the station to her office, she spotted the guy from the night before standing with a woman who she assumed to be the victim's girlfriend in front of Alanna's office. She walked over to where they were standing, sent a brief smile in their direction, knocked on Alanna's door, and entered. She was sitting at her desk going over some paperwork when Kel entered. She looked up and smiled at the young woman.
"You're just in time. I'm about to interview the employee and the girlfriend of our victim. Personally, I don't think this murder was committed by anyone who knew the man; it would be a strangely impersonal way to kill someone you knew. There was no way it was a crime of passion. If you want to kill someone you hate or love, you stab them repeatedly or shoot them a couple dozen times, you don't kill them in one shot because you want to bring them as much pain and suffering as possible."
"Why interview them then?"
"I've been known to be wrong, Kel. I want to eliminate the two as suspects so we can continue with our investigation. Send them in."
" You are Daine Sarrasri, correct?" Questioned Alanna, straightforward as always. Alanna and Kel and the victim's girlfriend were in a quiet, isolated room away from the daily bustle of the officers who were stuck with desk duty. The room was fairly average in size, with a desk and a few chairs scattered throughout the room. Alanna sat at the wooden desk, looking over the files from her current case, trying to make sense of it all. Daine sat in a hard, wooden chair across from her. She was very much deep in thought, reasonably so considering the fact that the person that she loved more than anyone had died less than 24 hours ago. She was remarkably calm though and Kel admired her ability to stay so strong in a situation like this. Kel was leaning on the wall in a dimly lit corner of the room.
"Yes" Daine answered, her voice shaking slightly.
"What exactly was your relationship with Numair Salmilan?"
"We had been dating for the past four years. He asked me to marry him last night."
"I'm sorry for your loss" Alanna replied quietly. Daine nodded and Alanna continued.
"How was your relationship with the victim? Had there been any fights recently?"
"Well, yeah. I mean, everyone fights. Maybe we fought a bit more than the average couple, but our hearts were in the right place."
"How many, in total, would you say there were?" The questioning was starting to unnerve Daine and her lower lip began to quiver.
"Officer Cooper, is all of this questioning really necessary?" Kel interrupted. She thought that Alanna was being pretty harsh on this woman, especially because she hadn't given Daine time to become accustomed to everything. Her fiancé did just die the night before. Alanna turned around and glared at her partner.
"You of all people, officer, should know that this could very well be the fastest way to find out if this case was suicide or homicide. I am shocked by your lack of professionalism." She spat out the word "Officer" as if it poisoned her tongue just to say it. Kel blushed and muttered something similar to 'It won't happen again'.
"Now, did Numair have any enemies, anyone who would want to see him dead?"
Daine, who now had tears running down her cheeks, tried to stay focused and answer her question truthfully. "No, not that I can think of. Everyone who knew him loved him. But he was reclusive, he didn't know very many people."
"Did he have any family, anyone we could contact?"
"No, he told me his family died when his house burned down when he was sixteen. He's been on his own ever since. I guess Joren and I are the closest thing to a family he had."
"So he was close to Joren then? He made it sound as if they didn't have that close of a relationship."
Daine laughed sarcastically. "I don't know why, but Numair adored the boy. I think he felt sorry for him personally. He was a street kid who had done amazingly well in school, graduated top of his class, over a 1500 on the S.A.T, but he never had a chance to make it in the real world. I think Numair's life was very similar to that after his parents died. In a way, Joren reminded him of a younger version of himself."
"You don't sound like you're too fond of him."
"Most of the time I can't stand him. But occasionally he'll do something completely nice and out of character and I'll find myself thinking he's ok. But then he'll do something that will reinstate him as an asshole in my mind. To tell you the truth, if it wasn't for Numair, I probably wouldn't even talk to the guy."
"Is there any chance that Joren could be capable of hurting Numair?"
"No. He could never do anything to hurt Numair, I know he wouldn't."
"Alright. Thank you for your time. I might have to call you down here to talk to you a few more times before the investigation is over, but right now, you are free to go." And she was gone.
Once she left, Alanna sighed heavily.
" She was too emotional; a few questions later she would be sobbing and muttering her answers incoherently. She would be no help to us."
" Possible guilt trip?"
"I doubt it"
A light tap sounded on the door as a young man entered. He looked to be in his early twenties and stood about three inches taller than Kel. His shoulder-length pale blonde hair was tied back, clearly showing his even paler face. He had shockingly bright blue eyes. Whenever he looked at Alanna it felt as if he was reading her mind and determining if she was worth his time.
" Joren Stonemountain?" Alanna questioned as he sat down in the chair that Daine had previously occupied. He nodded his head and Alanna cleared her throat; they were ready to begin.
" How old are you, Mr. Stonemountain?"
" Twenty- three."
"And how long have you been working for Numair Salmilan?"
" A little over a year."
" When he first hired you did you two get along?"
" No, but I mean come on, everyone hates there boss in the beginning." Saying this he smiled at Kel. When she gave no reply and Alanna was looking a little pissed he began again.
" He hired me to help keep the finances straight. I mostly filled our orders and worked on the computer and shit like that. But no, at first we didn't get along. He said I had the social skills of a toaster and I said that he was a slave driver."
" If you didn't get along the why didn't he ever fire you?"
" Because I am the best at what I do," He bragged. Alanna was stunned with this man's arrogance. When she asked him a question he looked her squarely in the eyes as he answered. He was a jackass but the scary thing was that he was smart enough to know when to annoy her and when to stop. He was able to read people amazingly well and knew exactly how far he could push them.
" So he kept you because it was absolutely necessary?"
" Well, yes, in the beginning he did."
" Later you learned to tolerate each other?"
" Yeah"
" Would you have classified him a friend?"
He looked down at the floor when he answered, " Yes."
To her astonishment she realized that she was back in control of the interview.
" When was the last time you saw him?"
" About seven last night. He left me in charge of the Emperor Mage because he had a date. I was going to stop by his apartment and tell him about this asshole of a customer I had to help who was asking for Numair. I thought it was weird so I went to tell Numair about it. I knocked and he didn't answer, so I tried the doorknob. It was unlocked so I went in. I saw Numair in there with half of his fucking head missing and I called the cops. That's it. Can I go now?"
Alanna sighed. "Yes, you can leave, but I might have to call you back here to talk to me later on in the investigation."
With a quick nod of his head, he left. "Well what did you think of that?"
"Smart kid. He was a bit of an ass though."
"Yes, I noticed that. He was overconfident."
"Yes he was. He was very attractive though."
"What?"
" Hey I may be old but I'm not dead!"
Kel laughed. "Watch out or George will get jealous!"
" Old George needs a little jealousy in his life."
Alanna continued, now serious." I don't think he killed him."
"No"
" So right now, we've got nothing."
"Wonderful."
And with that they sat, thinking about possible solutions in silence and Kel suddenly remembered.
"I was going to check the M.O.!" Alanna shot her a quizzical look.
"Well, come on. There were no clues at the crime scene, no evidence that the killer even knew the man- I'm willing to bet that the murderer has killed before."
Joren walked slowly into his small, one bedroom apartment. It wasn't that big, but it was all he could afford. He fixed himself a drink and sat at his table. This week had been unbelievable. Numair, his boss and only friend in the world was gone. God, he hated that word. Gone. As in never coming back. The worst part was that it felt as if Numair had just on a business trip or something and would be coming back any day now. He knew that Numair was dead, and yet every morning he still went to the Emperor Mage, leaving only after he made sure the front doors were still locked. He hated to think about what would happen to the store. Someone new would buy it and turn it into something like a coffeehouse, but it would still be as if the last of Numair's legacy was torn down.
The police were as lost about the investigation as he was. They were stuck. They had no suspects, no evidence, no leads. It looked like Numair's killer would be getting away after all. And the thought of that made him sick to his stomach.
The sky was dark this morning
Not a bird in the trees
Silence hung suspicious and anxious
Like a blanket covered scream
And you were gone
You were not there for me
And I curse the sky and beg the sun to
Fall down over me
This life's not living
Living ain't free
And if I can't find my way back to me
Let the sun fall down over me
All my friends are searching
Quiet, desperately
Look into their eyes
You'll see the faithless crying
Save me, save me, save me
What are they to feel?
Who are they to be?
What am I to do with
Do with me
Let the sun fall over me
This life's not living
Living ain't free
And if I can't find my way back to me
Let the sun fall down
Until my eyes cry out
Until my head is free from doubt
Until my lungs are rotted out
Until I'm wiser
AN: So look who finally updated. I think I deserve a round of applause (or at least a long list of reviews). I started another Kel/Joren story called 'Despite all my Rage' (I know, another title that is song lyrics, but it just fit so well) please check it out. It has a cool plot but I really don't think it is as well written, but I like it. I've been having a really bad week, so please send me reviews to put me in a good mood and maybe I will update faster next time!