Chapter 6:

"RDX." Thornton stated.

"RDX?" Ryan asked, frowning.

"Cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine," the detective clarified and continued, "Widely used by the military due to its stability and brisance. Not to mention that it is far more powerful than TNT. Mostly used in plastic explosives."

"And it was place near the jet engine? It would have detonated not long after takeoff."

"Not necessarily. RDX is rarely used alone in explosives. It also depends on the exact composition of the bomb and the shell that was used to retain the explosive. The amount used was little since it was staged to look like an accident. That's all I know. I'm not an expert when it comes to explosives. I'm better with guns."

Ryan halted and stared at the other man. "Looks like I am more wanted dead than alive... But I lived."

The detective kept quiet, studying Ryan's face. "You won't be so lucky next time."

"Care to explain?"

"Psychology. Someone went through all the hassle to see you dead. He must have spent at least one month plotting the crash but guess what, you came out alive. This type of murderer don't let go of their victims that easily – less violent but smarter and more persistent in nature. Usually, the motive is less emotion based. The elimination of a being is more to protect their personal interest. Mind you, personal interest here covers a wide scope that varies from one man to another."

"Men like him walk out without a sentence from the court. You might have a fair chance of charging them under accessory of murder if you could relate them to the crime they have committed. Normally an assassin would be hired to do the killing. Mercenary would do equally well."

Ryan sighed as he listened to Thornton. It seemed that someone had already planned his deathbed in advance.

"Try to stay alive. He might get violent in the sense that he would no longer stage the murder to look like an accident. To stage a murder like an accident, the assassin has only a limited number of ways to kill you. But if he is desperate enough, he would search for the quickest and most effective way to eliminate you."

"Wait, how sure are you that an assassin is involved in all this? Or a mercenary? This is all hypothetical." Ryan questioned, eyes narrowed.

"RDX is not acetone peroxide. You can't brew that shit in a garage. It is used by highly funded military camps. An ordinary man can't just get it anywhere. If the man that wants you dead can get his hands on it, what makes you think he can't hire an assassin? True, this is all hypothetical. It's based on instinct and past experiences but it's better than nothing."

"Ok. You do realize that just narrow down the list of suspects?"

The detective nodded. "It does. But who told you I am searching for one suspect and it has to be a he? I used the word he to refer to a man or a group of people."

"So there might be more than one person out there who wants me dead?"

"A fair possibility. He could also be a she."

"Surely someone is on the top of your list." Ryan said, observing a nurse wheeling an old frail man down the inclined board.

"Yes. There is someone. Still I can't find any evidence that ties him to the crash." Thornton cleared his throat. He was still perturbed by yesterday's encounter.

"I hear a 'but'." Ryan stated his observation.

"Nothing. There's something that I need to investigate thoroughly."

"Devereux?"

"The most susceptible? Yes."

Ryan nodded in understanding. It explained a number of things. "I hear they overruled the crash as a technical malfunction."

"Yes. Yesterday."

"Bribery?"

"I presume so. Possibly a threat." Thornton replied, lifting his gaze from Ryan to the hospital marbled steps. "Driscoll."

Ryan glanced to the back, registering the presence of his family doctor, Lawrence Driscoll. "I see James is not recovering at all," Ryan commented, switching topic smoothly.

"No progress just a declination of his health condition. Recovery seemed almost impossible." Thornton followed.

"I can h – "

"No, Ryan you have helped me enough. James is my responsibility."

"Did you just called me Ryan?" asked Ryan, perplexed.

Before the detective could answer anything, the doctor stood between them, interrupting the conversation. "Your medication. You left them."

"I better get back to the HQ." Thornton gestured a goodbye and left the hospital grounds.

Ryan's eyes narrowed, ignoring Driscoll's medical advice. Something was wrong. Did Thornton just drop a hint?

"Driscoll."

"Yes?"

"I want you to keep an eye on James Thornton. Report to me anything that concerns him. From visitors to any surgery he might be undertaking."

"I'm a doctor and he's not my patient."

"You just got promoted then. I have an appointment to attend." Ryan said, taking his medication, leaving behind a very confused doctor.

Thornton entered his car, slamming the door shut. He glanced at his rearview mirror and hissed.

"Fucking stalker."

"I'm surprised that you called me so soon," Troy voiced his thoughts.

"You should be surprised that I even bother to call at all," Ryan replied coldly.

Troy smiled and nodded in agreement.

"So," Ryan said, placing Troy's name card on the table, "What's your intention?"

"Intention?" Troy parroted, amused. "Aren't you the one who called me out to this fancy restaurant?"

"I just want to know your exact reason for giving me your name card. What do you want? I'm sure it has nothing to do with the company."

Troy kept quiet, gazing at the busy world outside the French restaurant. Folding his arms, he wondered about his true intention. He just wanted to see the blond. It was that simple.

He also wanted to amend his mistake in the past. He had been living in guilt for the past few years after his indifferent statement to Ryan.

"It's about my confession, isn't it?" Ryan said, sipping his glass of water.

"You still remember?" Troy asked.

Ryan studied Troy's blue grey eyes, feeling secure behind his dark shades. "Yes," he answered shortly.

"Look, I'm sorry about my reaction back then. I didn't mean to be so cold towards you," Troy replied, feeling guilty. "I have no idea how to react."

"I should have recorded your reaction."

"I'm really sorry about it. Can we start over?"

"Start over? You think this is some sort of game where a player can just start all over because he is suffering from guilt or a terrible loss? Learn from it, Bolton. It imparts great knowledge."

"We used to be friends."

"Yes, when we only converse freely outside East High. Don't give me reasons. You're bad at it."

"I'm offended by your remark."

"Get use to it."

"Ryan, can't we be friends again?"

"And end your misery? No."

"You're a real sadist."

"That's what my psychiatrist says."

"There's nothing I can do to change your mind?"

Ryan raised his brows.

"Maybe there's something you can do."

Author: I'm sorry if the first few chapters were a drag but things will get faster from here onwards. Not everthing is clearly explained in the conversation between Ryan and Thornton. It's Thornton's hypothesis. Things will get clearer. As for the tryan thing, I'm sorry that nothing really happened until now but the actual base is already set in this chapter. The next chapter will provide room for progress and explain something in chapter 1. Hope it doesn't bore anyone to death. I salute you who have somehow managed to survive reading all those prior chapters. I respect your level of tolerance. Salute! And thank you for still reading it. Bows deeply.