The police eventually showed up to the corner store. The owner sent Karkat a worried look, as if to say, 'I know it looks like I called them but I believed that you weren't gonna rob me so whatever you did, you're fucked.' Karkat nodded to him and looked at the police officer. He was a short, black carapace.

"You the kid that made the call?" From how deep their voice was, Karkat assumed the carapace was a male.

"Yeah. What'd you find out?"

"Nothing I can tell you." The officer was glaring at Karkat. Fuck, was he a suspect?

"I didn't kill him," Karkat said.

"Sure."

"I swear. This is the only weapon I have on me, you can take it. It's clean."

The officer looked him over before turning to the shop owner. He started asking questions, checking to see when Karkat had arrived at the store and what he'd done upon arriving. The store owner answered well, saying Karkat had arrived at the store at 3:16, and had only bought a piece of chocolate upon arriving. The officer nodded, jotting everything down. Then he said, "Kid, I have to take you to the station. When you're there, you can call your parents."

Karkat nodded. Living with a criminal had taught him the basics of dealing with the police. Never lose your cool. Don't curse, be respectful. Answer all questions. Be honest if you're innocent. Keep it to simple lies if you're not. Try to avoid talking about illegal activities.

Ironically enough, Slick tended to get increasingly annoyed while dealing with police. Members of the Midnight Crew, from top bosses to low life thugs, were placing bets on when he'd assault an officer.

Thankfully, Karkat was capable of putting up with police. He remained quiet as he was handcuffed ("Precautions," the officer said), didn't protest when his sickle was taken, and silently went into the back of the police car.

"What's your name?" the officer asked as he was driving.

"Karkat Slick." The officer was probably trying to calm Karkat's nerves. Whether or not that was ethical, Karkat wouldn't know, but he appreciated the conversation. "Yours?"

"AR."

"AR? That's your name?"

"My initials. My name is Authority Regulator, and before you say anything smart about that, keep in mind I rather like my name, kid." Karkat didn't say anything. He knew that carapaces tended to have odd names. Ms. Paint's name was actually Ms. Paint. Every member of the Midnight Crew had odd names.

"Why're you being nice to me?"

"I'm being respectful," he replied.

"How long do you think I'll be under custody?"

"That depends on whether or not you're innocent."

"If I'm innocent?" Karkat asked.

"Not too long. Nothing more than a day." Karkat nodded.

There was no more conversation until they arrived at the station. AR led him out of the car and into the station. "I'm going to uncuff you when we get in," he said. "Then you can call your dad, see if he can come down to the station. You will be questioned." Karkat nodded to all of this. True to his words, AR took of his handcuffs once inside. Karkat rubbed his wrists, which felt uncomfortably raw. AR handed him a phone, and Karkat dialed Slick's number. Predictably, he didn't pick up.

Karkat told AR as much, to which he replied, "Call someone else. Got any older siblings?"

Karkat nodded and dialed Kankri's number. He picked up. "Hello Karkat. You do realize I'm at work, right?"

"You do realize I got arrested, right?"

Kankri fell silent. Then he heard a very muffled 'Oh my god what's wrong with this idiot.' Then Kankri said, sounding quite clear, "Which station are you at? I'll come pick you up. You had better expect to tell me exactly what happened when we get home." AR gave Karkat the address, which he relayed to Kankri. Kankri hung up, leaving Karkat feeling slightly guilty for interrupting his brother's day.

AR took Karkat to a bare room, which would've been empty if it wasn't for a table and two chairs. "Wait here," AR said. "Someone will be with you soon."

Karkat waited for what felt like an eternity. When someone did walk in, he had nearly fallen asleep. "Karkat Slick?" he asked. It was a human female, with dark brown skin and long, curly black hair.

"That's me."

"I'm Helen, Karkat. How old are you?"

"Sixteen as of a few days ago."

"And you did call someone to pick you up?"

"Yeah, my older brother. He's twenty two."

"Good. Now, I'd like to jump right into what happened today."

"I got out of school, and I managed to miss the bus again, so I started walking home."

She interrupted him. "What time do you get out of school?"

"Two thirty. So I was walking home, and I walked past the mansion. I went inside, and when I went into the one room, I found Doc Scratch, dead. I called the police and ran, in case whoever did it was still there, and I ran to a corner store closer to my house. It was around three sixteen when I got there. Then I waited for the police."

"Alright. Was there anyone else in the mansion?"

"Not that I saw."

"Can anyone attest to you being where you say you were throughout the day?"

"Any of my teachers will tell you I was in school the entire day. The corner store owner will tell you I was in his store. Between those times, I can't say if anyone saw me."

"You said the man's name is Doc Scratch. We had no way of identifying him before. Keep in mind, his mutant status would normally make things easier. How do you know him."

"Well, his name isn't Doc Scratch. That was an alias that he adopted after a while. I've only known him for a few days. On Friday, I was walking home from school. I was almost mugged, so I ran away. I ended up hiding in the mansion, and I came across him."

"Why return? Why not report being mugged?"

Shit. Think quick here Karkat. Start with what you know. "I wasn't mugged. I escaped, and by that point it didn't matter. I don't remember his face and he didn't take anything." Now for the bullshitting to begin. "When I was hiding there, something fell out of my bag. My folder. I need that, but I didn't want to grab it over the weekend, and I didn't have time this morning, so I grabbed it after school."

Helen, who had been taking notes this entire time, nodded. She stopped writing. "Do you know anyone that could have wanted Doc Scratch dead."

Did she want a full report? "No."

"You're sure?"

"Absolutely."

Someone knocked at the door. Helen opened it, blocking whoever was outside from view. They exchanged whispered words, and then whoever she was talking to left. She turned to Karkat. "Your brother is here. You can go back with him. Expect to be called back here soon, I don't think we're done with this yet."

Karkat sighed. "Alright. Thank you. Have a nice night."

"You too," Helen replied. Karkat walked out to find Kankri, his arms crossed. His face was apathetic, but his eyes were blazing red. Neither said anything as they walked out. Karkat noticed a few officers, all humans, looking at them warily. He would've been upset if he wasn't more worried about Kankri. Karkat hadn't aggravated his brother this much since he was thirteen.

Kankri's car was a piece of shit, but it lasted this long, and deep down, Karkat could tell he adored it. Karkat got into the front seat, resting his elbow on the door. Kankri sat beside him in the driver's seat. "Do you have anything to say for yourself?" Kankri asked, his voice cold.

Karkat looked at him, before saying, "Fuck."