ã€Šno evilã€‹


 chapter one

    Nora Lee swerved into narrow alleyways and scuttled over trash cans. She jumped over small walls, dodged through side yards, and weaved under clothes lines. She knew the neighborhood; she¡¯d lived here for at least six years, and her path wasn¡¯t one just anyone could follow. But Detective Daniel Moon wasn¡¯t just anyone. He soon lost sight of her, but his eyes caught patterns in the small streets and walkways, and without too much effort he disappeared into his own side street. After a minute or so all traces of him were gone, and Nora slowed to a stop.

    The street was quiet. She ducked next to an old mailbox to catch her breath, and her fingers fumble with the buttons on her camera. She went through the pictures she¡¯d taken, sparing each one not even half a second, before finally deciding to eject the memory card altogether. Now wasn¡¯t the time for this. She knew she wasn¡¯t safe yet. Her mind raced from the events she¡¯d witnessed, and she was still thinking of what to do with the information she had. If the police didn¡¯t catch her now, they would later. Somebody would. That was the price to pay when someone knew too much, and Nora always knew too much.

    ¡°Found you.¡±

    She heard him before she saw him. The voice was small, distorted, but enough for Nora to turn towards it before she was trapped against the side of the mailbox. It was a mess of movement- the detective had rushed her from some hidden corner, and he stayed hunched over to block her path. She found herself pinned and didn¡¯t have much time to think before she tumbled to the street. In seconds she had been grabbed and smacked to the asphalt, one arm awkwardly bent behind her back, and she released an inhuman screech when her camera strap slipped from her neck. The device scuttled a few feet off like a drunken crab.

    ¡°Okay, okay!¡± Nora panted, trying to gain some traction in the odd predicament she found herself in, ¡°I¡¯ll stop running, just don¡¯t treat me so- OUCH!¡±

    The detective was too busy catching his breath to pay attention to her complaints. He kneeled on the small of her back to keep her from squirming too much and dug around his jacket pockets for something. He realized his wallet and cigarettes were missing and cursed.

    ¡°You dropped them as soon as you started running, if that helps. Somewhere around Birch Street- heyHEYHEY! MIRANDA RIGHTS! MIRANDA RIGHTS, I NEED MY RIGHTS!!¡±

    While she was talking, he had grabbed his handcuffs from his jean¡¯s belt loop and snapped one end to her wrist. The metal pinched her, and she started whining.

    ¡°Why are you arresting me?? I¡¯m innocent! I didn¡¯t do anything wrong, I swear!¡±Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    ¡°You¡¯re lying.¡±

    ¡°Only a little bit!¡± Nora tried to tug her arms out of the detective¡¯s grasp, but she didn¡¯t have much room to move, ¡°Look, we can talk this out without getting rough. It might not seem like it, but I¡¯m very good at talking. I¡¯ll tell you everything I think you should know and then we can go our separate ways. Please??¡±

    The detective gave his answer by locking her wrist into the other cuff.

    He sat down next to her and let himself rest a minute or so under the loud noises coming out of Nora¡¯s mouth. She rolled in protest but couldn¡¯t do much with her hands behind her back, so after a while she let her face hit the pavement and did her best to glare at the man sitting cross-legged with her, even though she couldn¡¯t quite see him. At one point an old woman walked out of her house with her small dog to check the commotion.

    ¡°Nora. I see you¡¯ve gotten yourself into trouble again,¡± she greeted.

    Nora frowned.

    ¡°Hi Simona. Hi Rocky.¡±

    Rocky trotted over on his stubby legs and started to lick her face, and Nora was helpless to stop the encounter. She gave a dry sob, too embarrassed to do anything else. Daniel sent Simona a polite nod, the only gesture he could muster while he caught his breath, and Simona greeted the scruffy detective in return.

    ¡°It must have been tough, officer. Thank you for your hard work.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk to him, he¡¯s the enemy,¡± Nora barked, trying to avoid the dog¡¯s tongue.

    ¡°And you¡¯re obnoxious. What¡¯s the point of wreaking havoc if you get caught every time?¡±

    Nora couldn¡¯t say much to that. The dog finished his business with her and went on his way. Simona followed him.

    ¡°I¡¯ll send you breakfast if they haven¡¯t released you from your cage by morning.¡±

    Nora sniffled.

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    They watched the pair turn the corner. Daniel dug for his cigarettes again out of habit- and gave a short grunt when all he could find was his lighter- before reaching over and finally grabbing the fallen camera. When it turned on, Nora let out a small sigh of relief. He found his way to the camera¡¯s storage, and when he didn¡¯t find anything he gave Nora a disappointed scowl. She turned her face away, acting innocent.

    ¡°¡­The memory card is missing.¡±

    ¡°Is it really?¡± Nora wiggled until she was properly facing him, ¡°That¡¯s strange, isn¡¯t it? Let me see¡ª¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯d you hide it?¡± he ignored her.

    ¡°You think I had the time to hide a memory card?¡±

    ¡°You had the exact amount of time to hide one. Cough it up.¡±

    Nora pursed her lips and discovered an object across the street that was suddenly a lot more interesting to look at. Her attention drifted. Frustrated, the detective reached over and pulled her shoulder so that she had no choice but to look at him. Their eyes met, and Nora was about to berate him about keeping his hands to himself when she suddenly stopped, shut her mouth, and stared.

    Recognition.

    ¡°¡­What?¡± Daniel asked.

    ¡°I know you,¡± Nora mumbled, almost too quietly, ¡°We¡¯ve met before.¡±

    They stared at each other for a long moment. Nora seemed almost in awe, as if she was trying to connect the face in front of her to one she held dearly in her heart. Daniel didn¡¯t feel a thing. Finally, the detective couldn¡¯t take it anymore.

    ¡°That woman was right. You are obnoxious.¡±

    ¡°No-!¡±

    ¡°Nothing¡¯s more obnoxious than hitting on an officer that¡¯s arresting you. You¡¯re not cute enough, so give it a rest.

    ¡°No, you don¡¯t understand! We¡¯ve met!!¡±

    Without hearing the rest of her explanation, Daniel dragged her up from the floor by her hoodie, and amidst protests, complaints, and hideous squawks, Nora was escorted to the station.

 chapter two

    The police station was a small building with poor amenities placed in the center of Wonsung-du, a simple neighborhood bordering the nightlife district of the outer city. They received plenty of complaints from rowdy crowds and drunken conflicts, as well as the occasional traffic mishap caused by the too-narrow streets, but other than that it was usually quiet.

    The neighborhood was in the middle of a plan to redevelop the area, but there were so many people latching on to the nostalgia and hominess of their community that it was a difficult process. The place was too old, too packed, where everyone knew everyone, and often times conflicts would be resolved by the police looking in the other direction, because that was how it was always done. Just as the next neighbor was a part of the family, so was the substation, and like lax parents they watched over their twenty or so blocks of children with lazy, rested eyes.

    Detective Daniel hated it here.

    It had only been two weeks since his transfer, and he already knew that he¡¯d rather be anywhere else. The officers here were too relaxed in their work. They didn¡¯t understand that offenders should be punished, that a crime was a crime no matter what details were thrown in to distract from the process. This chase was the first time he had truly moved since his reassignment, and the adrenaline coursing in him made him more frustrated that it took so long to get some decent work done.

    The complete incompetence of his coworkers wasn¡¯t helping his nerves either. His ¡°partner¡±, Detective Jin, was an older gentleman he was supposed to follow the footsteps of, but it seemed as if he never left the sloppy comforts of his desk. The uniformed officers were just as bad, leaving promptly for their patrols but taking too much time to circle back on account of bumbling around. Daniel wasn¡¯t sure how much he could take of it. By years end he knew he¡¯d have to take some time off to recuperate from the pain of carrying this entire precinct on his back.

    Currently, the detective had uncuffed his prisoner and sat her down in one of the rusting metal chairs surround his desk but had pushed her far enough from the other visitors so that she wouldn¡¯t make a racquet. Next to her, close but not too close, were the victims of the incident: the cheesy congressman running in the next senate election, William Kim, smartly dressed in a chic turtleneck and dress pants different from his usual suit, who kept as much of an air of charm as he could in the murk of their station, and an dark-haired younger man who offered up the name Mitchell An, whose professionalism attracted the attention of passersby but wasn¡¯t enough to cause alarm. The celebrity beside him easily overshadowed his presence.

    They both seemed to hold differing opinions of their criminal. Kim squinted at her as if he couldn¡¯t quite believe what he was seeing. Mitchell was trying to separate himself from the whole situation, but he kept a posture of interest, leaned back but not completely away. His eyes occasionally wandered, as if he wasn¡¯t all there. Nora was as slouched in her seat as her chair would allow, and she forced all her might on the grumpy detective in front of her with a look similar to disgust. She paid no attention to the men at her side. She had given it all to them much earlier.

    Pushing the tense atmosphere out of the way, Daniel began to bring up files onto his computer monitor and type out information. Before he could ask any questions a passing uniformed officer, Officer Gu, noticed the group. An old friend. Nora smiled at him, and the young man grinned back, dimples creasing his face. Before anyone could stop him he had pulled up a chair next to Nora.

    ¡°Have you considered a job change?¡± the officer asked her, ¡°I feel like you¡¯re here more than I am.¡±

    ¡°I think I am here more than you,¡± she replied.

    ¡°What is it this time? Did one of your protests get too crazy? You harass another corporate heir?¡±

    ¡°She broke into a congressman¡¯s penthouse with a fire extinguisher,¡± Daniel looked up from his computer and squinted at Officer Gu, ¡°Don¡¯t you have a street corner to loiter around?¡±

    The detective¡¯s words were harsh, but the station had long gotten used to them, so Gu paid no mind and settled himself deeper into his seat out of spite. He said his greeting to the politician, who he hadn¡¯t noticed before, and kept up his commentary.

    ¡°That¡¯s a little wild, even for you. Why¡¯d you do it?¡±

    Nora shrugged, ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡±

    ¡°Are you stupid?¡± Kim barked, ¡°You were in my house, I saw you-!¡±

    At the insult, Officer Gu urged the congressman to settle down. The gesture straightened the politician¡¯s posture significantly, as if he had momentarily lost control of himself. His friend gave a small smile, catching the fix. Nora kept silent.

    A moment passed, and after a few taps Daniel tilted his computer monitor so he could get a better view of his guests. He cleared his throat.

    ¡°Let¡¯s start with you, sir,¡± he gestured to Mr. Kim, ¡°What exactly happened?¡±

    Kim sat even straighter in his seat.

    ¡°I was having a meeting with my¡ª¡±

    ¡°No, let¡¯s start before that. When you entered the house, everything was normal?¡±

    ¡°Of course it was.¡±

    [Mr. Kim enters his dark penthouse. He turns on a few lights and makes his way to his bedroom. Nothing out of the ordinary.]

    ¡°And what time did you get home?¡± Daniel asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. It must have been around eleven? We finished the rally preparation around that time.¡±

    [Kim takes off his tie and blazer, throwing them towards the bed. He exits the room and heads towards the living room, passing a clock that reads approximately 10:45.]

    ¡°And you were by yourself at that time, correct? What did you do before your friend came over to visit?¡±

    [Kim stands at the stove, preparing dinner. He dices up veggies on the counter, grills some meat. The sizzling is appetizing.]

    ¡°I was cooking dinner,¡± Kim answered.

    ¡°For one?¡±

    The politician jerked in his seat at the sudden interruption from the girl who had refused to acknowledge him before.

    ¡°It¡¯s not your turn to talk, so keep your mouth shut,¡± Daniel said, his eyes narrowing.

    Nora shrugged indifferently.

    ¡°My bad. It¡¯s a habit.¡±

    Kim adjusted his blazer awkwardly. Mitchell raised an eyebrow. His smile didn¡¯t disappear.

    ¡°What was your next question?¡± Kim smiled.

    Daniel didn¡¯t look away from his screen, ¡°How many people were you cooking for?¡±Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    An awkward pause.

    ¡°It was a good question. You don¡¯t have to answer if you don¡¯t want to.¡±

    One second. Two. Finally, Kim answered, ¡°One. Just one.¡±

    ¡°And your family? Where were they?¡±

    Nora smiled softly, satisfied. This was another question begging to escape her mouth. Everyone heard it without her having to speak, but the detective left the discussion where it was. If the great politician William Kim was having personal problems, now wasn¡¯t the time to share them.

    Daniel typed this out promptly. While he was busy, Officer Gu started showing pictures of his family to Nora, a conversation too casual for the situation. They cooed over a daughter¡¯s recital photo, which incited a violent cough from the detective, and before they could reach the New Year¡¯s album Daniel chucked a file in the officer¡¯s direction, urging him to keep quiet if he was going to stick around. The officer and the girl both clicked their tongues at him. What a buzzkill.

    Finally, the detective turned to Kim¡¯s friend.

    ¡°And you. What¡¯s your name? What relationship do you have with the congressman?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s my secretary,¡± Kim answered.

    Another pause. Daniel raised an eyebrow.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, sir. I wasn¡¯t asking you.¡±

    It was an awkward interjection on the politician¡¯s part. Officer Gu tilted his head away from his phone out of interest, and as the attention shifted towards him again Kim repositioned himself to that posture of dignity. It seemed as if they were brushing over a sensitive topic by his tone of voice, one that shouldn¡¯t have required any special interest but called for it anyways. It definitely reeled Nora in. Her self-contained satisfaction turned into outright smugness, and she leaned back to look around the congressman and assess his friend¡¯s reaction.

    He was calm when he answered.

    ¡°He¡¯s right, though,¡± the man swiftly pulled a business card out of nowhere and passed it to the detective like a pro, ¡°I¡¯m his secretary, Mitchell An. I was stopping by to deliver the minutes from the campaign meeting we had earlier today.¡±

    [A small moment. Kim greets Secretary An at the door. Their exchange is cordial and polite. He¡¯s welcomed inside.]

    Mitchell was calm. Collected. But a small second of eye contact between him and the girl told Nora all she needed to know. A wave of uneasiness washed over, and he quickly looked away from her. His smile didn¡¯t falter. Nora¡¯s on grin suddenly disappeared, as if she was unamused.

    The detective saw this exchange. He didn¡¯t say a word.

    Something was definitely going on here.

    ¡°¡­That was quite a late visit. It was past midnight when we received the call,¡± Daniel waved a finger between them, ¡°Are you guys close?¡±

    Mitchell didn¡¯t miss a beat, ¡°My parents went to high school with him, so he¡¯s a family friend.¡±

    The secretary didn¡¯t give Kim the opportunity to intervene this time. Nota turned away to hide her disbelief. Officer Gu noticed the expression and quietly nudged her, but she shook her head. She didn¡¯t know anything. She wasn¡¯t going to say anything.

    ¡°¡­Ok,¡± Daniel didn¡¯t stop typing, ¡°Describe what happened next.¡±

    The two victims exchanged glances, unsure.

    ¡°Either of you. Quickly, please,¡± the detective pressed.

    The congressman stepped to the plate, ¡°We were going over the minutes in the kitchen when the fire alarm went off. I had some important documents I couldn¡¯t lose, so we took a minute to collect those. On our way out of the study we saw this lunatic in my living room with a fire extinguisher.¡±

    [The two men are conversing in the kitchen. Congressman Kim is casual, looking at the documents in between his kitchen work, and Mitchell remains at attention, stiff and professional. The fire alarm suddenly goes off. The politician wonders if it¡¯s his cooking that causes the alarm and immediately turns the flame off. When that doesn¡¯t seem to be the case, he directs his secretary to the study, and they disappear into the other room for a speedy evacuation. They exit a moment later but stop in their tracks. Nora, her tall frame hunched over, her shoulders heaving from catching her breath, is hauling a fire extinguisher in between her hands. She looks frantic.]

    ¡°Lunatic?¡± Nora mumbled under her breath.

    A warning glare. Nora shut her mouth.

    Daniel typed.

    ¡°Do you know how she got in?¡±

    ¡°You know better than I do,¡± Kim replied, ¡°Wasn¡¯t the door busted? She must have used the fire extinguisher to bash her way through.¡±

    ¡°Ok. And what happened after that?¡±

    Kim looked at Mitchell, as if he was hesitant. Apparently he wasn¡¯t too sure. The secretary took over.

    [The fire extinguisher hits the floor. A glimpse, only a glimpse, of a girl running back out the door she had entered from. The two men freeze in place, shocked, unable to process what had just happened.]

    ¡°She ran away.¡±

    Daniel stopped typing and looked up.

    ¡°¡­That was it?¡±

    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s why we didn¡¯t call. She¡­ didn¡¯t do much besides break in.¡±

    Huh.

    Daniel looked over at the criminal. She remained completely calm, her face almost expressionless. She didn¡¯t give any hint of her participation away, as if she had no business in this conversation at all. She tucked her hands into her hoodie pocket and let her legs kick out, stretching. Extremely casual.

    The detective turned to Kim, ¡°Do you think she had any reason to break in?¡±

    ¡°Ask her!¡± the congressman leaned away from the girl, throwing her looks of disgust, ¡°She would know better than we do.¡±

    She truly would. But she shrugged.

    The detective knocked on his desk to capture her attention.

    ¡°¡­Are you going to enlighten us anytime soon? I thought you said that you were good at talking.¡±

    She didn¡¯t respond.

    An annoyed sigh escaped the detective, but he moved on.

    ¡°So, the reason you decided no to contact the police was because she wasn¡¯t a threat. But she did damage your property. What made you think she wasn¡¯t going to come back and try something else?¡±

    The politician tried to respond but couldn¡¯t find the right words. He started fumbling.

    ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t think-!¡±

    ¡°You really didn¡¯t.¡±

    He babbled before losing his train of thought, and Mitchell once again came to the rescue.

    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about what-ifs. The police were still involved, so¡ª¡±

    Officer Gu interrupted, ¡°We responded to the fire alarm, not you.¡±

    He had been the one to answer the call and was the most irked at the false alarm when they had arrived earlier that night. His jab wasn¡¯t unwelcomed, but it was deserved. Mitchell wasn¡¯t impressed and tried to bite back.

    ¡°We also asked not to pursue this matter further, but you made an arrest anyways. Are you willing to deal with the press when they come swarming tomorrow? The headline won¡¯t be anything to sneeze at!¡±

    ¡°Would you rather have us respond to a call later because the matter wasn¡¯t properly taken care of??¡± Gu stretched out of his seat towards the secretary, and Nora had to lean back to give him some room.

    Before the impromptu conversation escalated any further, Daniel smacked his hand against his desk and returned order. The politician waved and Mitchell leaned back into his chair. Officer Gu huffed. Nora tapped her boots on the floor, staring at the ceiling as if she didn¡¯t have a care in the world.

    ¡°Which brings us to you.¡±

    Nora looked at the detective and pointed to her chest.

    ¡°Me?¡±

    ¡°Yes, you. What were you doing in Mr. Kim¡¯s penthouse this evening?¡±

    Nora didn¡¯t answer right away. She used her legs to slide herself into an upright position, a feat that was difficult without her hands. She managed anyways. It was a long fifteen seconds of silence that didn¡¯t help Daniel¡¯s growing frustration.

    Finally, she spoke, ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve got two witnesses saying that they saw you there, I think you do,¡± Daniel pointed to the congressman and his secretary.

    ¡°You call that evidence? What if they¡¯re lying?¡± Nora crossed her legs, ¡°Without their ¡®testimony¡¯, you can¡¯t prove I was anywhere near them.¡±

    That was true. Officer Gu nodded his head, a gesture that meant he was convinced, but Daniel wasn¡¯t having it.

    ¡°But you were near the building when the fire alarm went off. That¡¯s where we found you before you started running.¡±

    Nora shrugged, ¡°I won¡¯t deny that.¡±

    ¡°So? Why were you there?¡±

    ¡°If you saw a crowd gathering, you¡¯d stop and look too. It¡¯s not weird that I was there.¡±

    They had to admit, Nora was good. She managed to juggle enough information to keep things vague, but her testimony was completely valid. There wasn¡¯t any reason to suspect her except for what the victims had shared in their version of the story.

    ¡°What you¡¯re saying is that if I go back to that complex and ask for security footage of the hallways, I won¡¯t find you there? I won¡¯t see you destroying Mr. Kim¡¯s door?¡± Daniel pressed.

    Nora didn¡¯t say anything. She looked off to the side, as if he wasn¡¯t addressing her at all.

    ¡°Hello?¡± he asked.

    She shrugged.

    Daniel wasn¡¯t going to get much out of her, it seemed. He turned to his computer for answers and clicked his mouse a few times before continuing to speak.

    ¡°Nora Lee. Born April 3<sup>rd</sup>, 1994,¡± the detective glanced at the clock, ¡°¡­Happy birthday.¡±

    Nora grumbled.

    He continued, ¡°Employed with Quinton Press¡ª¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Newsers Tabloid now,¡± Nora interrupted.

    A pause.

    ¡°Just keeping your information updated.¡±

    The congressman beside her shuddered in disgust, ¡°It couldn¡¯t be anywhere classier? That paper¡¯s trash.¡±

    Nora beamed, ¡°I won¡¯t argue with you there, sir!¡±

    Daniel scrolled down and narrowed his eyes, struggling to process the information. His mouth opened, then closed, and his glared at her.

    ¡°It says here you¡¯ve been charged¡­ eighty-nine times??¡±

    Nora was smug in her response, ¡°That¡¯s mostly for whistleblowing.¡±

    Officer Gu gave her shoulder a small, friendly shove. What a joker.

    ¡°There was so much pride when you said that,¡± he laughed, ¡°There¡¯s a lot more in there. Public disturbances, harassment, restraining orders, destruction of property¡­¡±

    The officer¡¯s voice trailed off. Nora stared at him blankly. He wasn¡¯t helping.

    The detective, finally, smiled.

    ¡°Trespassing,¡± he said, ¡°That¡¯s the one you left out.¡±

 chapter three

    Triumph. The detective seemed much more assured in his conduct now at the sudden revelation, and the victims were equally as pleased. He acted as if the verdict was already decided from a few black and white pieces of text on his screen.

    Daniel turned away from his computer, his swivel chair sending him a little farther than he planned. His hands grabbed the corner of his desk to steady himself.

    ¡°Here¡¯s what I think happened,¡± he announced.

    Nora wasn¡¯t amused. She stayed completely rigid except for a small shift in her expression. She was holding onto an air of confidence, and Daniel felt it was his mission to rip that smugness out of her hands.

    ¡°You received a¡­ job request? Is that what it¡¯s called?¡± the detective started.

    ¡°A tip.¡± Nora wasn¡¯t the type to let a man talk uncorrected.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. You received a tip about a senate candidate staying at a nearby penthouse and decided that it would be a good idea to scope the place out. You stuck around the building for a little bit and watched him come home.¡±

    [It¡¯s early evening. Nora, dressed in her all-black attire, a baseball cap tucked on top of her short hair and deep over her eyes, hides herself behind a lamppost across the street from the congressman¡¯s residence, a camera in her hands. She waits to strike. A black car stops in front of the building, and a somewhat- tired politician exits. After saying a word to the driver, he makes his way inside, nodding to a huddle of elderly women passing by. Nora watched all of this with expectant eyes.]

    ¡°After a few minutes, another person arrives,¡± Daniel grabbed a pen and rolled it across his desk, a small distraction, ¡°Someone you recognize, perhaps? A person you¡¯ve seen lurking around Mr. Kim? After he enters the building and doesn¡¯t come back out in a professional amount of time, you conclude that there¡¯s some juicy story to uncover, so you make your way into the building. You somehow get past the door guard and the key-pass system. I¡¯ll leave that process up to your imagination.¡±

    [Mitchell An arrives in his own chauffeured vehicle and promptly enters the building carrying a bundle of files. Time passes. He¡¯s still in there. Eventually, Nora approaches one of the women near the door who recognizes her and casually brings her past the guard without much thought. Nora reaches the elevator with the key-pass system but is able to get to the penthouse without any authorization required. A flaw in the security? No matter. She¡¯s on her way to the top floor.]

    ¡°You get to the top floor and wait again, but no one exits the room. Your opportunities are dwindling. According to your file,¡± his fingers tap the mouse, opening some pages on his computer monitor, ¡°you¡¯ve changed news companies frequently. Once every two months, at least. I¡¯m going to assume that at this point in your current job you¡¯re desperate for some news, so when nothing was coming to you, you decide to create something for yourself.¡±

    Nora finally moved. She straightened up in her chair. Everyone noticed it, but what really held their attention was the growing glare in her eyes. Her mouth tightened into an ugly scowl, and her eyebrows gradually lowered. It looked like she was tasting something sour but was too stubborn to spit it out.

    It seemed that Daniel was the only one who didn¡¯t notice the chill in the air. He continued.

    ¡°You took the fire extinguisher from its spot and triggered the fire alarm. When your targets didn¡¯t come out, you tried the door. Maybe you assumed that they weren¡¯t in. You decide to break into the house. They wouldn¡¯t hear you over the alarm, and if there really wasn¡¯t anyone inside then you¡¯d be free to lurk and find some information before they returned.¡±

    [Nora hesitates, but when she decides to do something she follows through. She grabs the fire extinguisher and slams it into the glass case of the fire alarm before recklessly reaching in and pulling the tab. The alarms blare. She tuns back to her hiding place, a small alcove tucked behind a large planter near the elevator and waits with bated breath. Still nothing. When no one exits, she stealthily sneaks up to the door and puts her ear to it, hoping to hear some movement, but it¡¯s hard to listen to against the alarm. Thinking she¡¯s safe, Nora reels the extinguisher again and smashes it on the door, first at the handle, then the electronic passcode. After three hard hits she slowly enters the penthouse, extinguisher still in hand.]

    ¡°You enter, and when you¡¯re discovered you book it. Meeting face-to-face was never a part of your plan. You¡¯re able to blend in with the crows on your way down, and you stick around to take some pictures. You might not have gotten what you wanted, but you don¡¯t want to walk away without something, and a headline about a mysterious break-in at a congressman¡¯s penthouse is just enough to keep you floating in your mediocre job.¡±

    [Nora sneaks in successfully, and her guard slips for a moment. At the sudden arrival of the congressman and his secretary she freezes, alarmed, and drops the fire extinguisher. The sudden encounter upsets her nerves, and before she realizes it, she¡¯s out the door, sprinting into the emergency stairwell and descending three steps at a time. She catches up to a grumbling, urgent crowd in no time, and squeezes into a small niche in between people¡¯s arms until she¡¯s well protected by a wall of residents. She makes it outside, pushes herself back to her hiding spot across the street, and with jittery hands takes as many photos as she can.

    The victims soon exit the building, bewildered, but they¡¯re swept away by a gaggle of concerned and starstruck onlookers, and the matter is put to rest until the fire department shows up not five minutes later, followed by a police car. Out comes Officer Gu, his rookie partner Officer Yoon, and a freshly transferred and gruntled Detective Moon.]Stolen novel; please report.

    ¡°You wait until the all clear is given. You want to join the crowd and head back inside, but you hesitate. By that time, the police had discovered the break-in and were going through the crime scene. You hesitate too long, because you were still there when we got back to the lobby.¡±

    [Nora watches as the crowd returns to their homes and takes a step to follow them, but she just as quickly steps back into her hiding spot. She goes through the pictures on her camera and seems dissatisfied with them. Before she can take any countermeasures, a group exits the elevator. Nora can see them through the glass doors of the entrance.

    A moment is framed: the congressman, his secretary, two officers, and a detective arrive in the lobby with an array of different stories on their faces. Seeing an opportunity, Nora strikes and takes a picture. Her final picture. The detective suddenly turns, their eyes meet, and that¡¯s all it takes for Nora to know that she¡¯s in trouble. She secures the camera and runs just as Detective Moon sprints towards her.]

    ¡°So?¡± the detective rolled his neck, stretching, ¡°How close did I get?¡±

    The others weren¡¯t sure they wanted to hear an answer. Nora looked absolutely livid. At some point during his spiel she had shifted her attention to a small spot on the wall just above his head and simply glared holes into that. The air was tense, and Daniel skimmed over it, as if he had nothing to do with it. Officer Gu tried to intervene, unable to take in the density of it all.

    ¡°Well, what you said makes sense,¡± he started nervously, ¡°but I don¡¯t think Nora¡¯s the type of girl to do something so¡­¡±

    Daniel smacked his hand against the desk. Again. Nora wondered if he¡¯d break it at this rate.

    ¡°Do you think before you speak? If she wasn¡¯t the type of girl to do something like that, then we wouldn¡¯t be here.¡±

    Still, Officer Gu wasn¡¯t convinced, ¡°I¡¯m just saying¡ª¡±

    ¡°What you¡¯re saying,¡± Daniel interrupted, ¡°is biased and considered a conflict of interest in a court of law.¡±

    Gu wasn¡¯t sure how to argue to that. The detective continued.

    ¡°Go ahead and stick around if you want to play favorites, but what you¡¯re ¡®just saying¡¯ is an insult to the people who deserve justice for this girls¡¯ stupid decisions!¡±

    That shut the officer up. Gu tried to salvage himself by reaching a comforting arm to Nora, but he dropped it and kicked his chair back to his desk nearby, leaving the conversation completely. The congressman looked satisfied with the detective¡¯s conduct and tried to take over. He turned to the girl at his side with an air of magnanimous snoot.

    ¡°I understand wanting to get ahead in your work, but to think that you¡¯d put people in danger like that. It¡¯s no wonder you couldn¡¯t keep a job for long.¡±

    The snide comment made Nora turn her glare to him, and he shut his mouth. He shouldn¡¯t have said that.

    ¡°Where¡¯s your proof?¡± she asked.

    ¡°What?¡± Kim coughed.

    ¡°Your evidence. The evidence that states clearly and legibly that I did all of those things.¡± Nora turned to Daniel, ¡°I can talk about the court of law too. You falsifying a testimony to fit this guy¡¯s fantasy isn¡¯t very moral of you, my detective.¡±

    Daniel squinted, ¡°What does a gossip rag reporter know about morality?¡±

    ¡°Enough to be disappointed in your obvious lack of it.¡±

    Congressman Kim sputtered, ¡°F-Fantasy??¡±

    Mitchell did his best to calm his boss down. He placed a hand on Kim¡¯s arm, and it was jerked off immediately, as if it burned. Aside from being pissed, Nora was unbothered. The politician had leaped up out of his seat and towered over her, steaming, and she rose to meet him. The sudden movement toppled him back to his seat and he cried out in alarm. Daniel stood from his own chair, but the height difference made the move underwhelming; Nora had a three-inch advantage, and she wasn¡¯t wearing heels.

    ¡°Sit back down,¡± Daniel ordered her.

    ¡°I won¡¯t. I¡¯m not going to let some new guy like you talk around me like I don¡¯t know what my rights are.¡±

    ¡°I get it, so sit down.¡±

    They glared at each other. Officer Gu, the busybody, rolled back in on his wheeled chair from behind his desk and pulled Nora back into her seat. It seemed as if he had been sitting next to her for a reason. He didn¡¯t leave again, and Daniel didn¡¯t ask him to.

    Seeing that the argument had deescalated, Daniel fell back into his seat.

    ¡°If that¡¯s not correct, the would you please give us your version of what happened?¡±

    It almost worked. Nora opened her mouth to refute his ridiculousness, but before any noise could come out she shut it just as quickly. Officer Gu¡¯s arm was hooked into her own, and she grabbed onto it with her other hand as if it was a lifeline. It anchored her to her sanity. Officer Gu said the next sentence for her.

    ¡°She¡¯s going to remain silent.¡±

    The detective scoffed.

    ¡°Excuse me?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s what she usually does. She knows not to incriminate herself, so she won¡¯t say anything unless you have proof.¡±

    Daniel¡¯s patience was running thin, and it was getting late. He rubbed his hands over his tired eyes.

    ¡°One last question for the night, then,¡± he said, ¡°The memory card. Where is it?¡±

    Nota remained silent.

    ¡°Look, you hand that over and it¡¯ll show me where you¡¯ve been. If I¡¯m wrong, then you¡¯ve got yourself an alibi. Right?¡±

    The congressman frowned, ¡°But couldn¡¯t she have deleted those pictures?¡±

    Daniel shook his head and tapped a knuckle onto his desk, ¡°Nah. If I were her, I¡¯d keep everything. It¡¯d be a waste to get rid of it all if she had the chance to use them. So? It wouldn¡¯t hurt to submit that as evidence.¡±

    Nora didn¡¯t say anything.

    ¡°Unless,¡± Daniel paused, ¡°You have a reason to hide it? If you took pictures of things you¡¯re not willing to share with the police, then that¡¯s the same thing as you claiming guilt. Am I correct?¡±

    At this statement, Kim¡¯s eyes bulged. He straightened himself, but his hands roamed his frame, as if trying to catch hold of something. He struggled to remain calm at the sudden development.

    ¡°Then- then you¡¯re saying that there¡¯s no reason to hide anything unless she¡¯s guilty?¡± he turned to Nora, trying his best to push the words out of his stomach, ¡°You better listen to him, girl. He¡¯s got you in a corner. Confess everything you¡¯ve done. Hand those photos over to me immediately!¡±

    Mitchell raised an eyebrow, but beside that his posture didn¡¯t change. The reveal of pictures hadn¡¯t alarmed him in the slightest.

    One moment passed. Two. Three.

    Nora finally announced, ¡°I¡¯m not giving you anything without a warrant.¡±

    She didn¡¯t bite the bait. Daniel growled.

    ¡°You¡¯re aware that I can keep you in custody?¡±

    ¡°48 hours is no big deal,¡± she shrugged.

    ¡°I¡¯ll find the evidence. I¡¯m quite good at it.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t doubt that.¡±

    ¡°And if you just told me what happened or give me what I need, then we could all go home on time.¡±

    The detective didn¡¯t realize he was inching closer until the front half of his body was already over his desk.

    Nora turned to her good friend Officer Gu.

    ¡°Warm up my spot in the holding cell, won¡¯t you?¡± she smiled, ¡°And grab my blanket from the cupboard?¡±

    ¡°Nora¡­¡± Officer Gu warned.

    Nora jumped to her feet and turned to the detective. He looked beyond exhausted. The congressman and his secretary silently stared from the sidelines, unsure of how to address Nora¡¯s devil-may-care behavior. How careless could she be? What kind of woman could hold herself so confidently like this, with the treatment she was receiving? She was willing to walk into the holding cell by herself?

    They were surprised she hadn¡¯t cracked.

    This wasn¡¯t her first rodeo, of course. She was too brazen, too smug, and too smart to admit when she was wrong. And whether she was in the wrong or not was too complicated to tell. It didn¡¯t matter what the detective had said. They really couldn¡¯t do much to her without the evidence to prove it.

    ¡°So?¡± Nora blinked, ¡°Should I wish you luck in your work, or do you not need it?¡±

    One second. Two. Three. Then, after vaulting a heavy sigh her way, the detective let his hands smack one final time against his desk.

    ¡°Lock her up.¡±

 chapter four

    Nora felt at home in the holding cell. There were occupants already sprawled out on the floor- a few rowdy drunks from the bars and clubs a couple blocks over- but she made herself comfortable in her spot, the corner closest to the door. She leaned against the bars and watched the exhausted officers change shifts and waved a pleasant goodbye to Officer Gu as he retired for the night. Daniel glared from his desk, pounding away at the keyboard in front of him and outlining the next course of action for the victims falling asleep in their seats. He called out to her from across the room, too bothered to walk over.

    ¡°Hey!¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    ¡°You better not fall asleep,¡± he warned, ¡°I¡¯m questioning you again as soon as I¡¯m finished with this.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Nora didn¡¯t sound too concerned.

    The detective frowned, ¡°Is there an attorney I need to call? Or are you gonna talk?

    A yawn escaped the girl¡¯s lips. She wiggled into a more comfortable positions on the cold floor.

    ¡°It¡¯s two o¡¯clock in the morning, you don¡¯t have to do that to him. Wait until it¡¯s decent.¡±

    Daniel let out a frustrated sigh and went back to work. He made a big show of jerking his arms around and throwing a passive aggressive tantrum that the rest of the station¡¯s occupants did their best to avoid looking at.

    Nora ignored him, of course. Her eyes began to close as she listened to the clicks and voices of the substation around her. One of the drunks grunted, but she paid no attention to him. Even when the detective punted the bar she was leaning against as he walked by, she didn¡¯t flinch. She refused to play victim to his petty annoyance. He could throw a tantrum all he wanted, but she wasn¡¯t going down without a fight, especially with everything that she knew. She¡¯d enjoy this night in her corner, watching him wrestle with exhaustion and her unwavering silence.

    Ten minutes passed like this. As she let her mind wander, small voices crept into the back of her head. They were muffled, as if wandering around on an AM radio frequency she couldn¡¯t quite tune in to, but Nora navigated herself through the feedback and listened.

    ¡°God, I wanna go home¡ª"

    ¡°How much longer do I have to sit here-?¡±

    ¡°Did she like her coffee with sugar? I can¡¯t remember¡ª¡±

    ¡°Hmm hmm HMMM¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m so drunk right now. Can he tell? He probably can¡¯t tell. I¡¯m so good at acting. I should be an actor¡ª¡±

    ¡°She saw it. She definitely saw it.¡±

    ¡°Nora¡¯s eyes opened. She leaned forward to glimpse at the other side of the detective¡¯s desk.

    ¡°She must be hiding that memory card somewhere. But where? If I leave without those pictures, I¡¯m screwed.¡±

    Congressman Kim and his secretary weren¡¯t happy. The politician had given up his act of professionalism and was trying to find a comfortable position in his chair. The detective had left minutes before, off to do some menial chore in another part of the substation. It was a break that everyone felt was necessary.

    Mitchell remained silent. Calm. Composed. His attitude hasn¡¯t changed much.

    But his eyes shifted. He glanced at Nora in her cell, then back at the congressman, then Nora again. Finally, they made eye contact, and the secretary¡¯s eyes narrowed. A finger tapped against his crossed arms, almost like a nervous tick.

    ¡°¡­She knows more than I thought.¡±

    His mouth didn¡¯t move. But it didn¡¯t have to.

    Nora was a very good listener.

    She watched as he pulled his phone out of his pocket and tapped away. A text message? She leaned closer to the bars and strained her ears, but before she could pick up the message contents¡ª

    ¡°I really shouldn¡¯t be giving her coffee¡­¡±

    Another voice. Nora turned just as Officer Yoon rounded the corner, a paper cup in both of her hands. She smiled when their eyes met and knelt to the floor.

    ¡°Thirsty?¡± the officer asked.

    Nora returned the cheeriness, as much as she could muster, ¡°Absolutely not.¡±

    Officer Yoon passed a cup through the bars anyways.

    ¡°Sorry. Detective¡¯s orders. He said if he¡¯s not sleeping, you¡¯re not either.¡±

    Nora grumbled but complied. She took a sip out of contempt.

    ¡°But why are you drinking? Your shift ended.¡±This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    ¡°Someone had to stay behind,¡± Yoon replied, ¡°Gu and I were the ones that responded to the alarm, and the detective isn¡¯t finished with his report. I figured Gu could use the sleep.¡±

    ¡°Ah. Sorry.¡±

    ¡°I wish I could say it was okay, but that¡¯s against my work ethics.¡±

    Officer Yoon was the apple of the substation¡¯s eye. A rookie in her first year on the force, she was ambitious and ready to work when work was needed. She had the brains, the beauty, and the skill of a top-level officer, but her experience and performance were usually lacking (especially alongside her partner Gu, who was known for his lax attitude). It was something she was constantly doing her best to make up for, and Nora was appreciative of her efforts, despite usually being a mechanism against them. Her frequent visits to the station had made the two unlikely friends.

    Officer Yoon made herself comfortable and leaned against the other side of the holding cell bars, seemingly taking a break. Nora readjusted herself too, and they talked while watching for the detective¡¯s return. Yoon would be evicted from her spot as soon as he showed up.

    ¡°He¡¯s cute,¡± Yoon mumbled. Nora¡¯s eyebrows knit together.

    ¡°Hm? Who are we talking about?

    ¡°Mr. Secretary over there,¡± the officer gestured, a small wave of her fingers, to the man fiddling with his phone, ¡°Do you think he¡¯d give me his number if I asked for it?¡±

    Nora thought.

    ¡°Honestly?¡± Nora took a sip of her coffee, ¡°No. I don¡¯t think so.¡±

    Officer Yoon sighed.

    ¡°You¡¯re right. He¡¯s not my type. He¡¯s just pretty.¡±

    She grumbled and went back to her coffee, before mumbling again, ¡°There¡¯s always something wrong with the pretty ones.¡±

    A pause. They watched as Mitchell closed his eyes and stretched into the back of his chair. He twisted, something cracked, and he grunted. Another sigh escaped the officer.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m guessing your date didn¡¯t go well last week?¡± Nora asked.

    ¡°It didn¡¯t,¡± Yoon replied, more like a breath rather than spoken words.

    ¡°Ah.¡±

    Nora wasn¡¯t sure what else to say, so she offered as much of a small, comforting pat on Yoon¡¯s shoulders that the holding cell bars could allow. It was an appreciated gesture, and the officer patted Nora¡¯s hand in response.

    ¡°I thought things would be different with a new detective on the team,¡± Yoon frowned, her free hand finding and twirling the ends to her dark ponytail, ¡°He¡¯s cute. I know someone from the main precinct and got to see his file before anyone else. I went to the salon on the day of his transfer.¡±

    An unnecessary gesture, but Nora let her continue.

    ¡°But he¡¯s so short, Nora,¡± the officer lamented, ¡°He¡¯s tiny. And he¡¯s mean.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a reason why lawyers tell you to read the fine print. You should know all the details before you get your hopes up,¡± Nora said.

    ¡°I really should.¡±

    Suddenly, Yoon turned to Nora.

    ¡°But did you know? Apparently, he was a big shot. They had him at HQ for forever.¡±

    Nora had recognized the name. Daniel Moon. He was a driving force to multiple stand-out cases from the past decade, but she wasn¡¯t the type to be starstruck. She was more upset by the fact that she never connected his name to his face before today.

    ¡°He was involved with that idol fraud case,¡± Nora remembered the long list of achievement trailing down the detective¡¯s legacy.

    Officer Yoon gasped, ¡°No way, that was him?¡±

    ¡°And those serial murders,¡± she continued, ¡°You know, the one done by that pregnant lady.¡±

    ¡°You know my resume better than I do.¡±

    Officer squeaked and almost toppled over in her spot.

    It seemed that the detective in concern had crept behind her at some point during the conversation. He menacingly towered over the two sitting on the floor, as much as his short stature could manage.

    Nora wasn¡¯t surprised. She had heard him coming earlier but found herself not caring enough to acknowledge his presence. Officer Yoon¡¯s hands clenched around her coffee cup, and she stared up at her superior with nervous eyes. She couldn¡¯t tell how long he had been standing there, or how much he had heard.

    ¡°It comes with the job,¡± Nora quipped, ¡°According to news, you¡¯ve been around.¡±

    Daniel cocked his head.

    ¡°Huh. Funny how you know more than the person who got a hold of my file.¡±

    Officer Yoon¡¯s face flushed. She started mumbling.

    ¡°He heard a lot¡ª¡±

    ¡°He did,¡± Nora said.

    ¡°He sounds mad¡ª¡±

    ¡°I am.¡±

    This time, it was Daniel.

    ¡°I can¡¯t help being short. But I can be meaner, if you want.¡±

    Officer Yoon scuttled to her feet as quickly as she could.

    ¡°Just give her coffee. That¡¯s all you had to do. Someone with your skill set shouldn¡¯t have a problem with such a simple task, but here we are.¡±

    The detective had left words unsaid, but they were heard. An awkward moment. Nora felt curses spilling out of Yoon, but they weren¡¯t spoken aloud.

    Finally, the officer muttered, ¡°I¡¯m gonna¡ª¡±

    ¡°Go home,¡± the detective finished, ¡°I can finish up here.¡±

    ¡°Right. Yes. I¡¯m going.¡±

    ¡°Drive safely,¡± Nora chimed, waving her off.

    ¡°Dammit, Nora. She could have said something! I¡¯m not bringing her coffee next time!¡±

    Nora smiled apologetically as her friend speed-walked to the back of the substation.

    A minute passed between the detective and his arrestee. Daniel took Officer Yoon¡¯s spot and leaned against the bars. He tried to figure her out. Nora stared back and sipped her own coffee. Her defiance wouldn¡¯t allow her to break eye contact.

    ¡°Where¡¯s she hide the damn thing? I should have asked Officer Yoon to do a body check before she left. Whatever. She can wait. I can¡¯t believe she called me short. 170 centimeters isn¡¯t short¡­ right? It¡¯s an average height. I¡¯m average.¡±

    Nora laughed through her nose.

    ¡°What¡¯s funny?¡± the detective asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Nora smiled, ¡°You gonna say something, or should we stare at each other a little more? I don¡¯t mind. Now that I¡¯m looking, your eyes are kind of pretty.¡±

    His eyes were pretty- a light gray, almost clear. The flatness of the color was uncomforting, almost alarming, and completely unnatural. The detective didn¡¯t give her another chance to make comments about them.

    ¡°Brat.¡±

    He kicked the cell bars, and Nora snickered. Congressman Kim jerked awake at the noise- he had fallen asleep slumped over in his chair. The detective turned back to his desk and waved the file in his hand.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to keep you two waiting. I¡¯ve got everything taken care of, so you can leave now.¡±

    The detective smacked the file against the bars, motioning to her, ¡°Her attorney won¡¯t be coming until the morning. I¡¯ll update you once we start getting somewhere.¡±

    Nora laughed, ¡°You actually called him?¡±

    ¡°Of course I called him. You obviously don¡¯t pay him enough.¡±

    Nora didn¡¯t pay him at all, but she wasn¡¯t going to say that.

    ¡°If you want,¡± the detective continued, a lightness lilting his voice, ¡°You can save everyone from a headache by complying¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m good.¡±

    A pause. One smile. An aggravated sigh.

    Daniel turned back to Kim, ¡°I¡¯ll be heading over to grab the security footage once I get some sleep. This whole thing should be over by tomorrow.¡±

    The congressman nodded and shot up from his seat eager to finally get home and properly rest. But Mitchell stalled. He slowly stretched, looked around the substation, took his sweet time preparing to leave. What was he waiting for?

    ¡°Right,¡± the secretary said, ¡°Yes. Are you sure things are taken care of? You don¡¯t need anything else from us?¡±

    Kim frowned.

    ¡°He just said we could go. What are you talking about?¡±

    Mitchell didn¡¯t want to rile his boss up any more. He pat him on the arm and assured, ¡°I don¡¯t want to make any mistakes, sir. The debate is this weekend. I wouldn¡¯t want anything to happen before we gain some traction.¡±

    He paused and glanced at the clock on the wall.

    ¡°If I¡¯m being honest, I would have preferred this to be taken care of by the main precinct. It¡¯s obvious that this girl¡¯s a regular here, and she¡¯s got friends all over the place. What happens to us if they let her go?¡±

    What was he talking about? Nora raised an eyebrow and watched as the atmosphere between the three men changed. The detective crossed his arms, obviously catching the hints that were being lightly tossed into this spiel, but he was too exhausted to make any sound arguments. All he could muster was a smile that couldn¡¯t quite reach his eyes.

    ¡°Small station officers are known for slacking off,¡± Mitchell concluded, a final nail into the proverbial coffin, ¡°If word got out that someone broke into a future senator¡¯s home and wasn¡¯t punished for it¡­¡±

    Suddenly, Kim clutched a heavy hand onto his secretary¡¯s shoulder. He laughed over him, a hearty boom that shook the walls. Leave it to a politician to defuse the tension.

    I can¡¯t be mad at you for thinking of the campaign,¡± he managed through chuckles, ¡°This is why I hired him. Good choice, amirite?¡±

    Daniel matched his laugh. Sarcastically. He wasn¡¯t amused at all.

    ¡°Excuse him, he¡¯s too good at his job. I look forward to hearing from you¡ª¡±

    Kim stretched out a hand for a proper shake that the detective seemed extremely reluctant to return, but before they could say their goodbyes a sudden bang sounded from the other end of the station. A door slammed open, and a frantic man entered. He was older, rat-like, and seemed to be in a rush; he was still in his pajamas and seemed to only have had time to throw on a jacket and boots before leaving the house. In his hands was a storage box filled to the brim with stacks of loose-leaf paper and packets, and he paid no mind as they flew out around him.

    His name was Mr. Shin, the head manager of Newsers Tabloid.

 chapter five

    ¡°Where is she?¡±

    The room went silent. Nora stood up, alarmed.

    ¡°Mr. Shin?¡±

    Her boss was not happy. As soon as he spotted Nora behind bars he sputtered and made his way across the room. His sudden arrival brought about an air of confusion the rest of the guests couldn¡¯t quite grasp, and the detective didn¡¯t have time to step forward to ask about the stranger¡¯s identity before he was tossed to the side and ultimately neglected. The only person who wasn¡¯t jarred was, once again, the out-of-place secretary, whose expectant eyes glinted with satisfaction, and he found himself back in his seat along with hope that a show was about to begin.

    Nora glared at that. So that¡¯s who he was stalling for.

    The box in Mr. Shin¡¯s hands dropped with a tremendous thud to the floor in front of the holding cell. Nora recognized the contents immediately.

    ¡°That¡¯s my desk,¡± she looked up to meet Mr. Shin¡¯s eyes, ¡°Why¡ª?¡±

    ¡°This?¡± he huffed, ¡°This is a warning.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a stupid one.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be a smart-ass with me, Lee. This isn¡¯t the time for it.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re telling me,¡± Daniel cut in.

    The detective was waiting to be acknowledged by the stranger that just floundered into his wake. He stepped between him and Nora¡¯s holding cell and made his presence known.

    ¡°Can I help you?¡± he asked.

    Suddenly the door opened again, and the police receptionist arrived, flustered.

    ¡°Sorry, he just- he just ran in¡ª!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I¡¯ve got this handled.¡±

    The detective waved her off, and she gave a nervous nod before returning to the lobby. The simple gesture returned his authority in the room. He turned back to the stranger and smiled, another expression that didn¡¯t quite reach the rest of him. He was beyond exhausted, and this new round of impromptu questioning wasn¡¯t part of his plans.

    ¡°It¡¯s late. Is there something that you¡¯re here for that can¡¯t wait until the morning?¡±

    Shine didn¡¯t waste time on the detective. He let out an obnoxious scoff that left everyone present in a small daze, unsure of how to react to his rude behavior, and he made an obviously unwilling turn to the authority.

    ¡°Anthony Shin, Newsers Tabloid,¡± he introduced, ¡°I¡¯d give you my card but as you can see, I¡¯m not carrying any.

    Shin pulled the pockets of his jacket out to show that they were empty and showed a wry grin before turning back to the girl in the cell. The detective opened his mouth to speak, probably to nag about the manager¡¯s lack of manners, but he was interrupted before any words could make it out.

    ¡°Now if you¡¯ll excuse me, I¡¯ve got an idiot to deal with,¡± Mr. Shin glared.

    A scoff that was ignored. An awkward shared glance. The congressman finally realized he had lost the timing to leave and sat back down in his chair. Daniel sat down on his desktop as well, thinking that he might as well see how this plays out, and Nora was left with confronting the obnoxious man alone with an audience she wished she didn¡¯t have.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    She blinked, unsure of what to say, but when Mr. Shin started to perform his pre-lecture ritual of cracking his knuckles she attempted to cut into the conversation before it started.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t be an asshole. You¡¯re embarrassing me.¡±

    Mr. Shin released a dry laugh, ¡°Oh, you¡¯re embarrassed? You should be! I have to show up to the office in the morning without a headline because you got caught being stupid!!¡±

    Nora knew where this was going. Her hand slipped between the bars and went to cover her manager¡¯s mouth before he said too much, but he smacked it away just as quickly. She hissed.

    ¡°Did you just make a pass at me?!¡± Shin shouted, alarmed.

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not¡ª!¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t let her explain, ¡°You can¡¯t stay out of trouble! How many times have you been in here this month?¡±

    ¡°Actually¡ª¡±

    ¡°I know the answer already, so don¡¯t waste your breath.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I say we shouldn¡¯t have hired her? She¡¯s too much trouble! Nothing good comes out of a blacklisted reporter.¡±

    Nora shut her mouth. Her manager¡¯s anger was only building, and his thoughts were ugly enough. She watched as he mulled over his emotions, switching from anger to apathy, to some form of sympathy to the girl caught behind the bars, only to get annoyed again by the outcome of it all. The trio behind him seemed somewhat entertained; the congressman especially, whose only understanding of the situation was that Nora was in trouble, and she deserved it.

    Detective Moon tilted his head.

    ¡°If he¡¯s the boss, I was gonna call him anyways. Maybe¡­¡±

    Nora didn¡¯t like where his thoughts were going. The detective was wary, ready to play referee but hoping that by the end of the night he¡¯d have what he wanted. He waited and listened.

    Shin finally collected himself enough to continue.

    ¡°You at least got the job done, right? You got the pictures I asked for?¡±

    Shit.

    The detective grinned. Nora blanched.

    ¡°You- you asked for pictures?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I pay you for, right?¡± Mr. Shin wasn¡¯t getting the hint, ¡°I sent you to get pictures of¡ª¡±

    Nope! Nora reached for his mouth again, and he smacked her hand away just as quickly as the last time.

    ¡°¡ªKim¡¯s penthouse. Did you not get anything??¡±

    Checkmate.

    Nora wasn¡¯t given the opportunity to answer. A slow clap resounded, a noise from the detective¡¯s arrogance. The congressman followed suit and applauded in an uproar fitting to his loud nature, leaving just the secretary in silence, who watched with wary eyes as the conversation curved in unexpected ways. He was following the conversation, but somehow found himself confused by the outcome. Nora didn¡¯t like that. If she was being honest, she didn¡¯t like anything about the sudden development one bit.

    ¡°Does that mean I was right,¡± Daniel chimed, ¡°You were sent to the penthouse to get a scoop!¡±

    Nora frowned, ¡°I mean¡ª¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    She huffed, then countered, ¡°Just because you guessed one thing doesn¡¯t mean the rest of it is true! You know that!¡±

    The detective suddenly found something interesting in the corner of the room, mimicking Nora¡¯s previous act of uninterest.

    ¡°Do I? I just got a confession that you had a motive to be at the scene.¡±

    An off- the record confession that you took anyway you wanted!¡± Nora smacked the bars of her cell, ¡°I can still show up and not take pictures!!¡±

    Suddenly, Shin reached into the bars and grabbed a hold of Nora¡¯s hood, pulling her attention to him.

    ¡°The pictures. You have them don¡¯t you?¡± Mr. Shin asked.

    Nora panicked and tried to shove him off.

    ¡°You better have them!!¡±

    ¡°Get off!!¡±

    The manager started to shove his hands into her jacket pockets to look for the memory card, and Nora tried to rip herself away from him. Realizing what he was looking for, the congressman ran up to the bars and did his best to avert the snatching hands, and soon a hectic panic rose from the holding cell as Nora was shoved around in search of the pictures. The secretary played a vital role of standing on neither side, batting the hands of the manager away loosely but doing his best to keep Nora as close to the bars as she could. He wanted those pictures just as badly and wouldn¡¯t miss the opportunity to snatch them if they showed up.

    The yelling and screaming woke up the drunk cellmates and seeing a fellow in trouble roused them to join the fray. Soon it was a mess of people, drunks versus politicians versus police, which ended with Nora being flung to the very back of the holding cell missing a hoodie, a shoe, and some much-needed sanity.

    Through it all, the detective had summoned as many police officers still in the building as he could and shoved his way into the cell, and before the panic had settled Nora had been dragged out, thrown into the small adjacent questioning room, and sat down in an unstable plastic chair.

 chapter six

    The questioning room welcomed them. Daniel and Nora did their best to catch their breaths, but before the detective could take hold of his bearings over the sudden mess, Mr. Shin intruded again, extremely agitated. He slammed the door behind him, locking Congressman Kim and his secretary out. Daniel immediately raised a hand to keep him to the opposite side of the room. He knew where the source of the trouble was at.

    ¡°You,¡± he panted, ¡°You wait over there. Better yet, sit down. I don¡¯t feel comfortable with you standing up.¡±

    The manager haughtily complied. Daniel kept his hand on the back of Nora¡¯s chair, a protective stance, and followed her as she scooted her seat back to the wall. She was upset, and rightly so. The sudden frisking wasn¡¯t a welcome one.

    ¡°It¡¯s definitely not in her pockets. Then where¡­?¡±

    On his own, the detective was still silently searching for the memory card. He had other priorities. Nora swiped his hand from her chair¡¯s back and glared at him, and he decidedly retreated by seating himself onto the table in the middle of the room.

    ¡°What the hell was that about?¡± he finally asked.

    Mr. Shin was hasty with his reply.

    ¡°I¡¯m just getting what¡¯s mine! I don¡¯t know why everyone made such a big deal about it.¡±

    ¡°The ¡®big deal¡¯ is that you¡¯re grabbing girls without permission. I thought she was supposed to be the stupid one here.¡±

    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Nora asked, but she was interrupted by Mr. Shin¡¯s incredulous attempts at an excuse.

    The detective, of course, didn¡¯t let him get very far with those.

    ¡°I don¡¯t wanna hear it. That was the most pigheaded thing I think I¡¯ve ever seen. If you don¡¯t apologize I¡¯m gonna recommend that she press charges when her attorney shows up in the morning.¡±

    Mr. Shin wasn¡¯t listening. He leaned forward in his seat and scoffed, ¡°It¡¯s not my fault. She¡¯s the one not handing those pictures over! Do you know what¡¯ll happen if those don¡¯t show up on our paper tomorrow?¡±

    The detective went back to his habit of smacking his hand to the table, and Mr. Shin squirmed in his seat, shutting his mouth.

    What a ridiculous situation. Did Mr. Shin really not understand what he was doing? It was like he had lost his common sense on his way to the station. He was usually a rational man, at least a person who would stand to reason and not falter to such absurd behavior. Wrestling a girl? Not bowing to a lion like the detective in his own den? When in Rome, one should do what the Romans would do, but Mr. Shin acted like a foreigner with zero regard to the rules.

    Nora watched her boss wriggle in his seat. His hands were sweating from the previous altercation and kept wringing them. He was obviously anxious.

    Why?

    What was forcing him to act this way?

    ¡°Does ¡®Reporter Breaks into Congressman¡¯s House¡¯ not cut it for you as a headline?¡± she asked him, ¡°What are you so worried about?¡±

    [Late morning. Mr. Shin sits at his desk. Through the windows of his corner office you can see reporters and editors squabbling around, save for a small group standing in front of the television. On screen, a news reporter narrates the new campaign efforts of Mr. Kim, highlighting his noble efforts towards the poor and unfortunate. Some watching nod, while others grimace, seeing through some unseen hoax. Nora is sitting at her small desk some ways away, listening but not paying specific attention.

    The focus shifts. As soon as a commercial airs, the phone on Mr. Shin¡¯s desk rings, and he answers it casually. A pause. The voice on the other end pales his face, and he sits up a bit straighter in his chair. Awe, respect, and fear lilt in his voice. One of those feelings far outweighs the others.]

    A pause. Nora squinted at her boss, focusing on his uneasy face, as if she could see something no one else could. The detective sent her an inquisitive look.

    ¡°Who paid you for those pictures? It¡¯s obviously not the editor. You wouldn¡¯t be so desperate if it was him.¡±

    [The voice on the phone speaks slowly, and Mr. Shin nods before forgetting that his response can¡¯t be seen, then clears his throat. A small, crooked smile curves his rat-face. He looks out the window again, his gaze catching Nora as she leaves her desk with a stack of papers. When she returns, they make eye contact, and he waves his hand to pull her into his office. Nora¡¯s confused but she can tell that something big just happened and hurries over. Mr. Shin¡¯s hands are still shaking when he hangs up.]

    Mr. Shin¡¯s eyes went wide. How¡­? He leapt out of his seat, and the detective automatically shifted his shoulders slightly to act as a barrier between them.

    ¡°The memory card,¡± he said, ¡°Where is it?¡±

    Nora continued, unfazed.

    ¡°How did you know I was here?

    [Night. Mr. Shin paces in his bedroom, the bedside lamp engulfing his silhouette. His wife urges him to bed, but he ignores her. He¡¯s waiting for news. A text vibrates the phone on his nightstand, and he dives after it, but he howls when he reads the message. Something happened. Something is wrong. The fear from that morning returns, and he¡¯s out the door before his wife can stop him.]

    ¡°The detective only called my attorney, and my attorney works for me. He¡¯s my person. He¡¯s not stupid enough to call you, so who told you to come here?¡±

    Daniel raised his eyebrow. Good point.

    ¡°I¡¯ve had her phone, and she hasn¡¯t gotten any calls. You came straight here. You didn¡¯t even check to see if she was in or not,¡± he added.

    [In the back of a taxi, Mr. Shin receives another text. He¡¯s panicking. His hands grip the side of the box beside him. He hopes that he can be persuasive but being persuasive was never his forte. He doesn¡¯t think he can handle it.]

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t make sense,¡± Nora admitted.

    And the detective replied, ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t.¡±

    Fear. Shin threw a fist onto the table, a bad move. It was close enough to Daniel¡¯s thigh for him to smack down his own hand and keep it there. The detective clutched at the aggravated man¡¯s arm and their eyes met. Under the inquisitive glare, Mr. Shin didn¡¯t move a muscle.

    ¡°I can always switch you two out. You look like you want to try the cell,¡± Daniel threatened.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    Shin was unbothered. Desperate. Something was squeezing his insides from the back of his mind, and it was an unpleasant sensation.

    Nora watched him. She leaned across the table, almost across Daniel¡¯s lap, and when her elbows grazes the detective¡¯s thigh he twisted away from the sudden invasion of privacy. She didn¡¯t pay attention to him. She was listening.

    [Back in the taxi, Mr. Shin receives another phone call. An unknown number, different from the first. He lets out a nervous sob under his breath before answering as professionally as he can, but only three words are spoken. A woman¡¯s voice. Raspy, calm, but full of a gravitating power that sucks the oxygen out of his lungs and the thoughts out of his brain. It¡¯s a voice that¡¯s surprisingly familiar and needs no introduction.

    ¡°Get those pictures.¡±

    Click.]

    Nora calculated an unobvious equation, and finally stood up on her own accord. A slow, steady movement. Daniel had every intention to sit her back down, and he swiveled from his spot to gain a better stance in the event.

    ¡°Nora Lee,¡± Mr. Shin said, ¡°the pictures. I need them.¡±

    She read his face.

    [Mr. Shin stares at the phone in his hand long after the call is over. As soon as life fills his lungs he leans back into his seat and grabs at his hair. The taxi driver watches from his rearview mirror in concern but doesn¡¯t say anything. After a moment of thinking over his options, the manager glances at the box again. He lifts the lid to check the contents, and decidedly shuts it. He calms down and assures himself. If this doesn¡¯t go well, it won¡¯t be his fault. It will be the incompetence of his employee, and she would be easily replaced.

    But another text, this time from a number different from the previous ones. This one drowns out anything that could have saved him:

    DELIVER OR PERISH]

    Nora glared. She decided that silence was indeed a virtue:

    ¡°What pictures? I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about.¡±

    ¡°Do NOT start that again.¡±

    The detective made a face, and a long, exhausted sigh escaped him once again. He should have expected this.

    ¡°You really¡­¡±

    Nora was stubborn. She spat her words at him.

    ¡°I. Have. No. Idea.¡±

    ¡°YOU LITTLE¡ª!"

    Shin¡¯s desperation lurched him towards her, and Daniel placed a well-timed hand on his chest to shove him back. The sudden push forced the room back into high-tension, and the detective tried to calm down the aggrieved.

    ¡°Look, she says she doesn¡¯t have it,¡± Daniel sounded frustrated in his own right.

    ¡°She obviously does!¡± Mr. Shin yowled.

    ¡°I know, I know. And even if she did have it, it¡¯d be confiscated as evidence. She broke into someone¡¯s house. She damaged property. Headline or not, she¡¯s being detained until her warrant comes in and all of belongings on her person will be submitted¡ª."

    But the detective¡¯s words went unheard.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t hand that memory card over, you¡¯re fired!¡± Mr. Shin warned, ¡°Terminated immediately! Make the right decision and give me those pictures, or I swear¡ª!"

    Nora knew better. She felt it was better not to respond. She just stared.

    Mr. Shin ballooned up. His fury was almost uncontainable, and the detective made a smart decision to remove him from the room. He opened the door and two curious public officials fell in, then sheepishly picked themselves up off the floor. Daniel made a grab for the manager¡¯s arm, but he missed, and Mr. Shin was already huffing out.

    The detective turned to Congressman Kim, who couldn¡¯t hide his embarrassment very well and turned to let himself out. But before he could make it out the door-.

    The manager was back. Mr. Shin, the box of Nora¡¯s belongings in his hand, swung back into the questioning room in a large arc and tossed the objects into her direction. She had to dodge out of her seat as the box hurtled towards her. Between the hundreds of loose-leaf papers airborne she could make out the detective tackling her boss, the congressman and his secretary scrambling out of their way, and the loud, obnoxious screeches that was the desperation of Mr. Shin¡¯s voice as he screamed obscenities at her, both heard and not.

    ¡°DON¡¯T EVEN THINK ABOUT COMING BACK TO WORK. DON¡¯T YOU EVEN DARE!¡±

    ¡°YOU DUMB BRAT, YOU RUINED US ALL!¡±

    ¡°I KNEW YOU WEREN¡¯T ANY GOOD! YOU CAN¡¯T EVEN DO A JOB CORRECTLY! I CAN¡¯T BELIEVE I HAD TO COME ALL THE WAY OUT HERE FOR SOMEONE LIKE YOU. I HOPE YOU STAY IN THAT CELL! I¡¯LL MAKE SURE YOU¡ª!"

    ¡°¡ªNEVER FIND A JOB IN THIS INDUSTRY AGAIN! THAT¡¯S IT FOR YOU! YOU¡¯RE DONE FOR!!"

    Did he really¡ª

    Did he really think this would get him what he wanted??

    A lot of tussling occurred. Nora stayed glued to the corner of the room as it settled, and she watched Daniel drag the tossing manager to the floor. He called for another officer for backup, and when no one came he grabbed the secretary¡¯s wrist and swung him towards the direction of his desk.

    ¡°My handcuff¡¯s are in the top drawer if you could¡ª¡± the manager squirmed, and Daniel barked, ¡°Will you stop moving?¡±

    He turned back to a confused Mitchell wandering at his desk, ¡°Yes, the top drawer. That¡¯s it. No, leave the key there¡ª¡±

    A lot of chaos, but after he directed Mitchell, he still managed to look over his shoulder at Nora. It looked as if she wasn¡¯t planning on moving any time soon.

    The manager grunted under him. He squirmed and struggled. Nora could hear the desperation under his curses but couldn¡¯t muster the energy to feel sympathy towards him. The fear in his mind was overwhelming to the point where her own head started to ache, and she was too busy rubbing the migraine out of her temple to care. He was too crazed to understand the position he was in, and from the obvious profanities he was still spewing at her he wasn¡¯t going to get it, period.

    ¡°There¡¯re kids ten times better than you lining up for a shot at your job, you know that?¡± Mr. Shin coughed out a dry laugh, ¡°You don¡¯t even know how lucky you are. Just because you for some big break in college, you think you¡¯re the greatest thing that¡¯s walked the planet, but you can¡¯t even get one job done. You¡¯re nothing. You hear me? Nothing.¡±

    Finally, she moved. Nora took a step. Then another. She walked towards him.

    Daniel grabbed the handcuffs from Mitchell and almost snapped them to the manager¡¯s wrist, but Nora stopped him before he could. She knelt down next to them, her feet shifting the tossed papers on the floor, and she stared.

    ¡°No. Don¡¯t detain him. Let him walk out.¡±

    Daniel stared.

    ¡°Excuse me??¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re excused.

    ¡°What? No, that¡¯s not how this works¡ª¡±

    She didn¡¯t let him continue. She bent forward so that she could get a good look at her manager¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°What, you¡¯ve got something to say?¡± he spat.

    ¡°I do,¡± Nora said, ¡°so you better listen.¡±

    He was about to argue, but Daniel¡¯s frustration dropped his handcuffs, and the cold metal hitting Mr. Shin¡¯s back startled him enough to keep quiet.

    ¡°You said I¡¯m no good. Do you know what you just threw at me?¡± Nora asked.

    She gestured to the papers scattered around the room.

    ¡°That¡¯s two months of your content, and the next four months of your editorials. I slaved for you, and you had the nerve¡­. This is how you¡¯re letting me go? Over a few pictures some senator paid you to scrape up? On some congressman who can¡¯t even keep his family together, much less an election campaign?¡±

    The room went dead silent. Someone took in a sharp breath. Congressman Kim.

    Nora continued.

    ¡°I¡¯m not gonna stand in the corner and let you attack me over your own botched decisions. Pick up my stuff and fire me with the dignity I deserve instead of throwing a tantrum like a child. It¡¯s embarrassing.¡±

    Everyone was too afraid to speak. The detective stared at the girl in front of him. It was as if she was sucking the air out of the room with her words. He watched as she started picking up choice pieces of paper here and there, causally turning the worlds of her victims upside down, and the detective did his best to pull together the new accusations as coherently as he could.

    A senator? Was this a paid covert operation? A true scandal in the making? Nora seemed not to have the energy to care about the events she was insinuating. She didn¡¯t care about the emotions of the politician whose personal life was suddenly scattered into the air. She paid no mind to the secretary behind him, who was growing more nervous by the second at the events that unfolded in front of him. This was out of his control now. Nobody noticed when he slipped away.

    Finally, someone had the nerve to utter a sound: the stupid manager.

    ¡°YOU¡ª!¡±

    Of course, she gave him no room to speak.

    ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of Senator Song.¡±

    A name dropped. A big name dropped. A name that meant much too much to those who heard it. A name that explained everything.

    ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of prison,¡± Nora announced, ¡°Or that detective on top of you. Or that stupid congressman and his sleazy, two-faced secretary that just walked out. I¡¯m not even afraid of you.¡±

    She leaned closer to the floor. Not so that she could see him better; so that he could see her. Her voice grew smaller as it carried more weight. Her volume wasn¡¯t necessary. She had control of the room, and the attentions in it.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got enough dirt on you to write a book. A long, tedious, boring book about all the sex-scandals, brown-nosing, and blackmailing you¡¯ve covered up to keep your sorry ass floating. And, I¡¯m warning you now, if there¡¯s even an ounce of intelligence left in that pathetic grape of a brain, you¡¯re going to treat me with some respect. Not as a person who can destroy your life, but as an employee who risked my well-being and reputation for your stupid under-the-table job. And if you don¡¯t, I will not hesitate to drag you head-first into the deep end.¡±

    An audible gulp from the manager.

    Nora smiled.

    ¡°Act like an adult. Apologize. Clean up your mess. And walk yourself out.¡±

    What all was said and done, Nora stood up and brushed the invisible dust off of her knees. The silence was extremely heavy, but she waded through it, and after sliding her foot among the stray pages on the floor she made her best effort to break the awkward atmosphere. She laughed through her nose at the broken man before her.

    ¡°I¡¯m lucky to work for you?¡± she grinned, ¡°You¡¯re lucky to have me. That ¡®big break in college¡¯ got me to the Pulitzer finals, you freaking idiot.¡±

 chapter seven

    ¡°Dear god.¡±

    thing about¡ª¡±

    This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.

    <hr>

    Newsers Tabloid?¡± he continued, ¡°No one reads it. What good would publishing the story there do? If it¡¯s a big enough scandal, the fire would spread much quicker with a bigger source, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±

    The Sun published a gossip rag on their front page?¡±

    Me??¡±

    ¡°¡­She knows something.¡±

 chapter eight

    A brief scene. The substation¡¯s front counter in the lobby.

    The receptionist, feeling the drag of her graveyard shift, held a small sliver of contempt for the girl standing in front of her. Nora looked back, the staring contest not threatening her in the slightest. Her confidence was through the roof.

    The hoodie lost in the holding cell riot fell to the countertop. Nora slipped it over her long sleeve. Then the missing shoe. Nora hadn¡¯t realized it was missing.

    A camera and its parts. Nora swept her equipment into an empty camera bag, expertly passing them into their respective spots.

    Her box of paper was hauled across the counter, and finally her phone.

    Nora grinned, ¡°Thank you for your hard work.¡±

    As Nora turned to leave, the receptionist flipped her desk calendar to its back page and scratched a small mark among a plethora of tallies. Ninety. Another case convicted, another charge dropped. Nora wouldn¡¯t have it any other way.

    <hr>

    Daniel sparked another cigarette to life and cursed.

    He deserved a smoke break after that complete waste of time. After spending close to four hours chasing the tail of a psychotic dog, all he had left to show for it was a chase with all charges dropped. It didn¡¯t matter that Daniel had no power to let things go- that responsibility belonged to the prosecution, and Daniel had all but submitted the paperwork needed to push Nora through the system. The congressman had connections to the presiding prosecutor and was just about ready to call his own attorney before announcing that if the detective didn¡¯t want to waste any more of his precious night away, it would be best to just shred the paperwork.

    Why didn¡¯t he expect the outcome? Nora¡¯s record was a long list of convictions that didn¡¯t have solutions. She was never charged. She never spoke. She walked around that substation like it was her own living room. Daniel should have realized that it wasn¡¯t because she was comfortable, but because she was confident. He was the only one who didn¡¯t know that she wasn¡¯t staying for long, and he felt stupid for not recognizing the signs.

    How many charges did she have? Eighty-nine? Now ninety? And nobody had caught her yet?

    She was definitely not an innocent. He had evidence of that. She had the nerve to blackmail (not one man, but two) in front of him, and coerced an extremely politician to help her wiggle out of jail through the bars. She accused an even more powerful official of¡­ corruption? Unethical tactics? The detective promised himself to look over her file again in the morning. If she was able to get out of this with just a small collection of vague sentences, then how the hell did she manage her other visits? Who else had been played with her all-knowing glares? How many people¡¯s necks did she have a tight grip on?

    Nora Lee was dangerous. The fact that she was able to walk back outside like she wasn¡¯t pissed Daniel off.

    But what angered him most was how little she had said to get there.

    There was so much left unsaid! What had possessed Nora to break into Kim¡¯s house with a fire extinguisher? What did she see that forced her to run, and why was she so obstinate in keeping her silence in front of the law?

    What kind of scandal was supposed to be on the front page of the morning¡¯s Newsers Tabloid? What kind of pictures were taken?

    Where the hell was that damn memory card?

    The detective¡¯s brooding was interrupted by his cell phone vibrating in his jean pocket. He fished it out and answered without checking the number. He knew it was important if they were calling this late at night.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°Hey, this is Joel. You called earlier.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡±

    Hours before, during the peaceful time when Nora was curled up in her corner of the holding cell and the detective was confident in his conduct, Daniel had called the fire department for a more detailed report about the alarm incident. They knew that the alarm was triggered on the top floor, but the specific time and place was supposed to help Daniel with his case.

    Supposed to.

    ¡°Right. Can you tell me the exact time the alarm rang? And which one went off?¡±

    It didn¡¯t feel right for him to announce that all the firefighter¡¯s efforts were worthless at this point, so he prepared to listen to what he could and let the poor man believe that his deeds had helped a criminal stay behind bars. It was what Daniel wished for in his heart. He sucked a lungful of nicotine out of his cigarette to calm himself.

    The detective heard some clicks- fingers tapping keys- and the firefighter cleared his throat.

    ¡°It says here that it rang at 11:22PM, triggered from the front hallway.¡±

    Daniel knew all this.

    ¡°Top floor?¡± he asked, more out of politeness than necessity.

    ¡°Top floor, main residence,¡± he confirmed.

    That didn¡¯t sound right.

    ¡°When you say main residence, are you talking about inside the penthouse or out in the hallway?¡±The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    ¡°It was just inside the door.¡±

    That wasn¡¯t right at all.

    Inside the house?

    The detective thanked the firefighter and hung up.

    The alarm was triggered from inside the house. That meant that Nora had to have broken in with the extinguisher before the alarm had gone off. The men inside the penthouse would have hear her banging against the door, right? And she wasn¡¯t caught until after she had left the premises? That made no sense.

    The detective¡¯s previous theory flew out the window. The congressman and his secretary must have lied. It was impossible for things to work out the way they were supposed to if the alarm wasn¡¯t triggered first.

    Nora Lee had broken into the house knowing that someone was inside. She risked discovery, punishment, and who knows what else. And for what? A picture? A picture no one could find?

    What happened last night?

    Suddenly, another interruption. Not far off his spot along a side wall were the main doors to the substation, and they swung open with a ferocity that couldn¡¯t be handled. Nora exited with an accompaniment of squeaky hinges, and following closely behind was Mr. Shin, whose previous authority was now non-existent. The detective slouched closer to the shadows of his corner and watched.

    Mr. Shin shuffled ahead of her, eager to pile into the taxi waiting at the bottom of the steps and leave this hellish night behind, but before he could make it to the car he turned to face Nora. She expected the confrontation. She placed her box of papers down in front of her and shoved her hands into her hoodie pockets.

    ¡°Speak,¡± she said.

    Mr. Shin didn¡¯t hesitate, ¡°How did you¡ª¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter ow I know all your dirt. The important thing is that I know.¡¯

    That was true. Mr. Shin felt that he wasn¡¯t going to get anything out of her and decided to end the brief conversation, but Nora stopped him.

    ¡°Hold on. You have something I want.¡±

    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Mr. Shin laughed, ¡°I¡¯m the one that should be saying that. Do you realize what could happen to me if I don¡¯t have those pictures?¡±

    She felt slightly bad, ¡°If you¡¯re worried about not having a story, I¡¯ll let you write about me breaking into the penthouse. Just don¡¯t mention my name.¡±

    ¡°You know that¡¯s not what I¡¯m worried about.¡±

    The manager was shaking. He jerked his head this way and that, looking for any unwelcome eavesdroppers, which prompted Daniel to step back silently until he was completely hidden from view.

    Seeing no one, Mr. Shin leaned closer to Nora and whispered, ¡°How did you know that Senator Song called me? Did you bug my office?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have to bug your office. The only person who wants those pictures would be someone who wants Mr. Kim ruined. It wasn¡¯t hard to eliminate the possibilities.¡±

    Mr. Shin smacked her arm, ¡°And you were stupid enough to mention her??¡±

    When she didn¡¯t respond, he continued, a desperation staining his voice, ¡°What you said about me disappearing, you know that¡¯s not as farfetched as you made it sound? I had a reporter go missing last year after I sent him to investigate one of her welfare projects. Last I heard of him he¡¯s in Norway with some new family, but that¡¯s because they won¡¯t let him come back!¡±

    She knew.

    ¡°Look.¡±

    Sddenly, the man performed with the air of a gentle soul. He wrung his fingers in his hands and simpered, ¡°Look, what I said in there about you being nothing? Forget it. I didn¡¯t mean a single word I said.¡±

    ¡°Liar,¡± Nora said.

    He dropped the act, ¡°Okay, I meant it. My bad. But if I don¡¯t get those pictures, I¡¯m on a one-way trip to some ice block in the middle of nowhere and I won¡¯t be allowed to come back. You don¡¯t mess with the Songs. Everyone knows that. Can¡¯t you just hand that memory card over for old times¡¯ sake?¡±

    Nora pretended to think about it, ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Then what the hell am I supposed to do?¡± he cried.

    Despite the urgency in his posture and the quivering of his words, Nora remained nonchalant. She yawned, a dangling sleeve covering her mouth, ¡°Don¡¯t do anything. You really think that she¡¯s gonna waste her time on a manager for a grungy tabloid? You¡¯re not the one she¡¯s disappointed in right now.¡±

    Mr. Shin wasn¡¯t convinced. He dug his phone out of his jacket pocket and pressed the screen a few times before shaking it in front of her face. It was the text message he received from the unknown number.

    ¡°See this? ¡®Deliver or perish!¡¯ You think I¡¯m gonna be fine??¡±

    Nora squinted and had to grab a hold of Mr. Shin¡¯s hands to stop the phone from shaking. She scanned the number and frowned.

    ¡°Is that a foreign number?¡±

    ¡°Who cares if it¡¯s a foreign number, they¡¯re threatening me!¡± he howled.

    She wasn¡¯t listening.

    ¡°Send that to me. And anything else you have. I know you don¡¯t answer a call without pressing a record button.¡±

    Mr. Shin scowled, ¡°Why should I send you anything?¡±

    Of course, she wasn¡¯t trustworthy. Not with how she handled her business. But she bit back, ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t you? Wouldn¡¯t you want a few copies of those tucked away for safekeeping? I¡¯m the best safekeeper you can find. You should have that figured out by now.¡±

    The man thought hard about it and discovered that there really wasn¡¯t a reason not to aside from his own personal grudges. He fiddled with his phone a bit more, sending his documents over.

    After a moment, he said, ¡°You still haven¡¯t told me what I should do.¡±

    ¡°I did,¡± she corrected, ¡°Don¡¯t do anything.¡±

    ¡°And if they call me? Grab me out of my bedroom? Tie me to a rock and toss me overboard?¡±

    ¡°You are such a drama queen.¡±

    A chime. Message received. Nora looked it over on he own before showing Mr. Shin her screen.

    ¡°Look. The first message you got. You see this? You¡¯re not supposed to be the delivery boy. If they grab you, tell them you did your job and someone else messed it up.¡±

    ¡°You messed it up,¡± he muttered, ¡°I¡¯ll send them after you.¡±

    ¡°And I¡¯ll send the police the USB I have with your name on it. Your joke isn¡¯t funny.¡±

    Nora forwarded the new content to a dozen separate accounts both real and fake before pushing her phone back into her pocket. At the foot of the steps, another car pulled up behind the patient taxi. A Benz, black with all the trinkets. The window rolled down. Congressman Kim.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got an appointment,¡± Nora said.

    She pocked her box up off the floor and made her way to the car without a goodbye, but before she could take a step her ex-boss grabbed her arm. She raised an eyebrow at his expression.

    ¡°You worried?¡± she asked.

    He nodded.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be. If I¡¯m wrong and that taxi takes you somewhere you aren¡¯t supposed to go, make yourself indispensable. Do whatever they ask. Keep track of everything they say and do. Send it to me so that someone knows if you disappear. I¡¯ll keep it safe.¡±

    His grip tightened, ¡°What did she want pictures of? Just so I know.¡±

    Nora thought. Bit her tongue. Gave him a stupid who-knows shrug. He squeezed her arm and she gave a small laugh.

    ¡°Tell them¡­¡± she hesitated, then said, ¡°an affair isn¡¯t something special. Tell them to try a bit harder. If you say that with confidence, they might like you. And they¡¯ll keep you alive if they like you. That way, you¡¯ll be worth more than the soggy rat you are.¡±

    ¡°This bitch.¡±

    With that final insult, Mr. Shin tossed her arm out of his hand and trudged to his waiting car. Nora nodded him off. She missed the look in his eyes when he departed, but she didn¡¯t have to see them to know what it meant.

    ¡°She¡¯s definitely too smart for her own good.¡±

    She watched as the taxi pulled away from the curb, not too worried about the man inside. This was a police station, despite its small and decrepit state. If someone had the guts to kidnap Mr. Shin from here, they were either too stupid or too powerful to stop.

    He¡¯d be just fine, and if anything happened to him, he probably deserved it.

 chapter nine

    After a playful trot down the few steps to the street, Nora stopped and let the luxury car roll a few feet ahead to meet her. She dropped the box behind her and bent down to nod to the congressman.

    ¡°Get in,¡± said Kim.

    Nora grinned, ¡°No.¡±

    His hands clenched the steering wheel and his shoulders tensed. Before he could open his mouth to argue, Nora interrupted him.

    ¡°Our talk won¡¯t take long, and I¡¯m more comfortable outside of the car. See?¡±

    When she sat down on top of her box, she reached the appropriate height to lean against the open window, her forearms hanging into the cab of the car.

    ¡°Nothing personal,¡± she added, ¡°I¡¯m just cautious.¡±

    The councilman, more annoyed than angry, cut the engine of his car.

    The two enemies sat in silence for a moment, collecting their own thoughts. Kim tapped his steering wheel, and Nora pretended to find a beat to it, nodding her head. He stopped. Nora waited for the politician to speak first, insistent of only saying what she needed to say and not provide any unnecessary information to the mix.

    Finally, he turned, ¡°What do you know?¡±

    Nora sighed.

    ¡°Right to the point? I was expecting something more creative than that.¡±

    Suddenly, she turned her head, as if something caught the corner of her eye. She stared into the dark street, and Kim followed her gaze. He didn¡¯t find anything interesting. It wasn¡¯t important.

    ¡°You¡¯re not creative, though,¡± Nora continued, ¡°Or bright.¡±

    ¡°Did I bail you out of jail so you could insult me?¡± Kim growled.

    ¡°Don¡¯t get too excited. I¡¯m only saying it ¡®cause it¡¯s true,¡± Nora tilted her head, still staring into that dark spot some ways off, ¡°If you were smart, you wouldn¡¯t have hired your opponent¡¯s assistant as your secretary.¡±

    When she finally turned her attention back to the car, she wasn¡¯t surprised to find that the councilman had frozen stiff over his fury. He blinked a few times, and his grip tightened. Nora could hear him trying to piece things together in his mind, but he was struggling.

    ¡°You¡¯re saying¡­ Mitchell¡­ he¡ª¡±

    ¡°I was asked to take pictures of a scandal, Mr. Kim,¡± Nora said, ¡°How do you think news of a scandal got out in the first place?¡±

    She took out her phone and briefly swiped at the screen before turning it to the councilman.

    ¡°That¡¯s his number, right?¡±

    On the screen was a screenshot from Mr. Shin detailing Nora¡¯s arrest and the state of the missing pictures.

    Kim recognized the number, ¡°What is this?¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡±

    Despite the confusion and the attempts to deny facts, he knew.

    [The substation hours before. The detective finished typing and asks if anyone would like coffee, but the congressman and his secretary shake their heads. Daniel gets up and walks past Nora, who makes kissy faces at him. He glares in disgust and she snickers. After he passes, she looks back to the sitting men, and her eyes meet Mitchell¡¯s. He pulls his phone out of his suit pocket and begins to text. Congressman Kim sees this out of the corner of his eye but isn¡¯t observant enough to realize what it means.]

    Nora recognizes the revelation on Kim¡¯s face. She continues.

    ¡°Did you assume it would be easy for me to find your penthouse by myself? You moved out of your family home when your wife and daughter went abroad last month. I can count the number of people who know where you live on my hand.¡±

    Nora lifted a hand and put up fingers one by one. It was an unnerving gesture, as if she personally knew the ones who had that information. She counted another finger on her other hand.

    ¡°My bad. With me, that makes two hands.¡±

    Congressman Kim stared.

    ¡°But that¡¯s not the point,¡± Nora waved her sleeve down, ¡°The point is that someone gave me directions to your house.¡±

    He squinted.

    ¡°¡®What makes you so sure it was Mitchell?¡¯ I¡¯m glad you asked,¡± Nora said.

    He didn¡¯t ask.

    ¡°I got past a guard. I knew the passcode to a private, high-security elevator. Did you think I managed that by myself?¡±

    [Earlier that night, Mitchell An steps out of a chauffeured car in front of Kim¡¯s penthouse building. He nods politely to the old ladies gathered at their park bench near the entrance and they send back their motherly coos. Before he reaches the guard standing at the door he casually glances over his shoulder, and his gaze meets Nora from her hiding spot.

    ¡°There she is.¡±

    She¡¯s startled. He wasn¡¯t supposed to spot her.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    She watches him continue on his way. He greets the guard and says a few words before disappearing through the doors. Nora waits, confused. How did he¡­? Why is he expecting her? This is supposed to be the most covert of covert operations. The simple gesture and small thought wash a wave of uneasiness over her, but Nora isn¡¯t one to falter when something felt wrong. She swallows her doubt, and after waiting a moment longer she steps out from behind the lamp post and crosses the street.

    The gaggle of women recognize her- Nora¡¯s a famous figure in the neighborhood. She greets them politely and asks about their evenings. After the chatter and giggles are out of the way, she bids them farewell and saunters to the front door as naturally as possible. She says good evening to the door guard. Her words are calm, but the thoughts in her head are loud, pulsing, and desperate. Please. Please. Please let me in. Don¡¯t question me and let me in.

    ¡°This must be the congressman¡¯s guest.¡±

    Did she hear his thoughts wrong? A guest? Was Mr. Kim expecting her, too? Sweat starts to collect on the back of her neck, but she¡¯s too nervous to wipe it off. She refuses to give herself away. She smiles. Might as well play this out to the end and see how this goes. She knows to leave the party if it gets too rowdy.

    The guard easily lets her in. Whether it¡¯s due to luck or circumstance, she¡¯s too afraid to ask.

    Nora makes a beeline to the elevator, but the guard interrupts her. Not that elevator. The other one. To the right. That¡¯s the congressman¡¯s personal elevator. She smiles nervously- of course it¡¯s that elevator! Excuse me, this is my first time here. Yes, yes. Good night to you too. The private elevator opens, and she waves to the guard before it shuts behind her. He waves back. He doesn¡¯t suspect a single thing.

    Nora¡¯s heart beats too fast. This is too easy. This isn¡¯t right at all.

    Secretly, she hopes to find something that will stop her from going forward. By now, she¡¯s figured that this is some elaborate set-up she¡¯s been sucked into, right? Is Mr. Shin trying to screw her over? Why is Congressman Kim¡¯s secretary involved? How much backstabbing would Nora have to take part in before this night was over? She doesn¡¯t want to think about it. Rather, she wants nothing more than to open these elevator doors and scramble out into the arms of the guard who was too na?ve to realize he¡¯d made a mistake. Maybe she still has a chance-

    The elevator only has a select choice of buttons. Open, close, emergency, alarm. One up. One down. And overlooking this small collection, a pin pad for a passcode. Nora didn¡¯t know passwords! If the one locking the door wasn¡¯t present, there was no way she¡¯d be able to get in without a key-

    And above that, an obnoxiously orange sticky note with four numbers.

    Nora frowned.

    Yeah, this was definitely a set-up.]

    ¡°Are you telling me he let you in?¡± Kim asked.

    Nora nodded, ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I¡¯m saying. I¡¯m glad you¡¯re following along.¡±

    [Nora reluctantly enters the code into the pin pad. The elevator moves. She shuts her eyes and gives herself a silent mantra of peace, clutching the camera in her hands. At least now she knows that there¡¯s definitely something worth taking pictures of. This isn¡¯t a guessing game anymore. She wouldn¡¯t have to stake out into the late hours of the night in hopes of a scoop that had no promise of being there.

    When the elevator doors finally open, Nora opens her eyes and immediately dodges right, hiding herself from the entrance.

    Mitchell An is standing not ten feet away, his back facing her. What?? Nora peeks out and scampers behind a large planter nearby before the elevator doors close ahead of her, and all hopes of being unseen are dashed when it dings to signal its descent back to the lobby. He definitely saw her. He at least heard her arrive. She holds her breath, waiting for him to turn and oust her, but he never does. Instead, he takes a few more steps to the door.

    Then, she realizes.

    He was waiting for her.]

    The congressman¡¯s face started to drain of its color. He shifted his body away from Nora, towards the side mirror, and he stared at the stacks of skinny houses on the opposite side of the street. Nora tilted her head, trying to get a good look at his expression, but she gave up just as quickly as she started. His shoulders, scrunched up and close to his neck, was enough to reveal his horror.

    ¡°¡­You were there when he opened the door,¡± he finally whispered.

    Ah. Yes. The image flooded back into her head, and Nora found that she couldn¡¯t quite look at him now. She turned her head away to give him some privacy. The back of her neck felt hot from embarrassment.

    ¡°Yeaaaaah.¡±

    The congressman had taken his hands off the wheel, but that was only to bunch them into fists in his lap. His fingernails dug into his palms.

    [Realizing that Mitchell is catering to Nora¡¯s need for content, she immediately readies her camera. He waits, his head cocked towards her as if he¡¯s listening. When she lets out a small breath, he raises his arm and raps his knuckles on the door confidently. He¡¯s expected. He knows that.

    And not a moment later, the door opens. A congressman reveals himself. He¡¯s in an apron- he¡¯s indeed cooking, but is he cooking for one? The way that Mitchell An welcomes himself into the abode says otherwise.

    A small smile. A draped arm. The secretary takes a small step forward, then two, until he¡¯s welcomed into the personal space of the politician. He simpers, falls into the embrace of the man in front of him, and as their lips touch the secretary shifts his gaze to the reporter behind the camera. A smirk. Before too much is seen-

    The door closes.

    Nora¡¯s frozen.

    Five seconds pass before she lets out the breath she didn¡¯t know she was holding. The gasp is audible, and it surprises her back into her senses.

    What was she expecting? An exchange of secret documents, maybe! Some elaborate, illegal plot that would shake the political sphere, sure! Evidence to a scandal that shouldn¡¯t have Mr. Kim¡¯s name on it, highly likely!

    An affair? Not too unbelievable. But an affair with his secretary?

    God. What did she just see? What the heck was she invited to?

    Surprises still come to a girl who can hear others¡¯ thoughts. It¡¯s a revelation that always throws her off track. Nora looks around even though there¡¯s not much to look at. Wall. Hallway. Plant. Elevator. Emergency exit. Fire extinguisher. No, listing objects isn¡¯t helping. She doesn¡¯t know what to do with her hands. She wants to jump up and scream but she¡¯s too scared to.

    This isn¡¯t what she was expecting to see this Tuesday evening. A congressman running for senator cheating on his wife with his secretary? His male secretary? His much younger secretary? His secretary that coerced him into an affair and called the grittiest tabloid in town to throw him under the bus??She almost felt bad for the politician. He at least deserved a better paper for his scandalous reveal.

    Nora felt dirty. This is what she amounts to now; taking pictures of politicians cheating on their wives. Sex scandals. God, what she would give to be an A-class reporter again. She missed undercover operations and dangerous intrigue. This kind of work is well below her skill-level.

    A promise to consider looking for new work passes through her mind. Her heart clenches at the thought.

    Nora figures she¡¯s seen what she has to and scuttles away from her spot. Better to leave now than later. The sooner she leaves, the sooner she can wash that shocking image out of her brain. That man¡¯s poor wife. His poor daughter. The fact that she would have to turn these pictures in disgusts her.]

 chapter ten

    The politician finally turned back to her, ¡°And the pictures?¡±

    Nora laughed nervously.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be honest. When I saw you, I was really startled¡ª¡±

    [Dear god, she forgot to take the pictures.

    She panics. No way. She looks through her memory card. Aside from the exterior shots of the building, there¡¯s nothing there.

    What¡¯s she supposed to do now?

    Of course, there¡¯s the easy answer. Nora is already halfway to the elevator. She¡¯d rather face her angry boss than have to wait for another opportunity.

    But a voice in the back of her mind tells her not to follow her instincts. This situation was carefully crafted and held bad intentions. It feels almost rude to walk away in the middle of it, but at the same time¡­. Nora struggles with the internal conflict and finally decides to sit back down behind the planter and camp out for a bit. She was hired to carry out a mission, and if she couldn¡¯t get another picture then at least she¡¯d have the excuse that she tried her best. Better to put in poor effort than no effort at all!]

    Kim lifted his head and the sharp movement startled Nora out of her slouched posture.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t get any pictures??¡± he asked, ¡°You mean the memory card it¡ª¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say it out loud. I¡¯m embarrassed enough.¡±

    His eyes sparked with their previous signs of ferocity. Hope. Nora sighed under the pressure.

    Kim finally relaxed. He blew a tuft of his fallen hair away from his forehead, a gesture that Nora felt didn¡¯t fit his image. But she didn¡¯t say anything. He¡¯d done a lot in the last twenty-four hours that didn¡¯t fit who William Kim was supposed to be, and it wasn¡¯t her place to point it out.

    ¡°That¡¯s great,¡± he gave a small chuckle, his charisma sinking his shoulders back to their original confidence, ¡°The only thing I have to worry about now is you squealing.¡±

    She found that she didn¡¯t like his sudden boost of confidence. Who said that no evidence meant no punishment?

    ¡°Me? Squeal? Who would believe a little pig like me?¡±

    She lifted herself off of her box and leaned half her body into the car, ¡°No, you need to worry about the dog that scurried out of here with his tail between his legs. He can bark a lot louder than I can.¡±

    The smile disappeared.

    Nora sighed again and fell back out of the car. She crossed her arms over her chest to show she meant business.

    ¡°You could guess why I was sent there and what I saw, but you have no clue about what that guy¡¯s been up to, do you? If you did, you wouldn¡¯t have covered for him with a phony testimony. You like him too much.¡±

    ¡°I do not¡ª¡±

    ¡°You committed perjury in front of a detective for a side piece?¡± Nora didn¡¯t give him room to argue, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t be keeping him around as your secretary if you didn¡¯t feel anything. He knows way too much to put him anywhere else, and you still trusted him despite all the signs not to. Am I right?¡±

    The congressman shut his mouth.

    ¡°That wasn¡¯t rhetorical. Answer me. Am I right??¡±

    Finally, Kim muttered, ¡°Yes.¡±

    Nora frowned.

    ¡°He¡¯s really worth sending your family out of the country? A man who tried to destroy you? I hope you¡¯re regretting it.¡±

    A heavy blow. The congressman looked away again.

    Nora shook off her disappointment. Her personal feelings didn¡¯t matter.

    ¡°I¡¯m not gonna ask how you met up or how you got together because I don¡¯t care. That¡¯s your business.¡±

    Fair.

    ¡°But you got me out of jail,¡± she added, almost half-heartedly, ¡°and I always deliver on my end. I¡¯ll tell you what I know.¡±

    Kim seemed reluctant to listen, but he did sign up for this. He motioned for her to talk, and Nora lowered her voice, a strange move on her part. No one else was listening.

    ¡°He¡¯s been working for Senator Song for a long time. At least three years,¡± she started.

    [Where is Mitchell An now? The secretary finds himself hunched in the back seat of a dark car, his phone clutched into his hand. He doesn¡¯t know where the car¡¯s taking him. He glances at the driver who knows all of the secrets, but he¡¯s too afraid to ask for one. The driver occasionally peeks into the rearview mirror, and his eyes show hints of satisfaction at the panic behind him.]

    ¡°He was sent to you to sabotage your campaign, and his method of choice was seduction. You were either too blinded by whatever he had going on, or Senator Song has enough power and backing to cover extensive background checks on her people. Both are highly likely possibilities.¡±

    [The car finally stops at a parking lot nestled next to the river. Mitchell can see a large bridge far off, a marker of Wonsung-du and the quickest way back to the city. He was supposed to use that bridge to get home. He¡¯s startled to find it so far away.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    Not a minute later, bright headlights swing by. Another car pulls into the lot and parks a few spots away; it¡¯s an obnoxious yellow, a fast model, so low to the ground it almost slinked in unannounced. Mitchell recognizes it immediately, and his lip trembles. He turns to the only comfort he can.

    The driver meets his gaze. He smiles a deep, dimpled smile, then promptly exits. The doors lock.

    Mitchell¡¯s alone now.]

    ¡°She¡¯s got a tight enough grip on him that we was desperate to get this job done,¡± Nora said.

    ¡°¡­How do you know all this?¡± Kim asked.

    Nora ignored his question. He wouldn¡¯t understand her answer.

    [The secretary can¡¯t see much from behind the tinted windows, but he does his best. His driver walks over to the passenger side of their new arrival, and the window rolls down halfway. Two figures inside- that¡¯s all the car can hold. Mitchell obviously knows the driver, but he¡¯s never seen the man in the passenger seat before. That¡¯s not a good sign.

    Suddenly, the phone in his hand vibrates. His nerves send the device flying, and after a brief tussle to find it under his seat he immediately brings it to his ear and answers. His throat is too dry for a proper hello.]

    ¡°He¡¯s in a lot of debt. She gave him a job and he got to choose the method to execute it. Sending me is an easy way to get a scandal out, sure, and the most believable. No one would question a gossipmonger stumbling on some juicy information. However, that doesn¡¯t mean Mitchell doesn¡¯t have the ability to spread that news himself. You two have been together long enough for him to know how to drag you through the gutter. He¡¯s still useful to her. You shouldn¡¯t relax just yet.¡±

    [The woman on the other line says a few sentences, and Mitchell does his best to assure her that he¡¯s still valuable. He nods and bows and frets, movements she can¡¯t see but can definitely feel. He can hear the smile on her lips as she forgives him. She¡¯s always loving and merciful. Mistakes happen. It¡¯d be best, however, if Mitchell isn¡¯t the type of klutz to repeat mistakes. She has faith in him. He feels a bit better for it. They end the call cordially, and Mitchell sighs in relief. The end isn¡¯t as near as he thought.

    But he relaxes too soon. A knock. Mitchell jumps out of his seat.

    Outside of the window, the scene has changed. A van has arrived, the headlights off, the license plate empty. The sports car¡¯s trunk is open, and a collection of smartly dressed men crowd themselves around it, taking the scene in. The man in the passenger seat has disappeared.

    The yellow car¡¯s driver, however, makes himself known. He leans over the window of the dark car, motioning for Mitchell to roll it down. Piece by piece the black tint slides away, revealing a navy suit set on heavy shoulders, and a dangerous smile to go with it. A small gold pin of a bird sits on the lapel and glints against the light. Mitchell hates that bird, but he fears the man behind it more.

    The man knows this. He knows this more than anything else.]

    The congressman wasn¡¯t sure about what to do now. He started to ramble, ¡°If that¡¯s true, then shouldn¡¯t I get rid of him?¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t¡ª¡±

    ¡°That bastard,¡± Kim¡¯s anger brushed past any warning Nora wanted to give him, and he growled, ¡°After everything I¡¯ve done! After we¡ª!!"

    His hand smacked against the wheel, and the horn blared. Nora jumped at the noise, and she looked around in case it attracted any attention. She leaned into the cab.

    ¡°Will you calm down?¡± she hushed. ¡°I¡¯m not done talking.¡±

    He responded by hitting the horn again.

    Nora had to reach over and grab his arm to stop him from pummeling his wheel, and she was almost pulled in. She finally managed to block the wheel with her own hands after a lot of struggling, and with his outlet missing the angry man exited the car and yelled into the street. He kicked his tires. The car¡¯s alarm blared, and Nora fell into the passenger seat.

    She was too embarrassed at the man¡¯s tantrum to calm him down, so she waited until he was finished. She got herself comfortable in the car and sunk low into her seat as the man circled, looking about ready to pull his hair out. It took an angry woman to open her upper-story window across the street and yell obscenities down below for Kim to finally realize that he was a public official causing disturbances in the middle of the night. He quickly crumbled into the driver¡¯s seat and turned off the alarm. Silence followed.

    ¡°You got some breathing exercises?¡± Nora finally asked.

    After a moment, Kim nodded.

    ¡°Then you better do them,¡± she sank lower into her seat to avoid any chances of wandering eyes lingering outside, ¡°I¡¯ll wait.¡±

    He huffed. A moment passed. Nora appreciated that the politician didn¡¯t take this moment to start the car and drive away now that she was in it. It wasn¡¯t enough to change her opinion of him, though.

    Once Kim had taken a few decent deep breathes, he regained his demeanor, ¡°You said you weren¡¯t done talking.¡±

    Nora nodded.

    ¡°Speak,¡± he said, ¡°What do I have to do to get rid of this guy?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s ¡®this guy¡¯ now? He really broke your heart just now, didn¡¯t he?¡±

    A chuckle erupted from his chest, ¡°You¡¯re seriously.¡±

    ¡°A brat?¡± Nora gave him a wry smile, ¡°I know.¡±

    The congressman suddenly leaned towards her, and Nora stretched out of his grasp. But he wasn¡¯t going after her. He reached into his glove compartment in front of her and popped it open, and after digging around he pulled out a cigarette and a lighter. While he lit them, Nora closed the compartment with her knee and coughed.

    ¡°But you¡¯re not stupid,¡± he breathed along with a cloud of smoke.

    A pause. An idea crossed his mind.

    ¡°You just got fired from your job right? Work for me.¡±

    The offer was so ridiculous that Nora laughed.

    He puffed smoke at her, ¡°Don¡¯t say no. I¡¯ll have a position open in the morning. I could use someone like you for the campaign. You¡¯d get good pay for it. You¡¯d probably do a better job than he did.¡±

    But Nora wasn¡¯t listening, ¡°Don¡¯t get rid of him.¡±

    ¡°And why shouldn¡¯t I? You know that an affair isn¡¯t all he¡¯s got on me.¡±

    Nora didn¡¯t want to get into the kind of crooked stuff Kim felt threatened by. She didn¡¯t feel like caring about what his regrets were. That was territory she couldn¡¯t be bothered with. Corrupt politicians were a lot of drama.

    She took a hand out of her hoodie sleeve and held up a finger.

    ¡°One,¡± she started, ¡°Mitchell knows too much. You don¡¯t want people who know too much to wander too far.¡±

    Kim grumbled, ¡°Take the job. You know more than he does.¡±

    She ignored him and lifted another finger.

    ¡°Two. Mitchell may be a backstabbing snake, but he¡¯s a smart one. He knows who to work for and how much effort he needs to exert. I¡¯m sorry to say, Mr. Kim, but by the looks of the upcoming election Senator Song has the upper hand as the incumbent. If her power was a fraction less of what it is now, you probably could have won your boyfriend over.¡±

    ¡°Your damn mouth¡¯s a problem though,¡± the politician muttered.

    She smacked his arm, which shut him up. No one would dare smack him like that.

    ¡°Three. And this is the most important,¡± she waved three fingers in the politician¡¯s irritated face, ¡°He¡¯s desperate.¡±

    [Back in the parking lot, much has changed. Mitchell An is out of the car now, his knees cramping on the asphalt. Not a hair on his head is harmed, but his eyes show terrors and fears that don¡¯t require violence. The driver stands before him, his hands shoved into his pockets, a soft smile reaching his eyes.

    The scene is less of a mess now. The van pulls out of the lot, done with its exchange. The driver of Mitchell¡¯s car loads into the vehicle and takes off without its passenger. The mystery man is back in his front seat, windows of the yellow car rolled all the way up. He has nothing to do with this.

    The man in the navy suit pulls out a wad of heavy bills from an inner coat pocket. He counts a few pages and smacked them onto Mitchell¡¯s face. It¡¯s not nearly enough for Mitchell to be satisfied, and he almost argues with the man, but when he remembers who he¡¯s facing he bites his tongue. The man is pleased with the secretary¡¯s politeness. He pats his head carelessly and turns to the car.

    ¡°You don¡¯t want to say anything?¡±

    Apparently not. The man knocks Mitchell¡¯s head.

    ¡°Lucky you. Keep up the good work.¡±

    Sarcasm.

    A moment later, the yellow sports car pulls out, leaving Mitchell alone. He glares at the bills on the floor. The look on his face is disgust.]

 chapter eleven

    ¡°Why do you think he¡¯s doing this?¡± Nora asked.

    The congressman thought.

    ¡°You said something about debt.¡±

    ¡°Mm. His mom¡¯s been the hospital for years, and he ran into some bad lenders a while back. He¡¯s got too many bills to pay.¡±

    Kim¡¯s eyes narrowed, ¡°How come I didn¡¯t know about that?¡±

    The answer was obvious. Nora raised an eyebrow, ¡°Would you have willingly hired a financially unstable two-faced dog if you knew?¡±

    No. Point made.

    ¡°Senator Song pays his bills, but her system is performance-based. If he doesn¡¯t do well, he won¡¯t get rewarded. By paying a little at a time, she gets to keep him longer and work him harder. He¡¯s probably exhausted by now. And you can use that.¡±

    Before the congressman could speak again, she sat up a bit straighter in her seat, ¡°He was a good secretary to you, wasn¡¯t he? Feelings aside? If you win him over, you¡¯ll keep a good employee and have an informant who was originally on the other side.¡±

    ¡°So, what,¡± Kim wasn¡¯t convinced, ¡°I start paying him under the table?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to. Move his mom to a better hospital and foot the bill. Make an event out of it if you can. You¡¯ll get better publicity, he¡¯ll be thankful, and Senator Song won¡¯t be able to touch him with so many eyes watching him. If you claim him using good means he¡¯ll act out of loyalty rather than fear, and he won¡¯t be able to trouble you. Switching sides will be easy.¡±

    This made sense. The politician stared out the windshield, his eyes moving. He was thinking things through. Finally, he turned.

    ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to work for me?¡± he asked, ¡°I can make you a PR manager¡ª¡±

    Nora didn¡¯t have time to hide the disgust on her face, ¡°No. Please. I have standards.¡±

    He almost hissed at the remark.

    ¡°I¡¯m flattered, though,¡± she added to lessen the blow.

    Nora felt that this was the moment to make her exit. She slid out of the car before Kim could reach over to stop her.

    ¡°Hold on, I¡¯m not finished talking¡ª¡±

    ¡°I told you everything,¡± Nora replied.

    ¡°But you haven¡¯t. I still have questions.¡±

    Nora waited, ¡°Like?¡±

    ¡°Like why¡¯d you break into my house?¡± he asked, ¡°You did break in, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    That was a hole in the story. Nora pursed her lips and decided it would be best not to answer.

    ¡°Hello?¡± Kim pressed.

    She sighed, ¡°Let me keep a few secrets, won¡¯t you? You should be thanking me.¡±

    The answer confused him, but Nora pressed on, ¡°I gave you information, so I don¡¯t owe you anymore. I¡¯m leaving.¡±

    Nora bent down to pick up her box but was interrupted by a waving hand. Kim leaned across his passenger side with a business card. Nora was reluctant.

    ¡°Take it,¡± he urged, ¡°Just in case you change your mind about that job.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± Nora promised, ¡°You¡¯re a dirty cheater. You disgust me.¡±

    But she took the card anyways. It was always handy to have a few politician¡¯s numbers lying around.

    After a few mumbling phrases the congressman drove off, and Nora was happy to see him go. She pocketed the card and checked her phone. The sky was turning lighter, so slow that she could barely notice it, but she didn¡¯t feel too tired. This wasn¡¯t the first of her sleepless nights, and the small naps she managed between her questionings were enough to pull her through.

    Besides, it wasn¡¯t the right time to think about sinking into bed. There was still business to take care of.

    Nora turned around, and Daniel was too slow to hide from her peering eyes. He had been slinked into his corner the entire time, his cigarette long burned out, and when she skipped over, he made a show of posing as nonchalantly as he could. He¡¯d been caught. He knew that. But his pride wouldn¡¯t allow his dignity to drop.

    He stuck his cigarette butt into his mouth and spat it out just as quickly- the stub was so short he almost swallowed it. Nora laughed through her nose.

    ¡°Working overtime, Mr. Detective?¡± she asked, her light tone trying to disguise her amusement.

    He coughed, ¡°Smoke break.¡±

    ¡°Ah. Smoke break. You¡¯ve been out here for about half an hour. How many cigarettes did you manage to get through?¡±

    Only one. But he didn¡¯t say that. He looked away. He crossed his arms across his chest and coughed again.

    Nora smiled and tilted her head, ¡°I could report you for being a peeping tom, y¡¯know. Did you have fun watching? Did you get anything out of it?¡±

    The detective refused to meet her eyes.

    ¡°Hmm?¡± she asked again.

    He¡¯d been watching for so long. Nora noticed him almost as soon as she had met Kim¡¯s car, but could hear that he was sticking around more out of curiosity than duty. She didn¡¯t mind. She didn¡¯t oust him. Only she had the power to hear what was going on from that distance, so she wasn¡¯t worried about what to day in front of him.

    But the way he stared from his dark corner was strange. She couldn¡¯t walk off without investigating, and it was worth seeing the man who¡¯d caused her so much trouble getting stuck between a rock and a hard place.

    She examined him as he kept his silence and suddenly frowned, ¡°Wait, you heard us?¡±

    He blinked. She wasn¡¯t supposed to know.

    ¡°There¡¯s no way,¡± she muttered, ¡°Do you have super powers or something??¡±

    The detective felt too uncomfortable to find an answer for her, but that didn¡¯t stop her from guessing. A brief moment passed, then¡ª

    ¡°Did you¡­ read our lips?¡±

    He glared.

    ¡°How the hell did she¡ª?"

    From Nora¡¯s perspective, the detective¡¯s eyes were a little abnormal. They were clear, almost glassy, and supported extremely heavy bags. They looked exhausted and strained, and she wasn¡¯t sure if it was from the long night shift or the stress. To be able to see the lips of someone twenty feet away, in the dark of the night, and on top of that decipher what that person was trying to say from the movement of their mouth? She wouldn¡¯t have believed it if she wasn¡¯t strange herself.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    She stared. She wondered. How much was he able to figure out? Her back was facing him for most of the conversation, so there must be some holes in his version of the story, but¡­ he could have filled in the blanks himself.

    Nora sighed, ¡°You really live up to your reputation, don¡¯t you?¡±

    He didn¡¯t answer. She wasn¡¯t going to get much out of him like this, so she dropped her box at his feet and hoisted herself onto the side wall next to him. She towered over him. He didn¡¯t like that. He fished another cigarette out of his pack and bit into it.

    ¡°So?¡± she asked, ¡°What do you know? I¡¯m curious.¡±

    Finally, he mumbled through clenched teeth, ¡°I know that you¡¯re a liar.¡±

    His lighter sparked, and a cloud of smoke wafted into Nora¡¯s face. She waved it away, ¡°I¡¯m a saint. I saved a man¡¯s reputation. What gives you that idea?¡±

    ¡°If there was nothing on that memory card, you would have handed it over.¡±

    Ah. She was caught.

    ¡°If he was half as smart as you , he wouldn¡¯t have driven away like that,¡± she praised.

    ¡°Where is it?¡±

    She didn¡¯t reply. Instead, she reached down and quickly slid her hand under Daniel¡¯s belt. He yelped, and before he could grab her and swat her away, she had retreated, a small black card in between her fingers.

    ¡°Thanks for keeping it safe for me,¡± she grinned.

    The detective stared, horrified. The cigarette dropped out of his mouth.

    ¡°How¡ª¡±

    ¡°When you tackled me,¡± Nora replied. She unzipped the camera bag on her side, pulled out the device, and slipped its strap over her neck. While she slotted the card in, she smirked, ¡°To think that you had it this entire time. That would have saved you a lot of trouble.¡±

    He couldn¡¯t process the information. Nora glanced at his shock and apologized for his benefit.

    ¡°Sorry about that. The best place to hide it is the last place you¡¯d look.¡±

    He was too upset to respond.

    ¡°If you went to the bathroom?¡± she added, ¡°Game over. Thanks for staying dehydrated.¡±

    She turned the camera on and pressed a few buttons. At the sight of the card¡¯s contents her smirk curved into a deep, evil grin.

    The detective¡¯s disgust forced his hand. He hopped up onto the wall alongside her and ripped the camera out of her grasp, and she complained when the strapped dragged her neck along with it. With quick fingers he thumbed through the pictures, and his eyes widened. He couldn¡¯t stop his mouth from opening, and before a gasp could escape the camera was flitted back to its owner.

    ¡°Don¡¯t look for too long,¡± she warned, ¡°I don¡¯t want you asking questions.¡±

    But he couldn¡¯t help that. The images were burned into the back of his mind, and he was having trouble processing them, ¡°¡­What was that?¡±

    She hesitated before replying, ¡°I think it¡¯s be better for all parties involved if I didn¡¯t explain that out loud. A man¡¯s allowed to have his secrets¡ª¡±

    ¡°No,¡± he shut his eyes, ¡°I know what I saw. That¡¯s not what I¡¯m asking about.¡±

    He turned and glared.

    ¡°What were you hiding??¡±

    Nora was staring at the camera screen. She had stopped at a dark picture, similar to the thirty she had managed to capture in the quick burst her camera was out.

    There wasn¡¯t much to see. The only discernable things were silhouetted shaped in the center of an already dark room. Around a hallway corner, through a large frack between the door and its frame, a small moment was visible. A bed. Mr. Kim lying on top, face-up. And on top of him, Mitchell An. Shirtless. Erotic. But the way he towered over, his unnatural posture caved forward, his hands clutched around his boss¡¯s neck; everything said a different story.

    ¡°Their foreplay was a little strange,¡± Nora finally managed, ¡°That¡¯s what I thought at first.¡±

    [In the hallway of the penthouse, moment after Mitchell had disappeared behind Kim¡¯s door, Nora sits close, on the side of the door that would hide her if it suddenly swings open. Her hands cover her eyes. She¡¯d rather be anywhere but here, but she¡¯s doing her job. She¡¯s listening to what lies beyond the walls separating her from her target, and what she hears is enough for her face to flush red.

    Minutes pass. She stretches her legs. She scrolls through her phone. She wonders if this is worth it. She waits.

    Suddenly, a voice.

    ¡°I could end this here.¡±

    Nora sits up. That¡¯s new. She doesn¡¯t know where the though comes from.

    ¡°I could end this right now if I wanted to.¡±

    Is that¡­ the secretary? She leans her ear against the wall and tries to focus. She drowns out the other noises and listens.

    ¡°If he stops breathing, she won¡¯t have to send me here anymore.¡±

    What??

    Nora stands up and presses herself closer to the wall. Concentrate. Concentrate¡­

    She can get a feel for the scenery. Mitchell is on top of his boss, towering over. His hands on his neck. Strangulation? The congressman doesn¡¯t seem alarmed. This must be normal.

    She shudders at the thought. No. Not normal. She isn¡¯t one to judge another¡¯s fetishes, but that isn¡¯t what worries her. The secretary shouldn¡¯t be thinking like that, right? Was that a typical response to what they were doing? Did this roleplay go so deep that the part he played reached him subconsciously?

    ¡°If I stop breathing too¡­¡±

    No. This isn¡¯t right.

    Nora wants to stop this but isn¡¯t sure if it¡¯s her place to. Before she can think too hard her hands find themselves on the door handle. She knows she can¡¯t get in. It¡¯s locked.

    Kim would be fine, right? The secretary wouldn¡¯t go that far.

    ¡°Let¡¯s stop this. I¡¯m tired. I don¡¯t want to do this anymore.¡±

    Nora waits. One second. Two. Three. She can¡¯t hear anything.

    She can¡¯t hear anything.

    Kim isn¡¯t conscious. She can¡¯t hear anything.

    Her hands are on the nearest object she can find. One smash. Two. The fire extinguisher isn¡¯t working. Think, Nora. She pounds on the door. No one is responding. No one is home.

    What if¡ª

    She pulls the orange sticky note from her pocket and does her best to input the pin in the door with shaking hands. There is no way this will work. They couldn¡¯t be stupid enough to¡ª

    A ding. A click.

    She doesn¡¯t have enough time to praise their stupidity. The door is thrown open, and she¡¯s inside. This time, her camera is available. Hopefully she¡¯s overreacting. Hopefully the silence means she can¡¯t hear anymore. Maybe she¡¯d gone deaf. She¡¯d prefer that.

    The hallway into the penthouse is long. She rushes it, turning the corner, and stops dead center. A large living room, an adjacent kitchen. An open balcony past that, beckoning the night sky.

    To the right, a door slightly ajar. Two men on a bed. One breathing. One, not quite.

    She takes pictures without thinking too much about it. If this is murder, she¡¯d need proof. After thirty or so clicks sound off into the dark, in the span of about five seconds, she manages to gather the confidence in her gut and opens her mouth.

    ¡°Mitchell An,¡± she calls.

    No response. He doesn¡¯t hear her. He doesn¡¯t answer.

    ¡°MITCHELL.¡±

    Nothing.

    She looks at the congressman. His eyes are closed. He isn¡¯t conscious.

    But a finger twitches.

    She can¡¯t bring herself to enter the room. The fear is too pungent. But after a quick glance, Nora catches sight of the slim red square on the wall, and in another second an alarm enveloped the building. Bright, flashing lights bounce off the walls.

    The secretary is thrown out of his reverie. He notices the man underneath him and rips his hand away from his throat.

    ¡°William?¡±

    Fear.

    Mitchell pushes the politician¡¯s shoulders.

    ¡°William, wake up.¡±

    And with one final shove, he does. Kim gasps, air filling his lungs. The secretary shakes. He¡¯s terrified. His life almost changed for the worst.

    ¡°What¡ª¡± Kim doesn¡¯t seem to understand his predicament. He sits up, rubbing his throat, and smacks Mitchell¡¯s arm for pressing too hard. He notices the blinking lights and curses. Mitchell hugs himself. It seems he¡¯s out of danger. Let¡¯s forget about this. Let¡¯s focus on the job. Right. He has a job to do.

    But how¡ª

    Mitchell turns to the hallway. His eyes meet Nora¡¯s.

    One moment. Two. Three.

    Recognition.

    She runs.]

 chapter twelve

    They didn¡¯t speak for a moment. The eerie silence allowed for the detective to think, and the ex-reporter to relive the memory, and after all of the words left unsaid were heard Daniel finally managed to ask for some clarity.

    ¡°He¡­ tried to kill him?¡±

    Nora didn¡¯t respond.

    ¡°And you hid the goddamn pictures?¡±

    Nora finally thumbed her camera off and turned to drop it back in its bag, but the detective latched onto her hand. He didn¡¯t understand.

    ¡°You¡¯re stupid, aren¡¯t you?¡± he asked, ¡°That¡¯s the only way this makes sense.¡±

    ¡°I am not¡ª¡±

    Daniel shook her wrist, ignoring her argument, ¡°If you gave me this while you were in custody, I would have let you go. You trespassed to save a life. All of your charges would have been dropped. But instead, you kept your mouth shut and wasted everyone¡¯s time? And some guy who attempted murder walked out??¡±

    A pause, then he added, ¡°How did you even know about it?¡±

    ¡°What, you can have good eyesight, but I can¡¯t have good hearing? Buzz off.¡±

    She wasn¡¯t helpful. Just rude. He started mumbling, ¡°Is it attempted murder? You keep mentioning Senator Song. God, if this is a contracted killing¡­ I can¡¯t go up against a senator. Is it even worth trying?¡±

    Nora pried his fingers off of her wrist and managed to slide the camera to safety. The zipper of the bag shutting riled him even more. He glared and pointed and scowled.

    ¡°You¡­ You¡¯re a time bomb waiting to explode. You know too much,¡± he finally managed.

    This wasn¡¯t news.

    Nora sighed, frustrated, ¡°What are you gonna do, arrest him? He¡¯s already gone.¡±

    ¡°And whose fault is that??¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s mine,¡± she held her wrists out in front of her, ¡°Cuff me. I¡¯m guilty.¡±

    Daniel pulled the cuffs out of his pockets and shook them in front of her face, ¡°Don¡¯t tempt me!!¡±

    Finally, the detective discovered he couldn¡¯t sit still. He slid off the side wall and started pacing. Something felt missing, and when he found his dropped cigarette on the floor, crushed under one of his frustrated stomps, he cursed and shoved a hand into his bomber jacket pocket. He pulled out an empty pack. All he could do was whip his glare at the girl in front of him. He bt his lip to stop the profanities from spilling out.

    Nora sighed again. She felt a little bad. He didn¡¯t have to stress himself out like that. She kicked her feet out at the wall, ready to wait and watch him calm down, but he smacked her legs out of the air and they thud back into place. He wasn¡¯t in the mood for casual snark.

    All that was left to do was sit and stare at each other in silence. The detective fiddled with the cuffs in his pocket. He breathed. His mind churned, and the mess of thoughts gave Nora a headache.

    Finally, she said, ¡°He regretted it.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk to me.¡±

    Nora was about to argue but thought the better of it, ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll sit here. Stew in your own anger.¡±

    A beat.

    ¡°Did he tell you that?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Tell me what?¡±

    ¡°Regret. Did he tell you he regretted it?¡±

    ¡°Well, no,¡± Nora scoffed, ¡°I just¡ª¡±

    ¡°¡¯You just knew?¡¯ Cause you know everything?¡±

    Nora wasn¡¯t impressed with his attitude.

    ¡°I regret walking over here,¡± she told him, ¡°You¡¯re an imbecile.¡±

    ¡°HA!¡±

    Another silent stalemate. Nora crossed her arms over her chest and debated whether she should just walk away. He¡¯d definitely chase after her. Probably drag her back if he had to. She was willing to answer any reasonable questions he had, but if he wasn¡¯t going to ask them then what was the point?

    She was finally tired. The sky had paled to a muted blue, with traces of sun that hadn¡¯t shown up yet. She wanted to go home. She didn¡¯t want to listen to the man curse her over and over inside of his head.

    She pushed again.

    ¡°As soon as he came back to himself, he regretted it. Instantly. With everything he had.¡±

    This time, Daniel didn¡¯t answer. Good. He¡¯d hear her out.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think it would be worth ruining him for a choice he wasn¡¯t proud of making.¡±

    ¡°A lot of people make bad decisions,¡± he argued.

    ¡°And you¡¯re no exception.¡±

    He didn¡¯t like that. His tongue clicked, and his scowl sharpened. It turned ugly.

    ¡°I decided not to fault him for it,¡± she told him.

    ¡°And you have the power to make that call?¡±

    They weren¡¯t getting anywhere. Again. They scowled at each other. It seemed as if the two weren¡¯t mean to get along.

    The detective sighed and tried again, ¡°Is that why you jumped through hoops for Mr. Kim to keep him? No one would blame him for kicking him out after that mess.¡±

    ¡°Mm,¡± Nora nodded, ¡°I felt bad. He deserved better.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Did he?¡±

    ¡°I think learning from mistakes through an opportunity is better than learning through punishment,¡± Nora paused, then said, ¡°It¡¯s why you¡¯re here now, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    The detective¡¯s eyes wavered.

    ¡°Don¡¯t use me as an example.¡±

    She ignored him, ¡°You were demoted to a substation for inappropriate behavior. Nothing bad, just extremely erratic. Unhealthy. They pushed you out to where nothing happens and you wouldn¡¯t cause any trouble¡ª¡±

    ¡°I said, don¡¯t.¡±

    He looked about ready to rip her throat out.

    ¡°But this isn¡¯t a punishment,¡± Nora clarified, ¡°It¡¯s an opportunity. To get better.¡±

    A long track of silence. Finally, all that he could spit out at her was, ¡°Go.¡±

    Daniel was pissed. Who did this girl think she was? Never mind the pictures, the idiotic decisions, the attitude. She was rude. She was obnoxious. And she knew everything about him, everything that he never wanted to say.

    How the hell did she know??

    There was a feeling creeping under his skin, and he couldn¡¯t quite name it. Her eyes were dark, almost flat, but there was a depth to them he didn¡¯t like. She stood taller than necessary, as if pride and arrogance were two rods holding her spine straight. And that smile. That stupid, all-knowing, all-pleasing smile seemed to be more than just that. Daniel was a man who¡¯d seen countless horrors committed by countless fiends, but nothing quite grated him like the girl standing in front of him, who seemed to have answers to all the unasked questions, and then some. She knew things. A person shouldn¡¯t know so much.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    She was terrifying. That¡¯s what that feeling was. Terror.

    He¡¯d much rather get this girl out of his face than debate about ethics with her. When she made no move to leave, he grabbed her and dragged her off the side wall.

    ¡°Hey¡ª!" she yelped.

    ¡°I said go,¡± he repeated, ¡°Go home. Go blackmail someone with your stupid photos or something. I¡¯m tired.¡±

    When she still didn¡¯t move, he kicked her box, and the papers scattered on the floor.

    She groaned, ¡°Oh, come on!¡±

    Without much choice, Nora bent over to start picking up her filed, and the detective took the opportunity to walk away. He made it around the wall¡¯s corner and up the stairs before she spoke again.

    ¡°You really don¡¯t remember me?¡± she asked.

    He stopped. All he could see was the back of her head as she scuttled around. A page got caught in the wind and she dove to snatch it.

    ¡°Am I supposed to?¡± he didn¡¯t want to waste any more time with her.

    She looked up at him, ¡°You saved my life a long time ago.¡±

    A simple sentence said without much thought. Anyone walking by would think there was a gravity to it, something attached to fate. A chance to bring two people closer.

    But the detective shrugged, his anger still sizzling, ¡°I save a lot of people. You¡¯re nothing special.¡±

    A sharp stab. But Nora smiled.

    ¡°I¡¯m extremely special. You just don¡¯t realize it yet.¡±

    The nerve of this girl.

    She sighed quickly after, a mask to continue her arrogance, ¡°Maybe I got the wrong person. If you were who I thought you were, then you¡¯d never forget me. I saved you, too.¡±

    He scowled. She was crazy. He didn¡¯t recognize a hair on her head.

    When he didn¡¯t answer, Nora took it as permission to keep talking.

    ¡°I always wanted to say something to the man who saved my life. Do you want to hear it?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    He had enough. Her smile was turning greasy. He started back up the steps and turned his back to her.

    ¡°Thank you!¡± she called to him.

    He kept walking.

    ¡°You made a difference to me! You made a difference to a lot of people!¡±

    What was this, an apology? Was she making up for making him angry?

    He got to the doors of the substation.

    ¡°This substation is lucky to have you!¡±

    He reached the door handle.

    ¡°You¡¯re sexy!¡±

    ¡°Will you shut up??¡± The detective whipped around.

    Nora was at the bottom of the stairs, slouched to the side, her arms full with her box.

    She grinned, ¡°You were listening?¡±

    ¡°This stupid¡ª!!¡±

    Before the thought could reach his lips, Daniel rushed towards her, taking two stairs at a time. The girl cackled at his face and scurried off down the street, and before he could chase her past the walkway she was already at the end of the block. She made a big show of herself, looking back every few feet or so, and when she realized he had stopped following her she gave him a hearty bow that bent her body in half.

    ¡°Keep up the good work!¡± she yelled.

    ¡°DON¡¯T LET ME CATCH YOU BACK HERE AGAIN!¡± he screamed back.

    She snickered. The sun rose above the horizon, cutting across the tops of the nearby condominiums, and the detective hissed, rubbing his eyes. He dug for his sunglasses and found them in his jacket¡¯s innermost pocket, and he placed them over his eyes just in time to see Nora balance her box in one arm and wave the other over her shoulder. She didn¡¯t say anything, but she didn¡¯t have to. He could figure out what the gesture meant:

    No promises.

    <hr>

    Nora had been living in a studio in the middle of Wonsung-du since college, and never found a good reason to move away. Her room was extremely tiny, cramped, and missing a lot of the standard amenities, but the rent was cheap, the walk to the bus was short, and Nora had burrowed herself well enough in the schemes of the neighborhood that she knew she¡¯d miss it if she left.

    She passed the wall of flyers and banners arguing with each other about the redevelopment and nodded to a neighbor on their early-morning jog. The corner store manager waved hello through the square windows of his shop, and she accepted the milk carton he balanced on top of her box with gratitude. A basement studio buried underneath what was supposed to be a loan office, but was definitely a illegal casino, started to blast the opening song to their underground radio station, welcoming the world to a new morning. She tried to say hello to the gangsters settled on the second level, all lined up in the windows for a cigarette break, but they waved her off quickly and cursed her away. They knew she was more trouble than she was worth, a bringer of bad luck to any who got too near. She didn¡¯t mind that reputation one bit.

    By the time Nora returned home, the sun was climbing. It washed her dusty tenant building in an orange glow and stretched the shadows in unnatural angles. The lighting, along with the early-morning silence, sunk her corner of the neighborhood in an unnatural calm that vibrated with anticipation.

    Was it because Nora had just lost her job, and change was on its way? It seemed as if something was waiting for her, and she wasn¡¯t sure if that something was good.

    It didn¡¯t take long for Nora to discover what that something was. It took shape in the strained single mother that lived next to her small studio. She lied in wait on the second floor of the apartment, hunched over the railing that overlooked their small, weedy courtyard. She hadn¡¯t slept. Her shoulders hung with fret and worry. Nora could feel her franticness before she could get a decent look, and she quickly climbed the stairs to meet her.

    ¡°Katherine,¡± she called. The woman jerked from her anxious stupor.

    ¡°Nora? What are you doing out so early?¡±

    ¡°I should be asking you that,¡± Nora walked past to drop her box in front of her door, then turned back, ¡°What happened? You look upset.¡±

    Katherine opened her mouth, then shut it, then released a heavy sigh, leaning deeper into the railing. She pulled out her hair tie and recollected the long strands into heavy bunches.

    ¡°I look like a mess, don¡¯t I?¡± she shook her head, ¡°Don¡¯t mind me. It¡¯s nothing.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s probably nothing. Let¡¯s not drag her into this.¡±

    Nora didn¡¯t let her neighbor rest. She took the spot next to her on the railing and handed her the milk carton. Katherine smiled weakly and accepted it, and she didn¡¯t speak again until the carton was completely drained.

    ¡°I fought with Savannah last night,¡± she finally admitted.

    ¡°Ah.¡±

    The walls of the tenant building were thin. Savannah was Katherine¡¯s teenaged daughter, and not a week passed when Nora didn¡¯t hear them screaming at each other. The most recent bouts were triggered by Savannah¡¯s most recent screw-up: she didn¡¯t bother to apply to any colleges or look for jobs, and as a result was granted a period of screwing around after her graduation. Her school¡¯s ceremony was just a week ago, and already the family and its neighbors were feeling the aftereffects of a teenager who couldn¡¯t be bothered to plan her future. She was still very much a child and partied more often than bumbling around at home. It was no surprise that Katherine was at the end of her tether.

    ¡°I know it¡¯s nothing new, but this time I really dug into her,¡± Katherine¡¯s hands clenched around her empty carton, ¡°I think I said a few things I shouldn¡¯t have said. No, I know I did. But she¡¯s so stupid, I didn¡¯t think she¡¯d take it seriously.¡±

    Nora grimaced. She could hear remnants of the shouting in Katherine¡¯s head, and it was ugly. She felt a bit relieved that she was locked up for that fight, because if she wasn¡¯t she¡¯d probably be dragged out of her room by Savannah to referee. It wouldn¡¯t be the first time.

    ¡°So she went out after that?¡± Nora guessed.

    Katherine nodded, ¡°I¡¯m gonna kick her ass when she gets back. She keeps going to those clubs off of Wukong Street.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s old enough for that??¡±

    ¡°No, but she¡¯s pretty enough. She gets that from me.¡±

    A small smile. Katherine wasn¡¯t stressed enough to miss joking around. That was a good sign.

    ¡°But she hasn¡¯t texted me. At all. I haven¡¯t heard from her.¡±

    The small smile disappeared.

    The two stared out into the courtyard, one expecting a daughter to walk in and the other unsure of what to say. Nora listened.

    ¡°She usually texts. She¡¯s not so angry that she wouldn¡¯t text, right? Her phone¡¯s off. She¡¯s not answering her phone, but she always makes sure it has a charge. Did something happen? Surely nothing did. She¡¯s just upset. That¡¯s right, she¡¯s just throwing a tantrum. She¡¯s such a brat. I must have raised her wrong. I didn¡¯t act like that at her age, did I?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. She¡¯s having fun. She probably crashed at a friends place. She¡¯ll walk through that door with a hangover and I¡¯ll tell her how stupid she is. And we¡¯ll go look for some jobs for her. Paul¡¯s always looking for someone at the store, but I don¡¯t think Sav would like that. But its better than nothing. She needs to learn how to earn her own money if she wants to screw around. It¡¯s the least she can do.¡±

    ¡°¡­But why hasn¡¯t she texted me back? She should have texted by now.¡±

    Nora patted her back, and Katherine¡¯s shoulder twitched at the sudden touch. But she was grateful for it.

    ¡°She probably crashed at a friend¡¯s place,¡± Nora assured her, borrowing her thoughts, ¡°She should be fine. You¡¯ve got their numbers, right? Wait a few hours and call her friends if you haven¡¯t heard anything.¡±

    Katherine nodded. That made sense.

    ¡°Go inside and sleep. She¡¯ll be fine. You¡¯ve got to get Lionel ready for school.¡±

    Nora peeked over her shoulder, at Katherine¡¯s front door that was slightly ajar. A small boy peered back through the crack, and his eyes widened when they met Nora¡¯s glance. Katherine followed her gaze.

    ¡°What are you doing up??¡± she asked when she spotted her son, ¡°You don¡¯t have school for a few hours. Go back to sleep.¡±

    ¡°Tch.¡±

    He turned his glare to Nora, annoyed that he¡¯d been ratted out, and shut the door quietly without uttering a single word. Nora smiled. Lionel was the youngest and the quietest of the family, but his thoughts were well beyond his years. He was easily Nora¡¯s favorite neighbor.

    Seeing that Katherine¡¯s worry had kept her son up, she quickly shuffled back inside, leaving Nora out on the walkway with her own thoughts.

    A missing daughter was a typical event of her neighbor¡¯s lives, but Nora was a bit concerned. Katherine would usually parade up and down the courtyard and beckon the gossipers of their street with complaints of her daughter as soon as she left, but there was always a guarantee that Savannah would crawl in under their haughty glares by the next morning. It was rare for Katherine to stay up worrying like this. Their fight must have been a bad one.

    She decided not to think too much of it. Time for sleep. By the time she was back up, Savannah would be home, Katherine would be screaming, Lionel would watch, and the tenant building would sigh in relief at the normalcy that returned. Nora turned to her door, and after digging for her keys and maneuvering her way through the lock she stepped into her room and collapsed into the dark.

 chapter thirteen

    It was dark when Nora woke up. Her only window was blocked out by the heavy sheet that split her small room in half, and it was thick enough to leave Nora in a daze when she opened her eyes. How long was she out? After scrambling over her futon and the mess of clothes scattered on the floor she reached the sheet and ripped it open, letting orange light spill across her face.

    She didn¡¯t like that color. It meant she was down for too long.

    After a few minutes of scrolling through her phone, Nora forced herself to get up and find a pair of clean pants. It was a difficult task. Laundry day was a few days ago, and she hadn¡¯t bothered to catch up. She¡¯d have plenty of time to do that now that she was in between jobs, obviously, but the thought of dragging her basket down the street to the laundromat wasn¡¯t a pleasant one. After sniffing around for a clean button up and brushing her teeth in her closet of a bathroom, she decided to hunt for some food and made her way to the late afternoon of the outside world.

    She was met with Katherine. Again. Her clothes had changed, and she looked much neater, but her expression had darkened significantly. Nora didn¡¯t have to think too hard to guess.

    ¡°You haven¡¯t heard from her?¡±

    Katherine nodded grimly.

    ¡°She wasn¡¯t with any of her friends last night. No one saw her,¡± she said. Her voice sounded dead. Before she could say anything else, tears started to well up in her eyes, and she quickly wiped them away.

    ¡°Nothing happened to her, right?¡± Katherine finally choked, ¡°If anything happened to that idiot, I- I don¡¯t know what I¡¯d¡ª.¡±

    Nora glanced up. The sun was hovering at an angle that suggested it¡¯d get dark in a few hours. Savannah should have been home by now. She would have at least called.

    ¡°She better just be angry,¡± Katherine was trying her best to keep her composure, but it was slipping, ¡°She better be upset with me. I can¡¯t believe I- I hurt her so much that she wouldn¡¯t bother to call. I¡¯m so stupid.¡±

    Nora patted her back and tried to assure her, ¡°She¡¯s going to be fine.¡±

    ¡°She better be,¡± she seethed.

    They looked down at the empty courtyard half-expecting the fool to stumble in, and when she didn¡¯t Katherine couldn¡¯t take it anymore. She was dragged into her own grief and sobbed. Nora pulled her into a hug to calm her down.

    ¡°She¡¯s safe. She¡¯s okay,¡± Nora kept repeating, and after a while both of them realized those words were said more out of hope than knowledge. After a few minutes Katherine straightened, wiped her tears, and coughed her worries out.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the station,¡± Nora said, ¡°See what we can do.¡±

    Katherine nodded.

    ¡°Even if she¡¯s out there fooling around, it¡¯ll be best to report it,¡± she explained.

    And Katherine responded, nodding more, ¡°Just in case.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Just in case.¡±

    Nora let her go inside to grab her purse, and not a minute later the two were on their way.

    The substation hadn¡¯t missed her. Upon Nora¡¯s arrival back into the front lobby, the receptionist, a face different from the previous night, immediately frowned. Before she could ask, Nora announced herself.

    ¡°I¡¯m reporting a missing person.¡±

    The receptionist looked hesitant, her eyes flitting between her and Katherine. Nora knocked on the desk to grab her attention.

    ¡°Hey. You know I¡¯m never here to mess around,¡± she said.

    ¡°That¡¯s not what I heard. Detective Moon wasn¡¯t quiet about last night¡­.¡± The receptionist¡¯s voice trailed when Nora frowned.

    Nora coughed and changed the subject, ¡°Her daughter didn¡¯t come home.¡±

    ¡°Savannah?¡± The receptionist¡¯s eyebrows furrowed.

    Everyone knew everybody here, and Savannah was notorious. At the recognition, Katherine leaned forward.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t see her, did you?¡± Katherine asked.

    When the receptionist shook her head, Katherine began to tap her fingers anxiously on the counter. With a nod from Nora, the receptionist opened a side drawer and pulled out a form.

    ¡°When did you see her last?¡± she asked, handing the form over to Katherine with a pen.

    ¡°Well¡ª¡±

    The two began talking, and Nora let her mind wander from their conversation. She¡¯d heard it before, and what she didn¡¯t hear she had figured out. She looked over Katherine¡¯s shoulder at the missing person¡¯s form, a sheet of paper she was somewhat familiar with but would rather not be. This wasn¡¯t the first time someone had left home. Her eyes flitted through the entries as her neighbor filled them out, and by the time it was completed the conversation had taken an expected turn.

    ¡°She might just be out,¡± the receptionist suggested, ¡°Isn¡¯t she a free spirit? The officers here normally see her on their late patrols.¡±

    Kathrine knew all this and frowned, ¡°This is different though, isn¡¯t it? She¡¯d at least call¡ª¡±

    ¡°Her phone¡¯s off, so it¡¯s normal that she didn¡¯t. She¡¯s an adult now. Cut her some slack.¡±

    It seemed like the receptionist had her own ideas about what happened. Katherine was almost convinced- she desperately wanted to be- but still¡­

    ¡°But¡ª¡±

    Before Kathrine could argue again, Nora knocked on the counter again.

    ¡°Just take the form,¡± Nora said, passing the paper over, ¡°File it. It¡¯ll take you a second and it¡¯ll make everyone feel better.¡±

    Seeing that Nora was taking the lead, the receptionist decided to do what she was asked. She took the paper from Nora¡¯s fingers and sifted through it, and after stapling a few other pages to it she got up to leave the desk when a door behind her opened.

    Out stomped Detective Daniel Moon dressed in similar fashion to last night¡¯s escapade, exchanging a dark bomber jacket for a red flannel. His hair was unkempt. His eyes still held heavy bags, as if the sleep he had gotten wasn¡¯t nearly enough. And he was still stressed, still exhausted, still cranky.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Detective Jin?¡± he asked the receptionist, not looking up, ¡°He¡¯s supposed to be here, isn¡¯t he?¡±

    Ah. Detective Jin.

    ¡°He¡¯s notorious for keeping his own hours,¡± Nora told him before the receptionist had the chance to answer, ¡°He probably left when he got bored.¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t even started my shift yet¡ª¡±

    The detective stopped talking and looked up. At the sight of the girl in front of him, he snarled, and Nora did her best to pass him her cheesiest smile.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    He wasted no time with her.

    ¡°What did I tell you this morning?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t it something like ¡®don¡¯t let me catch you here again?¡¯¡±

    ¡°So why are you in front of me?¡±

    It was a question made out of frustration. They both knew the answer.

    Nora pouted, ¡°I¡¯m awful at following directions. I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    He huffed.

    The detective plucked the papers out of the receptionist¡¯s grasp, motioned her to sit back down, and leaned on the counter as he looked things over. Katherine¡¯s eyes passed scattered gazes to him, not recognizing the man who just took her daughter¡¯s case into his hands.

    ¡°This is Detective Moon,¡± Nora introduced, and she clasped her hands.

    ¡°You¡¯re the new detective that came a few weeks ago? I¡¯ve heard a lot of things about you,¡± Katherine said, trying to put a good word in. The detective noticed the subtle flattery and didn¡¯t let it get to his head.

    ¡°Good things, I hope?¡± he still asked, out of politeness.

    Katherine nodded. When he didn¡¯t say anything else, she pinched Nora¡¯s side and sent her signals with her eyes.

    ¡°He¡¯s good, right? He¡¯ll find her, won¡¯t he?¡±

    Nora gave her a nod. She knew his track record well enough to be somewhat confident in his conduct. After another moment, however, she wasn¡¯t sure. The detective finished reading the last page, and a small, almost unnoticeable sigh escaped from between his closed lips. His thoughts betrayed him.

    ¡°A runaway? She probably doesn¡¯t want to be found.¡±

    She didn¡¯t like that. His eyes were wavering, taking small glances at the mother and gauging her panic level. If this wasn¡¯t serious then why bother putting the effort in? She¡¯d probably make her way home soon, right? Before he could voice his opinions, Nora sunk her teeth into him.

    ¡°You¡¯ll look for her, won¡¯t you?¡± Nora asked.

    The detective was going to answer, but the door behind him opened again, this time beckoning the entrance of Officers Gu and Yoon.

    ¡°Nora!¡± Gu smiled. His excitement made Daniel scowl.

    The two were dressed in full uniform, bright fluorescent vests and shades of blue, probably on their way to a scheduled patrol. They welcomed Nora back with open arms, and she nodded her greetings in return.

    ¡°It¡¯s good to see you out here,¡± Yoon said, ¡°I was hoping you wouldn¡¯t be behind those bars still.¡±

    Nora laughed, ignoring the puzzled look Katherine was giving her.

    ¡°Did you get in trouble again¡ª?¡± her neighbor started, but Nora interrupted her.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t about me, this is about Savannah.¡±

    ¡°Savannah?¡± Gu asked.

    He took the papers from Daniel¡¯s hands, pages that the detective seemed happy to part with, and after a quick look over he shook his head.

    ¡°She¡¯s always causing trouble, isn¡¯t she?¡± Gu mumbled.

    Daniel turned to Nora, ¡°Does she get that from you?¡±

    Nora smiled. It wasn¡¯t a warm one.

    The officer passed the forms back to the receptionist and allowed her to file them, and he prompted Katherine to tell her story again. A mother-daughter fight. A girl who was prone to parties and wandering. A missing phone call. The more he listened, the more the detective was convinced that this was just another tantrum thrown by a reckless teenager, and Nora wished to agree with him but decided that she wouldn¡¯t give him that benefit.

    After the explanation, Yoon frowned and said, ¡°I think I saw her last night.¡±

    Some good news.

    [A patrol down the windy ways of Wonsung-du. About an hour before a false alarm rings out from a nearby penthouse, two uniformed officers walk past mom-and-pop stores and sample food from nearby stalls. They leave their car a few blocks over- the street is too tight for it, and it¡¯s a nice night for a walk.

    After stopping by the corner store and shooing some rowdy kids home, Officer Gu and Yoon spot a girl huffing her way towards them. She¡¯s dressed in bright colors and skimpy clothes, her bleached hair styled loosely over her shoulder. Yoon grumbles under her breath at the sight, more out of jealousy than contempt, and calls out to the girl when she¡¯s close enough.

    ¡°Stay out of trouble, Savannah.¡±

    Savannah spits out ¡°not you too¡± but continues on her way, her tall heels clacking up a storm on the pavement.

    ¡°Get home early tonight!¡± This time, Gu tries. He¡¯s ignored.

    They watch the girl turn the corner and head off into the direction of the night clubs, exchanging sighs. Kids grow up so fast, don¡¯t they? Gu berates her for running to the clubs so soon after her graduation, but Yoon defends her, saying it¡¯s best to have fun while she can. That¡¯s all they think of the girl and continue on their way.]

    Gu gasped, ¡°You¡¯re right! We saw her near Paul¡¯s last night. When was it?¡±

    ¡°Around ten, I think,¡± Yoon said, ¡°Before¡­.¡±

    They all turned to Nora. She shrugged the attention away.

    ¡°Anyways, that was nothing out of the ordinary, right? She¡¯s usually out at that time, so that doesn¡¯t say anything about why she didn¡¯t come home,¡± Yoon continued. Gu nodded.

    The hope was brief. What they knew was that Savannah had left for the clubs, and her friends couldn¡¯t vouch for her whereabouts. Katherine let out a breath she didn¡¯t know she was holding and let worry consumer her again.

    ¡°It looks like they¡¯ve got this handled. I¡¯ve got paperwork to file.¡±

    Meanwhile, at the end of the group, the detective was slowly fading. He managed a small turn towards the back door, making up his mind that he wasn¡¯t needed, but his attempt to peel away was felt. The officers mimicked his turn, opening their small circle to make him more available, and Nora raised her eyebrows at him. He was the detective, after all. If anyone here was going to investigate what happened it would be him, regardless of if he felt the endeavor was useless or not. He caught their subtle glares and froze awkwardly, conflicted. Should he keep his good detective persona or rip away from the group completely?

    Nora answered for him. She glanced at the clock on the wall, ¡°Katherine, Lionel should be out of school be now. Go home and wait there. I¡¯ll look for her.¡±

    She snaked past the officers and latched an arm around the detective.

    ¡°With him,¡± she smiled, ¡°We¡¯ll go together.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, what?¡± the detective asked, but he wasn¡¯t graced with an answer. The officers goaded him with praise before he could argue.

    ¡°What a good detective!!¡± Gu cried, patting Katherine¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he¡¯s from the big city. He¡¯s got a lot of experience under his belt, so finding your daughter will be easy.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s so true! It¡¯s not like he¡¯s got anything else to do right now,¡± Yoon added, ¡°Right?¡±

    When he didn¡¯t answer, Nora pinched him, ¡°Right? Let¡¯s go.¡±

    It was getting late and standing around wasn¡¯t going to solve anything.

    Katherine started to protest. She wanted to get involved in the search, an attempt to save her own sanity and not be stuck at home wondering, but Officer Gu chimed in, ¡°Wait at home in case she comes back. Officer Yoon and I are about to start our patrol and we have to make a few stops, so we¡¯ll ask around.¡±

    It took a few minutes, but they managed to convince her to go. Nora promised she¡¯d have news when she came back and wouldn¡¯t rest without it- with no job to go to, she suddenly had more free time, and it wouldn¡¯t hurt to do some walking. They walked her out of the building, Nora with her small gaggle of officers and a reluctant detective being dragged with, and they watched as she scuttled around the corner. Once she was out of sight they sighed collectively.

    ¡°The girl ran away,¡± the detective announced, slipping his sunglasses over his strained eyes, ¡°I¡¯m saying that right now.¡±

    He was half-expecting rebuttals, so he was surprised when the group nodded with him.

    ¡°Let¡¯s hope so,¡± Officer Gu said, ¡°but we¡¯ve still got protocol to follow.¡±

    When Daniel huffed, annoyed, Nora raised an eyebrow.

    ¡°What, is following protocol hard for you?¡± she asked him, ¡°You think because you got sent to the outskirts you get to act however you want?¡±

    The question stung, and the officers looked away, pretending like they didn¡¯t know what she was talking about. The detective¡¯s glum look darkened.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you start that again,¡± he grumbled. Noticing that she was still latched onto his arm he smacked her off, ¡°and let go of me. I¡¯m not going anywhere.¡±

    Good. She grinned, satisfied.

    ¡°Well, if she did run away, then finding her will be easy,¡± Yoon said, ¡°but if she didn¡¯t¡­ we¡¯ll find out the more we look.¡±

    That was true. Protocol was protocol for a reason. With a case on file, the detective had no choice but to set out and start searching, even if that search wouldn¡¯t take him very far. He was averse to useless work, but work was still work. He¡¯d much rather be out than sitting behind his desk with stacks of files to sort through.

    Nora appreciated the turn his thoughts took. He was a good detective for a reason, and she would hate to see his previous reputation outdo him when it was needed.

    ¡°You said you saw her at the corner store?¡± Daniel asked, ¡°I¡¯ll start there. See if I can pick up a trail.¡±

    It was a good start. Nora wanted to follow him, but he glared.

    ¡°If she follows me I swear to god¡ª¡±

    She guessed not. She smiled as if she didn¡¯t hear a thing.

    ¡°We were heading over there anyways, but it might be better if you went,¡± Gu said, almost sheepishly, ¡°We got a call.¡±

    Yoon gave a wry smile, ¡°Mm. Neighborhood Watch. Please go for us, Detective Moon.¡±

    Mm indeed. Nora¡¯s eyes glazed over, ¡°Ah. The Watch.¡±

    She exchanged a knowing glance with the officers, one that the detective missed. It seemed he hadn¡¯t had the pleasure of meeting them yet.

    The Watch was a self-established squad of older women (and one man) with too much time on their hands. They stood more vigil that the officers themselves, patrolling their small collection of streets from the corner store to the reaches of Wukong Street, the border of the nightlife district they deemed themselves too pure to cross over. Their vigilante status was prominent, but it was easily overshadowed by their gossip agenda. They could give Nora a run for her money in terms of muckraking. If anyone had seen Savannah carve an angry path to the clubs and had anything to say about it, it would be them.

    So Nora, unwillingly, declared, ¡°I¡¯ll go too.¡±

    Daniel frowned, ¡°I¡¯m not taking you anywhere.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to. I¡¯ll follow.¡±

    He grunted in disgust and turned to leave without her, but Officer Gu patted his shoulder.

    ¡°No. Take her,¡± he advised, ¡°If you don¡¯t, they¡¯ll eat you alive.¡±

 chapter fourteen

    The group coordinated a plan of action and split into two; the officers started straying towards Wukong Street for the clubs, and the detective trucked to the corner store not a few blocks off with a trail sticking close behind.

    The corner store didn¡¯t have a name. It was owned by a middle-aged man whose children had all left their hometown years before, and he lived a somewhat comfortable life amongst his Wonsung-du neighbors. Paul was known by anyone who was anyone in his portion of the cul-de-sac, as he was a major supply for late-night snack runs and early morning goods. He was friendly and kind. Too kind, perhaps. Kind enough for The Watch to park their lawn chairs in close proximity to his shop doors, but that was because they never let him ask them to leave.

    So it was a familiar sight for Nora when she approached the store with the detective. An assortment of bright, foldable chairs were arranged in a semi-circle not far from the tables set up near the store¡¯s entrance, but instead of facing their usual view of the intersection they were turned completely around, facing the wall. A gaggle of elderly were not far off, looking up at the wall in a collective daze and exchanging complaints here and there. The wall itself, in two stories of its bricked glory, was spray-painted in saturated colors and brisk strokes to the picture of a giant mecha robot. It was a wonderful sight, but one that was unwelcomed.

    ¡°That wasn¡¯t here this morning,¡± Nora muttered. The detective glanced at her.

    ¡°Someone tagged that in the middle of the day? That¡¯s ridiculous,¡± he said, ¡°You probably didn¡¯t see it.¡±

    ¡°But I did, there was nothing there¡ª¡±

    He shushed her.

    This already wasn¡¯t going well.

    They got close enough to overhear what the onlookers were complaining about. The most prominent figure was a wiry elderly woman, dressed in tight clothes and balancing a large red sunhat on her head, the brim almost hiding her face. It wasn¡¯t the season nor the hour for such a hat, but she knew that. Everyone knew that. She wasn¡¯t a head officer of The Watch without it.

    ¡°I know it¡¯s that boy. Y¡¯know the one I¡¯m talking about. That skinny one with the tattoos on his arms. He spelled trouble the moment he waltzed into our neighborhood,¡± she said.

    Her companions all nodded.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell us who it is, we already know,¡± her friend, another woman clothed in a dress and heels too formal for the situation, ¡°He¡¯s painting up different property every week. I¡¯m surprised no one¡¯s caught him yet.¡±

    ¡°Of course no one¡¯s caught him, our pigs are useless,¡± Red Hat crowed.

    The man beside her nodded. He didn¡¯t say a word. Nora didn¡¯t hear anything from his head either; he was a quiet man who never had much to say.

    As Nora and Daniel listened, the owner of the store approached them, an assortment of bottled juice packed into his arms. He smiled when he got close enough and leaned towards them.

    ¡°Nora,¡± he greeted, ¡°Juice?¡±

    Nora took two and gave one to Daniel. Daniel immediately gave the juice back to Paul, not interested. She frowned at him but didn¡¯t say anything.

    ¡°And this is?¡± Paul asked.

    ¡°Detective Daniel Moon,¡± the detective responded curtly, showing his lanyard off, ¡°Someone called in a complaint?¡±

    ¡°Ah. Yes, someone did,¡± he replied, ¡°Wasn¡¯t me, though. I couldn¡¯t be bothered with this.¡±

    He turned to the wall and his crooked smile deepened, ¡°I kind of like it. I was meaning to paint this side anyways, so it saves me a bit of trouble.¡±

    It was a lovely mural, despite its crudeness. Nora admired it, taking the appearance of an art connoisseur. She tilted her head an angle or two, deep in thought.

    ¡°It¡¯s different from his usual work,¡± she finally commented, ¡°He¡¯s been doing a lot of flowers recently.¡±

    ¡°I think I saw those. Did he do those lilies past the post office?¡± Paul asked.

    ¡°Mmm. The forget-me-nots by the bridge, too.¡±

    ¡°I should be mad, but I¡¯m a little honored,¡± he confessed, ¡°Once he gets famous, more people will come to my store. The kids like it, too.¡±

    AhEM.

    A cough took them out of their conversation. The detective, his hand still holding his lanyard out, snapped it back to his chest and glowered.

    ¡°Please take this seriously.¡±

    Nora flashed a cheesy smile. He wasn¡¯t amused.

    ¡°If you didn¡¯t call, then there¡¯s not really a complaint,¡± the detective told him, ¡°You said you don¡¯t mind? That it¡¯s okay for him to do this?¡±

    Paul thought, his face twisting momentarily, and then he nodded.

    ¡°No problem here.¡±

    ¡°Then that¡¯s that,¡± Daniel said. Case closed.

    But that wasn¡¯t the correct answer, according to the crowd. They turned, finally noticing the detective¡¯s presence, and they cornered him, predator to prey. When they dove forward Nora automatically stepped back with Paul, both not strangers to the phenomena, and in a second the confused detective was surrounded by two ladies, a man, and a straggling crowd of onlookers.

    ¡°What do you mean, ¡®that¡¯s that?¡¯¡± Red Hat scowled, ¡°Don¡¯t you see there¡¯s a menace plaguing our community? And you have the nerve to write it off like it¡¯s none of your concern??¡±

    ¡°Who are you¡ª?" Ms. Formally Dressed snatched at his lanyard and dragged it to her face. After her weak eyes scanned the name she let out a dry laugh, ¡°The new detective? And I had hopes for you. Wimble, give me my money. You lost. He¡¯s completely useless.¡±

    The silent man, Mr. Wimble, released an inaudible sigh and dug in his deep pockets for a wallet.

    The detective was overwhelmed by the sudden attention. He snatched his ID back as gently as he could, but it wasn¡¯t gentle enough, because Ms. Formally Dressed suddenly howled and flung herself back.

    ¡°OH! HE¡¯S VIOLENT, TOO! WHAT KIND OF DETECTIVE ACTS THIS WAY??¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Daniel couldn¡¯t keep up with what was happening, ¡°No, I¡ª¡±

    ¡°A violent detective? In our Wonsung-du?¡± Red Hat sneered, then, ¡°No, look at him. He¡¯s so tiny. I doubt he could cause anyone any real harm.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not¡ª" he started, but the detective¡¯s cries were unheard.

    Ms. Formally Dressed blinked, ¡°Are you sure? He looks a bit thuggish. Maybe it¡¯s because he hasn¡¯t shaved.¡±

    ¡°He needs a haircut too.¡±

    ¡°Is it the eyes? I can¡¯t see them, those sunglasses are in the way. I can¡¯t see the window¡¯s to his soul. He must be hiding something.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s doing a poor job, I can already tell he¡¯s lacking.¡±

    ¡°Lacking in what?¡±

    A pause. Audible pity.

    ¡°¡­Everything.¡±

    The Watch took turns in picking him to pieces, a wake of vultures doing what they¡¯ve done all their motherly lives, and all the detective could do was stand their and wither away, his cries tossed to the wind. Nora watched. She let herself bask in the tyranny present and allowed a small sliver of pleasure from it. He hadn¡¯t done much to deserve this behavior, but it was necessary for his attitude. He had no business being as rude and cranky as he was.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Before she got too lost in the bliss, however, something pinched her side, and she yelped.

    ¡°Is this where you¡¯ve been hiding?¡± a voice asked. When she turned, Nora discovered Simona cradling her small dog to her chest, a scowl set deep in her lip.

    ¡°I went all the way to the substation this morning with her breakfast and she wasn¡¯t even there. What an embarrassment.¡±

    Nora smiled apologetically, ¡°You didn¡¯t go looking for me, did you?¡±

    The frown was answer enough.

    Simona would be the perfect addition to The Watch if she wasn¡¯t so grounded. She kept an eye out for everybody- Nora especially, a troublemaker with not much family to be seen but herself- and in her own loneliness she made it a goal to make sure everyone was taken care of. It was easy to look past her grouchy, tough-as-nails fa?ade and discover the sweet and loving woman she truly was.

    ¡°Thank you. I¡¯m sorry I got bailed out early,¡± Nora felt grateful Simona went at all.

    Simona sighed, ¡°It¡¯s fine. I should have expected it anyways. You¡¯re too slippery to stay in there for long.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s really too bad, though. I made her a cake and everything. Guess I¡¯ll send her some later.¡±

    ¡°Aww, what?¡± Nora booed. Simona patted her arm, thinking that she was reacting to her ¡°slippery¡± comment.

    ¡°Anyways, what are you doing in this neck of the woods? You should be going out and celebrating. Twenty-five is a big deal,¡± Simona continued.

    Paul perked up at this- he was listening, ¡°Nora, it¡¯s your birthday?¡±

    ¡°I mean¡ª¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t start with that,¡± Simon interrupted, ¡°Go. Go party instead of listening to these old crows squabble.¡±

    Nora wasn¡¯t one to celebrate much. Her birthday was mingled with memories of sadness, and after twenty-five years of this day passing by she found that she didn¡¯t care much for it. The cake was a bonus that she wasn¡¯t expecting, and she was happy to accept, but adding another year of living as a testament to her life¡¯s victories didn¡¯t seem meaningful. Not to her, anyways.

    Her birthday was so unimportant that she¡¯d forgotten about it. She was surprised that Simona even knew.

    Simona was pulling her away from the crowd, trying to swing her to her home¡¯s direction, but Nora dug her heels in, ¡°No, I can¡¯t leave. Not without that one.¡±

    She pointed to the shell that Detective Daniel Moon had become. Enduring verbal and mental jabs, he turned, and when he noticed Nora half-away from the group he glared.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you DARE leave me here, you coward.¡±

    Simona followed Nora¡¯s point and her eyebrows furrowed, ¡°The detective? What, you hit it off last night?¡±

    Nora tsked, ¡°You wish.¡±

    ¡°No. I don¡¯t think you deserve him,¡± Simona quipped back, and she released Nora¡¯s arm, ¡°but go save what¡¯s left of him. You might find a couple of his pieces lying around if you¡¯re lucky.¡±

    It was a pity, really. The detective had been successfully ground down to simple specks of his former dignity, but he still had enough energy to catapult his curses to Nora.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you just watched. Aren¡¯t you supposed to be useful? Didn¡¯t I let you tag along for a reason? Get these hags offa me! Get rid of them! Annoy them to death! I can only handle so much!¡±

    Nora smiled and waited.

    ¡°¡­Please help.¡±

    There it is.

    Nora finally stepped forward and cut in, jamming her arm between the defeated detective and his attackers. Daniel hid behind her without thinking too much of it, an automatic response to escape his abuse. Nora gracefully took the spotlight.

    It had an effect. When Nora made herself known, the elderly women shut their mouths, the sudden silence in stark contrast to their previous cackling. Still, Nora heard them.

    ¡°Oh, not THIS one.¡±

    ¡°Look at her. Her eyes. Those beady, creepy eyes.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s always sticking her nose into our business. She¡¯s got nothing better to do. Probably between jobs again. Probably trying to make herself useful. But she never really is.¡±

    ¡°A vagabond, this one. I¡¯d whack her away with my parasol if she didn¡¯t scare me.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s scary¡ª¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t look into her eyes, she¡¯s scary. She knows.¡±

    ¡°She knows.¡±

    ¡°She knows too much.¡±

    It took Nora a moment to collect herself. It always did when it came to The Watch. But once her footing was secure, and she had hold of her bearings, she released a sly grin onto the crowd, and they all simultaneously looked away.

    ¡°Tabitha,¡± she greeted the Red Hat, then to Ms. Formally Dressed, ¡°Julie.¡±

    And finally, to the silent man, ¡°A pleasure always, Mr. Wimble.¡±

    A mix of ¡°Nora¡± was passed back to her. Good enough.

    Seeing that she held the authority of the crowd, Nora sighed and attempted to bring back some peace. She motioned to Paul, whose arms were still full of bottles, and after he started passing them around to the frazzled elderly she continued, ¡°Ladies, I appreciate that you¡¯re thinking so much about our community. Wonsung-du wouldn¡¯t be what it is without you. But you shouldn¡¯t be abusing your power to throw the poor detective around. Let him breathe a little, hmm?¡±

    The detective in question stared. How she managed to reel them so easily, he could only guess. The trio nodded, complacent in her flattery, but Tabitha, her hand tucking a lock of white hair nervously into her red hat, challenged, ¡°We¡¯re right, though. He shouldn¡¯t just drop this case. What if that rascal comes back and starts scribbling on all our walls? He can¡¯t just run around thinking it¡¯s okay.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re completely right,¡± Nora said, and she turned to the detective, ¡°You¡¯ll tell him, won¡¯t you? Give him a warning? You can do that much, right?¡±

    She glared and bit her lip. Say yes.

    ¡°¡­Yes,¡± he managed.

    ¡°See?¡± and just as quickly, her gaze whipped back to the ladies, completely free of any malice, ¡°He¡¯s caught murderers and scoundrels alike. Trust him.¡±

    At this statement, a small murmur spread among the group. Murderers? Scoundrels?? Maybe he wasn¡¯t useless after all.

    They were easily swayed. Nora knew this. She knew this, among many other things.

    ¡°Speaking of scoundrels, maybe you can help us,¡± Nora managed, sensing the timing, ¡°Nothing gets past you three. You didn¡¯t happen to see Savannah walking around last night, did you?¡±

    Finally, getting to the topic at hand. She expected some cooperation, but before she could see any Julie scowled.

    ¡°Savannah? S¡¯that Katherine¡¯s girl?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡ª¡±

    ¡°The slut?¡±

    And the crowd shifted.

    Suddenly, a flurry of comments and gossip rushed her. Savannah was another rowdy troublemaker, a popular topic among the grapevine, and she wasn¡¯t spared. They tore her apart, mauling snippets of information hungrily, and along the chaos came a flurry of thoughts that Nora took a moment to pick apart herself, hoping to find something useful. They sped past at astonishing speeds, small details here and there, both overriding and underriding the words spoken aloud.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how Katherine manages with that thing around. A single mother too¡ª¡±

    ¡°Is there a minute where she isn¡¯t causing trouble? She needs to be leashed and muzzled¡ª¡±

    ¡°She probably gets it from her father. He was a deadbeat. Blood tends to run like that¡ª¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s bound to get pregnant one of these days. Probably has the diseases. She¡¯s practically living on Wukong. It¡¯s a wonder she goes home at all¡ª"

    ¡°What, she¡¯s missing? Good riddance.¡±

    Ruthless. Completely ruthless. Nora glared, her eyes burning fiercely, and the sudden shift in her attitude immediately shut the ladies up again.

    ¡°A daughter went missing in your town last night,¡± Nora explained, ¡°so it¡¯d be best if you¡¯d act like decent people and remember if you saw her.¡±

    ¡°Decent¡ª?" Tabitha started at the cold words, but Nora didn¡¯t give her a chance.

    ¡°Yes. Decent. I asked a question, so keep your opinions to yourself.¡±

    A pause. They were only doing what they did, passing gossip, providing information, giving her what she asked. Weren¡¯t they? It wasn¡¯t their fault that all they knew was negative. It wasn¡¯t their fault that that was the only thing worth knowing about Savannah.

    ¡°Would you like me to tell you what everyone says about you, Tabitha?¡± Nora asked.

    Tabitha sunk into herself.

    ¡°Julie?¡±

    Julie paled.

    ¡°They¡¯re not good things. Not with you acting like that.¡±

    Mr. Wimble, the silent man, nodded in agreement. It was such a slight tilt that no one noticed it.

    When the crowd collected itself in its silence, Nora started again, this time much more calmer and much more dignified.

    ¡°Did any of you see Savannah last night? She hasn¡¯t come home, and Kathrine¡¯s scared. Surely you¡¯d feel the same if your kid disappeared,¡± Nora smiled, ¡°So? Yes or No?¡±

    A mumbled ¡°no¡±.

    ¡°That¡¯s all I needed to know.¡±

    What a waste of a trip.

    She turned to Paul, Simona, and her detective. Paul shook his head, and after a moment of thought Simona confessed she didn¡¯t see her either. Well, there goes that lead.

    The detective stared. His thoughts mingled with the collective consensus of others as Nora turned to leave, in the direction of Wukong Street.

    ¡°Scary.¡±

    ¡°Why is she like that? Is she a thug or what?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s not easy to get along with.¡±

    ¡°She talked as if she knows.¡±

    ¡°She knows.¡±

    ¡°She knows too much.¡±

 chapter fifteen

    But before Nora could take a step away, a quivering voice stopped her.

    ¡°Savannah?¡±

    It rang clear above the sweltering silence, and its tone parted the group to make way for it. An elderly woman, older than the others, caned her way forward, her head nearly visible under the other¡¯s shoulders. When she managed to shuffle to Nora, she fixed her wide glasses to a higher spot on the bridge of her nose to get a closer look and gave a lovely smile. The small knot in Nora¡¯s chest untied itself without warning, and she found herself sighing in relief.

    ¡°Grace,¡± Nora welcomed.

    Grace patted her arm softly, returning the greeting in kind, ¡°Nora. You look prettier every time I see you.¡±

    And she looked back to the others in disdain, ¡°Gals, I expect a little better of you. There¡¯s nothing wrong with a word every now and then, but I didn¡¯t expect to come back to a lynching.¡±

    The Watch was powerful enough, but Grace¡¯s word was law. She lived on these streets when they were first being paved, and age aside her personality was enough to win the role of president of the neighborhood watch. Despite her dainty appearance, she led with an iron fist. She took the job very seriously. So seriously, in fact, that hope sparked in Nora¡¯s eyes. If anyone saw Savannah, it was her. Grace was who Nora had come here for.

    And she didn¡¯t disappoint. After smacking her lips, she announced, ¡°I saw her last night.¡±

    ¡°You did?¡± Nora asked, ¡°Do you remember when and where?¡±

    The old woman held an arm out and waved it towards the detective, still standing in a daze, ¡°You¡¯re the new detective, aren¡¯t you? Come this way. Let me get a good look at you.¡±

    Despite her vigilance, the woman was easily distracted.

    Daniel blinked, coming to, and stepped next to her. Grace looked him up and down, and when she was satisfied with what she saw she hooked her arm in his and freely leaned against him. He looked extremely uncomfortable, and even tried to pull one of the foldable chairs over so she could sit, but she ignored the gesture and made herself a spot by his side.

    Nora grinned in spite of herself, ¡°He¡¯s handsome, isn¡¯t he?¡±

    ¡°Yes. A little short, but they¡¯ve got shoes to fix that. Perfect height for lil¡¯ old me,¡± Grace said, nonchalant. Ignoring Daniel¡¯s guffaw, she shamelessly continued, ¡°Savannah. I saw her out my window on my way to bed. She was wearing that nice white dress, off-the-shoulder, lacy around the hem. Too short. I always told her it was too short, but her ears aren¡¯t very good because she never listens¡­. And it must have been a little after ten. I haven¡¯t been getting good rest recently, you see, but Dr. Taz¡¯s about ready to have me looked at by the end of this week so I¡¯m not too worried¡­.¡±

    Grace lived closest to Wukong street, about three houses down from the bustling intersection and dazzling neon signs. She never complained about the crowds or condemned the people who went there, but accepted that young people would act like young people would. She would watch with her weary, bespectacled eyes, and was the first to report when a fight broke out across the street, away from her jurisdiction. She had offered a few wasted souls comfort and safety when they stumbled across the border and provided a spot under her roof¡¯s stoop for girls to wait for a safe ride home. A saint, Grace was. It¡¯s what made her supremacy unrivaled.

    Her tangent about her next doctor visit drifted for a bit, but then she suddenly paused, a revelation coming to her, ¡°You know, I saw him too! Just a little bit after, walking in the same direction.¡±

    The crowd leaned forward, intrigued.

    ¡°Who did you see?¡± the detective asked, finally finding his voice again.

    [Late night, a simple house squeezed in a row of houses. Grace sits at a small table next to her bedroom window, sipping her tea. The dusty lamp beside her glows, a beacon to those stumbling outside. She watches and waits in case someone needs her.

    Clacking. On the pavement below, a frustrated girl struts to Wukong Street, her tantrum dwindling on its last wisps of hot steam. She pauses at the intersection, waiting for the heavy stream of cars to allow her to cross, the only busy street in a half-mile radius, and she gathers herself. Straightens her hair. Touches the hem of her dress. Pulls a compact mirror from her handbag and assesses that her makeup is still in place. She huffs, pleased that she didn¡¯t manage to cry. The last conversation was a doozy, but she¡¯s stronger than that. She¡¯s strong. Just watch. She¡¯ll walk across this street with pride, and nothing will stop her.

    The walk signal turns green, and she¡¯s on her way. A few men whistle at her as she walks past, and suddenly she¡¯s in the night district of Wukong Street. The neon signs throw shades of hot pink and vibrant green on her shoulders, and she embraces them. She disappears under their glow, sucked into the buzzing crowd. Grace finds herself sighing at the sudden loss and mumbles a silent prayer. Stay safe, little one.

    Not a second later, another figure catches her eye. He slips out from those straying at the entrance of the district, arriving from a different direction some far ways off. He¡¯s dressed lightly, in black shirt and black skinny jeans, a black cap¡¯s brim turned away from his eyes. Tattoos of varying dark ink climb up both his arms, covering his sleeves. He¡¯s sketchy -suspicious, even- but Grace recognizes him and doesn¡¯t feel a speck of fear. Despite his intimidating appearance, he¡¯s a good boy, just a year older than the girl who¡¯d strut in.

    And his eyes follow the girl, not in a threatening way, but one of acknowledgement. He watches her who, out of sight, turns through some unknown entrance. Intrigue. Not another moment passes before he follows her, and just as soon as he appeared he¡¯s gone with the crowd.]

    Nora turned to the wall, it¡¯s mecha-painted glory towering over, ¡°Rex?¡±

    The name wasn¡¯t familiar to those who heard it, save for a few who all followed her glance.

    ¡°Was that his name? The artist fellow?¡± Grace asked.

    Nora nodded.

    It certainly made sense. Rex was a graffiti artist who¡¯d stumbled into town as an abandoned middle-school graduate. He worked odd jobs at nearby convenience stores to support himself, and he was no stranger to the workings of Wukong Street. He¡¯d be familiar with Savannah, a girl close to his age who passed through countless nights. If he was still in school, they¡¯d probably be classmates. She was someone he was interested in, and he wasn¡¯t creepy enough to turn that interest into something more, but he¡¯d at least keep tabs on a pretty girl if he saw her.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

    And saw her he did, according to Grace¡¯s statement.

    Good. A lead.

    <hr>

    It took some time to peel away from The Watch. Despite Nora¡¯s ability to silence them to cold stares, they clung on with wiry fingers and breathed unneeded advice down their necks. The detective was the quickest to pull the duo out of the crowd, promising nothings, and the two trekked off. Simona called after them. She ordering Nora to get off work early to allow some time for herself even if this circumstance required her full attention, but the suggestion was waved away. No. Finding Savannah came first.

    There were too many places to look for their artist. Rex was notorious for hiding away in corners no one bothered to check. Nora, being more familiar with the neighborhood than her partner, didn¡¯t hesitate to take the lead in their search, winding through the many alleyways and side streets of Wonsung-du, but it was only until she lifted the grate off of a wide gutter hidden off the side of a tunneled walkway that Daniel decided to say something.

    ¡°He¡¯s not gonna be in there¡ª¡±

    She disappeared, the sound of boots splashing drain water the only response the detective received. A moment passed, then two. He listened as her steps receded down some unknown path, and then suddenly she was back, her pants soaked and a gross smell clinging to her clothes.

    ¡°He¡¯s not in there,¡± she announced.

    ¡°Really?¡± the detective didn¡¯t hide his sarcasm, ¡°I thought you were onto something this time.¡±

    ¡°I was,¡± Nora replied, swiveling her phone¡¯s light to the gutter wall behind her. Streaks of vibrant color flashed, and it carried all the way back, to the edges of the sewer space they couldn¡¯t quite see.

    ¡°He¡¯s filled this place up. It wasn¡¯t like this the last time,¡± she continued. She stepped out and started to fit the grate back in place, and when she was done she started to lead the way without him, ¡°Which means he probably found a new spot for practice. Keep up, will you?¡±

    He opened his mouth but found he couldn¡¯t argue. She was already off, and the detective had no choice but to follow.

    Instead of walking deeper into the neighborhood, Nora cut a corner and led them out towards the river. The stacked houses got larger, the narrow streets wider, and suddenly the buildings disappeared altogether, opening up to empty plots of dirt and weeds. The asphalt under their feet broke up until it was nothing more than stray pieces, and they followed a worn trail, the setting sun hanging just high enough to peek into their eyes. Daniel had to shield his face, despite wearing sunglasses, and quickly fell behind.

    ¡°It¡¯s going to get dark soon,¡± Nora finally said when he slowed them to a pace she couldn¡¯t handle, ¡°If you can¡¯t hurry up I¡¯ll go by myself. It¡¯ll probably be quicker that way.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t trust you,¡± he quickly responded, swatting a tall weed out of his way, ¡°I¡¯m fine. Where are you taking us?¡±

    She didn¡¯t answer. He¡¯d know soon enough. She slowed her steps a bit, a kind gesture that went unnoticed by the detective, and they walked side-by-side for the rest of the trek. It didn¡¯t take long for Nora to regret that decision. He had enough room to talk now.

    ¡°So you know this kid? His name was Rex, right?¡±

    Nora nodded, ¡°I see him around more often than not. He moved into the neighborhood at around the same time I did. I used to buy him meals, let him crash on my couch. Stuff like that.¡±

    ¡°Huh,¡± he paused, ¡°I didn¡¯t take you for someone who¡¯d do that.¡±

    Nora smiled, amused.

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t take me for anything. We¡¯ve barely met.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not what you said this morning,¡± he quipped back, ¡°I apparently saved your life.¡±

    ¡°You did. What¡¯s your point?¡±

    ¡°No point. I¡¯m just trying to figure you out.¡±

    It was true. Throughout their walk, Nora had been silent, but she was listening. Questions flitted themselves back and forth inside the detective¡¯s head, some making more sense than others. They asked about the missing girl, the disappeared artist, and a complicated, colorful neighborhood watch that had information but seemed too biased to deliver it correctly. And then there was her. Nora Lee. The biggest mystery in Detective Moon¡¯s mind was trying to unravel Nora¡¯s place in all of this; an outsider, definitely, but one who acted like she wasn¡¯t.

    ¡°Tell me what you¡¯re thinking,¡± Nora finally caved, ¡°You¡¯re annoying me.¡±

    The detective was confused, ¡°I¡¯m annoying you?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. If you want to say anything then say it out loud. It¡¯s easier to answer your questions that way.¡±

    ¡°But are you willing to answer my questions?¡±

    Nora grumbled under her breath. Not if he wasn¡¯t going to ask them.

    Nora whacked a final weed out of the way and found herself back on paved road, a small running trail. It snaked parallel to the river and overlooked it via a flat hill. She brushed the burs off of her legs and immediately descended, making way for the water, and the detective stuck close to her side, propping her up when she missed her footing. They continued like this until they made it to the river¡¯s edge.

    ¡°What, he likes swimming?¡± Daniel frowned, noticing the spray paint on the concrete wall of the riverside.

    ¡°The tide goes down sometimes,¡± she answered, ¡°Look. You can see it on the other side, too.¡±

    It was true- across the river, a great 100-meter distance, he could barely make out the tops of light-handed scrawls.

    They scanned the river¡¯s edge. The bridge to the main city was close enough to watch without having to make the jog over, and a leg closest to their side was gorgeously decorated in clusters of blue forget-me-nots, vibrant against cold steel.

    ¡°If we don¡¯t find him there tonight, he¡¯ll be there tomorrow,¡± Nora pointed, ¡°See those? They need a touch up. That¡¯s next on his list.¡±

    ¡°How do you know that?¡± the detective asked, and then, before she could answer, ¡°How do you know so much??¡±

    There was more to his question than a simple answer would allow. She peeked at him from over her shoulder, as nonchalant as possible, and replied, ¡°I make it my business to know. Is there a problem with that?¡±

    It¡¯s not like he would believe the real answer anyways.

    ¡°Usually, yes,¡± he responded.

    She gave a smug grin and pulled her legs out from the mud at their feet, and they made their backtracked to the trail, heading away from the bridge and escaping its growing shadow. Silence exchanged between them before Daniel finally tossed it to the side.

    ¡°The Watch¡ª¡±

    ¡°What about them?¡± Nora asked, ¡°I was waiting for you to mention them. They¡¯re a handful, aren¡¯t they?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s an understatement. I can¡¯t believe you let them attack me like that¡± he growled. Her grin grew wider.

    ¡°But they didn¡¯t attack you,¡± he added, ¡°What was that about? I doubt they believe you¡¯re Little Miss Perfect.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m far from it,¡± she agreed, ¡°But I¡¯ve been here a lot longer than you have. They ran out of things to say.¡±

    That wasn¡¯t necessarily true, of course. She heard plenty of their jabs without them opening their mouths.

    ¡°No, that wasn¡¯t it,¡± Daniel wasn¡¯t convinced, ¡°It was more like they couldn¡¯t say anything. You blackmail them too?¡±

    ¡°You really want me behind bars, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Guilty.¡±

    ¡°Then wait until after we find Savannah,¡± Nora quickened her pace, ¡°That¡¯ll give me enough time to go into hiding. From the looks of things you aren¡¯t good at finding people, but I¡¯m just taking you with me so you can prove me wrong.¡±

    A scowl- she was still good at avoiding questions- before he grumbled, ¡°I¡¯m the one taking you. You reported her missing, so why are you still hanging around?¡±

    A simple question, with a simple answer. Nora stopped, somewhat caught off guard, and replied, ¡°Because she¡¯d want me to look.¡±

    ¡°Not if she ran away,¡± the detective argued.

    ¡°And if she didn¡¯t? That¡¯s what I¡¯m here for.¡±

    A pause. Something sounded off in the distance- a horn blaring, the rustling of tall grass, and another minute noise under the rest of it, something she couldn¡¯t quite name. Nora looked around for it. In front of her, the path finally intersected with a road that split away to an empty, abandoned parking lot, and over a patch of brambles and shrubs she could make out an intricate lily sprayed onto the dark road in its far corner.

    ¡°Do you see that?¡± she asked, pointing to it. The detective tilted his sunglasses down the bridge of his nose.

    ¡°That looks fresh,¡± he said.

    ¡°What? You can tell from here?¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t smell it??¡±

    She sniffed. Barely a hint, but the smell of paint fumes.

    And the small sound lilted again, similar to a subtle scraping with a hint of air.

    ¡°That¡¯s a spray can,¡± Nora said.