To Your End

July 21, 2022

The Detective's Office

One thing about life: it has a funny way of throwing curveballs when you think you've got everything under control. Detective Emily Roiss knew that better than anyone, but nothing prepared her for the tangled mess of this case.

It was mid-afternoon at the precinct, and Emily stood at the front desk, tapping her pen impatiently on the counter. Her partner, Danial Cross, leaned against the wall, arms crossed as he watched her work.

"Who was on duty at Southgate Road on June 12th?" Emily asked the officer behind the desk, her tone sharp and focused.

The woman flipped through a massive logbook, her fingers running down a column of names. "Give me a moment."

Danial, sensing her growing impatience, stepped closer. "You've been running full throttle all day. What's your plan here?"

Emily didn't look at him. "First, I'm going to talk to the officers who were stationed near Southgate that night. If anyone saw anything unusual, it'll be them."

Before Danial could respond, the officer slid the logbook toward Emily. "Here are the names: Spencer Morg, David Alviz, and Roy Cooper."

Emily read the names aloud while Danial jotted them down in his notebook. "Where can we find them?" she asked.

The officer scanned another log. "Spencer and David are off-duty tonight. Roy Cooper's working Old County Road."

"Got it. Thanks," Emily said briskly, turning on her heel and striding toward the exit.

Danial followed, catching up as they stepped outside. "You're moving fast, but who do you think our suspect is?"

Emily paused as she unlocked their car. "All of them. Or none of them. I'm not ruling anyone out until I have all the facts."

The rest of the car ride was silent, the only sound was the steady hum of the engine. Danial occasionally glanced at Emily, her eyes locked on the road, her mind visibly racing.

Old County Road

The moon hung low in the sky as they arrived at Old County Road, the streets quiet except for the occasional passing car. They spotted Roy Cooper leaning against his squad car, sipping a coffee.

"Roy Cooper?" Emily called out, stepping onto the curb.

"That's me," the officer replied, straightening up.

Emily flashed her badge. "Detectives Emily Roiss from San Carlos. We need to ask you some questions about the night of June 12th."

Roy nodded. "Sure."

Emily pulled out her phone and displayed a set of photos. "Do you remember seeing any of these people near Southgate Road that night?"

Roy studied the images carefully. "Yeah, I saw these three," he said, pointing at Naveen, Maria, and Una.

"When exactly?" Emily pressed.

Roy scratched his head. "Hard to say the exact times, but I remember seeing her first," he said, pointing to Una's picture. "She was driving alone. Later, these two showed up together," he added, gesturing at Naveen and Maria's photos.

"Did anything stand out to you about their behavior?" Danial asked.

Roy shrugged. "Not much at first. But later, the three of them came back together. My partner and I stopped them—one of them seemed drunk."