When the Dead Whispered.

ᴛʜʀᴇᴇ.

She messed her own hair before letting out a frustrated groan. Despite the fact that he already told her his thoughts, she was still having a difficult time determining the real reason why the husband would kill his own wife. She looked at the clock and saw that it was already midnight. She placed her hand on her stomach as she still felt full after the dinner with the Senior Prosecutor. She stood up from her seat and went to the kitchen to prepare a glass of warm milk. 

"Hello? Senpai?" She quickly answered the call when her phone rang. She gasped softly and rushed to change her clothes. She grabbed her bag and car keys, slamming the door as the glass of warm milk was left behind on the kitchen counter. 

Meanwhile, he has been staring at the computer for an hour already. He was thinking of the possible reasons why the husband killed his own wife. Was it because she became a burden to him? He shook his head at that thought. If that is the case, he would have let her run out of insulin instead of overusing it. Insulin is quite expensive and since the wife had Type 2 Diabetes, it will cost them more. He took his glasses off and he almost fell from his seat when the door suddenly opened. 

"Don't you know how to knock?" There was a hint of irritation in his voice and she just smiled sheepishly before approaching him. 

"I heard that you ran an autopsy earlier. It was murder. Would you like to tell me the results?" She asked and he raised a brow, fascinated by how she acts around him. 

"It is not your case. Why would you like to know about it?" He asked this time but then, they heard a knock and his jaw tightened. He looked at the person who walked in with a pair of cold yet indifferent eyes. 

"Give and explain the autopsy results to me." Senior Prosecutor Hokuto said, clenching his fists tightly but he suppressed his anger he harbored towards him. 

"Get out, airhead." The older one said and she puffed her cheeks. He rummaged through the stacks of papers placed on his office table and gave the results to the younger one. 

"Leave us for a while, Annika. I'll make it up to you later." Hokuto said softly while smiling at her. She let out a sigh and nodded. Then, she walked out of the office. 

"I don't have anything to explain to you. I know you know how to read the reports." He said and Hokuto threw the reports back on his office table. 

"If you don't need anything else, you can leave now." He added and the younger one pulled him up by his collar and then, he threw a punch on his face. 

"I need my cousin's life back, you killer." Hokuto hissed under his breath. His face was expressionless when he gestured to him to leave. This only angered Hokuto more, so he calmed himself and left the office. 

He went back to his seat and flipped the photo frame placed on the side table to take a look at it. He let out a sigh and removed the old photo inside it and then, he ripped it into tiny pieces before throwing it to the trash can. It has been five years since the car accident happened but the memories he shared with her were all fresh. He covered his hand with his other hand to hide the silver band he was wearing. He took a deep breath and shook his head. 

"You're already dead. I need to forget about you." He muttered as the door opened. Annika walked in again but with a concerned look plastered on her face. She saw the small cut on his lips and she didn't mean to eavesdrop. 

"Does it hurt? Do you want me to tend your cut?" She asked but he didn't answer. He picked up the autopsy reports and gave it to her. 

"Give that to your senpai." His voice was low and hoarse this time. She gripped on the documents gently and placed her bag down instead. She took her small medicine pouch from inside and looked for the ointment. 

"Sit still." She mumbled the moment she stood in front of him after finding the small ointment tube. He slapped her hand away but she squished his cheeks between her fingers while applying it on the cut. 

"Get out." She chuckled softly when she realized that he was already annoyed. She gave him the ointment and then, she left with her bag and the autopsy reports. 

"Sho, the results are already out." Riku said when he came from the Toxicology Department. He quickly got up and grabbed the results from his hand. 

"So, that's what happened." He muttered and Riku gave him a questioning look. The older one looked at the results as well and his eyes widened. 

"The husband was not the murderer." Riku said and the younger one nodded. Annika just left but he doesn't have the strength to go after her, so he just told Riku to call her. 

On the other hand, Annika just arrived outside the NFS when she received a call from Riku. She was excited to know what they found but at the same time, she felt like she should go after Hokuto. She saw him getting in the car, so she called his name. He looked at her and smiled faintly. He wouldn't deny that she might already know about it. She handed the reports to him but he pulled her in a hug instead. She froze on her spot but eventually, she hugged him back. 

"I'm sorry for hugging you." He whispered and she shook her head, gently patting his back. He tightened the hug and closed his eyes for the comfort it brought to him.