Phytoremediation

Culture's not your friend.

-- sorry for taking so long, bad things have happened --

Sunny was put into a temporary holding cell, and he disliked it. Any criminal deemed "violent" like his alleged crime was, would occasionally be sent to share his cell.

First was a man who introduced himself as One-eye Rick. The criminal apparently felt a sense of kinship to Sunny.

"You lost your eye too, kid?"

"Yeah." Sunny said briskly. A conversation for a man apparently in for dealing in trade of cocaine and methamphetamine was of little interest to him. The cell doors weren't exactly sound-proof.

One-eye Rick shook his head solemnly. "Never get into the drug biz, kid. I used to get ousted from jobs cuz of my eye, but now that the laws for discrimination got passed, you won't have to deal with it."

Sunny nodded. Drug dealing was an especially dangerous game in China because between the police and the foreign gangs you have to compete with, there were enemies all around you. Sunny wondered for a moment what life for him would've been like in the near past.

Far worse.

Sunny began to daydream more about what life would've been like in the farther past. Emperors and mercantalism reigning supreme, with the people under them practically untouched by the government... at least until a civil war would break out.

One-eye Rick was escorted out only a few minutes later to attend a trial that he was scheduled attend a day prior. Unlucky for him, the courts weren't booked full today.

Afterwards was another drug dealer. More for small-scale things, like weed and Adderall. He assaulted an undercover police officer because of an apparent price dispute. Sunny never got his name. The man just rambled to him until he was taken somewhere else.

Finally was a rather intimidating individual. Apparently, he murdered a police officer 20 years ago, at least according to what he heard the police say through the doors.

Sunny waited with bated breath, sitting in silence with the scarily burlesque 40-something year old man.

Thankfully, an officer retrieved him from the holding cell before Sunny's nerves killed him. He was brought to the same room as before, Detective Nēr sitting inside, this time sitting at the chair by the wall that Sunny had used prior.

Nēr sat with a more open posture than before, making Sunny immediately notice a change in the atmosphere.

At least they aren't treating me like a convicted felon now.

The officer who escorted him removed his handcuffs and closed the door behind Sunny, as Nēr motioned for him to take a seat.

"So, Sunny, I see you're still holding up. Apologies for the... hasty moves. We just were a little worried about the prospect of having 2 killers on the loose." Nēr shook his head, "Now, I would like to interview you again. Not as a suspect, but as a witness." He smiled to seem genuine.

Everything is an act when it's a detective in an interrogation room.

"Okay." Sunny answered phlegmatically.

"Now, Sunny, can you tell me what happened that night? You won't get in trouble for telling me about the mushrooms. Unless you have some on you right now, heh." Nēr spoke while looking at his writing. Laughing at his own joke awkwardly.

Sunny sighed with some annoyance. Having to spend a night in prison before they finally listened was beyond irritating.

"This guy wants to kill me, or hurt me as much as I can. For whatever reason, after I met him once, he wants to ruin my life and then kill me. Omor- Yuri is just some guy I met at a party with The- Mikhael and Basil. I don't know why he's after me, or why he killed Polly, and seemingly planted evidence of me on her." Sunny spoke quickly to try and explain it all, causing him to misspeak twice.

Well, misspeak from an officer's perspective. What he meant to say was also the truth, just in a different, less believable way.

"And when was this party?" Nēr questioned.

"I don't know, like, a week ago, maybe? I'm not great with time. The best I remember is being thrown in a cell for over 12 hours, making me eligible for wrongful imprisonment compensation." Sunny replied snidely.

"Mhm." Nēr said as he wrote on his notepad.

"That is a formal request, by the way." Sunny added, to make sure they would give his mom some money for his jailtime.

Nēr nodded and continued writing. "Was that the last time before the attempted murder that you were in contact with Yuri?"

"Yes." Sunny responded briefly.

"Are you sure? When was it that happened to your eye?" The detective said, motioning with his hand around his own eye.

Sunny sighed. "It's unrelated."

Nēr seemed doubtful. "You sure?

Sunny rolled his eyes and nodded.

A brief silence occurred while Nēr took some more notes. "I want to go home." Sunny spoke without emotion.

Please be okay, Basil.

Sunny stood up from his seat. Nēr began to speak, "Thank you for your time, Sunny. Sorry for the trouble, again."

"Send the cheque in the mail." Sunny replied, before walking out of the room.

After getting his belongings from the front desk, Sunny left the police station. He knew his way home from there, being a short-ish walk away. He called his mother on his emergency phone.

"Hey, mom, I'm out of jail now."

The audio repeatedly peaked as Sunny's mother cried into the receiver. "Sunny, oh thank g#*# you're #$%*@! I was so w$#@ied! Do you need me to pick you up?"

"I'm okay, mom." Sunny lied.

"Are you su#÷*? I can be home from work if you-"

"No, mom, I'm fine. I'll be home soon."  Sunny interrupted before hanging up.

He sighed and walked in silence for some moments until he had reached Basil's house.

Wait... at work? Mom must've found a new job.

Sunny shook his head. He could ask later. He reached at the door to knock, but noticed the doorbell before he did. He hesitated a moment, then clicked the button.