Opaque

33 | Desperate Times

"The truth is too simple: one must always get there by a complicated route." - George Sand

Chapter Thirty-Three

She stepped closer to the body, inspecting it. "What do you mean?"

I ran my hands through my hair. In my haste, I had forgotten to put them into a ponytail.

"Was this how he was found?"

She nodded. "Yeah, he was found in this exact state at five this morning."

I stared at the body. "Who found him?"

"A local police officer did on his way to work. He was found next to a man named Julio, who was injured but not dead. We brought him in for questioning. He was the one who linked you to Scarface's death and he even gave proof."

"What's the evidence?"

"Well, besides your search history in the FBI database, they also managed to get a recording of our phone call and Julio had a camera on him that has a video footage of you in the Times Union Center arena."

I sighed. "Anything else?"

"A mask was also found. The same mask you threw on Scarface's unconscious body. But no murder weapon has been identified."

I pointed at the tear in Scarface's bloodied and tattered white t-shirt.

"That's where I stabbed him. Besides that, I only punched and kicked him."

She nodded, pulling out her mini notepad from her blazer's pocket.

I pointed at his neck. "His throat is sliced. I definitely did not do that."

Taking my bag off my shoulder, I searched through it and pulled out my sheathed knife.

"I had placed it in my bag after the fight and never got the chance to take it out. Give it to forensics. The knife used to cut his throat is different from the one that I used."

She took the knife and placed it on the table besides Scarface's body.

"Anything else?"

"They should check his nails as well. The scratches on his arm and face indicate that there was a struggle between him and the murderer. There should be pieces of skin stuck in between his nails."

She nodded and placed the notepad inside of her pocket.

"Don't worry, Angie. I know that you didn't do this and it's only a matter of time before Forensics backs you up."

"I'm not worried about that. My innocence will be proven sooner or later, but I don't know how Agent Matthew will react."

She placed her hand on my shoulder.

"Regardless of whether or not I killed him, I am involved in this crime. And even though I'm not fond of the Irwin High case, I don't want my three years of efforts going to waste."

"He won't take you off the case. You've done too much work on it and besides, you're the only one who knows the ins and outs of the whole situation."

I sighed. "I hope you're right."

"You should still go see Agent Hook. If all else fails, he might be able to help you."

I nodded. "Where is he?"

"He is in the interrogation room with Julio."

"I think I need to have a word with Julio. I have a sneaking suspicion that he is the one who killed Scarface," I said.