Nexus of Darkness

Chapter Three

Sergeant Kelly plopped down into the chair beside me, a worried look upon his face. He was most likely wondering what I was going to ask him. Unfortunately for him, I wasn't going to let him go until I was satisfied with his answers. We could be there for days, maybe even weeks.

I offered him a small smile, which made him even more uncomfortable. When I was in school, training to be a police detective, my professor taught the class the art of interrogation. We read body language, learned how to make ourselves more intimidating, and learned the best way to get the answers we needed. "So, how long have you known this Marianna? She has a very pretty name, if I may say so." 

Kelly adverted his gaze from my own. "Well, I met her at this sushi place. You know the Akai Suisei restaurant? That's the one. I was enjoying some sashimi and some sake when she approached me. She works part-time as a waitress there. I started some friendly conversation with her. Before I knew it, I kept coming back and coming back. Sometimes, she was there. Other times, she wasn't. This was all three months ago." After Kelly was done speaking, he finally found the courage to look at me. I actually found his story to be quite pleasant. 

I pondered over this story for the next few moments, relaying it over and over again in my head. They met in such a mundane setting. "You didn't even buy her any drinks? What's gotten into you? How unmanly!" I scolded him. It was a surprise she was even dating him. From what I know about romance, not buying a girl a drink is like insulting her looks. 

"I know, but she gets free drinks because she works there. I could probably take her to some other bar or club if I wanted, but she's always so busy! Especially now that we're going to be trapped here until the Red-Eyed Specter case is solved." He looked down at the floor when he mentioned the case. What was wrong with him? Kelly was always usually so excited about working on a new case.

"Why so glum? It's a new case, and to make things even better, you're going to be in the same building as your girlfriend until the case is over. It'll probably be a couple months." I tried my best to cheer him up. When Kelly was upset, the atmosphere in the room dimmed as well. It was hard seeing such a charming man act so depressed. 

"I'm having some problems with my family. You know how my parents were born and raised in the city of Ikebukuro in Tokyo? I was born there as well, but I went to college here, so I decided to stay. Anyway, my parents came to New York to visit me, see how I was doing. They arrived yesterday, and I'm bummed that I can't see more of them. They spent so much money to come here, and I won't even be home!" He buried his face in his hands. Sympathy brewed in my chest. I wanted to comfort Kelly. He was like a brother to me, and it sucked that Jacob didn't let him stay with his parents. He hadn't seen them for five years!

"I'm sorry..." My voice was soft. I placed a hand on Kelly's shoulder. I lost all interest in interrogating him. In fact, I wanted to make things easier for him. "I know how you feel. My father's long gone, and my mother's taking care of my grandmother in Germany. I wish I could see more of them as well." I normally didn't talk about my family. Even mentioning them almost made tears well up in my eyes.

I was too wrapped in my my thoughts to notice Cabella. She had walked over to Sergeant Kelly and I and patted our shoulders. She crouched down to meet our eyes and lifted Kelly's head from his hands. She grabbed my chin with her other hand and forced me to look at her. "You two...why didn't you tell your boss about your families? No case is as important as family. Dende, you could have flown out to see your mother, and Kelly, you could be spending valuable time with your parents now." 

Kelly remained speechless, so I spoke up. "Our boss, Jacob, won't allow for it. We took an oath at graduation from detective training. We basically vowed that the lives of the civilians are more important than anything else that goes on in our lives. We're the hands and feet of the city and also their protectors. We're risking our lives for the good of others. Our family doesn't even register on the list."

I remembered taking the oath at the graduation ceremony, my mom solemnly watching. She was against the idea of me becoming a police detective. She thought I was throwing my life away. It dawned on me then, sitting in that chair in the Happy Minds Asylum, I was throwing my life away.