You're My Target

Chapter 54

Troy Sat silently and motionless in a dusty, dank, rather unwelcoming interrogation room at the police station. His left wrist handcuffed to a cold, chrome bar that lined the side of the table he sat at. The padding on his chair, or what was left of it, was worn through and his rear end was grinding on the hard frames' pressure points. a single dim light was hanging from the ceiling. a security camera in the corner watched him from above. Troy let out a tiresome sigh.

"i feel like im part of one of those bad crime dramas on TV" he said. Troy wasnt alone. across the table sat a familiar, but unfriendly face. the face of a thin man with an overly bushy mustache. Troy liked to think of himself as a person who wasnt violent. sure he did some things he wasnt all to proud of in his past, but to say he was a violent person wouldnt be accurate. but something inside troy called to him, making him want to yank that mustache off the officers face as hard as he could.

"well wake up dirtbag this is not a TV show." the officer said sternly. "time for a reality check."

"dont i get like a phone call or something? and what about my lawyer or parents, hey id even take legal gaurdians." Troy asked the officer.

"relax smart mouth. all thats being taken care of." The officer assured him condescendingly. "youre gona run out of nicknames for me sooner or later." Troy replied with a smirk. the officer laid out a file folder on the table. it wasnt very full, but it did contain some assorted papers and documents. troy tried not to seem interested but he was trying to look sneakily. he could not read or see any of it clearly.

"so, It's troy right?" the officer asked him. "transfer student. school hockey team. freshman with average grades." the officer skimmed through one of the papers.

"yea i could probably try harder." Troy nodded.

"says here the school cancelled all sports activities after the firefight out east not too long ago." the officer tapped his finger on the paper. "you moved all the way out here to be a part of that. it must be hard on you now that its cancelled."

"you'd think so right? i was annoyed at first. but im only a freshman like you said. it's senior year thats important. thats when the talent scouts come to really see what you can do. so its those guys on my team i really feel for you know?" Troy answered him with a sympathetic tone.

"girlfriend recently broke up with you? i understand she was pretty popular. a lot of people i talked to said they were shocked when they learned she was dating you. ain't you a lucky guy?" the offcier continued reading.

"hearing you read all this negative stuff doesnt make me sound lucky at all." Troy nodded. "but yea we broke up. you're notes left out a little part though. maybe the guy you got tailing me didnt update you yet but i was on my way from her house when you arrested me for whatever reason. the part where i pretty much told her i accept the break up. so im cool with it."

"youre cool with it? is that why you lashed out at her, at her friends?" the officer asked him.

"i didnt lash out at her okay? i mean yea i was upset at first but im not anymore and as far as her friends go.." troy stopped himself mid-sentence.

"got anything to share about your friend Jang? i understand you were the last person to see him alive." the officers voice was grim.

"i was. and ive said everything ive had to say about that already." Troy answered quietly. his heart started to beat a bit faster.

"okay then.. moving on... " the officer sorted through the papers. tossing them aside softly until he just leaned over to troy slyly."that cutie you had with you today..." the officer had a dirty smirk on his face. "where were you taking her?" Troy leaned away from him and avoided eye contact. "its okay you can tell me. we're all guys here right? taking her someplace to get a little look under that tiny skirt perhaps?" the officer snickered like a weasel shortly. troy turned to him with a disgusted look. the officer stopped snickering. "or maybe you were taking her to see Eunjung and Hyomin?"

"okay did you even talk to her? you have all these notes, these interviews from everyone but the people who you should be talking to. ask her where i was taking her. she'd have you throwing all your little case files on me in a trash can and setting it on fire when shes done. youre theories are creative but thats all they are." troy argued. his breathing got heavier.

"youre right. they still are only theories." the officer agreed with troy. "we have some DNA evidence from hyomins house. strands of hair that didnt match her or her family. didnt match any friends that already willingly subject themselves to the test. so why not help yourself put these files in the trash then? lets go take the test." The officer said standing up.

"id love to.... as soon as the lawyer your supposed to be providing me arrives. i mean they should be here for something as important as that right?" Troy said.

"very well then." the officer said gathering up the papers on the table. He exited the room leaving troy to himself. He sat there for awhile, before being questioned again by some detectives investigating the case. Troy continued to say as little as possible and remind them he gets a phone call and should have a lawyer as well. When the detectives were done with Troy, they left the room and closed the door, only it didnt close all the way. it creeped back open a little bit..
"hes the one right? hes the one im sure of it." Troy couldnt see who it was, but he didnt need to. he knew who it was. he recognized the voice. it was the mustached officer. he sounded all too anxious and a bit frustrated.
Troy continued to listen to their conversation...
"we're not so sure. sure theres dots you can connect with him as the suspect but i dont see any motive." one of the detectives responded in troys defense.
"hes refusing a DNA test, hes hiding something." The officer urged them determined to get troy.
"he could just be scared. hes a kid dont forget. he needs a lawyer for this to continue though." the detectives went on to say.
"the district is providing him one! they better get here quick we can only hold him til tomorrow afternoon. we cant miss this shot." The officer ranted. a few moments later Troy was taken from the room by the officer and dragged back to a holding cell, where he was pushed in to be left alone. Troy would have nothing but time, as he was held there all night long. Despite what he overheard earlier, troy knew it was only a matter of time before his lawyer arrived and he couldnt refuse taking the DNA test forever. his refusal would only make him appear guilty. In the end, he knew he could not let this be taken any further. he could not allow to be charged and taken to court. Troy just didnt seem to have a way out of this. he tried to tell himself things would work out, that someone would say something in his defense. Qri was there she could vouch for him. He told her not to tell, but Troy knew she would anyway. Boram, Soyeon one of them, their word had to mean something. The longer he thought about it though, the more desperate he got. the seconds seemed like minutes and the minutes seemed like hours. Troy huddled on the floor and the only thing he could keep thinking about was the picture he saw back at Soyeons house. A picture of 7 friends, smiling, happy together. The guilt troy had kept inside began to rise up. The stress and desperation and now sudden and overwhelming guilt were all festering to a head. it seemed to happen so quickly, but troy had passed his limit. without any clear path in front of him. Troy thought about just telling the truth. it looked like the only option he had. Without realizing, Troy had fallen asleep. he was awoken the next morning but an officer rattling the cell door with his baton. "wake up ya' punk." he said ever-so-pleasantly. Troy uncurled himself from the ball he slept in. His neck and back, his whole body ached from sleeping on the hard floor. It took him awhile to stretch out the sore kinks in his body. it felt like he had gotten hit by a truck. Troy looked around and took a deep breath. He knew his lawyer would be coming any minute. then the DNA test followed. Troy had already made up his mind. It was time to stop running. time to be honest with them. He walked over to the cell door, and waited calmly. A little while later, an officer finally brought him back to the interrogation room.

"wait here. your lawyer will be here." The officer told him. Troy just nodded silently and sat in the chair. he remembered he had a phone call. he thought about who to call. what to say. would it even matter? what could he say other than sorry? he knew another apology would be meaningless to anyone. as he debated on how to go about it, what explanation he thought would possibly redeem himself. In the end he couldnt really find one.

"maybe, this is what i deserve." Troy sighed and his head fell to the table. As he came to terms with the situation one last time, an officer came in.

"is it my lawyer, he's here?" troy asked lifting his head.

"youre free to go." the officer said coming to release the handcuff on troys wrist. the cuff came off, and troy rubbed his wrist but remained seated.

"im .. free?" he asked, no tsure if he heard correctly.

"a witness came forward. their statement cleared you of some pending charges, putting some wholes in the case file we had on you. You're free to go." the officer explained, he sounded a bit scorned.Troy  rose to his feet slowly.
"but.."

the officer looked at him."but what?" he asked. "dont think youre getting an apology."
Troy said nothing and walked out of the door. each step he took closer to the Police station door, he was expecting to be stopped and taken back. inside troy was the feeling that he couldnt really describe... it was as if he wanted to be taken back. When he got outside the cool air felt good on his face. The sun was hidden behind a grey cloud filled sky. Tiny snow flurries were falling lightly. He stood there for a moment taking it all in. He dodged a bullet, somehow.
"was it Qri?" he thought to himself. trying to figure out who had helped him. he had no clue who it could have been. after thinking for awhile. he stuffed his hand sin his jacket pockets and started to walk home. on the way, a black car pulled up along side him as he walked on the sidewalk. The windows rolled down and Mou was driving.

"get inside." mou said quickly. the back door of the car opened and troy sat down. in the back with him was a well built man with a short spike crew cut. he wore dark glasses like Mou, even in the cloudy weather.
"what was that all about?" mou said from the front seat.

"oh you know. just got arrested for speeding on my moped." troy said.

"this isnt a joke troy! this is serious!" Mou shouted. "i didnt give you that thing to play around on! making me come all the way out here!"

"would you calm down." Troy huffed he laid his head back on the seat. "i didnt get arrested for speeding. i got arrested for your handling of that girl you're taking care of for me right now."

"oh dont try to put it on me. get your head out of your ass and focus on whats at stake. we're this close to end and you go and almost blow it." Mou ranted.

"i said relax. it's fine. they have nothing." Troy said. he picked his head up. "was it .. you?"

"was what me?" Mou replied.

"who game them an alibi?" Troy asked mou.