Wicked Prayer

Chapter 2 - Thieves Of The Edge

Two days of the investigation passed by with nothing but interviews to the nearby remaining witnesses or anyone who resides around the area where the dead body was discovered. Gathering answers from the elderly men and women to the youngest of children, those interviews bought up surprises.

At the headquarter's grounds near the encompassing seas in the early hours at six in the morning, the sun barely kissed the glass windows of the towering building.

Five men marched where the heels of their shoes tapped on the white concrete tiles rarely marked with stains. Their metal chains clanking about, echoing in the hallway on the upper floor. The suspects in alignment are guarded by the policemen in formal attire. Members of the police force gripped onto the tasers in the palm of their hands walking beside each suspect.

Other spectators, clients and other investigators can't help but keep their confused gazes stuck onto the parade of the new suspicious men.

Hinashi, the leading person of the parade glanced back at the group as he guided the gang foward assisted by members of the law enforcement. The young detective's sweat droplets glittered on the tip of his forehead. He hastened the pace, fidgeting his brown eyes around every spot of the room.

However, what was causing Hinashi to tic and repeatedly glancing back at the march, was one of the accused men trudging right in the middle of the line. Aged 23, he was of half Hispanic, half Tibetan descent, olive skinned, his wavy pitch-black hair swung side by side in his steps while curtain bangs shadowed his eyes, the color of bronze. The young boy consistantly hung down his head every second Hinashi's demonic stare met with his.

"Off this way..." Trying to sound authoritive only made him swallow his words. He increased the speed while his raven coat jerked up and down against his broad shoulders. His legs bounced in the walk of swiftness. Hinashi continued to peek over his shoulder to check on the scruffy men with his regular grim glare.

Without any of the men in the group taking a glance at their surroundings, Hinashi and the others walked past an unfamiliar black-haired spectator wearing a newspaper boy attire with a silly looking bow tie hiding his face behind a camera. The spectator looked quite young with large dark almost black eyes and pale skin. His strong jawline made telling his age confusing. However, he stood quite taller than average and had a fit frame, though unnoticeable by his boyish clothing. Most strangers would mistaken him for a 15 year old too tall for his age. His thumb squished onto the knob of his device and captured that frozen moment of the walking men on the screen.

The unidentified man whirled around his head eyeing at any random stranger in his sight. A nervous sweat dripped from his forehead. His anxiety rose thinking that someone might catch him taking photos in public and forbid him from ever entering the corridors again. The man slowly descended his camera, taking a small moment, allowing his eyes to follow Hinashi's body.

Whilst the group faded into the space of the corridor, the man turned around and dashed off. He headed down to the staircase just behind him, trailing off to the lower floors of the headquarters venue disappearing within the repeated echoing from his shoes.

Waiting with a small smile stretched across his cheekbones behind the stainless two way observation mirror is Hinashi's boss, Mr. Okazaki right by the corner in the four walled room. The area, connected to the place where the group mugshots will be taken just next-door.

The elbow of one of the policeman pounded the door and thrusted open into the room coated in ivory lights. The hand from the policeman's stretched arm remained stuck to the entrance door. Members of the accused entered in an orderly fashion into the room with silence. The men aligned themselves in a straight row from youngest to oldest behind the height chart, despite the men fidgeting their shoulders and arms rubbing against one another.