Aronville (BEING EDITED)

8 | We Have a New Lead

"Nightmares?"

Emily almost expected Ace to humour her and he did. He laughed right at her, so much, that he looked like he would choke to his death and the way, the entire department stared at him including Emily, they wouldn't have minded.

"So, you're saying that your midlife crisis fetches you nightmares, where you see the murders?"
Asked Ace, gasping for breath.

"I don't see the murders. I see hints. It happened twice, already. Wait, midlife crisis? How old do you think I am?"

Two people chose to speak at the same time, two ironical statements-

"Does that really matter right now?"
"So you are a noona."

The entire department brutally stared, Detective Liam Brown, down until he spoke-
"What? I am a k-drama addict."

"And I am a department head, who'll summon all of your resignations, if the case is not solved within two months."

"You should leave."
Ace motioned his head towards the exit to Emily.

"Look Detective, if you would just let me go to the crime scenes, I can fetch you some important facts. I have a feeling this will work. That day-"

"Leave. Ms Hunters."
"-that neon sign in that alley, I saw it in my nightmare, someone was being dragged and a warehouse, i-it was somewhere with bright lig-"
"Leave. Ms Hunters. Right now. You're wasting our time."

Emily knew she had no space to speak anymore. With a defeated pace, she looked up at Ace, as if begging to let her continue but seeing that stoic poker face, she turned and took her leave.

"Noona is weird."

"SHUT UP, LIAM!"
~~~

"Justice!"
The most, that Justice could offer her senior was a lazy glance.
"The phones are blowing up. Look at that chaos, we are being threatened."

"Did anyone deny?"
Chief Aniston swallowed his words at Justice's backfired question. His aura shrinked when Justice stood up from her chair, facing him.

"Did any authority dismiss the probability? Do they don't just want to avoid the topic?"
"We are their workers, Justice. The salary that we feed on, they give us, why bother?"

"Do you not remember what happened, here, in Aronville? Do you not know why the entire town is cowering inside their houses?"

"Stop being a replica of your mother."

Even before turning around, by her department Chief's bowed stance and the hush that loomed in the air, Justice knew who spoke.

"Stop being the foolish replica of your mother. She used to be an untamed daredevil and look where she ended up - six feet under the ground."

There, at the doorstep of the cabin, stood the chairman of KVC News, Kenneth Vera. Long 70 years, did not make his spine bend the slightest, nor did his minty suit crinkle and most prominent of all, his blindingly blue eyes, did not quiver when staring someone down, which in the current case, was Justice.