It was early morning when Victor stepped into the room. Veronica sat hunched over her notes, reviewing the day's files as a golden stream of sunlight slipped through the half-drawn curtains, brushing her face with warmth. 

"Morning," she said flatly, still scanning the pages. "You have something?"

Victor placed a mug and a thin folder on her desk. "Morning," he greeted back. 

"I think this file might be of interest to you," he continued as he took a seat.

She took a sip from the mug and let out a satisfied sigh. Picking up the file, she flipped through it. After reading for a while, she looked up at Victor with a slight surprise.

"You have confirmed this?"

He nodded, with a slight smile. "The hospital logs show that Jane Park's appointment started at 11:00 a.m. She signed out at 3:40 p.m. River dropped her off, and then left the hospital around 11:30 a.m. And then he returned at 12:30 p.m."

Veronica didn't say anything as she picked up another file and went through them.

"Isn't that interesting, how the time just alligns?" Victor hummed as he leaned back, crossing his legs. Veronica didn't respond.

She closed the file slowly, processing that. "You verified the timestamp on the security footage?"

Victor nodded. "Yes, that's how I confirmed the entry and exit timings."

"I'm looking at his previous statement here, and he never mentions anything about leaving the hospital," Veronica murmured. 

"So his statement also doesn't match?" Victor looked enthusiastic.

"Yeah, probably. But first statements generally have a lot of gaps in them,"  Veronica looked conflicted. She looked over the files once again.

After a while, Victor leaned on the desk and chimed in. "You said it yourself — people closest to the victim know the most. He found the body. He arranged the meeting that never happened. He's connected to both the timeline and the location. That's not a coincidence."

Veronica's gaze was steady. "So what do you suggest we do?" She asked, looking at him.

"I want to hear what he says when he doesn't expect us to."

Veronica's lips twitched, not quite a smile. "Fine. Bring him in. But we're not treating him as a suspect." 

Victor's tone was mild. "Of course not."

He turned away with the faintest trace of satisfaction in his expression.

It wasn't that she believed River was innocent — only that the truth rarely looked this tidy. Victor might be overeager, but he's not wrong. River's behavior is off. Until she finds proof otherwise, she will keep her mind open.

— —

River arrived at the precinct a little over an hour after the call.

He sat in the small room, his palms flat on the metal table. A paper cup of water sat untouched in front of him.

Veronica entered first, calm and composed. Victor followed, notebook ready.

"Thank you for coming again, Mr. Vigilanco," Veronica began, taking the seat across from him. "We just had a few more things to clarify about the timeline."

"Of course," River replied, his voice clipped. "Anything to help."

Victor switched on the recorder with a soft click.

Veronica flipped through the file. "So, according to Jane Park, you dropped her off at the hospital around eleven?"

"That's right."

"And you left the hospital at 11:30. And why is that?" 

River looked at her, a slight surprise in his eyes. Then he calmly answered, adjusting his cufflink. "Yes, I left the hospital. I knew it would be a while at the hospital, so I ran some errands nearby."

Victor looked up. "And what might that be?"

River frowned slightly. "I think I stopped to get coffee, maybe? We were busy the past few days preparing for a meeting, so I had to make some calls as well. It's a bit of a blur. I wasn't keeping track."

Victor's voice stayed neutral. "Because, according to the building's camera logs, you entered around one in the afternoon. That's almost an hour after you left Jane."

River blinked. "That's not right. I wasn't—"

Veronica gently raised a hand. "It's alright. Sometimes people forget exact times. Take a moment."

He met Veronica's eyes directly, not challenging, simply steady. "Maybe I stopped by my place first. I—honestly don't remember the exact time. But I didn't want to leave Jane alone for long, so I came back as soon as I could."

"And why didn't you mention anything about this in your previous statement?"

"Well, at that moment, it didn't prove relevant. And the reason I left was insignificant really, and I didn't recall it at that moment."

"Everything is relevant, and I hope you don't exclude such details. Please think carefully as you respond because it makes a difference." River nodded.

Victor scribbled something in his notebook. "And you're the one who found Mr. Dulia's body?" He asked, looking at Veronica for a sign to continue. She nodded and mouthed 'go ahead'.

"Yes."

"Can you describe what you saw?"

River's throat tightened. "I already did in my last statement." He really didn't want to recall that moment again.

"Yes, but it would help if you could explain it in more detail, as you are calmer now," Veronica added. River let out a sigh.

"We left the hospital at around 3:40 p.m. I dropped Jane off at my apartment to rest at around 4:00 p.m. I think. I realised that we had left some of her medicines, so I wanted to get them back. I reached the apartment at around 4:30 p.m. When I rang the bell, I got no response. After another try, I unlocked the door with the passcode." River paused for a moment.

"When I entered the house, it was quiet — too quiet. Sehuj usually left the news on or music playing when he worked, but that day there was nothing."

He paused, his hands unconsciously tightening.

"I called his name. No answer. I thought he might be asleep, but the door to the study was slightly open."

He shut his eyes briefly, trying to picture it.

"The light was still on. I pushed the door open and—"

A flicker of movement, a sound — the soft creak of a chair being pushed back. Then the smell of something metallic, faint and wrong.

"—and I saw him," River said softly. "He was on the floor. Face down. There was blood all over."
He swallowed hard.

Victor looked up, eyes sharp now. "You didn't touch anything?"

"No."

"But you said in your first statement that you checked his pulse."

"Yeah, I did, but—"

"So you did touch him," Victor said smoothly, voice quiet but heavy.

Veronica leaned forward slightly. "You didn't touch anything except to check his pulse, correct?"

"Yes. I mean, I think so. I might've moved him slightly when I tried—"

"When you tried what?" Victor asked, his tone too sharp.

"I tried to wake him up." River snapped, looking directly at Victor. "There was so much blood — I didn't know what to do." His voice didn't rise, but the stillness behind it was unnerving.

The room fell silent. Even Veronica froze for a moment.

River dragged a hand down his face. "I panicked. I called the ambulance, then Ina. I just... I didn't think straight."

Veronica watched him quietly. "And that's all you remember?"

River nodded, but his voice was faint. "That's all I remember clearly. The rest feels—"

"Fuzzy?" Victor offered.

He hesitated, then nodded again. "Yeah. Fuzzy."

Veronica's gaze flickered briefly toward Victor, a warning in her eyes. She turned back to River, her tone softer.

"We're just trying to get the full picture, Mr. Vigilanco. Take your time."

Victor leaned back, pen tapping the table. "You said you arranged the meeting that day, the one Mr. Dulia never attended. Who was it with?"

River blinked. "A possible client. Someone a friend connected us to. Why?"

"The meeting never happened, did it?" Victor said quietly.

The room went still.

Veronica closed the file slowly, her expression unreadable. "That'll be all for now, Mr. Vigilanco. But please, stay reachable. We may have more questions."

River nodded mutely, his mind spinning as he stood up.

As he left the room, Victor watched him go, the faintest glimmer of something unreadable in his eyes — not triumph, exactly, but close.

𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁