Hush, My Sweet Darling

Chapter 32: Bid Rigging

After some bench pressing and a short round of sparring with a young cadet at the station's gym, Kai took a quick shower and headed straight to the observation room to keep a close watch on Duncan's interrogation. He had just been informed about the scuffle between Duncan and Grace earlier, and his lips curled into a cold smile.

It wasn't difficult to see that Duncan was just a paper tiger. His behavior was caused by a lack of parental presence and affection all throughout his childhood and adolescence. Him dropping the dime on Desmond yesterday was his extreme cry for his father's attention. Kai understood this very well.

He knew that after a night in isolation, Duncan may have regretted his sudden outburst and would likely try to back down from testifying. This was also the reason he didn't want Duncan to find out about Desmond's passing prior to him giving his testimony. If Duncan had heard about the news in advance, he would have most likely blamed himself for his father's death and refused to say anything against his father out of remorse.

Kai needed Duncan to be blind with rage in order for him to talk. That was the only way to distract him from the feeling of guilt he may have had toward Desmond. So, he had arranged for Grace and Duncan to be brought to the interrogation rooms at the same time in order for them to bump into each other. And the result pleased him.

Indeed, there were other ways to provoke Duncan's emotions than pitting him against Grace. But his muscles still tensed at the thought of Violet's disheveled appearance that night, and of her pained expression when she tried to recall the incident the morning after.

As police, it was his duty to ensure that the two miscreants would be punished legally and lawfully, but turning them hostile toward one another was just a cherry on top. A small treat that gave him a complete sense of satisfaction.

He, too, was amazed at all the strong emotions that the girl, whom he had just met a few nights ago, was able to evoke in him. But there was no dismissing the bright orange glow that crackled over the corner of his icy-cold heart the moment he locked his eyes with hers. No matter how strange it was, he had no way of denying—nor did he have the intention of denying—that Violet Lee was the woman who had made him feel alive again. He wasn't going to let anyone who'd tried to hurt her off easily.

The custody officer standing guard outside of Duncan's interrogation room greeted him with a salute. Kai responded with a slight nod before he entered the observation room next to it. He quietly observed through the one-way mirror as the young man started to talk.

***

On the other side of the one-way mirror, under the fluorescent lights of the cold and joyless room, Duncan's chest rose and fell with rapid breaths as Kimmy, who was sitting across from him, informed him of his rights. His temper was still hot over his encounter with Grace, and the fact that his father hadn't even sent any words to relieve him.

"Do you understand what I was just telling you, Mr. Lo?" Kimmy asked.

"Yeah yeah, you don't have to treat me like an idiot," Duncan retorted.

"It's just standard procedure, Mr. Lo," his lawyer explained.

Duncan snorted. "Whatever. Just make sure you pass on the word about my cooperation to the prosecutors. Your boss promised me that yesterday," he said to Kimmy.

Kimmy said nothing and proceeded to lay down Victor Tse's photograph in front of Duncan.

"Have you seen this man before?" she asked.

"Wow... so uncreative. Your boss asked me the same thing yesterday," Duncan snickered, curling his lips to a mocking smile. Kimmy kept quiet, only staring at him with a seemingly unperturbed facial expression. The growing silence made Duncan feel ill at ease. He found himself clearing his throat and answering, "Yes, I've seen him before. He's Victor Tse. My dad asked me to entertain him about a month ago."