"What's it, bro?" Gustav asked, his gaze turning cold for a brief moment. "Are you trying to interrogate me or something? I am used to this cold and serious behavior you usually have, but now it feels slightly different..."
Tobey looked at Gustav's pale face somewhat confused, though it was all an act.
"What are you saying at all, man? I am not trying to make this a big deal at all. It's just a broken car, right? It shouldn't worry you this much..."
Gustav faltered for a moment, then scratched his neck.
"Well, you know that I am not the most careful person you could find out there and... well, my job demands a certain carelessness and boldness, so..."
"Oh, so you are still a cop?" Tobey changed the subject in the most natural way he could. The only thing he needed was a reaction to Gustav's car and nothing more. Since he had an interesting response, there was no reason to go even further and raise his suspicions even more.
'Just as much as I need to unravel some things, I also need to be careful not to get discovered. There are some things in Gustav's reactions that are interesting, but a crucial point didn't appear just yet...'
[Hmm, I see. So you were expecting him to be surprised by you showing up, but in a different way, right? His reaction was that of a friend, only. There wasn't the slightest change in his expression for you being there. It seems like he doesn't know that you are a demon. It's different from how a paladin should act.]
'Exactly. That is what's strange about him. I have a guess here, but it is something very crazy. I will ponder about it later, so you can follow if you want.'
Tobey brushed off those thoughts for the time being as he paid attention to his friend, who was now talking about his career as a police officer.
"Ah, yes! I am still a cop. I am a bit surprised that this wasn't the first question you asked me. After all, you and Han were rooting so much for me to reach this dream!"
"Hehe, for a moment, I got very curious about these small things. Anyway, how are you doing there?"
"This year was pretty good to me! Now I am charged to take care of an entire troop. There are several people under my command. I am still some positions below the real superiors, though. However, for me to get to this position after just some years, one could say that my career is brilliant."
Tobey nodded his head, finally smiling at his friend. It was really good to hear that he was doing well, though that specific point of his phrase was something that bothered Tobey as well.
'I think I will note this as well... unfortunately,' he was feeling the worst for suspecting his own friend like that, but that was time to act objectively, like a real man. The time to cry, mourn, or agonize was gone several days ago.
'But I need to do what needs to be done... What needs to be done...'
"Hmm, that's interesting, Gustav. I didn't know that you had so much talent for this kind of thing. I thought that you were trying to become a cop just to look cool for Han and surpass me..."
Gustav laughed out loud, hitting Tobey on his shoulder.
"Hahaha! Don't come with this bullshit at me, you dumbass! You said it as if you aren't participating in this secret competition as well!"
"Haha... I can't deny it at all," he answered awkwardly.
[Yeah, little did he know that you already did some DEVILISH things with her, if you know what I mean~]
'Will you really start with this kind of joke, man? Really?'
"Well, we have been fighting for Han's heart for a while now, right? I bet that she doesn't even have eyes for any of us. She never showed anything meaningful, at least, though I tried some advances sometimes," the cop confessed.
"Yeah, makes sense. She seems like the type of person who would turn you down, haha...", Tobey sarcastically said, though the coldness of his eyes didn't leave.
Gustav punched him on the arm, making the detective grunt in pain.
"So, I bet you came here not to ask me those strange questions nor to keep talking about our competition for Han's heart. I have this new video game, so I think it would be good if we both could play a little. I know that you are a busy person, but it won't take too long, I promise."
Tobey was a bit uncertain, but he couldn't act weirdly there. He liked a lot to play video games with that guy, and even though it was a bit strange since he was a suspect, he needed to keep his façade.
'I already acted very strangely in the first sentences that we exchanged. It was not because I got too carried away, but rather to force him to have any reaction to my questions at all. I had a good outcoming, but the price was dangerously high, possibly.'
"Give me this control. There is always some time for video games, man. I am an adult now, but not a robot."
Gustav got visibly more excited now that Tobey was acting like himself entirely. He sat on the couch, basically throwing himself at it.
Both started to play a random game that ended up being one that they enjoyed playing together. It was multiplayer, so the dynamic worked well.
However, no matter how much both had fun together, there was always a layer of tension around them. They knew that there was something off about one another that they couldn't discover at all.
From time to time, they would cast looks toward each other as if trying to unravel something, particularly Tobey since he could easily play the game while shifting his focus partially to something else.
A fateful question then came after some time playing.
"Tobey, why were you so worried about my car and what I did the previous night?" Gustav straightforwardly asked, which caught Tobey off guard.
The detective found a way to keep his mind partially busy, so he wouldn't lose his composure due to that sudden question.
'Did he ask it in this way because he knew that I could act strangely upon hearing it? If that's the case, then that's even more strange.'
[Hella sus...]
"Hmm...", Tobey straightened his posture and stopped to play so he could think properly. With his right hand, he stroked his chin absentmindedly.
"You know what, Gustav...?" his character in the game died, making some fancy sound effects. "I don't remember having ever said that I was worried about your previous night, though. I just asked why you took a bath at such an unusual hour. And I never associated what you did yesterday with your crumpled car as well.
"Is there something that I should worry about, then?" he finished his phrase by pausing the game and turning his head to the right, staring intently at Gustav.
"Am I really a suspect, Tobey? What happened last night at all?"
Tobey wore a serious face as he got up from the sofa, leaving the control aside.
'I think that it is enough for now. I gathered a large amount of information. It's time to make an alibi for such strange behavior.'
"For you see... yesterday another person was kidnapped, and one got killed. Another case of murder followed by a kidnap. The victims, as always, didn't have any specific trait, which only reinforces the random modus operandi of this psychopath... or psychopaths. The fact is that the kidnap could only be done with a car, and their disappearance was a result of a really fast escape, indicating that they drove like crazy across the streets. Can you notice the connection?"
Gustav nodded slowly.
"I was 18% sure that it was you before I entered this house, but now this percentage went up by several dozens. I hope that you build an alibi soon, Gustav...", Tobey commented as he took his few belongings and walked straight to the door.
"After all, I wouldn't like to fight against a friend," it seemed both a vent and a threat, but it wasn't clear which one was the real deal.
Gustav stayed inside there with a grim expression, looking at the back of his friend as he closed the door slowly. For some reason, he didn't have the courage nor the strength to follow him and stop him from going away without any proper explanation.
Unfortunately, it only summed up Tobey's suspicions.
[Why the talk about this fake investigation?] Mask asked as Tobey left the house with calm steps.
'This way, if he is involved with strange things, he won't know that I am aware of what's happening. He needs to think that I am just doing my normal job, not involved with demons and paladins.'
[Do you think it is him? I am not sure, though... How could he believe that bad story of yours?]
'It was not bad, Mask. That story was convincing, at the very least. Also, that's not important at all. The fact is that he now thinks that I am investigating a normal case, which gets me off his radar for a while.'
[Intelligent one, you are. But, anyway, do you think he is one of them... or one of us, possibly?]
Tobey shook his head.
'I am not sure, Mask... but... Gustav seems to be very human to me. However, he knows something. He is involved in something that seems... greater...'