Niskala Metropolitan Police Department
Outside, the morning sun had risen again in the eastern sky, while a cool, crisp breeze drifted by, weaving through the fluttering wings of small birds as they took flight together, filling the air with a soft commotion that turned into a peaceful morning melody.
But inside the room, the atmosphere was anything but peaceful. A 36-year-old man sat across from two detectives, both wearing serious expressions as they interrogated him.
"Rian Fernando, we found out you were the last person to contact Nando before he was murdered," Rona said, her gaze sharp and intimidating. "In fact, your call was still connected when he was being killed."
The man, his face tired and disheveled, let out a heavy sigh. "Yes, that's true. But I was drunk at home on New Year's Eve. I didn't realize or remember much of what happened," he said, trying to sound convincing. "I only found out I'd called him when I saw the news about his death the next day."
Rona's brows immediately furrowed while a young detective beside her typed the information into his laptop. "So, that's why you didn't call the police? You could've heard the noise, the sounds of him being attacked," she said, her suspicion still evident.
Rian ran a hand through his curly hair in frustration. "Tsk! I had no idea he was being attacked like that. I was completely wasted! You could've heard it from the recording, right? Damn it!" he snapped.
"Watch your mouth!" Rona shot back, slamming the table with her foot.
Rian flinched at the loud bang, his eyes wide with confusion. "What? I can't curse in the interrogation room?" He asked, baffled by her sudden anger.
The young detective beside Rona cleared his throat. "Her ears are sensitive to that kind of language," he said calmly.
"You should've taken over, man," Candrasa muttered, watching the scene with Derian and a few other detectives through the glass that separated the interrogation room from the observation area. "She's losing it again, like always. This is her way of blowing off steam."
Derian, who had been quietly observing, motioned for him to be quiet. "Ssshhh…"
Inside the interrogation room, Rona continued her questioning, her furious look still in place. "Then do you remember why you called the victim at that time?"
Rian sighed again, clearly frustrated. "How would I know? I call random people when I'm drunk!" he blurted.
"And what was your relationship with the victim?"
At that question, the man's face gradually relaxed. "We were friends a long time ago, over a dozen years," he replied. "We came from the same orphanage," he added.
Upon hearing this new information, Rona raised an eyebrow in interest. "Orphanage?"
Rian nodded slowly. "Yeah. Mother's Love Orphanage," he replied. "I left when I was 12 because I was adopted. But Nando had it worse; he didn't get adopted until he was a teenager, probably because people were more interested in adopting babies."
"Even so, my adoptive parents and I still visit the orphanage often since they volunteer there and help with charity events. So, Nando and I weren't really separated, even after I was adopted," he continued. "Eventually, he left the orphanage after graduating high school."
"So?" Rona asked, trying to dig for more information.
Rian shook his head. "Nothing special. In the end, we just lived our own lives like ordinary people," he said, sincerity evident in his eyes.
Rona paused for a moment, considering her next question. "Did he have any enemies?"
Rian let out a long sigh before answering. "That friend of mine... he was a punk. So if you're asking about enemies, he definitely had more than one or two throughout his life," he replied.
"Do you know who had an argument with the victim before he died?"
"Tsk! Who else but that bastard company?" Rian snapped, his face instantly showing annoyance.
"What do you mean, the company you work for?" Rona asked for confirmation.
Rian leaned back and cursed, "Fuck that company! I've decided to resign."
Rona paused for a moment, propping up her chin, a sneering smile on her face as she listened to him. "Really? We just investigated your career background, and it was noted that you were recently involved in an embezzlement case that caused losses to the company. So instead of resigning, didn't you get fired?"
Rian choked up, his expression turning embarrassed as he felt caught red-handed.
"But this is really strange. Why didn't the company take you to court for your harmful actions? Why did they only dismiss you? I'm sure there must be a logical reason behind it all... Why would a big company give such special treatment to an ordinary employee?" she said, looking suspiciously at him.
"Friendship…" Rian let out a long breath. "The company's COO, Andi, came from the same orphanage as Nando and me. Andi was adopted by the CEO just a few days before I was taken in by my adoptive parents. He was the luckiest of the three of us because he was adopted by a rich man."
"But even after we met again as adults, it seems Andi still thinks of us as friends," he said, his gaze drifting into the past. "He was the one who offered me a job at his company. He also offered the same to Nando, but that bastard was too lazy to work. Still, Andi offered him a new living unit, knowing that the eviction project would be happening in his neighborhood."
Rian sighed again, massaging his temples, looking both tired and frustrated. "But that bastard Nando is basically shameless. He actually got the residents to protest, hoping to get more compensation money," he said.
Rona crossed her arms over her chest, sneering at him. "It's no different from you."
"Tsk! That's different!" Rian exclaimed, immediately trying to defend himself. "I was forced to embezzle money to pay for my foster mother's treatment at the time."
"Andi actually lent me money. But because I had already asked him for so many favors, I felt ashamed to ask him for one more. In the end, I did something impulsive and foolish," he said. He paused for a moment, letting out a long sigh. "But it all ended up being for nothing because my mom just passed away right before the new year..."
Rian fell silent again, a hard-to-read expression on his face. "Uh, but there's no way Andi could be involved in this, right?" he asked. "I'm sure he's not the kind of person who would do something like that... In fact, I'd say he's the only one among us with a good heart..."
Meanwhile, behind the glass of the interrogation room, all the detectives were observing the course of the interrogation with serious expressions. Derian, on the other hand, was fixated on Rian's face, studying his every expression as if searching for a lie. "His body language looks relaxed; he doesn't even avoid eye contact. There's a good chance he's telling the truth so far..." Derian murmured to himself.
His concentration was suddenly broken by the sound of a notification.
Ping!
The man sighed wearily, cursing inwardly. "What else is it this time...?"
[System]: Would you like to try the lie detector feature? You can use it for free one time.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Derian grumbled inwardly, completely ignoring the blue holographic screen that appeared in front of him and keeping his focus on the face of the witness still being interrogated.
Ping!
[System: Lie Detector Activated...]
Witness: Rian Fernando
[Analyzing...]
Beep... Beep... Beep...
System: Analyzing voice patterns, heart rate, and body language...
Results:
Voice pattern: Stable.
Heart rate: Normal.
Body language: Calm, no signs of nervousness.
Conclusion:
Likelihood of a false statement: 0%
The witness is most likely telling the truth.
Notes:
• The lie detector can only be used once for free. Subsequent uses will require 1 point to unlock.
• You are currently at a low level. You need to level up to access more advanced features.
"Eh?"