The news hit Alison like a physical blow. She stumbled back, her hand flying to her mouth, the phone clattering to the floor. Amber, still on the other end of the line, spoke in a hushed, frantic voice. "Alison? Are you okay? What's wrong?"
Alison couldn't speak. Her mind was a whirlwind of disbelief and horror. James, their friend, the one who always had a joke ready, the love of her life, the one who always had their back, was gone. Murdered.
"Alison, please tell me you're okay," Amber pleaded. "What happened? What did they say?"
Alison finally found her voice, choked with tears. "They said... they said he was found dead. In his apartment. They think... they think it was murder. It was definitely murder."
Amber gasped. "Murder? But why? Who would want to hurt James?"
Alison didn't have an answer. She couldn't even process the information. It was like a nightmare, one she couldn't wake up from.
"I'm coming over right now," Amber said, her voice resolute. "We need to go to the police station. We need to find out what happened."
Alison nodded, her throat constricted with grief. She knew Amber was right. They had to find out what happened to James. They had to find his killer.
The police station was a cold, sterile place, filled with the hushed whispers of grief and the sharp, metallic scent of fear. Alison and Amber, their faces pale and drawn, were ushered into a small, windowless room. A detective, his face grim, sat behind a desk, his eyes filled with a weary sympathy.
"I'm Detective Carter," he said, his voice low. "I'm afraid I have some bad news."
He went on to tell them about James's death, the details chillingly matter-of-fact. The apartment, the body, the lack of forced entry. The only clue was an open window, soiled footprints and a note found on the body, in his pocket.
"We're looking into all possibilities," Detective Carter said, his gaze fixed on the women. "But right now, we're focusing on one particular suspect."
He paused, letting the silence hang heavy in the air. Then, he said, "Kyro."
Alison and Amber stared at him, their minds reeling. Kyro? Their friend, the one they'd known for years? The one who had been so close to James?
"We have reason to believe that Kyro may have been involved in James's death," Detective Carter said. "He had a history of... let's just say, volatile behavior. And we found evidence that he was at James's apartment the night he died. Moreover, despite the fact that he might be innocent, it doesn't look good on him how he was present on all murder scenes, first Micha then James."
Alison felt a wave of nausea wash over her. Kyro? It couldn't be. But then, she remembered the strange, tense atmosphere between Kyro and James in the weeks leading up to his death. The hushed whispers, the sudden silences, the unspoken tension. But there was tension between all of them.
"We need to talk to Kyro," Amber said, her voice tight. "We need to find out what happened."
Detective Carter nodded. "We're already on it. But we need your help, ladies. Anything you can tell us about Kyro, his relationship with James, anything at all, could be crucial."
Alison and Amber looked at each other, their eyes filled with a mix of grief, anger, and confusion. They had to find out the truth. They had to find out what happened to James. And they had to find out if Kyro was really the monster they were now starting to suspect he might be.
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The fluorescent lights of the interrogation room buzzed overhead, casting a harsh, sterile glow on Amber and Alison's faces. They sat across from Detective Carter, their hands clasped tightly in their laps, their eyes red-rimmed from crying.
"We just... we just didn't believe him," Alison said, her voice barely a whisper. "We thought he was being paranoid."
Detective Carter nodded, his expression sympathetic but firm. "I understand. It's hard to believe something like that when you're close to someone. But James was clearly afraid. He told you about the note, didn't he?"
Amber swallowed hard, the memory of James's frantic voice ringing in her ears. "He did. He said he found it a few days ago when he was at the gym, in his locker I assume. It said 'You're next.' He was so scared, Alison. He kept saying he didn't know who it was from, but he was sure it was serious."
"And what did you do?" Detective Carter asked, his voice gentle but insistent. "Did you try to help him? Did you go to the police?"
Alison's eyes filled with tears again. "We... we just brushed it off. We told him he was overreacting. We said it was probably just a prank."
"A prank?" Detective Carter's voice rose slightly. "A prank that threatened his life? You have to understand, ladies, that ignoring a threat like that can be incredibly dangerous. It could have saved James's life if you had taken him seriously."
Amber and Alison exchanged a look, their faces etched with guilt and regret. They had been so caught up in their own lives, their own problems, that they hadn't taken the time to truly listen to James's fears. They had dismissed his concerns as overblown, as the ramblings of a stressed-out friend.
"We were so wrong," Alison said, her voice choked with tears. "We should have listened to him. We should have done something."
"I know it's hard to accept," Detective Carter said, his voice softening. "But it's important to learn from this. You have to remember that even if you think someone is overreacting, it's always better to err on the side of caution. A life is at stake."
Amber nodded, her eyes fixed on the floor. "We'll never forget this, Detective Carter. We'll never forget what we did, what we didn't do. We'll never forget James."
Detective Carter placed a hand on her arm, his touch firm and reassuring. "I know you will. And I hope that this experience will teach you to be more vigilant, to be more aware of the dangers that exist in the world. Because sometimes, the people you love need you more than you know."
Alison and Amber sat in silence for a long moment, the weight of their guilt pressing down on them.
They had failed James, and they would never be able to forgive themselves. But they knew that they had to move forward, to learn from their mistakes, to honor James's memory by being better friends, better people.
They had to be more aware, of the murderer lurking in the shadows awaiting the next target.
Their safety was compromised. That was pretty evident. And the fact that the murderer was still on the loose with no evidence pointing towards the motive of his targeted killings.
They had to find the murderer or else Kyro would take the blame.