Leaving the ward, the two detectives soon return to their office. The interior walls lined with wall slats and lit by warm yellow lights, built a cozy feel for the two. Most of their days passed here mulling over piles of documents, discussing cases and eating midnight takeaway. Dragging himself over to the padded swivel chair, the thin man sat sighing. Relief washed over him as he turned.
"Lur, we've been at it with him for eight months. I think it's time to close the case. There's not much more we can get out of the kid." Pulling out his notes and recorder, the thin man turned to the other detective, giving him a once over.
The broad man, as tall and sturdy as a brick house, sat across the room from him. His warm silk skin contrasted with the large black suit he wore. His hair remained shaved through their years together and he took pride in it. Detective Lur knew that his stature was enough to squeeze answers out of most criminals, but looking like a hardened man was always a bonus.
"Let's talk about it over one last time. Kid, good future, well educated and bright eyed. Snaps one day, flies into a rage and kills his mother and father. Calls law enforcement after and confesses his crime." Lur sat sifting through papers, reading off the original case work, before turning back to the thin man.
"His story stays the same for months. He claims to be afraid of going on vacation. His mother and father all but force him and he's left with no choice. So he kills them. But today…" The thin man ran his hands over the recorder, playing back the conversation for Detective Lur. They grew quiet, listening intently.
"God…" The hushed silence broke, Lur scoffed, leaning back in his creaky chair.
"You believe that stuff, Jeb, in all of space, not once have we seen an alien. Let alone finding a god. That kid's sick, he needs to stay in that ward. There's nothing more we can do, I'm calling it."
"I get where you're coming from. Cases like this never have a happy ending. Poor kid had his whole life ahead of him. Wish there was something more we could do." Jeb clasped a hand around his thin wrist, waiting for a moment of inspiration. His lips drooped and brow furrowed as he thought about the last eight months.
"Then it's case closed. We will deliver the information tomorrow. I'll stay back and get the last of the paperwork done. You should get going, you're getting invested, Jeb. I see it on your face. You're just frustrated. Get out of here and rest." Lur's thumb shot to the door. He knew his partner. If they kept thinking like that, they'd be in for another two months of work.
"Yeah, I'm off then. Don't stay back too long." Jeb sighed, standing, heading for the door. All the while, his mind churned with ideas. He remembered the fear on the boy's face. As he entered his shuttle and began the long cruise home, still his mind lingered with the thoughts of this strange case.
Even when he reached home, Jeb lay in bed awake. God, he thought. What is god?
"Why, after so many years, do we still have to fear these things? It doesn't make sense…" Mumbling to himself while tossing and turning Jeb's mind wandered. The pity he felt cut into him, but there was no mercy in sight for a murderer.
As his mind drifted towards sleep, he only questioned himself more. He tossed and turned restlessly in the night until he dragged himself from bed. He looked around his neat room, then towards the window. Out there, the beautiful stars were enchanting; each light in the distance calmed him. After all, they were always a step away. Then it came to him. How did he remember what he saw?
Jeb chuckled to himself. Maybe he was going crazy, but he wanted to know. Maybe he would see the same. One quick trip through the galaxy and he can be back before morning. He had enough credentials to get through customs. Maybe it was curiosity getting the better of him, but he had already thrown his coat on. Shifting through the notes again, gathering every little detail. After some time, he found the coordinates he needed to visit. It would take a jump into the Starway, luckily his shuttle could take it. Folding through space was taxing on most vehicles and the Starway is usually hard to traverse without proper coordinates.
Jeb stood in front of his shuttle, keys in hand. Looking towards the sky, he steeled his resolve. His curiosity had gotten the better of him; he knew this would likely be a waste of time. But what did he have to lose, and if something came up, he could save a kid from life in the looney bin or find god. That would be funny, he thought. What if God was out there just sitting quietly in a celestial body waiting for someone to find them? Taking a seat in his shuttle, Jeb punched in the coordinates, ready for departure. As he ascended past the clouds, he looked downwards towards his home, then his city, then the world. Everything was so small from up above.
Out in the upper layers of the atmosphere, Jeb waded his way through customs, stating his reason for leaving the planet as, "Stargazing," it got a laugh out of the patrolling officer. It didn't take long after that to enter the Starway. Soon he sat quietly as the shuttle piloted towards his destination. Thousands of stars shot by like beads of plasma. He had nothing but time now to think, to dream, to pray. Maybe soon he would have an answer to make up for all the wasted time, the frustration, the failure.
As his shuttle hummed, he stared out the window, content with his actions. This case is special, it had so much writing on it. He couldn't fail, not now. He closed his eyes drifting into a restful sleep finally, at peace.