[center]Upstate – The Manor
Officer Richard Harmsworth[/center]

Just like before, Richard lost the black haired in the crowed despite her eccentric walk-away. There was one thing he’s sure of, that girl knows how to blend in. He was left alone with her cryptic answer to his questions. Rick made a mental note of all the things she said, particularly ‘her secrete’ regarding Maria and the name ‘Lilith Adams’. Both doesn’t make sense to him but maybe detective Nash would make something of it. Seeing that it’ll be another fruitless search for the girl, he decided to locate his partner upstairs. Countless people flock the hallway, kids with booze on their hands but no partner, no Sam Peters to be found. He would have continued searching but his phone vibrated with an urgent message from the detective:

[indent][i]Get out. NOW. Party to be busted.[/i][/indent]
“Shit!” escaped Rick’s mouth. The officer thought on his toes and began making his way out of the Manor. There was no time to find his partner and pull him out. There was no way around it but to simply forward the message to Sam and hope he’ll read before it’s too late. They’ve prearrange to meet at their vehicle, parked a block away, if ever they got separated. Once he hit the sidewalks, he perk up his ears – no sirens. That’s either a good or bad omen depending on the operation plan. If it’s a standard party bust that would mean that they still have a good five minutes before things went to hell. If it’s the silent take down, they better scram for there is no way to find out how far out the team was.

Rick’s phone vibrated, a call, it was Sam: “Fuck, start the engine! Damn PoI is kidnapping -”, the phone dropped. Rick tried calling out to his partner but it was muffled by the ineligible shouting. He can hear his partner, another voice and party music then a scream. He was about to make a run back to the Manor but the phone was answered again. The officer felt relief to hear his Sam’s voice, “Fuck, fuck, fuck! Damn asshole broke my arm and nose. I’m going to after them.”

“Fuck it! Don’t be a goddamn hero! The bust team will come any minuet and we shouldn’t be in the party in the first place!” And as if in queue, sirens.[i]Shit![/i] Rick started the engine and turned the vehicle around. “Sam they’re here, we got no time! Head out back, we’re taking the long way around.”

Everything moved faster. A second felt like a fraction. At one moment he was a block away, the next his partner was inside the vehicle, all bloody. The sirens that were a distance away were now blaring in their ears from everywhere. The raging party turned into a frenzy of Cops’n’Robbers in an instant. The two officers watched all of the action from the rearview mirror as they drove further away.

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[center]Police Department – Interrogation Room
Detective Nash[/center]
[indent]2 Days Later[/indent]
Nash stood behind the one way mirror smoking his Nth cigarette and contemplating on the man on the other side – Cooper Harley – and everything else that night revealed. For the Nth time he stubbed his cigarette on paper coffee cup which was already overflowing with ashes and filters. When the bust team found him unconscious and concussed on the 2nd floor, Nash requested him to be brought in under his jurisdiction for illegally possessing a firearm. After the initial incoherent rambling when he came too, his lips remained shut. He requested a lawyer twice and was denied twice. They won’t be able to deny him a third time, that would put the department in question but luckily after letting him sweat for two days, he decided to talk.

Cooper ‘Canary’ Harley has two things that bothered Nash. First he was found bloody in the party. How he came to the party and how he came to be a red rage would be an interesting story. The second was the photos they retrieve from his phone – an arsenal enough to equip a small army. Of course Nash hasn’t forgotten the dealer’s connection with the victim. He could be the last one who saw the victim alive according to Lilith Adams’ statement.

But the druggie wasn’t the only thing in the detective’s mind. The statements from the two officers were equally bothersome. It gave the detective four names: Norman Reed, Lisa Daniels, Lilith Adams and finally Cooper Harley. Three of which he came in contact with few days ago and the fourth in custody. Officer Peters recounted a possible kidnapping and from his description it was Reed taking Adams with Daniels at tow but when the officers went to investigate, nothing was a mist. Reed, Adams and Daniels were in their respected dorms the following morning. Each giving the others an alibi which only irks Nash. Whatever was going on, he doesn’t like it. They were all suspects now.

“What game we’re playing?” Tomias asked when he entered the room. “Standard good cop – bad cop?”

“No. He already wants to talk. Let’s play ‘canary’ and let him sing but if he clamp’s up we go with ‘asshole – bad cop’.”

Tomias grinned which only means one thing, he was not planning on going easy. The giant took a swing from his flask and opened the door into the interrogation room. [i]If Coop doesn’t come up with a statement that would put the Academy winner’s to shame, he’s seeing twenty-to-life.[/i] Nash thought as he followed his partner inside.