I am not allowed inside while the FBI is interrogating my girlfriend, but that’s okay. I told her before what was happening in the interrogation, so I know she can handle this. I don’t want to write her as a possible suspect.
 
"How are you holding up, Detective?" Detective Sanchez asks me. He’s my fellow detective. He’s been doing this long enough, so he’s my superior. "I’m fine, Sir. Thanks for asking." I said. "Oh Detective, don’t be too formal." He chuckles. I know that he’s only talking to me like this because my girlfriend is inside the interrogation room.
 
"You didn’t tell me that your girlfriend is a friend of our possible suspect."
"It feels like I didn’t need to. I apologize for that." I don’t want him to think that I’m being biassed and I’m covering up information just because my girlfriend is kind of involved in the situation now. He might kick me out of the investigation.
"I understand, but next time I won’t. We’re close to a dead end here, Archer. That suspect is smart. We've got no solid evidence and everyone’s watching us. " He said.
"I understand that, sir."
"I know you do. You got your Father’s loyalty when he worked with my Father before. I know you’re not going to disappoint me." He pats my back before walking away.
 
My dad worked with his dad before. It’s actually cute because we’re just like them. My Dad’s the younger one while Detective Sanchez Sr. trains him.
 
After her interrogation, I said my goodbye to her. She apologized for the way she acted earlier, but I said that I understood her. I know the reason she’s trying to help Denise get out of all of this— she’s guilty because of that article she wrote.
 
"Hey, Archer. Let’s go." Detective Sanchez and I went to the site of the murder to check the CCTV footage once again. The FBI guys said that they didn’t find any use for the CCTV footage at all, but knowing Detective Sanchez, he wanted to see it for himself.
 
The security guys, along with the manager of the hotel, assisted us while we were checking the footage.
 
"So how’s the hotel holding up?" I asked the hotel manager while Detective Sanchez was going through the footage.
"I’m surprised that it’s stronger than before. Most of our guesses are content creators and the media." He says. Yeah, right, content creators.
"But you are still following our recommendation, right? Cooperating with the investigation going?" I asked for assurance.
"No one is allowed on the entire floor where the murder happened. I got it. No one is allowed in the room where the murder happened. Super got it." He raises his thumbs up and nods proudly. As he should.
 
Detective Sanchez sighed. "We hit another dead end." He said. "What, why?" I asked him. He points at the screen. "Whoever this suspect is, they know where to step to avoid getting caught in the footage. This person is smart." He said.
 
Whoever did this, they’re smart. They know the blind spots for the camera and have really managed to avoid it. There’s no camera angle pointed at Ocean’s room where he was murdered.
 
Looks like fate’s favoring whoever murdered Ocean. I wonder if he deserves it.
 
I know I’m not good enough for this job yet. I know I’m just a favor and that’s why Detective Sanchez tries so hard to train me and make me the best. He’s a good person, so good that he let me present most of the time in front of the department so that they wouldn’t ask me or Detective Sanchez about how and why I was promoted. The only time I really feel that I am good enough to be a detective is when I tell Jess stories.
 
She listens and asks, I answer. I know it’s not good for the investigation if I disclose any information about it to civilians, but Jess is trustworthy and she promised me that she’s not going to get me into trouble.
 
I just hope that she doesn’t think I’m an idiot. She’s all I have right now.
 
We’re still investigating Kathy’s murder. She’s a friend of Jess. I remember when Kathy died, and Jess was in a dark place. There was something different going on with her at that time, and I will never forget what she was like back then.
 
Her eyes are chaotic at first, but as the day progresses, you can see nothing on her.It’s like she just snapped out of a total chaos going on in her mind. She’s the only person I know who can do that in a matter of days.
 
"Detective." I called Sanchez. "What are we gonna do now?" Since even with the FBI here, we still hit a dead end. "We’re going to come back to the station and see what our guys from the FBI have and assist them." He pulled his phone out of his pocket and wiggled it in front of me, indicating that he had just received a message. "They need us to fetch Mira."
"She finally agreed to talk to us?"
"It’s her manager who shielded her from us. Now, I believe she has a window of time without her manager in which she can speak with us. Let’s go."
We pick Mira up in her house up on the hill where the richest people in the city live.
 
She’s wearing jeans and a hoodie. She looks like a mess. I’ll say poor girl this time even though Jess and I hate her.
 
When we arrived at the station, there were plenty of media guys where we were supposed to enter, so we took her to the parking lot. She was gripping my hand as I escorted her to the interrogation room, and before we entered the interrogation room, she turned to me and said, "I didn’t kill him if that’s what you guys are thinking." There’s chaos in her eyes too. Just like Jess when Kathy died.
 
I guess that’s just the eyes of a person who’s mourning.
 
Detective Sanchez and one of the FBI guys interrogated her. "Oh boy, it’s been 30 minutes and all that we’re getting is her saying that she didn’t kill that celebrity guy." Reyes said. One of the FBI guys. "By the way, man, that girl of yours is pretty. She handled the interrogation well. Looks like you’ve been teaching her, huh?" I might be a slight idiot, but I know he’s trying to get something out of me.
"No, I didn’t teach her. She’s just smart." I said.
"Yeah right, what a lucky man." He pats my chest. "Come on, man. Let’s grab some coffee."
 
Reyes said that we should eat in the cafe because he’s sure that they’re not going to get anything out of her any faster. "So who you think did it?" He asks me while he’s munching the ensaimada. "Man, this ensaimada’s…" chef’s kiss "Exceptional." He laughed, then he pointed at me. "So yeah, the question." He munches the ensaimada.
 
"I don’t really know."
"Come one, man. I know you have your candidate. Every detective does."
"Yeah, okay. You first."
"I asked you first." Wow, this man is annoying.
“I think Mira did it.” He nods and smiles as if we have the same thing in mind. "You too?"
"Yeah, man. You read me right." I was about to ask him the reason why he thought Mira did it when he gave me his theory. "A jealous ex-girlfriend got into a heated argument with her ex-boyfriend. The ex-boyfriend came to the hotel from the taping to apologize to the girlfriend because of the article. The ex-girl tried to stop him but ended up stabbing him in the neck. " He nods again. "We have got the same thing in mind, do we?" No, we don’t. I’m just an idiot who’s bias towards our two possible suspects, but thanks for giving me the idea.
 
I nod. "Exactly."
 
My phone whistles it’s ringtone. Before I got the chance to read the message I had just received, Reyes said it for me.
 
"That’s faster than I thought, huh." He was all smiles as he looked at me. "Looks like I’m not gonna bother you any longer, Archer. We just got a confession."