Jays POV
The office felt smaller when I was alone.
Not physically.
Just—
Like the walls were closer than they used to be.
I sat at my desk, the case file spread open in front of me, pages slightly misaligned from how many times I'd gone through them.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Like something was going to change if I looked hard enough.
It didn't.
It never did.
9:25.
Last seen alive.
9:28.
Movement.
9:40.
Body found.
My pen tapped lightly against the paper before going still.
I already knew the timeline.
I didn't need to read it again.
But I kept looking anyway.
Because if I stopped—
I'd start thinking.
And that was worse..
Keifer..
My jaw tightened slightly at the thought.
Everything pointed to him now.
Not loosely.
Not vaguely.
Clearly-
Too clearly.
The wording.
The gap.
The control.
It all fit.
Perfectly.
And I hated that—
I leaned back in my chair, exhaling slowly, eyes drifting up to the ceiling.
"…Why?" I muttered.
The question came out quieter than I expected.
Because it wasn't just about the case anymore.
It was about Keifer
He didn't seem like someone who would lose control.
Not just like that.
Not careless.
Not reckless.
Everything about him was calculated,
Measured.
So if he did it—
It wasn't a mistake.
It wasn't impulsive.
It was a decision. Purposeful.
That thought sat heavy in my chest.
Because somehow…
That made it worse.
My gaze dropped back to the file.
"And why are you protecting him?" I whispered.
Yuri.
That part didn't make sense.
It didn't fit.
It shouldn't fit.
He had proof.
Clear proof.
Not speculation.
Not theory.
Proof.
Enough to destroy everything.
And yet—
He didn't use it.
I straightened slightly, flipping to another page without really seeing it.
"That doesn't make sense…" I murmured.
Yuri wasn't careless either.
He was observant.
Strategic.
The kind of person who wouldn't hold onto something like that unless—
Unless it benefited him.
My grip tightened slightly on the edge of the paper.
"He's not protecting the truth," I said under my breath.
"He's controlling it."
The realization settled slowly.
Uncomfortably.
Like something I didn't want to fully look at—but couldn't ignore anymore.
And then there was me.
My chest tightened.
I pushed my chair back, standing up just to move—just to get rid of the restless energy sitting under my skin.
It didn't help.
Nothing helped.
The image flashed in my head again.
My room.
My voice.
"It's him."
I stopped moving.
My stomach twisted.
"…He has that."
Proof.
Of me.
Of what I know.
Of what I said.
I let out a breath that didn't feel steady.
"If that gets out…" I whispered.
I didn't even finish the thought.
I didn't need to.
My career.
The case.
Everything I've worked for—
Gone.
Just like that.
I closed my eyes for a second, pressing my fingers lightly against my temple.
"Think," I muttered. "Just think."
There had to be a way out of this.
There had to be something I wasn't seeing.
Something I missed.
But every direction I turned—
It led back to the same place.
Yuri.
Watching.
Waiting.
Holding all the leverage.
And doing nothing with it.
Why?
My eyes opened again, sharper now.
"That's the part that doesn't make sense…" I said quietly.
If his goal was to expose Keifer—
He would've done it already.
If his goal was justice—
This wouldn't even be a question.
So that left—
Something else.
Something worse.
My stomach sank slightly as the thought started to form.
"…He doesn't want Keifer caught."
The words felt heavy.
Wrong.
But they made sense.
Too much sense.
Which meant—
This wasn't about the case.
Not really.
It was about control.
About keeping everything exactly where he wanted it.
And right now—
That included me.
A quiet, frustrated breath left me as I turned back toward the desk, my eyes falling to the file again.
Keifer's name sat there.
Still.
Unchanged.
Like it wasn't tied to everything unraveling in my head.
"…Why does it have to be you?" I murmured.
Because that was the part I couldn't ignore.
Not anymore.
Out of everyone—
It had to be him.
The one person who made this harder than it should've been.
Harder than it had any right to be.
I stared at his file for a long moment.
Then looked away.
Because the truth was already there.
And I didn't know what I was supposed to do with it.
Yuri has the power.
Keifer is the murderer.
And I—
Was stuck somewhere in between..
Between my job.
Between Keifer.
Between my heart.
And I hated it. I really did.
Target comment:
10 🎯