The air had changed.
What was chaos a few minutes ago was now something far more dangerous
Control.
Structured.
Official.
And slipping away from Riyana's hands.
She stood frozen as the officer replayed the video on the witness's phone.
Once.
Twice.
Again.
Each time, it showed the same thing,
Her hands were pushing forward.
Alex falling.
The sound of impact.
Nothing else.
No context.
No struggle.
No fear.
Just… that moment.
Riyana felt her chest tighten.
"That's not what happened," she said quickly, her voice trembling. "He didn't show you what happened before that...he grabbed me, he wouldn't let go, he tried to...."
"We'll get to your statement," the officer said, not unkindly, but detached.
Detached was worse.
Because detached meant neutral.
And neutral could tilt either way.
Riyana's fingers curled into Bosco's sleeve again, instinctively seeking something steady.
And Bosco,
Had already shifted.
He wasn't just standing beside her anymore.
He was observing.
Calculating.
Reading the room.
The officer. The witness. The angle of the situation.
And most importantly,
The gap.
That video had a gap.
And that was where the truth lived.
"Officer," Bosco spoke, his voice calm but firm enough to cut through the tension.
The officer looked up. "Yes?"
"That video is incomplete."
A pause.
The witness shifted slightly.
"It shows the push," Bosco continued, "but not what led to it."
"We understand that," the officer replied. "That's why we're taking statements."
Bosco nodded once, acknowledging, but not backing down.
"Then we should also consider verifying the full sequence of events before drawing any early conclusions."
The wording was precise.
Careful.
Intentional.
The officer studied him for a moment. "And you are?"
"Bosco."
Just that.
No explanation.
But the confidence in his tone carried weight.
"I was present immediately after the incident," he added. "And I can confirm she was in a distress state consistent with self-defense."
Riyana looked at him, surprised.
He hadn't even hesitated.
Not once.
The officer's gaze flickered between them. "That may be. But we'll still need evidence to support that."
"Of course," Bosco said smoothly. "Which is why I suggest we check the CCTV footage."
Silence.
Subtle shift.
The witness's expression changed slightly.
The officer straightened. "There are cameras here?"
Bosco gestured lightly toward the building. "Parking entrance, exit, and perimeter. Standard placement."
The officer turned to his colleague. "Get someone to pull the footage."
"On it."
Hope.
It sparked, but faintly.
Because hope meant waiting.
And waiting meant uncertainty.
Riyana swallowed hard, her eyes flickering with anxiety. "What if… what if it didn't capture it?"
Bosco turned to her, his expression softening just a fraction.
"Then we deal with that when we get there," he said quietly.
"But what if...."
"Riyana."
Her voice stopped.
"Stay with me," he said gently.
Her breathing steadied, just a little.
Across from them, the witness shifted again, visibly uneasy now.
"I told you, I didn't see everything," he muttered, almost defensive.
Bosco's gaze moved to him, not aggressive, not hostile.
But sharp.
Focused.
"And what you did see," Bosco said calmly, "was only a fraction of the situation."
The man hesitated.
"I… I just thought it was important."
"It is," Bosco agreed. "But context matters."
The words weren't an attack.
But they landed.
The man looked down briefly, uncertainty creeping in where confidence had been earlier.
Because now
There was doubt.
Minutes passed.
Slow.
Heavy.
Each second stretching longer than the last.
Riyana stayed close to Bosco, her mind racing despite his steady presence.
Her thoughts spiraled,
What if the camera angle missed it?
What if it only shows the push too?
What if… they don't believe me?
Her fingers tightened again.
Bosco noticed.
Without looking, his hand shifted slightly, just enough to rest over hers.
Grounding.
Not drawing attention.
Just… there.
A silent reassurance.
Footsteps approached.
"Sir."
The officer who had gone earlier returned.
"We've located the CCTV feed."
Everyone stilled.
Riyana's heart slammed against her ribs.
"And?"
The officer hesitated for half a second.
"It captured part of the interaction."
Part.
Not all.
Her breath caught.
"We're pulling it up now."
The officer holding the witness's phone straightened, attention sharpening again.
"Let's see it."
The screen flickered.
Grainy footage appeared.
Black and white.
Distant angle.
Riyana's hands instinctively tightened again.
Bosco didn't move.
Didn't react.
But his focus sharpened completely.
Every detail mattered now.
Every second.
Because this,
This was where the story would begin to shift.
Either toward the truth.
Or away from it.
And for the first time since the incident,
Even Bosco knew.
They were no longer just dealing with what happened.
They were dealing with…
What could be proven.