They were all back inside the car, Ryan quickly hit the gas and bought the car back to life as they left the street in a minute.

'He mustn't have gone too far, what you think?' asked Kevin.

'What should I think' said Alicia 'He would be out there somewhere.'

'I hope so too' replied Kevin. 'That guy Ben was totally lying, you saw?'

'Oh yes' said Ryan keeping his eyes on the street 'I knew he was lying form before, I was just trying to make him say the truth.'

'The black dude was really helpful' remarked Kevin 'had he not said anything, we would be wonderin' nowhere'

'Don't get your hopes too high Kevin, we are still wondering nowhere' Alicia pointed out.

'True' he said.

'And we also visited the shop at a wrong time, the atmosphere was hot among them and us' said Ryan 'You saw the way they were talking about us cops at the first'

'Oh yeah, I think some cops must have busted them before, that's why they were already heated up against us.'

'Got to be so' said Ryan 'they had some problems with police.'

'But why did Ben keep quiet?' said Alicia 'Look if it was about the cops, then the black guy also could have kept quiet but Ben deliberately kept denying our questions, but why?'

'You don't think they had something to do with murder right?'

'Can't say it for sure, maybe or may not be'

'Okay guys' Ryan called out 'Where should we head at?' Ryan pushed the accelerator down to speed up.

'Just get over the Manhattan flyover and get us in the city. He would be there somewhere.' Said Alicia 'It's lunch time so maybe he would finish his lunch there. There are a lot of restaurants available.'

They passed the flyover at the top speed and soon they found themselves in the city, there was also a cold breeze blowing, which was soothing.

They suddenly got stuck in the middle of a large traffic jam that ends at the end of Madison square.

Temperature was rising by very minute so it was hard to prevent sweating. The cool breeze had a healing effect but that could not cover up the heat. It was noontime and the sun was right at the top, beating down on the city.

'Damn man' said Ryan and punched the steering. 'Look at the traffic; we will never get to the other side in this sea of cars'

Alicia took out her handkerchief and wiped her forehead. 'Look for the sidewalks, he might be anywhere.'

'That's what I thought. But do you really think that we will find him in this vast city, just like this?'

'I believe so.' said Alicia. 'And the main thing is that he doesn't know that we are searching for him. So he will not be in a hurry to escape.'

'That's assuring' said Ryan.

They remained stranded in the middle. Ryan killed the engine and sat like a statue waiting for the green signal and said 'We should have taken a short cut'

'Let's see'

The only thing that was going in their favour was that they found a place at one side, so that the buildings covered the direct sunrays and they were in a shade ,while the other cars were getting burnt in the middle.

'Come on, come on' Ryan gripped the steering more tightly.

'What's wrong today' Kevin poked his head out and looked across the other cars. 'No way' he said putting his head back inside 'We're in the middle of a sea of cars'

Some people now came out of their cars, talking among themselves while the others started shouting and yelling, losing their patience.

'I think there's been an accident somewhere at the front' said Ryan. 'Otherwise why would the traffic be like this? You don't see this kind of things in streets of NY often'

'I know'

'I think we losing our time, our man is gonna get away' said Alicia.

'Wish my car was a transformer' said Ryan.

'Right. It could have done anything it wants .Overtaking buildings, destroying them, anything!' Kevin always loved to talk about these sort things no matter what situation they were in.

'Yeah, I will also watch the part 5'

'Who says there will be a part 5. Part 4 was okay according to me. Still Mark Wahlberg was not so convincing'

'I know. People watch these movies just to see the action and the special effects; you shouldn't watch it for a good story'

'Drop the topic, guys. I'm getting bored' said Alicia. 'Hey look'

Alicia looked somewhere at the sidewalk where at least 20 to 30 people were walking at that moment.

Ryan followed her gaze. 'What? What are you looking at?'

'Look at that man' said Alicia and pointed at a man who was walking normally and from the back it seemed like he was wearing a hooded jacket .He also wore a cap just like in the picture. Everything suited him well.

'Is that our man?' asked Ryan to no one in particular.

'Yes, got to be so' said Kevin.

'Let's get him' said Alicia as all three of them jumped down from the car and started trudging through the footpath overtaking other people.

'Hey!' Ryan called out .The place was too noisy and crowded; it was tough for anybody to hear anything. Lots of shops and expensive shopping malls in one side and the other side contained a sea of cars itching to move. So you could not blame the man for not hearing anything.

'Hey you' Ryan overtook another man but was being bumped with others, as the sidewalk was too crowded.

They would have lost him in the middle but this time the man must have heard Ryan call him. That was why he stooped. And because he stopped it was easy for them to cover up a few yards and reach him.

The man turned back to face him and Ryan and others, as they understood that they found the right man. This was the man who left his fingerprints in Jade Carter's car.

'Yes?' the man said with a blank surprised face.

'Henry Roberts?'

'Yes, that's me....'

Alicia showed him the badge and said 'NYPD, we need to talk'

The man didn't say anything he just took one look at the badge made a face full of terror and to their surprise started running down the side walk pushing the other people out of his way.

'NYPD, stop!' Alicia yelled again but it was no use. They soon took their gun out and started running behind him. They didn't have any other option. And they could not afford to lose a vital suspect at this moment.

They ran behind him holding their breath and galloped through the sidewalk where it was even tough to walk , they had to run .They felt more hot as they ran, Ryan wore a Navy blue blazer and Kevin wore a jacket, so did Alicia, which was trapping more heat and making them feel warmer.

Their target had no intention to stop and give him away; he continued running and ran hard. He might be a little short in height but he had good solid legs, which carried him swiftly, even Usain Blot or Yohan Blake would not be able to run in this position.

The crowd and the cars were bored, but soon they all came alive .Now more or less everyone was standing outside their cars and was watching them chase their target.

A suspect or fugitive running away and some agents or detectives persuading him, you don't see this kind of thing often.

But they were not paying attention to the people who were stupidly looking at them without trying to help them stop their suspect, they ran behind Roberts holding their breath and pushing people away by any means possible.

The man now took the main road, maybe he was also feeling tired running in the sidewalk that's why he decided to run through the main road where at least a 100 cars were stranded at present. But it seemed like he was used to this kind of running, he was not having much problem dozing the cars, sometimes jumping over them and overcoming the incoming obstructions, .But it was more difficult for the detectives to do so .They were often getting hit, sometimes they were tripping and falling down, but they chased him anyway.

Kevin was the fastest in their group so he took the lead and ran behind him without fumbling much. Ryan and Alicia were clearly having a hard time and they could feel their legs giving away, and they were feeling so hot now that they would gladly welcome a sunstroke rather than running one more mile.

But their opponent was still fit and was still ahead of them, there was not a sign of panting for breath or something like that.

Alicia only once stood and aimed her gun at Roberts's leg and took a shot .But the bullet missed the target and bounced of hitting the roof of a car. The owner came out and yelled at her. From then on Alicia never stopped to take a shot, as she knew it would not be helpful.

Alicia and Ryan felt more irritated because if all those people had contributed in stopping their suspect rather than watching them, as if a movie shooting was going on, then it would have been much more easier.

Henry Roberts knew that these cops couldn't outrun him .But he just could not continue like this. He needed to lose them and stop this thing. He looked around thinking about where could he go next, and nearly fell being hit on the head by the rear of a car, but he managed to stand up and continue running anyway.

He looked back once and saw that he was still some metres ahead .He increased his speed further more with sweat dropping from his forehead. He turned to the left side. He took the footpath beside him again .He started pushing the people away again.

'Hey stop' Kevin yelled this time as he was the nearest to the man and one time he nearly caught the hood of the man.

No way, Henry thought .He could not give himself away after fighting for so long .He suddenly saw a bend in the footpath. He came at the front and saw an alleyway that was deserted .He felt well. He could take this alleyway and run freely without any problem .It was also dark when compared to the main road which was burning hot, but it was more cooler as the buildings on the both sides were acting like a shade.

Henry looked back at the cops for one last time before taking the alleyway. This was his chance, he couldn't miss it out.

Alicia yelled to Ryan. 'Which way did he go?'

'There, there' Kevin was shouting from the front. 'The alleyway .He went in there'

Kevin and others quickly entered the alleyway and chased him again.

Henry understood that the cops were still following him, so he took another alleyway to his right and ran as fast as he could. He knew he might even reach the Grand Central Terminal through these alleyways. From where he would take any train and escape.

The alleyway was empty and dark unless you look up at the sky, which was blazing blue and would make your eyes watery if you look at it for a long time. But he didn't look up, he just followed the straight path and ran. He was not sure now if the cops were still behind him or not. But he was not going to take any chances against the police.

Ryan also entered the street soon followed by Kevin and Alicia and fired a shot. He knew he had to injure him by any means, as there was no other way to stop him. But unfortunately for Ryan, he missed, and the bullets got shattered in the wall and fell on the street. He took two more shots, but still got the same results. He started running again finding no alternative.

Henry Roberts smiled to himself as the bullets missed him and looked straight ahead. The whole path was empty and dark except for one man who was walking, gently keeping his face on the street and keeping his hands inside the pullover jacket pockets that he was wearing, though it was too damn hot.

Henry Roberts thought that this time also this man will just look at him with a surprised face and let him pass, but to his misery, it didn't happen the way he wanted.

The man quickly came in the middle and blocked his way, so Henry Roberts was bound to slow up a little. Then when they came near each other Henry tried pushing him away, but the man who was slim and tall and gave him a solid punch with his bony wrist, as Henry fell flat on the ground.

But he could not just lie like this, so he stood up again pushing the other man and tried returning the punch he got, but the man dodged the shot too easily, got hold of his hand twisting it painfully and also gave a hard kick with the edge of his boot on his knee that made him cry out and fall down again becoming physically immobile.

The man, as his work was complete, just stood up normally and removed the dust from his pullover like nothing happened.

'Who the fuck are you man?' Henry Roberts held his leg tight as the kick was harder than the twisting of the hand. The man just stood back and watched him.

'Someone you'll regret meeting in your life' came the instant reply from the tall white man.

But they didn't get any more time to talk. Ryan, Kevin and Alicia all three of them came and joined them .They just had to jog to do so this time.

'What happened to him?' said Alicia who stopped and caught her breath for a few seconds before saying this.

'Seems like he's hurt' said Ryan and stooped to see what happened to him.

Kevin had no tenderness in him .He held Henry Roberts collar tightly and said 'Get up you moron'

But the man was too heavy, and he didn't want to move his leg .So Kevin left him and stood up.

'Something happened to his leg, I think' said Ryan 'Maybe he fell down and got himself hurt'

'No that's not what happened' Henry Roberts yelled out 'This asshole stopped me and beat me up'

They soon came to realize that there was also someone else present in the street. Alicia looked up and saw a man standing a few yards away and watching them carefully. He was tall, much taller than all of them, was extremely slim and had a bushy hair with a tinge of brick colour in it. He wore a black pullover jacket, which just hung in his body. Another black dusty shirt could be seen within with a pair of trousers of the same colour. His hands, the wrist part, the only part that was visible were pale and white with blue veins and bones covering the upper region. He had a white clean-shaven face with blue eyes.

And the most weirdest thing was that he had not even sweated a bit, even when he was wearing black clothes.

Ryan was the first to say 'Hey, thanks for stopping him'

Ryan looked like the shorter version of that man. And another difference was that he was perspiring.

Ryan held out his hand for a handshake, and the other man shook his hand and smiled, didn't say anything.

Alicia now came forward and said 'Actually he was our suspect, we need him for some questioning'

'He was running away' said the man, not a hard but a cold voice. 'Why?'

'We don't know that' said Alicia giving another glance at Henry Roberts who had a frown in his face. 'Thanks anyway'

The man started to turn back and walk away but Ryan caught him again as he said 'Yes?.'

'But I would like to know that why did you stop him?' said Ryan 'I mean how did you know that he's our suspect'

'Who says I knew he was your suspect?' the man continued 'I was walking by the street when I saw him running away from something and my instinct told me that there was a problem. If he's running away from something then he needs to be stopped. And I also heard you all chasing him .So I figured he might be some sort of fugitive .And I stopped him like that'

'Who says I'm a fugitive?' Yelled out Henry.

'So that's why I stopped him' the tall man said ignoring Henry Roberts 'And when he tried to push me and escape, I made sure he can't do that'

'Oh, that's great man. Good job' Ryan remarked again as the tall man smiled for the last time and walked straight past them. They looked at his back for some time until the alleyway bended and he vanished.

After sometime, Ryan said 'Great man, isn't he?'

'Nothing great' said Alicia 'More awkward'

'Okay, I am gonna lie here while you guys will chat and pass time, right?' Henry yelled for the third time.

'Shut up, Henry' said Alicia as she turned to Ryan 'I don't think he will be able to walk for sometime'

'Right, we need a stretcher maybe?'

Alicia took out her phone and dialled a number. 'Let's call an ambulance then'

'No no no' Henry said 'I don't need any stretcher or anything. I'm fine .I'm fine'

Kevin muttered 'If you're fine then why don't you try standing up?'

He tried as Kevin suggested but fell back again. 'It's just a muscle pull, I think .I will be able to stand but I need some support'

'Fair enough' said Alicia and kept the mobile back in her pocket 'If he says he can stand then, fine. Ryan, Kevin, you two just hold him and see if you can make him walk a few metres ,I will go and see where we left our car. You just bring him at the edge of the alleyway. Okay?'

'Got it' said Kevin. Alicia left them as they both stooped down, gripped Henry's shoulder and tried to pull him up. It was tough at first but they managed it anyway.

SIXTEEN

It was half past 1 in the noon when they came back to precinct. When they went inside, the main lobby was nearly empty , so was the first floor of the department which usually overflows with people .It was officially the lunch time so most of the officers and uniforms were out for some fun, eating, except those who had something damn important to do just like them.

They sat on the chairs in the main lawn at the right corner as it was empty so not much people would bother them around and it was near to the air conditioner. They had to prevent themselves from a getting heat stroke.

There was a coffee and a cold drinks machine nearby but Alicia preferred water to coffee while Ryan and Kevin helped themselves with a can of diet coke.

They made Henry sit on the sofa, the only sofa that was available there, some officers came and went looking at them as Ryan, Kevin and Alicia made themselves comfortable sitting directly under the AC.

Ryan suddenly noticed Luke, pouring himself coffee from the coffee machine as Ryan called him.

'Hey Luke'

'Wassup man?' he answered bringing the cup with him.

'Come here' Ryan said.

He walked to them and said 'Man, you all look like you've ran a thousand miles under the sun, making you all tired and exhausted.'

'You would not believe us' said Ryan 'But that's exactly what happened.'

'Really?'

'Yeah...okay I need you to help us with something'

'What...hey look man I'm really hungry and I'm going out for some snacks .I really can't...'

Ryan cut him short 'Just listen. Look at that man' he said pointing at Henry Roberts.

'Who the hell is he?'

'He is one of our suspect and the one that made us run a thousand miles....well he is a little injured you might say, so I want you take him to a hospital or anywhere possible and see what happened to his legs'

'But—'

'See if you can't do it then find Trevor, I think he's off duty now'

Luke shrugged and said 'Alright I will see what I can do'

He went over to Henry Roberts and said 'Get up man; we are goin' to have some fun outside.'

'I can't walk'

'I will hold you, come on'

'I'm fine. Just leave me'

'Nope, you're not fine, see......there you're limping'

After Luke took him out, Alicia stood up and said 'Okay I think we should get back to work now'

'Aren't you tired?' Ryan asked her surprised.

'I'm. But work is more important' said Alicia and walked to the elevator area and clicked a switch. 'Come on; let's see if Henderson got anything on Paul Brown for us'

'Yeah' said Ryan 'From where does she get so much energy?'

'No idea' Kevin replied as they joined her in the lift. The lift went up just to pause at the respective floor .The door opened, Alicia was the first to move inside, and Ryan and Kevin went in.

Alicia went near the white board and started reading the summaries again just to see if there was any clues left in there , unnoticed . There was a picture of Henry Roberts, Paul Brown and Jade Carter, their original victim with a lot of descriptions written below them. He wrote the letter 'Found' ,crossing out the 'missing' word below Henry Roberts picture.

Some more officers filled in the area, some drinking coffee, she thought how they could drink coffee in this weather? It's too unhealthy for health.

'Hey man,' Ryan just found Trevor sitting alone at one corner and typing something rapidly in his computer. 'I thought you're off duty'

'Not a chance' said Trevor in a tired voice 'Still got some files to check out. I am all packed up'

'I see'

'Yeah desk job. Boring as ever' he said removing his eyes only once from the computer just to look at the keyboard.

'At least you're getting to sit in a AC room' said Kevin 'You've no idea how hot it is outside .And we had to run some miles in the sun chasing a suspect .Can you believe it?'

'Not too good' said Trevor with a gloomy face 'I know how it is outside because I can feel it myself. And just to keep you informed, the AC of this floor is out of service'

Ryan and Kevin soon realised that he was right, the ceiling fans were on but they were hardly of any help. It was too hot here, too.

'Damn!' muttered Ryan.

'Hey guys' Alicia called them.

Ryan and Kevin turned back to her table.

'What, you got somethin'?' asked Kevin.

'No'

'Then what?'

'But I found something on someone else' she said.

'Yeah, what is it?'

'Look' She showed them Henderson's room.

Henderson was talking to someone quite happily but that man's back was facing them through the blinds so they couldn't see his face.

'Who's he?' asked Ryan.

The guy wore a black pullover and rusty black trousers.

'I can't say that I have seen anyone like that man in this department before' said Alicia not moving her eyes from Henderson's room.

'You're right. Me too' said Kevin.

It seemed like the man was now telling him some facts or maybe a story and Henderson was listening to him patiently throwing an occasional laugh or sometimes a gesture, seriousness in the middle.

'Whoever it is, Mr. Henderson knows him' said Alicia. 'Look he's talking like they are some old friends.'

'Yeah, I can see that' said Kevin. 'Let me go and check'

'No, just see what he does. He would eventually have to come out' said Alicia.

'Then maybe it's true about what we think' said Ryan. 'He is indeed a friend'

'Then it got to be a new friend' said Kevin. 'I know most of Mr. Henderson's friend or families, I don't recall anyone who looks like this'

'Newly recruited officer maybe?' Ryan tried another suggestion.

But Kevin denied again. 'Can't you see, he's talking to him like he had known him for years. If he was really a new recruited officer, then Henderson would have been more professional with him'

'Hmm' Ryan leaned on the chair stroking his chin.

Alicia remained quiet and watched; she didn't want to make any improbable suggestions like them.

Kevin asked 'What do ya' think?'

She didn't say first, she had to make up her mind about this. Then she copied Ryan's style of standing and said 'He's tall isn't he?'

'Yeah' Ryan replied absent-mindedly.

'And he's wearing the same pull over'

'Yeah...wait what?'

'See the pull overcoat he's wearing. Doesn't it look like the same one that the man in the streets wore?'

Ryan's head was blank so he had to think for a moment before saying 'The guy who stopped our suspect?'

'Yes'

'Right...he's tall...slim physique...it got to be the same man'

'Oh come one' said Kevin 'How's that even possible? Why the hell would that man be here?'

'No idea about that.'

'Maybe he's....' Ryan trailed off because he failed to make his mind about what to say.

'The figure, the dusty coat, everything matches' said Ryan 'it is him, no doubt. But why would he be here is the main question'

'Just wait, maybe Henderson will introduce him to us'

Some more minutes passed as Henderson and that man still talked. The next minute Henderson signalled him about something and then showed him the door as if the man doesn't know where to go, or maybe blind.

They were actually coming out. Alicia quickly stared away at the board and pinched Ryan, which made him jump on his chair and look at the computer.

'Act like we were busy' said Alicia.

Kevin had nothing to do, so he just focused on some trash files.

Now they could hear their talk as they came out. 'Let me introduce you to others here' he said to the man.

Alicia still looked at the board and Ryan typed on the computer more rapidly as they came. No one could tell that they were all standing idly talking among them about the man, a few minutes before.

'Hey Ryan Alicia, Kevin, Trevor you too...who else is here?' said Henderson.

'What?' said Ryan not looking at him.

'Anyway I want you guys to meet someone .Come here ya'll' he said to them.

Ryan now left the computer and faced Henderson, others including Trevor who was still doing his desk job did the same.

'Look here' said Henderson. 'This is Alan Smith'.

They all looked at Alan Smith not saying anything. It was the same man they met in the alleyway, same tall slim figure, white face, wrist full of bones and veins, all the same .And they were right about the pullover too, it was the same.

His face was narrow, rigid and emotionless .Only a slight tinge of smile, or maybe smartness...whatever it was, it could be seen attached to his face. His hands were tough and had some muscles and they were like thin cord. He had blue mesmerizing eyes and if you look directly at his eyes for some time, you're bound to hallucinate. His face was white and fresh not red like others who just came back from the sun. Or those who sat in a AC less room.

'So you are the one we met in the alleyway, aren't you?' asked Alicia without even saying hello.

'Yes' he answered in one word.

'Oh...so you have met before?' Henderson looked disappointed; perhaps he thought it would be a complete surprise to them.

'Yeah' said Ryan 'We met this guy today in the streets...he was the one who stopped our suspect. He was really helpful I must add' said Ryan.

'So there's no need to introduce, I see' said Henderson. 'You know each other then.'

'But what is he doing here?' asked Alicia.

'I thought you knew...'

'We just met, that's all. We haven't even talked'

'Okay,' Henderson replied 'So this is Alan Smith. Former NYPD homicide detective, of 13th Precinct, that means our department of course' And Henderson turned to him 'This is Alicia Quinn, now leading the homicide team. And the other detectives Kevin Connelly and Ryan Raglan'

'Hello' Alicia just said that and stopped. But Alan didn't respond to this.

'But then why haven't we seen him before?'

'Because he was not in New York for the past two years' said Henderson 'Come let's have a sit first'

Alicia sat on the chair but Kevin and Ryan chose to stand. So Alicia stood up too. Henderson didn't say anything more as everyone refused to sit. 'Well he was in Washington' Henderson continued, making sure everyone had interest in listening to him 'He was working with the FBI. Investigating a murder of an agent, that also involved our NYPD division, that's why they wanted someone who knows much more about the NYPD side. So they came to ask for someone...a detective who could help them with the case, and I had only one choice in my mind .So anyway he had to leave temporarily'

'And now he's back?' added Ryan.

'Oh yes, he's back'

Henderson smiled and turned to Alan who just shrugged. 'So gentlemen, you were just introduced to one of the finest detectives of New York, and the best in our 13th Precinct'

Alicia turned her face away, it was red. Her face only showed one sentence 'Who gives a damn!' so did Kevin. Only Ryan was interested. He said 'Hello Sir' willing to shake hands.

'Let me also say' continued Henderson with the same proud voice 'He's quite senior to all of you here, remember that .He previously served for more than fifteen years at a stretch in this department, so you see he's all too experienced and that's why I am letting him take the lead of the ongoing homicide case'

This time Alicia became alert as her face turned redder 'But why?'

'Didn't I give enough reason for that?' Henderson's voice became harder. 'Because he served this same homicide squad for so many years and had been immensely successful in doing it. So I have to let him back in his former squad, now that he has joined the department again. Or I'll have to answer later to the higher authorities about why I didn't let him join the...'

'No it's okay' said Alan. 'I can take a few days off get some rest, and by the time this ongoing case gets solved , then I can join and take up a new case. It would be easier that way'

'Yeah he's right' Alicia had to agree with Alan this time.

'No Alan I can't do that. You will be able to familiarize yourself with the detectives and the environment after such a long gap. And moreover I can't afford to let you sit just like that .You are the best here'

'You are thinking too highly of me' he said.

'I got this Alan, let me handle them' Henderson said this softly so that Alicia or others doesn't get to hear this. Alan knew there was no point arguing with him.

'I was' Alicia went on 'just saying that if a new man joins the squad at this vital point then it will disbalance the whole case and the—'

Henderson cut him short. 'Shut up Alicia You may take a few days off or leave permanently if you have a problem with him. Remember he solved more than fifty cases in his time here in fifteen years, so he's far more senior than you all, so don't talk and offend him like that. If you want to leave, fine I will make sure your badge is displayed in the officers reward room on one of the top glass shelves , but the main thing will be the same .From now on Alan is officially the head of this Detective bureau homicide squad and he will be leading most of the cases we get. Including this ongoing murder case' said Henderson and stared at them with fiery eyes. 'Is it crystal clear?'

'Sure sir' Alicia had to agree.

'Fine then'

'Yes, sir we are quite happy to welcome Mr. Smith back in our squad' said Ryan.

'But Henderson I am not sure if this is the right decision you took' sad Alan normally 'Look I don't know anything about the case. So how can I suddenly lead it, I need more facts and...'

'Don't worry about that, Alicia was leading it, she will give you all the data and summary you need to revise the case' said Henderson and it seemed like he got a solution about everything.

'Ryan, Alicia, make sure he gets everything he wants' said Henderson to them.

Alicia didn't reply so Ryan said 'Sure, no problem'

'Sir' Henderson pointed out. 'So did you get the rapper guy?' asked Henderson suddenly as he remembered sending them to the Chinese tattoo shop.

'Oh yes!' Alicia was immensely relieved to change the conversation. 'Yes, you were right about the tattoo shop Mr. Henderson and we got our guy. But we really had a tough time catching him. We got confirmed that he visited the tattoo shop and later found him wondering on the streets , so we asked him about it, he just ran and tried escaping and we also had to chase him'

'But Mr. Smith helped us to catch him anyway' said Ryan with a delighted face.

Henderson understood and said 'So where is he now?'

'He got injured so we had to send him for a check up to see if he's okay or not .He will be back soon and we will question him'

'I see' said Henderson. 'Come on Alan, I need you to sign some papers .And I also remember the last time you left the precinct you submitted your gun here, so now I'm going to return it to you.'

Henderson and Alan swiftly went inside, as Henderson quickly started to search for some papers from the locker.

'So what do ya'll think about him?' said Kevin who also looked irritated but not more irritated than Alicia.

'Yeah what?' Ryan said casually.

'I don't believe it' said Alicia.

'What?' asked Kevin. 'That this man joining our squad?'

'Yeah, and in the middle of a case'

'He was a former detective here. You can't deny him about that'

'So what?'

'Relax, I'm sure that he will complete the case soon. You see he's quite an expert in this thing' said Ryan.

'We too are quite an expert'

'Yes, right'

'He also has more experience'

'I don't think so'

'No no'

'Just look at him' they were all standing facing the blinds of Henderson's room, Alan was busy with the papers so was Henderson. 'Does he look like a man who could take down a killer?

'Looks can be deceiving' said Ryan.

'No I'm with Alicia' said Kevin 'I mean look at his body. I can even take down this man with one hand'

'Don't get your hopes up too high big man' said Ryan mockingly 'This man have enough power than he seems to have. You saw the way he tackled Henry Roberts? And the result? He is in hospital now. So just, think about it. How lethal can this man be when he needs to be'

'You also need a brain. You have to be intelligent' said Alicia. 'Strength is not gonna win you everything'

'He have both I am sure about that'

'How do you know?'

'Look how happy Henderson is to have him'

'Henderson is another shit man' said Kevin.

'Should I complain it to him?'

'Should you wish to die right now? Then yes'

'I was kidding'

'I had doubt'

'Okay whatever you say, but he's the most weird guy I have even seen .He doesn't even know how to shake hands' said Alicia.

'But he shook my hands, ok' said Ryan.

'Maybe he doesn't like shaking hands with everyone'

'And that would be weird don't you think?'

'That's style'

'Huh! Style' said Alicia with a disgusted face.

'But not a bad one too'

'Hey Ryan'

'Yeah?'

'Let me ask you a question. Whose side are you on?'

'Side?' Ryan just laughed. 'What are you talking about? How many sides are there? There is only one that consists you, me, Kevin, and Mr. Smith'

'I wish you would have excluded Mr. Smith'

'No chance now. He's already in .You should have tried debating with Henderson a little more'

Henderson made Alan sign the last paper, then stamped something on it and then presented him with his own gun that was in the closet kind of almirah in a special chamber. Alan took the gun and checked both the sides, he cocked then re cocked , then bought it back to the normal condition .It was a glock 23 .40 Caliber automatic weapon with minimum weight despite its large capacity . Quite destructive if you know how to use it. Can shoot for long time without needing to reload it. He filled it with three bullets, pointed at Henderson but didn't shoot. He kept it back on the table after he was done with it. Henderson gave another laugh and patted on his back. Then after Henderson insisted, he took the gun again and put it in his pocket as he came unofficially today and he was not carrying a holster.

Then Henderson checked the signed papers, made a bunch and moved it to a drawer temporarily .He came near Alan, smiled before showing him the door again.

This time as they came out, Alan, Ryan, Kevin were not ready. Henderson caught them.

'Hey what are you all looking at?'

'Umm...' she thought it would be better to remain quiet and say nothing.

'Okay anyway' Alicia was right to be quiet as he soon changed the question. 'just give him the facts about the case and he will take over from there. And as we are done with all this, I need to go now'

Alan walked towards them and sat in his table, he was not sure if it was his table or not, but anyway it was empty, so who cares?

'Uh, Mr. Smith we are quite happy to have you in our squad...' Ryan started.

But Alan put a finger up and said 'But it seems like your partners are not'

He looked directly at Alicia, which made her stiffer. She tried to keep her nerves cool and said vehemently 'No problem Mr. Smith. We too are quite pleased'

'Really?'

'Yes'

'Your fingers of your left hand are trembling a little. And your eyes, they're not fixed at anywhere in particular they are darting sideways, and your breathing is also quite heavy and forced. These are some symptoms of a posttraumatic disorder. So tell me, are you uncomfortable about me joining the squad?'

'I guess, no'

'Fine. Just another clarification' he said 'My name is Alan, don't call me Mr. Smith'

'Why?'

'Sorry?'

'I mean is there a problem if we call you by that name?'

'Yes, Mr. Smith is a large word while Alan is the smaller one. So saying Mr. Smith is gonna consume a lot of time, and you know time is really important for a case. We can't waste it just like that. So better stick with Alan'

'Okay'

'Good. Now I need more details with the case you're fumbling with'

'We are not fumbling Mr. Smith' Alicia now said directly and anyone could say now if she was angry or not.

'Of course you are.' Alan didn't mind her words or care about it. 'Otherwise you should have completed it by now .Anyway, the details please' Alan continued as no one was coming forward with anything.

Ryan was the first to start. The next few minutes saw them discussing important sides and matters about the case. Ryan described everything right from the beginning, right form where they found the body, as Alicia kept quiet fuming with anger.

Ryan talked about the suspects, the NY Times, the suspect list, or the disappearance of Paul Brown .Then he also told him in detail about the suspect Henry Roberts who tried running away for what reason they were yet to know.

He also informed Alan about the things, the belongings of Jade Carter, that they found were all changed.

Ryan then paused for a few seconds to think about if he had left anything out. But he found no flaws in the facts so he just revised everything again in his mind. Alan looked at him intently while playing with a pen. He sometimes looked away, sometimes stared at the floor, the other times he raised a eyebrow or did some gesture of maybe even shook his head when he heard about certain things. When Ryan finished his speech Alan didn't say anything, he was quietly absorbing the facts and details so that he didn't need to ask it again and make anyone more annoyed than they already were.

'So the present situation is that we got our suspect and we still need to find another one, right?' said Alan after five minutes or so.

'Yes' Kevin spoke after a long time.

Alan continued playing with the pen and Ryan tried waiting him out.

'Any idea where this man Paul Brown might be?' he said at last.

'Nope' said Ryan.

'Crime tech say anything?'

'So far nothing'

'But they are still canvassing the area hoping to get something' Alicia said just because she wanted to prove that they were indeed trying hard to solve this case.

'Useless' said Alan as he stood up firmly and started pacing the room keeping both his hands near his chest. Moving them only when he thought he found something.

'There got to be a way to trace him'

'We even tried tracking his mobile but it doesn't have GPS or a mobile tracker. It's a disabled phone'

'I see' he said and sat down on the opposite chair.

Ryan glanced at his watch, it was 2 in the afternoon and still they were just sitting like they had nothing to do, and yes there was nothing to do.

The door of the elevator sled away and Luke came in.

'Where's our man?' Alicia asked.

'I sent him directly to the interrogation. I thought you might wanna question him'

'That's okay and what about his injury?' asked Kevin.

'Well' he went on 'It's not a major injury. One of the ligaments and tendon got hurt which resulted in a muscle pull. So they bandaged the area and said he would be okay as there is no fracture. But he needs to take rest for a few days as the ligament needs to heal.'

'Oh, that's good then. Thank you for doing this' said Ryan.

'Anytime man' he said and looked at Alan.

'Hey Alan ,seeing you after a long time' he said . 'How are you doing?'

'Just okay'

'So as you're back, you'll be leading now I guess?'

'Yeah, but I didn't want too, but yeah'

'I see. Okay so good to see you back here again'

Alicia and others felt more uncomfortable as they found out that Luke also knew Alan but they didn't. Maybe Henderson was right after all, he was the best detective here.

Luke started walking away but when he saw Trevor he came back to disturb him.

'Hey what's up?'

'Everything is down man'

Luke pulled him up. 'Come on lets go'

'What, where?'

'Maybe we can relax over a cup of coffee'

'Got a lotta to do. No time for coffee'

'Screw your work'

He took Trevor with him no matter how much he protested and headed to the elevator.

'So let's go. We got to take an interview of our suspect' said Alicia and stood up.

Kevin did the same and they both went to the lift and waited for it to come back to them.

'You coming Mr. Smith?' asked Ryan.

'It's Alan'

'Okay Alan you coming with us?'

'Why do you even need to ask' said Alan and joined them in the elevator. Alicia cursed herself for not taking the stairs as now she was trapped with the tall man for the next few seconds.

SEVENTEEN

They soon came down and found themselves outside the interrogation room. They could see Henry Roberts sitting inside behind the table and wondering how to get out of there. There were two more chairs in the front for the detectives to sit.

Other than that, there was naturally a lot of camera's capturing the suspect from every angle and noticing his every move. There was a microphone on the table but the detectives normally remove it before starting a conversion .The room was soundproof except that some speakers were linked to the computer outside. So people outside could see through the one way mirror inside and hear anything, but the people inside couldn't do so unless you step real close to the blinds.

Henry once looked down to maybe see if his bandage was all right or not. Then he looked straight at them, although he couldn't see them.

Ryan asked Alan if he would like to start questioning the man but Alan simply shook his head and 'No, as I'm new to this , you continue questioning, I'll watch and try to get a better sense of everything that is going on'

Alicia and Kevin agreed to start the interview first as they went inside while Ryan and Alan remained outside and watched as well as they could hear.

Alicia took a file with her inside and took the left chair; Kevin sank on the other one. Henry looked at both of them with an always-surprised face.

First thing that Alicia asked was 'How's the leg?'

Henry didn't reply immediately, he took time to form his answer, no matter how short it might be .He always believed that one should think first before talking to the police .As they have the ability twist any normal words and form what they had in mind.

'Okay' he said in one word.

'Good, then' said Alicia with a smile on her face. 'So Henry...should I call you Henry?'

'If you wish to' said Roberts.

'So a yes. Okay Henry' Alicia's voice became more formal 'Now to the main questions'

'One minute' interjected Roberts 'Tell me why am I here. You have bought me here, injured me, held me, now you're talking nicely to me; tell me what is this all about?'

Henry repeated the same lines for two more times after which Alicia started.

'I know my rights, Henry' she said 'You need not worry about that. And we have enough reasons to keep you here. Anyway first of all I'd like to know, what do you do?'

'I don't do anything' he said not trying to understand what Alicia means.

'What do you mean you don't do anything' Alicia didn't look at all surprised 'you must be working somewhere'

'No'

'What?'

'I don't work'

'You don't work or are you not gonna say where you work?'

'Take the one which is more probable'

Alicia leaned back understanding instantly that it would be hard to break through him, so she looked at the other side and thought about the next question.

Alicia stared at Kevin and Kevin knew that Alicia wanted him to continue.

Kevin moved closer to Henry this time and said softly 'Are you goin' to cooperate with us?'

'No, why should I? I am not guilty about anything, so better not talk to the cops'

'We're not cops Henry, we're just some detectives in the middle of a murder investigation'

'What murder, what investigation? I ain't done anything'

'Yes you have!' this time Alicia stood up and nearly yelled which took everyone aback. Even Henry looked scared.

'Wha...What do you mean?' he said with a croaking voice.

Alicia didn't care to answer his question but she asked another one 'What is your relationship with Jade Carter?'

'Jade Carter?' asked Henry Roberts 'Who the hell is Jade Carter?'

'Are you saying you don't know who Jade Carter is?' said Kevin.

'Yes, I have no idea who this man is and what're you talking about'

'Drop the act Henry' said Alicia 'Now you better talk before we take any actions against you'

Henry tried to protest again but Alicia quickly took out the Jade Carter's picture and tossed it on the table. He took the picture and studied it.

'Know him, eh?' Kevin was trying to keep his fury in check.

'No no, not at all' Henry kept the picture back on the table. 'I don't know this man'

'You're sure about that?'

'Yes yes, why not, and I also have a good memory, I don't forget easily' he tried to lighten the mood inside.

'Not only a good memory Henry' said Alicia 'You also have some good methods of lying'

'Lying?' Henry looked more helpless now. 'You think I'm lying .Man, I ain't lying about no one here. You got to trust me on this, I never saw this man in my whole life'

'Do you kill random people without knowing who he or she is? Are you some sort of psychopath or perhaps even a sociopath, huh?' said Alicia sitting back on the chair and resting both her hands on the table.

'Kill, did I kill someone?' he was getting more surprised with every minute that passed.

'You have a good memory .Say it yourself'

'No I didn't kill anyone' he understood that his voice didn't sound at all convincing 'Why is this man killed?'

'Yes he was murdered Monday, at dawn'

'Murder?'

'Strangled' Kevin continued 'And we have enough reasons to believe the murderer is you'

'You guys are crazy' said Henry laughing at himself 'This is absolute craziness'

'You can't deny killing Jade Carter, Henry' said Alicia, took out another photo from the plastic bag, and threw it on the table. 'You see this car? The black SUV. This is Jade Carter's car. And we have your fingerprints that suggests that you were in it'

This time, only for a second his face contracted and made a terrified look, then he became normal and looked straight overhead at the mirror, he could see his own face and he could tell himself that he was losing this battle of the questions. But that couldn't be it .He couldn't just give away everything. He would have to find some new way to survive.

As he was quiet, Alicia thought he didn't understand the actual question 'Perhaps you can at least explain what were you doing in our victim's car?'

He remained silent.

'Talk!'

'What should I say? I don't know this man, neither do I know his car. I don't know how my fingerprints that could land on his car. Maybe you're mistaken about something'

'Nope, we got the right man, that is you. And you are hiding something, no you're hiding everything'

'I will still say I didn't kill anyone'

'Then if you are not guilty about anything, please describe why did you run when you saw us?'

He was not ready for this question. Several minutes passed, still he didn't know any satisfactory answer.

'I hope you can say that at least' Alicia persisted.

Henry looked down at the table, cursing himself for running. He was here anyway, so running wasn't of any use save increasing the suspicion on him. He thought this was about another thing, he never knew this was a murder case, and they needed him just for some simple cross-questioning.

'Suspect don't usually run away unless he's a murderer Henry, you should have thought of that before' said Kevin politely as Alicia was quite hard on him.

'Answer, will you?'

'I don't know...' Henry spoke failing to make up his mind 'Man! I panicked. I don't always see cops lurking behind me. So I simply panicked and ran. That's it. That's what happened'

Alicia felt more disgusted and fell back on her chair.

'You know what Henry, it would have been better for you, if you didn't tried escape. Even your leg would have been okay'

'And' said Kevin 'Your story is good, but the only flaw is that it doesn't sound at all convincing'

'But that's the truth. That's why I ran. I never had to deal with cops before, so I tried escaping from one...not sure what to do'

'Why do you avoid cops?' asked Alicia. 'Why do you panic when you see a cop, unless you're a criminal or something...?'

'No I'm not a criminal. I'm a common man' shrugged Henry 'I never have touched anyone'

'Okay, I'm changing the topic just to give you another chance' said Kevin 'Tell me where you live?'

'I can't say that really' he replied 'And why do you need to know this, what's it got to do with this anyway?'

'We want to make sure we have every data about you'

'Okay, but I don't have a particular home'

'You don't have a home?'

'No'

'Then where do you live?'

'Hotels'

'Which hotel?'

'I didn't say one hotel' he pointed out their mistake 'I change hotels, I hop from one place to another'

'So you don't live in one hotel, you change?'

'Exactly'

'Isn't that too expensive, only living in hotels and changing them from time to time?'

'Nope, because sometimes I even consider living in cheap motels'

'Where does this money come from?'

'I have money' he said not willing to find another answer.

'That's what I'm asking' Alicia stared at him 'If you don't work anywhere, then where is this money coming from?'

'That I can't answer .It's personal' he said and looked at the floor.

'Why not?'

'I told you, it's personal'

'Look man' Kevin talked 'this is no joke .We're in the middle of a murder investigation and you're one of our primary suspects. So we ask you a question and you answer it truth fully not thinking about anything else. That's how it should be'

'And that's how it's goin' on isn't it?' he said jokingly. 'You're questioning me and I'm answering though I should not .But if you don't believe me, your problem'

'But you still haven't said how your fingerprints landed on our victim's car?'

He made a worried face. 'I don't know .I told you that before'

'Look Henry' Alicia this time became softer, as the direct rude approach wasn't working at all. 'we don't have much time to waste .We have another suspect to search for. So you talk, as you don't know what lies after this'

'I am talking' he yelled out this time. There was a sudden change in his voice.

Kevin calmed his nerves and said 'Shouting ain't gonna take you nowhere'

'I know, that's the reason I was talking' he smiled.

Ryan and Alan was listening and watching everything from outside.

Alan's eye was fixed at the mirror inside and he stood tall and rigid. There was no worry in his face; neither did it show any emotion.

Ryan looked up at him and said 'He's not going to say anything is he?'

Alan kept his eyes fixed, only one time he folded his hand and glanced at Ryan and said 'He is saying everything .He is giving at least a answer to everything they ask , except that they are not true'

'Yeah, and he's tough. Even Alicia can't break him'

'Yeah. She seems like a total badass detective'

'Yeah, you don't know her. How hard she can be on anyone. Otherwise she's good '

'But you know what, sometimes this badass attitude doesn't work.'

'Oh, then what will work?'

'I can't say what will work. But in this situation without pushing him hard, or saying 'We don't have much time to waste' she should give him more time to calm his nerves and also you yourself have to remain cool .Then he will feel like it's his priority to give us the answers and not ours to get it'

'Wow, seems like a nice idea' Ryan exclaimed.

'Anyway, tell me one thing' Alan turned to him. 'Alicia has some problems about me in your squad isn't it?'

'Oh man, it isn't my squad.' Ryan corrected him 'Alicia was leading the squad, then you came along, and now you're in charge of it'

'Oh, right right ' Alan said smiling in a unique style. 'Tell me, does she have any problems about me?'

'I don't know really' Ryan scratched his head trying to find an answer that would not make Alan feel offended. 'Alicia thought maybe changing the leader of the squad might affect the balance or the flow of the ongoing case .Well you don't have to worry about that'

'Nothing to worry about' he said not at all offended. 'Anyone in her place would have thought the same'

Kevin again shouted at Henry saying something and Ryan and Alan turned their attention to the interrogation.

'How many lies are you gonna tell us?' Kevin said

'Uh...' Alan said this more to himself hearing everything. 'That's not going to work'

'Right' said Ryan and stared inside.

Alicia tried changing the topic in a formal tone. 'Okay tell us Henry where were you between 3 to 4 am Monday morning?'

'I was in my house, I think. Where else should I be in that time?'

'But that's unnatural'

'What?'

'You just said you don't own a house.'

'Right right right...' he smiled at his own stupidity. 'Of course I don't own one. I mean in a hotel. Oh...I have such a bad memory...I keep forgetting things'

'That's funny' said Alicia 'I thought you had a good memory'

'Did I say that? I don't remember'

'So where were you Monday morning at that time?' Kevin understood they were drifting away from the main question.

'In a hotel'

'Are you sure about it?'

'No....maybe yes?'

Ryan after hearing the conversation for a few more minutes asked Alan. 'Either he's mad or he's the killer. Or else whatever he's saying is true'

'I don't think he's mad' said Alan. 'Killer? Probably not. He's saying everything true....nah I will not buy that'

'Then?'

'There is something else going on here....maybe...he doesn't wanna expose himself. That's why he's lying about everything'

'Expose himself?'

'I don't know. Just look at him .He's all okay and good; only thing is that he's lying. There is definitely something going on'

'Then?'

'He's hiding something beneath his black face. He fears...fears that something bigger might come out and that might end his life, perhaps'

'Like killing someone?'

'Maybe'

'I see...'

'But he doesn't look like a guy who is capable of killing someone.'

'Yeah...his character is a little too cartoonish.' Ryan shook his head. 'I can't imagine him killing someone'

'And I don't think they will be able to get anything out of him'

'Too tough he is'

'Just remember, they both are also tough on him'

'They should be a little soft right?'

'Maybe .But I'm not sure if that's gonna work either'

'Hmm' Ryan looked down at his watch. It showed 2:40.

He felt a little impatient. 'A lot of time is getting wasted like this'

'Yes and without any positive results'

'That's our main problem'

'But I can tell that he is not a clean man.'

'You think so?'

'Yes'

They resumed their gaze inside. More questions followed, but it was of no use. Henry dodged everything that came in his way .Alicia and Kevin tried new ways, counter attacked him , still getting the same results. But they could not make Henry speak out the truth. He stuck with the same kind of answers. 'I don't know', 'I don't remember' he said these things over and over again.

He sometimes smiled or laughed, which they knew were all forced .While the other times he remained serious and cautious about what he says and worried...but at the end, he was actually enjoying the interview.

He cracked jokes making Alicia, Kevin more irritated, and when they understood that their suspect was just playing with them and was not going to say anything at all, they stood up, gave cold stare at him for the last time and went out.

'Now what?' asked Ryan as they both came out and sat on the chairs staring at their suspect who was just lazily scanning around the room.

'He ain't gonna talk' Kevin said, tired.

'But he knows something, maybe everything' Alicia said this more to herself.

Alicia was trying to think of new ways about how to make him say the truth.

'I'm telling you he's the killer. Or else he would have said what he knows by now' Kevin snapped.

'You're right' said Alicia 'He must have done something wrong. That's why he is not willing to talk to us about it as it might come out'

'What is it?'

'We don't know that'

'And you heard what he said when we asked him why he ran, he said he panicked. Now that isn't very convincing is it?'

'Look' now Alan spoke. 'We have to make him talk in any way possible or else we will have to carry on with our case without his help. Because we can't keep him here forever .We will have to leave him after twenty four hours no matter if he talks or not. We have nothing to hold him here'

Alicia kept quiet; she was just too pissed off to talk about leaving him.

'And he is not even saying how can his fingerprints be on our victim's car' said Kevin.

'Are you sure he was in the car?' asked Ryan. 'What if we are wrong about some—'

'No no...that is not possible, we're right about it. The CSU and the fingerprint expert will not fail with their results of course'

'He was in that car and the owner of the car turns up dead next day .It's all too puzzled'

'There got to be a simple explanation behind this'

Kevin asked Alan at last. 'Mr. Smith, you are leading the case, so what do you think about all this?'

'I don't think anything. At the moment we have to make him talk' said Alan 'Or else we will never know what was he doing in our Vic's car. And that's a important point so we can't skip it completely .Okay...do we know about his families?'

'No we don't know where he lives or who he lives with .And the hotel thing is just total crap' said Kevin.

'Yeah, everything he told us is shit' Alicia added.

'Yes, he's telling a lie here .He doesn't even look all that affluent'

'Right'

'We should try again' said Ryan 'We just can't let go of him like this. If we leave him now he will think that he won this battle, so we will keep asking him questions and make him impatient .So eventually he is going to talk'

'It will cost us too much time' said Kevin 'And we can't even give the whole 24 hours now'

'Yeah, that too is right' Ryan hesitated.

'What do you think is it going to work?' said Alicia. 'What if it doesn't work, any plan about what you're going to do next?'

'No idea'

'Then...'

'Okay I know there is a lot of problem here and there' said Alan. 'But it's still worth a shot'