Close To Midnight

Chapter 39

Tzuyu studied the reports, drawing a circle around bits and pieces of investigation she thought stood out.

Victim one. Divorced from a controlling husband. Described as confident and assertive.

Victim two. A young woman. Described as warm hearted, career focussed and independent.

Victim three. A young woman. Described as cheerful and kind.

Victim four. A young man who lived with a nagging mother. Described as a recluse. Bullied through highschool for his appearance.

Victim five. A young man who lived alone. Described as some kind of computer genius. Shy and timid.

Victim six. A young man who hadn't got over his ex girlfriend. Described as a loner and unsociable.

Victim seven. A henpecked husband.  Introvert.

The missing eighth man was a recluse too. From what Tzuyu witnessed in the front office, his wife was definitely verbally abusive.

"Isn't it weird?" She said to Momo, who was hunched over her tenth mug of coffee while waiting for the girl to be brought in for questioning.

"What?" She inquired in a uninterested tone.

"That the women were described with positive words by family, friends and neighbors but the men were described with mostly negative words."

Another useless pattern. Momo clenched her fingers tightly around the mug. She sprung up from her seat suddenly, pushing the mug to a side with enough force that sent it flying to the floor. "Who cares? Who fucking cares?"

Tzuyu drummed her fingers on the desk nervously, not knowing how to deal with a situation like this. These were the times she appreciated Chaeyoung and missed having her around. Despite being the youngest one in the unit, she had a knack for calming down detectives on the verge of a mental breakdown.

An awkward silence ensued.

"Our officers have brought in the girl." Jeongyeon burst into the room and paused as she eyed the broken mug on the floor. "Happy Valentine's day." She muttered under her breath.

"You should handle the interrogation." Tzuyu suggested.

Jeongyeon nodded her head. "I suppose that would be the best."

____

"Don't go." Nayeon wrapped an arm around Mina's wrist, pulling her back into her arms and hugging her tight. As tight as she could let herself without hurting the younger girl, burying her face in the crook of her Mina's neck, inhaling her soothing scent, a mix of morning dew and fresh flowers.

She had managed twenty five years alone in this world, hardened by life, burdened by gloom. And then Mina came, unexpected like a breezy drizzle during a heatwave, all soft smiles and warm eyes, took her pain away just like that.

"I have to work." Mina sighed. She didn't want to go. She wanted to stay forever in the arms that held her so lovingly, so tenderly like she was a porcelain doll. She pulled back a little and any coherent thought she could make was wiped away by Nayeon's lips pressing against her own.

The kiss was slow and breathtaking, like all their problems just faded away and in that moment, the world was theirs alone, nothing else mattered.

When the timer on Mina's phone went off reminding her she should be on her way back to work, she made a groaning noise and slumped against the older girl, resting her forehead against hers.

Nayeon pulled her closer to her by the waist.

"Mina." Nayeon took a steadying breath. Mina could feel her heart going crazy against her palm.

"Mina." The way she rolled out her name, like a prayer, made a warm feeling bloom in Mina's chest.

"Mmh?" She whispered, pulling her face away a little to look at Nayeon. Nayeon met her eyes with a look that took her breath away.

Mina knew what it meant.

She knew it reflected in her own.

"I-" Nayeon began.

She wrapped an arm around Nayeon's neck, bringing their bodies closer and silenced her with a finger to her lips. "Don't say it now." Her own heart was going a mile a minute.

A look of hurt flashed across the face she had loved almost all her life. She clarified immediately, "I want flowers. A kiss under the stars. The whole nine yards. Then you can say it."

"So demanding." Nayeon leaned in for an Eskimo kiss, the sweetness of the action making Mina's heart swell in its chest.

Mina breathed out, "You're making it hard for me to leave."

Nayeon shrugged with a charming look on her face. "That's the plan."

Mina lunged forward grabbing Nayeon's hair and pulling her face down to meet her halfway, kissing her with unrestrained emotions and irrepressible love.

"Nayeon-chan." She whispered against the older girl's lips. "You make me so happy." Her voice cracked with the emotions threatening to overwhelm her.

Nayeon's heart skipped a beat. Nobody had ever told her that. Placing a hand around the younger girl's head, she pulled her face to her rapidly beating chest, wrapping the other one around her waist to hold her close. "Says the girl who's my happiness."

The orange sun slowly set behind them as they stayed basking in each other's warmth, unaware of the watchful lens of a camera focussing on them.