Beneath The Cross

I Love You In The Way That Destroys You

The officer called Frank's name, and he stepped forward with a confident stride. "Good morning, Officer," Frank greeted politely and the officer nodded in acknowledgment. The officer leaned forward as he asked Frank to recount his activities after church and Frank paused for a moment, collecting his thoughts before responding calmly.

"After the fight with Mr. Yan, I went home and stayed there for the rest of the evening." His voice was steady and there was a hint of sincerity in his tone that seemed to resonate with the officer. The officer nodded, jotting down notes in his pad as Frank continued to provide details of his whereabouts.

Gerard watched from the sidelines, his heart racing with anticipation. He knew that Frank's alibi needed to hold up under scrutiny, and he couldn't help but feel a surge of relief as Frank spoke with confidence.

"Did you encounter Michael at any point after church?" The officer continued and Frank shook his head. "No, I didn't see him after church. We parted ways there."

The officer studied Frank for a moment, then glanced at his notes. "And no one else saw him after that?"

Frank shrugged. "I can't speak for others, but I didn't see him."

The officer nodded, seemingly satisfied. "Thank you, Pastor. We may have further questions, so please remain available."

Frank nodded in response, maintaining his calm demeanor. "Of course, Officer. I'm here to help in any way I can."

As the officer moved on to question someone else, Frank leaned back in his chair, his expression unchanged. He had navigated the interrogation smoothly, leaving no room for suspicion.

Gerard's heart raced as the officer directed his questions towards him. "So, Mr. Way, can you tell us where you were yesterday afternoon?"

"I was at home... just relaxing." Gerard replied and the officer's gaze intensified. "Relaxing? Your parents mentioned seeing you leave with Michael. Can you explain that?"

"Uh, yes... we did go out for a bit. But we got into a fight and he left."

The officer's brow furrowed in suspicion. "And where did you part ways with Michael?"

Gerard's throat tightened as he struggled to maintain his composure. "At a nearby cafe... I think. We just went our separate ways after that."

The officer studied Gerard for a moment, his gaze assessing and scrutinizing and Gerard held his breath, willing himself to appear calm and composed under the officer's scrutiny.

"And then you called your parents later that evening, asking about Michael's whereabouts?"

Gerard's heart hammered in his chest as he scrambled for an explanation. "Yes, I did... I was just... checking in on him. I didn't know where he was, but I wanted to make sure he was okay." The officer's gaze lingered on Gerard for a moment longer.

"Can you explain why you and Michael got into a fight?"

Gerard's mind raced as he tried to recall the details of their fabricated story. "It was because I punched him at church," he replied, his voice trembling slightly and the officer raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued by Gerard's explanation. "And what prompted you to punch him back for punching pastor?"

Gerard swallowed hard, hoping his response would sound plausible. "I was frustrated and upset," he answered vaguely, trying to keep his explanation as simple as possible.

The officer scribbled down Gerard's response in his notebook. "I see," he murmured, making a mental note of Gerard's explanation and with a nod of acknowledgment, the officer thanked Gerard for his cooperation and moved on to question another individual.