Claw and Heart

9.

The pale light of the moon poured through the window of June office. A thousand feet up in the air, the view showed a different entirely. June and Angeline sat across from each other with a coffee table in between. Two steamy fresh hot coffees sat on the table, but neither paid too much attention to it, as most of their focus was on each other.

"Let's go over the evidence one more time." Angeline said.

"Go ahead." June responded positioning himself comfortably in his leather armchair.

"1. The victim died around midnight and his body was scattered all across Stanley Park. 2. The murderer is trying make you look like the actual murder. 3. The murderer isn't alone."

"I have some thoughts about your second point...no, never mind." June waved his hand in dismissal of his idea.

"No it's ok; I want to hear your opinion on this case."

"Very well then." June leaned forward and rubbed his hands together like a magician warming up for his trick. June then arched his back forward with one hand supporting his jaw. His eyes focused on the blank space ahead as if there was an invisible bomb no one else could see.

"Do you think that by some slimmer of a chance the murderer has some kind of super power?" The way it came out so serious from June, Angeline laughed in disbelief.

"Stop joking around! I am serious!"

"I was just joking. Anyways what I really wanted to say is, it may not be just an individual against me, it's more likely an organization is behind all this. It's mostly because of some form of gain when it comes between organization rather than personal revenge or anything. Revenge is quite a childish thing you know, and nothing about this killing was childish, it was all done very professionaly. It had a clear purpose. Even though I don't know what the actual purpose is, it certainly achieved something. This event caught public attention, and is received with quite an amount of skeptical looks. So if the purpose is to make me look like the bad guy, then they certainly achieved their purpose. And that leaves me with only option."

"What option?" Angeline leaned forward like child dying to hear the end of a bed story.

"I am staying." He said casually.

"Oh...wait, what did you just say?" Angeline said in disbelief.

"I am staying." June repeated more firmly this time, to prove that he wasn't messing around but rather serious about what he just said.

"But if you stay you will receive more criticism from the public!"

"I am already use to it. And on the contrary if I leave it would only seem more suspicious, and they would surely nail me down for that." Finishing his sentence June took a sip of his coffee before chugging it down entirely. The two exchanged a silent conversation, but neither received an answer they wanted. To Angeline, June was an open book written in an alien language. To June Angeline was a closed children's book, but he was never able to see past the cover. The two seemed to understand things from the other's position, but when it is put into perspective, they were lost in each other minds. And every time they were close to the answer they were seeking, they will always find themselves face to face with each other's "firewall". And removing the firewall meant exposing themselves, and neither one of them was eager to put themselves in that vulnerable state.

"It's already past midnight; I am going get some rest now. And you should get some rest too." June said in a weary voice as he got up and stretched. Angeline eyes followed him to the door. Once June disappeared behind the doors Angeline held up his coffee cup, and for a glimpse he caught his own reflection. he sighed then emptied the cup. Afterwards he set down the cup on the table again and fell back onto the couch in exhaustion.