INM 1 Part 4

It was after eight in the evening. The brightness of the room had subtly dimmed, and the sky outside the window had turned a deep navy. Looking down, the cityscape of Brisbane was bathed in golden light.

Almost unconsciously, I approached the window, closed the curtains, and turned the light from the chandelier to a warm night time glow. As I went through my usual routine, I continued to talk.

“I had a job in Fairfield. On my way back from that job I decided to have a drink and went to a bar. The next day was my meeting with Kirk, so yes, I’m sure. The day I was carried home was the day of Alan’s incident.

“I see.” His cautious nod had a probing tone. “So you were with someone at the time of the incident.”

“That’s right! Really, how did I forget? I haven’t been this drunk since prom night.”

“Ah, that was terrible…”

I fell silent at Brian’s words. Childhood friends can be really annoying at times like this. They remember things you’ve completely forgotten.

“And what about that person?”

“Well, I don’t really remember.”

Trying to picture the blurry figure, I groaned.

“I remember the bar where I was approached. And that I was driven home.

“Don’t force yourself to remember, it can lead to misinterpretation. Do you still have the cop’s business card?”

At his question, I handed him the two cards I had stuffed into my card holder. His blue-gray eyes scanned their surfaces.

“Inspector Samuel Robinson… Oh, Sam. He’s been promoted.”

“An acquaintance?”

“We know each other’s names, but not well. This other’s name is new to me.”

“Nguyen seemed young and quiet.”

Brian raised an eyebrow sarcastically at my comment as he took the business card.

“I can’t imagine a cop who’s just quiet. Those are the ones to watch out for.”

Murmuring his biased words, the man continued, now in full detective mode.

“Anyway, you need to tell Sam that you were with someone at the time. Be as specific as you can about what you remember.”

“Can the presence of a man whose face I can’t even remember be an alibi?”

“It won’t be an alibi, but they will investigate to verify it.”

“Will they really investigate properly?”

“If you’re really a suspect, they will. If you’re not a target of the investigation, they’ll leave you alone, which is probably more peaceful.”

His logic made sense, but to me, as the person involved, it sounded too rational and a little unsatisfying.

“For a former cop, you’re too optimistic.”

“Don’t be a pessimist only at times like this.”

“If not now, when can I be pessimistic?”

I looked at him sideways and listed all the possible scenarios.

“What if both of them are incompetent? What if they’re so incompetent that they can’t find anyone else who knows Alan besides me? Or what if they are so focused on suspecting me that they don’t do a proper investigation? And even if they do investigate, what if they can’t find any trace of the man I was with? They might think I lied about my alibi. That would look really bad!”

As I presented my pessimism, the man who had been listening with amusement raised his hand and interrupted my argument.

“Okay, okay, I understand your concern, Holmes. But even if all these possibilities were true, there’s nothing you can do about it now. Just stay calm.”

“You’re cold.”

“That cold childhood friend of yours dropped everything to come see you after you suddenly called. Do you remember that?”

“Ah, sorry, that was my fault…”

It’s a bad habit of mine to blurt out whatever comes to mind without thinking.

Thinking about it, I continued, feeling a little awkward.

“You were still working, huh? I thought it was a good time to quit…”

As I was about to say that, I suddenly remembered that his current job was as a detective. And forgetting my reflection of three seconds ago, I blurted out what came to my mind.

“Hey, if I asked you to investigate something for me, would you take the job? Of course I’d pay the usual fee. It would be reassuring if you could find out who the man I was with was.”

Brian was momentarily taken aback by the suggestion, but then he nodded seriously.

“Alright.”

“Huh?”

Even though I had suggested it, I hadn’t expected him to agree, so I turned to Brian in surprise.

“Is it okay to accept a request so easily?”

“I just finished a big job. What’s the matter, you seem unhappy.”

“No, no, not at all.”

As I laughed, the man narrowed his eyes and crossed his legs in annoyance.

“First, let’s go over the details of the incident again.”

“What? The man I was with has nothing to do with the incident!”

“Just in case. You never know when this information might come in handy.”

I had already been thoroughly interrogated by the cops!

“Damn, I already regret this…”

Seeing me hang my head, the man let out a low chuckle before returning to his previous annoyed expression and beginning his questions.

“So, first, what is the victim’s name and age?” 

“Alan… I’m pretty sure the cops called him Maxwell. Alan Maxwell. I never asked his exact age, but I think he’s still in his early twenties.

“That’s tragic.”

A shadow crossed the man’s eyes. The next moment, when I was distracted by it, the shadow was completely gone.

Brian continued.

“When and where did you meet him?”

Seriously, why do detectives always ask the same questions?

“About six months ago, I think. We bumped into each other at a gastropub in Spring Hill… their wagyu burger is amazing… and started hanging out. After that, we got together two or three times a month for dinner.”

Having said all this in one breath, I took a sip of my coffee quietly. The man who had been watching me said calmly.

“That’s a lie.”

“Oh, come on.”

I slammed the cup down on the table and ruffled my hair in frustration. The cool blonde strands, freed from the grip of the hair product, danced in my hands.

“This is why I hate talking to you!”

“Hate what, you big idiot! Don’t tell stupid lies at a time like this!”

“It’s not stupid! This isn’t just my problem.”

I couldn’t help but look up and glare at the man in front of me.

“I made a promise. I won’t tell anyone, not even you.”

“You fool…”

Brian let out a bitter groan.

“The name and location of the place… you lied about that. Why did you have to hide it? It doesn’t seem like a shady place. A gay bar maybe…”

I don’t know which of my reactions caught his attention at that moment. But I knew for sure that Brian had found the answer in my reaction.

A faint confusion colored the man’s eyes.

“I’m not saying there aren’t prejudices against gays, but is it a secret that needs to be protected even after death?”

“In Alan’s case, yes.”

“A special circumstance so unique that it cannot be disclosed to a completely unrelated third party even after his death?”

“Don’t make light of it. His father is the type who strongly hates homosexuality.”

Feeling ashamed for not keeping the secret, I continued.

“You might say it’s normal, but Alan was really afraid of his father. Like a spy, he tried desperately to hide any trace of being gay.”

“Well, that may be common, but I don’t mean to belittle his fear. Most people understand to some degree the influence a parent can have.”

The man spoke in a calm, yet somewhat reassuring tone.

I noticed that his hand, which had been reaching for his jacket pocket, moved to the cup instead, as if he had reconsidered. He must have realized that there was no smell of tobacco in the room.

“Fine. So the man was gay, and he shared that secret with you.”

I answered with a heavy sigh. Seeing my attitude, Brian sighed as well.

“Luke, you wanted to keep the secret. I understand, and I promise to respect your feelings.”

Feeling a little reassured by these words, I finally looked up and focused on Brian’s eyes.

“Thank you.”

“No. If you already told the police the right way, I have no right to lecture you…”

Saying that, Brian looked at me and smiled. Not understanding why, I smiled back and the man spoke.

“By the way, you told the police about this, right?”

I couldn’t help but stare at my handsome childhood friend’s smile.

He was probably just confirming, but did he really think I was that clueless?

“Come on, Brian. Don’t underestimate your childhood friend.”

I proudly puffed out my chest and smiled.

“Of course I didn’t tell them. They didn’t seem to notice.”

Brian’s expression at that moment was priceless.