Chapter 2 : The Man Who Saw Everything
999 Words
The next morning, Alora Vance arrived at the busiest part of the city with one thing on her mind.
Frederick Vale.
The name had been stuck in her head all night.
A professional pickpocket.
A man with dozens of suspicious activities attached to his name.
A person who somehow appeared in Damian Cross's records despite claiming to have nothing to do with him.
To Alora, he was exactly the type of person she needed to question.
She stood across the street, watching him.
And for the first time, she understood why so many officers struggled to catch him.
Frederick Vale was not hiding.
He was standing in the middle of a crowded street, wearing a simple black jacket and a relaxed expression, as if he had no worries in the world.
He looked completely ordinary.
Almost too ordinary.
A man walked past him.
A woman bumped into him.
A group of teenagers laughed nearby.
Yet somehow, Frederick seemed aware of everything happening around him.
Alora narrowed her eyes.
"So that's him."
She had expected someone rough.
Someone intimidating.
Instead, she found someone who looked like he belonged in a magazine rather than a police file.
His appearance was almost annoying.
Messy dark hair.
A confident smile.
Sharp eyes that seemed like they were always planning something.
Alora shook her head.
"Don't be distracted. He's a criminal."
She adjusted her badge and walked toward him.
This was it.
She would introduce herself, question him, and bring him in for interrogation if necessary.
Simple.
Professional.
She had practiced the conversation several times.
"Frederick Vale, I'm Officer Alora Vance. I would like to ask you some questions regarding the murder of Damian Cross."
Perfect.
Calm.
Confident.
She was only a few steps away.
Then Frederick spoke.
Without turning around.
"You're walking too loudly."
Alora stopped.
Her eyes widened.
Slowly, Frederick continued.
"And you're staring too intensely."
He reached into his pocket and casually pulled out a wallet.
A stranger's wallet.
He looked at it.
Then sighed.
"Amateur mistake."
Alora immediately became alert.
"Put that back."
Frederick smiled.
Now he turned around.
"So you can talk."
Alora froze slightly.
She had never seen someone identify a police officer without even looking.
Frederick held the wallet between two fingers.
"Let me guess."
He looked her up and down.
"New officer."
Alora frowned.
"How did you—"
"Your uniform is too clean."
He pointed at her badge.
"Your shoes haven't touched enough crime scenes."
Then he looked at her expression.
"And you have that look."
"What look?"
"The look of someone trying very hard to appear confident while secretly wondering if they are making a mistake."
Alora's expression changed.
For a moment, she had no response.
Frederick smiled.
"Did I get it right?"
She quickly recovered.
"I don't know who you think you are—"
"A thief."
He answered immediately.
Alora paused.
Frederick shrugged.
"I save people the trouble of guessing."
That annoyed her.
"I'm here because I need to ask you some questions."
"About what?"
"Damian Cross."
For the first time, Frederick's smile changed.
Only slightly.
But Alora noticed.
A tiny reaction.
A moment of surprise.
Interesting.
"You know him."
Frederick looked away.
"No."
"You reacted."
"I reacted because you said a rich man's name. Rich men usually mean trouble."
Alora stepped closer.
"I know about your history, Frederick."
"Oh?"
"I know about the thefts. The fraud. The scams."
Frederick looked impressed.
"Wow. You researched me."
"I can put you away for years."
The confident expression on Frederick's face remained.
"You could."
Alora frowned.
"But?"
"But you won't."
Her eyes narrowed.
"And why is that?"
"Because you didn't come here to arrest me."
He stepped closer.
"You came here because you need something."
The words struck her.
Because they were true.
She wanted information.
She wanted answers.
But she refused to admit that this man had figured her out so quickly.
"You think you're clever."
"I know I'm clever."
"You're arrogant."
"That too."
Alora clenched her fists.
She had dealt with criminals before.
But none of them irritated her this quickly.
Frederick glanced at her badge.
"Officer Vance."
The way he said her name annoyed her even more.
"What?"
"Before you ask me anything, let me give you some advice."
"I don't need advice from a thief."
"Everyone needs advice from someone smarter than them."
She stared at him.
"You're impossible."
"And you're predictable."
Those words hit harder than she expected.
Frederick walked past her.
"Come back when you actually know what you're doing."
Alora turned.
"Excuse me?"
He didn't stop walking.
"You have the determination."
He raised a hand.
"But not the strategy."
Then he disappeared into the crowd.
Alora stood there.
Silent.
Angry.
Embarrassed.
She had imagined this meeting going completely differently.
She imagined herself controlling the conversation.
Instead, she had barely said anything.
The worst part?
He wasn't even wrong.
She looked down.
Her hands tightened.
"That arrogant..."
She couldn't even finish the sentence.
For the first time since starting the investigation, Alora felt uncertain.
Not because Frederick scared her.
Because he made her question herself.
She turned away.
"Forget it."
She walked back toward her car.
She had planned to confront Frederick.
She had planned to force answers out of him.
But after that encounter...
She abandoned the idea.
At least for now.
She needed another way.
Because if she approached Frederick again without a plan, she knew exactly what would happen.
He would smile.
Make another sarcastic comment.
And somehow make her feel like the rookie everyone believed her to be.
Meanwhile, from the rooftop of a nearby building, Frederick watched her leave.
He smiled slightly.
"Interesting."
He looked at the police badge on her uniform.
"Most officers try to intimidate me."
He chuckled.
"But she actually believed she could."
For some reason, he found that amusing.
And strangely...
A little impressive.
But Frederick had no idea that the stubborn officer he had just mocked would soon drag him into the most dangerous case of his life.
- Writer
