THE WEREWOLF DETECTIVE

LIES

CALEB

We were led inside the principal’s office. “Somehow, I still feel odd entering here. It’s like I did something wrong." Miguel mumbled, which made me laugh out loud. He was still the same despite how many years had passed.

“As if you’ve ever been here. You’re the class’ good guy." Miguel was the high achiever in their class. Compared to me, who was pretty average in terms of academic achievements. I’ve been in here a couple of times, but nothing major. Maybe the full moon affected me in the past, too.

Miguel shrugged, “It doesn’t mean I wasn’t afraid of ending up here. Besides, you talk like you are a nobody. You’re the athletic one, the captain of all." He looked at their old professor, and the man simply laughed.

“You’re still the same, the both of you… Anyway, I’ll call him, Mr. Clarity, I mean. You guys stay here. I won’t be long." He went out without delay. I’ve been listening to his heartbeat since earlier, and he doesn’t seem to be nervous or anything. I don’t think he was involved in the incident.

I used the opportunity of the teacher leaving to look around. I knew he wasn’t hiding anything from us, but I still had to ensure nothing was missed. Anything could be a clue, especially in these kinds of cases. My eyes landed on Miguel, and he didn’t look like he was bothered at all.

“Did you find anything suspicious?” he asked after he lifted his head from his phone.

I shook my head in dismay. I wasn’t really expecting much at all.

The door soon opened, and two men entered. The co-teacher with Liam entered along with Mr. Forbes. I could already sense that he was nervous but good at masking his worry. He meekly stood at one side. We quickly stood up and introduced ourselves. His eyes never met ours. He was already acting suspiciously, but we have no evidence at all. I got to make sure that I would squeeze out all possible truth in him.

Arthur looked pissed after we confirmed that we were private investigators sent by Zeke.

“I’ll leave you three to talk. I missed teaching, so I would sub Mr. Clarity to his class." He left without any further explanation. He looked really excited to go back to teaching.

Arthur looked at us with evident annoyance, but I knew better. He was trying to mask his true emotions.

“Three more people have already come to me asking the same thing aside from the police. I’ve already told them everything. I don’t have anything else to say." He was trying to drive us away immediately. He was definitely hiding something.

I didn’t falter, “I apologize for bothering you. Ms. Zeke hired us to find her brother. You were the last to ever see him, so could you please tell me what happened that day? Please be as detailed as you can."

MIGUEL

Arthur sat on the couch while keeping a safe distance from us. He was obviously intimidated by Caleb. It was normal. He didn’t realize it until I told him, but he has a very intimidating aura. He wasn’t even trying, but those around him were wary of him.

I only understood why when I saw him transform in front of me. It must have been human instincts that we were feeling. We were afraid of what he truly was, despite him not knowing his true identity himself.

Arthur cleared his throat before answering, “It was during a field trip. Liam didn’t say anything and was actually very happy that day. We just stopped at a gas station, and then he suddenly disappeared. I really have no idea where he went or what he did. That’s all I know, I promise." I could guess it was the same thing he said to the police and the other detectives who came to ask him.

I was looking at Caleb’s reaction while listening intently to Arthur. We used to think that he just had sharp senses and had good perception, but after he turned, he said that his senses were heightened and he could sense people’s heartbeat and distinguish their emotions. It was simply fascinating and very convenient in our line of work. He could quickly tell if the person we were talking to was telling the truth, telling a total lie, or simply hiding something. It took Caleb some time, but he mastered it as the years passed.

“Are you two close?" Caleb rested his chin on his knuckles while waiting for his answer. I saw changes in his reaction. He looked more tense than earlier but quickly regained his composure. He was either a great liar or telling the truth and was just shaken by Caleb’s intimidation earlier.

“We were friends. We are co-teachers, after all.” He answered while carefully picking out his words. His eyes were starting to shift uncomfortably. I grinned. He was hiding something.

Caleb simply nodded, “You’re not lying." He declared so casually. I almost scoffed. Caleb always does that so casually. It was starting to annoy me.

“O-of course. Why would I be lying to you?" Arthur slurred his words, and his eyes were still trying to focus anywhere else other than us.

“But you weren’t telling everything either. What were you hiding, Mr. Clarity?" Caleb’s expression didn’t change. On the other hand, Arthur was already shaken by Caleb’s words. His calm facade shattered right after Caleb caught him hiding something.

I cleared my throat after seeing fear creeping into his face. This is where my job starts. Caleb always tends to over-intimidate the people we interrogate to the point that they get really scared at how accurately Caleb can see right through them.

“Don’t worry. What would you say in this room would stay in this place until we finished the investigation, but it also depends on what you would say." If Arthur has something to do with Liam’s disappearance, then we must do something.