There were many things the investigator wanted to know, but regarding Conal, Logan, and Orson, he had nothing else about this matter to ask Erik. Now he only had to find the proof that what the young man said was true; if it weren't, it would be clear what would happen.
The investigator sat across from Erik, his eyes scanning his face as he took in every detail and every expression.
"I also heard you had some problems with a guy named Nathaniel lately…" Hais said.
Erik was taken aback. "Ah… yes…" he said.
"Care to share the story with me?" Hais asked.
"Well, there is not much to say. We were having our inner-rank fight, and he got mad that he was losing and tried to kill me. Luckily, I was strong enough to protect myself. Otherwise, I don't know what would have happened…" Erik said.
"This guy looks worse than even Logan, Conal, and Orson. Tell me about him," Hais said.
Erik shifted uncomfortably in his seat; the man probably suspected he had something to do with Nathaniel's death, or at least that was what he concluded. Due to the question, memories of his encounter with Nathaniel flooded back. The system intervention made him calm enough to answer the following question without problems, but the man knew too much.
"Nathaniel was a troubled person," Erik began. "He was obsessed with power and control."
Hais leaned forward, his eyes locked on Erik's. "Do you have any idea why he targeted you specifically?"
Erik hesitated for a moment, considering his response carefully. "I think he tried to kill me because he couldn't accept that I became better than him…" he finally said. "There were also rumors stating that Nathaniel was involved in some shady dealings, that his father is the Mambas' leader, and things like that."
Hais nodded, jotting down notes in a small notebook. "And what happened after he tried to kill you?"
Erik let out a sigh. "I won the fight and left the room. There are many recordings of that day, I guess. Nathaniel disappeared after that, but I learned he got kicked out of the Red Palace by Principal Van Dyke."
Hais leaned back in his chair. His fingers steepled in front of him. "Are you aware he died?" he asked. "Yes, apparently killed by thaids," Erik replied.
"Apparently…" Hais said. "His phone was destroyed… Don't you find it weird?" he asked.
"Weird, sir?"
"Yes, weird. Why would a bunch of thaids destroy his cell phone?"
"I don't know… Maybe by accident?" Erik asked, faking ignorance.
"Perhaps… Are you aware that Nathaniel was with some other people when he died? At least this is what the police think," Hais said.
Erik widened his eyes in an attempt to fake ignorance once again as the investigator revealed this information. "I had never heard of this… I'm really sorry… But what made you think he was with other people?" he asked.
"The remnants of a battle and clothes for five kids had been found. They should have been at least five."
"Really, this is new to me; why haven't I heard anything about it?" Erik asked.
"It was kept under wraps by the police, and only a few people were informed about it. There wasn't that much of the kids' remains that allowed investigators to determine who they were, as their bodies were almost completely eaten, not that far from Nathaniel's body, with their phones destroyed. Their clothes ripped apart," Hais said. "Another weird coincidence…" he said, studying Erik's expression.
The awakener shook his head, faking disbelief. "That's horrific…" he said, also faking a shiver run down his spine. "Does the police know what thaids killed them?"
Hais shrugged. "Not for sure, as there were many thaids' bodies there, the result of the kids' attempt to survive," he said.
At the same time, Erik's mind was racing with thoughts, and he couldn't help but wonder if he was able to convince the investigator he had nothing to do with their deaths. However, he was astounded by what Hais knew about the situation despite not being a police officer and probably not having all the data or proof against him.
"Why do you think Nathaniel and these other guys were outside the shelter? I mean, there should have been a reason, no?" he asked.
Hais raised an eyebrow. "That's what I'm trying to understand and also the reason why I came here to you," he said.
Now it was Erik's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Why should I know the reason?" he asked.
"C'mon, Erik, I thought you were smarter than this…" Hais said.
"No, seriously, I know nothing about this… Nathaniel and I weren't friends…"
"That's exactly the reason…" Hais then stood up and started walking around the room.
"In my opinion, even based on what you confirmed earlier, it's possible that Nathaniel and the others were trying to get to you for some reason. Probably out of revenge or something like that, and that's what led them outside."
Erik shook his head slowly. "Well, I mean, it would have really been messed up to go out of a shelter to get to me… What would they have hoped to accomplish—kill me in front of hundreds of people?" he said.
"But you weren't inside the shelter yourself, am I right, Erik?" Hais suddenly said, leaving Erik slightly surprised.
"That… As you probably know, it was not by my choice…" Erik said as he realized Hais also knew what happened outside the Red Palace. "Besides, they wouldn't have known this. How many possibilities were there that the Blirdoth would have attacked the Yellow Palace and that a faulty ventilation system would have led to the following situation?"
Hais nodded, making a note in his notebook. "I know. I'm not here to accuse you of anything; it's just that things do not add up…" he said. "Regardless, it's important to figure out what happened that day and why those kids were outside the shelter."
Erik leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "I can tell you that I had nothing to do with it," he said firmly. "And I can't think of any reason why they would have done something like that… Nathaniel was notorious for being a very erratic individual."
Hais studied Erik for a moment, then nodded slowly. "I believe you," he lied.
"Well, it seems like I got what I wanted to know. Thank you for your time, Mr. Romano…" Hais said.
"You are welcome, sir… Please let me know if there is anything else I can assist you with."
"I will," Hais replied.
With that, the investigator stood up and left the room, leaving Erik to ponder the strange and unsettling turn of events. He had a feeling that the man didn't believe what he was saying. He probably already had suspicions about him, and that was why he came all the way here.
Besides, the problem was that he probably suspected him not only for Logan's, Conal's, and Orson's deaths but even Nathaniel's one.
***
As Private Investigator Hais made his way back to his office, he couldn't help but ponder over the interrogation with Erik. The young man had been calm, collected, and had played his cards well, but Hais couldn't shake the feeling that he was somehow involved in the deaths of the four kids.
He didn't have any concrete evidence, but the puzzle pieces were starting to fall into place. Nathaniel had been kicked out of the Red Palace, and shortly after, he and around five other kids were found dead, their bodies ripped apart and eaten by thaids. Erik had had a run-in with Nathaniel, and there were rumors that Nathaniel was involved in shady dealings.
Hais knew he had to be careful, though. He couldn't just accuse Erik without any evidence. He needed to gather more information, talk to other people who knew him, and see if there were any holes in his story, something he could find out only if he interrogated Erik once more.
The man quickly arrived at his offices and sat at his desk, reviewing the notes from the interrogation; he couldn't help but feel a sinking feeling in his stomach. He had been doing this job for a long time and knew when someone was lying to him. And Erik, despite his calm demeanor, was lying.
Hais rubbed his tired eyes and sighed. This case was starting to weigh on him. He had seen his fair share of horrific crimes, but the deaths of these kids were especially gruesome. He couldn't imagine what kind of monster would do something like that.
But he was a private investigator, and it was his job to determine who was responsible. He pulled up Erik's file on his computer and went through it again. There were no criminal records, and he seemed like a normal kid, but Hais knew that appearances could be deceiving.
He leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling, lost in thought. He needed to find a way to get to Erik, to make him slip up and reveal something incriminating. He knew it wouldn't be easy, but he was determined to do whatever it took to uncover the truth and bring justice to the victims' families. Perhaps he could use Erik's ego against him or find a weakness in his alibi.
Updated from fr𝒆ewebnov𝒆l.(c)om