Wrong Judgment

Vivian’s POV:

I found myself arguing in an alleyway, the sound of water droplets from a nearby pipe filling the silence that engulfed us, accompanied with the hushed sounds of the cars passing by the city. For some reason, I had a feeling she would be here, and my gut was right, she really was. Gigi appeared before me, a puzzled expression on her face, one hand clutching her phone and the other a bright red purse, and goodness knows why she was here by herself.

Was she here to wait for someone? I wondered, remembering the same scene from before that already happened in this location.

“So you’re telling me you did… nothing? Do you believe that I’m some kind of joke?!” I snapped, closing in on Gigi while she clutched her purse tightly to her chest, pursing her lips.

“Like I said, I have no idea what you’re talking about, why are you blaming me?!” She spat back, standing her ground and glaring at me with disdain, feeling her stare all over my body though she was looking straight at my own eyes. At this point, My intuition was telling me that she was indeed saying the absolute truth, that she had no involvement in this. I didn’t know what was driving me, justice for Harper? Or… just personal hatred? I swallowed hard, pausing for a moment as we locked eyes.

“Are you actually serious? Weren’t you the one who went in before us? To visit Harper? Or rather, to visit his money? I don’t give two shits about your reason but you’re coming to the precinct with me.” I stepped forward, my words seeming like needles prickling her skin as metal handcuffs found their way around her wrists, locking them in place.

She stood there in shock, dropping her phone on the ground which shattered in an instant. It took her a few minutes to register what was happening. I held her firmly by the shoulder, steadying my grip as she struggled against the restraints.

“Hey! What the hell are you doing? I told you, I did nothing! You can’t just do this to me!” She resisted, a few curses leaving her mouth.

“You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. Do you understand the rights I have just read to you?” I began to state without stuttering. However, a nagging feeling was crossing my mind, telling me it wasn’t her. Even I was doubting my judgment, but I couldn’t just tell her that, not when I already had her in cuffs.

Despite her protests, I escorted her to my car and quickly circled around to enter the driver’s seat. I took a quick look around me, checking if someone was following me before entering my seat and revving the engines, keeping Gigi in restraints. At this moment, I was in constant doubt with myself. I wondered, was I actually the right thing? Or was I acting too rash?

I downed all those thoughts away, driving without looking back. I knew that I was acting on with my feelings, but I couldn’t just let a potential suspect leave without questioning.

…

"What do you mean she’s innocent?” I banged on the officer’s table in disbelief. Mr. Lopez sighed for the tenth time, probably because I’d already asked him multiple times.

“Listen, Claymore, you messed up big time. You can’t just arrest someone on the spot, despite your feelings.” He stated while typing on his keyboard, unfazed by my sudden interruption. He was one of my superiors, or rather, someone overseeing my progress. How could this happen? How could she be innocent?

“Didn’t you check the security cameras in the hospital? I WAS A WITNESS! He was fine when the doctor went in there, but when she…” I ranted my point of view, until Mr. Lopez shushed me, not even caring to give me a look.

“Yes, we did check, just like you said. However, we also found evidence that she was innocent. The security cameras in the actual room showed nothing incriminating. Now, if you’ll excuse me. I’m quite busy.” He waved me off, causing me to sigh.

“How can this happen… there was no way..” I caressed my forehead, doubting even my own judgment.

“There is a way, and the fact that you got carried away with your feelings makes me wonder whether you’re even fit to be a detective at all. This case has already reached military personnel and don’t even think of it as merely child’s play. So… I suggest you to get a hold of yourself in the next few weeks.” He sharply added behind my back, causing me to widen my eyes in realization. No, no, no… they’re suspending me.

“You can’t do this to me, sir, I…” I turned back towards him, but Mr. Lopez raised his palm up, suggesting I should just respect his decision.

“Don’t make this any more difficult for me, Claymore. By the way, please remember to apologize to Ms. Horace, she testified that you used extreme methods and threatened her during your meeting.” He added before continuing on with his work.

I pursed my lips, lowering my head and thinking about what I should do to convince him to let me handle the case, but I had a feeling that any words that would come out of my mouth wouldn’t suffice. To this point on, I didn’t even know whether they’d take me back.

I hesitated for a moment, but shortly after left the building, resigning myself to the decision of my superior and my own self-doubt, convincing myself it was for the best. It was arrogant of me to think that I could solve this high-profile case, let alone even have as much progress as the first detective who took charge, Det. McCarthy.

Looking back at it… I already knew that this case was impossible from the get-go, let alone solvable. Not even a single lead from my investigations. Now… the only lead we have is Harper, not knowing whether he’ll survive or not in that suffocating room. I just gaslighted myself that anything was possible, that despite the most cunning killers, they were bound to mess up sooner or later. However, now I know it wasn’t me that was destined to be the main character of this story.

With that realization, I pushed aside my lingering doubts and redirected my focus inward, determined to address my shortcomings rather than dwell on the shattered remains of the case. But on my way to my car, I suddenly met Gigi halfway.