Chapter 31: Vonner’s Interrogation

Sergeant Calpho Chesterwin eyes a box filled with freshly baked donuts with hungry anticipation. 

The donuts are an irresistible temptation for his gluttonous palate. 

He delicately opens the box. 

The sweet, buttery scent of the donuts envelops him like a caress. 

The sight is a true spectacle: the donuts are soft and fluffy, coated with a layer of chocolate glaze that glistens and beckons.

Each donut is adorned with generous dark chocolate shavings that are slowly melting, creating tiny sparkling rivulets. 

The glaze is elegantly drizzled over each pastry, adding a layer of sticky sweetness. 

Some donuts are conspicuously decorated with colorful sugar sprinkles, creating an explosion of enticing hues. 

Chesterwin knows that as soon as he takes one of these donuts, he will be compelled to savor it in all its delicious glory, feeling the sweet glaze melt in his mouth and the dark chocolate flow over his tongue. 

At the mere thought, he can feel his mouth salivating profusely.

However, he knows that if he's caught eating the donut, it will trigger a barrage of insults and mistreatment from his colleague, Detective Deedee Lang. 

Often, Calpho thinks that the "D" stands for demon. 

Yet, if he's quick enough, he could grab a donut and devour it before being caught. 

He looks around cautiously. 

There's no one else in the office. 

This is his chance.

Chesterwin seizes a delightful donut. 

The donut is irresistibly soft to the touch, and the promise of a tender, chewy texture is too tempting to resist. 

*MUNCH*

The burst of flavor in his mouth is divine. 

It's as if he's bare and powerless before this violently rich butter. 

As if he's being violated by the sweetness of the dough, penetrated by the chocolate glaze.

"You ugly, disgusting swine! Always eating instead of working!"

***

Deedee enters the office, and, as expected, that slacker Chesterwin is there, gobbling down his darn donuts.

"D-Deedee, I thought you were in the archives..." 

"So, when I'm not around, you stuff your face like a pig. You're turning into a lard ball! How do you expect to catch criminals? By rolling?" Deedee knows she hit hard because she can see the glistening eyes of the man who's on the verge of tears. 

Maybe she was too harsh? 

She has to be to survive. They can't be a joke. 

They are the STADAV, an elite squad. 

They have to face Ventures and manage the crises that arise from the appearance of dungeons. 

Why is everyone in this darn district so incompetent? 

Why does she always end up playing the bad cop? 

"Whatever, let's forget it. Any news on Drusla?" she asks her colleague, changing the subject. 

Calpho composes himself and clears his throat. 

"They discharged him from the hospital; he's in his cell now." 

"What do the doctors say?" 

"They're calling it a panic attack caused by severe stress." 

"It sounds like crap to me."

"I agree, Deedee. I've never seen a reaction like that. Another hypothesis is a psychotic crisis manifested through self-harm." 

"That might be more plausible, but Nikola Drusla's medical records don't indicate any mental disorders." 

"Sometimes certain disorders surface over time," Chesterwin comments. 

"Uh... it could be," Detective Deedee Lang says, not too convinced. 

"I think we should go listen to the other leader of the gang. He's in the interrogation room trying to clear his thoughts," Calpho advises. "Well done, for once you've done your damn job. Let's go hear what that troglodyte Reis Vonner has to say."

Reis Vonner, the burly man with a threatening expression, is seated in the interrogation room. 

He looks at the two policemen with hatred, giving the impression that he won't yield in any way.

"That's the expression a drug lord might have," Deedee begins, "Too bad you lack the brains." 

"Are you calling me stupid, you ugly bitch?" the criminal snaps. 

Deedee conjures her bow and nocks an arrow. 

"Maybe you don't remember how much I hurt you, you piece of shit. Do you want me to remind you?" 

Reis Vonner clenches his teeth and almost snarls. 

"Fuck you!" he curses. 

"Got it, motherfucker?" Deedee insists. 

"Okay, okay, I got it," the burly man concedes. 

Deedee lowers her bow but maintains the menacing expression. 

"Vonner, your friend Nikola Drusla claims that you're the 'alchemist' who formulated the drug potion," Chesterwin asserts. 

The expression on Reis Vonner's face becomes tense. 

"Is that so, Vonner?" Deedee Lang presses him. 

"I plead the right to remain silent," the big man says, clenching his fists. 

"Do you think you have damn rights?" the green-haired woman yells at him. 

"Do you think you can scare me? You don't know what real pain is, bitch."

Deedee would like to lunge at the criminal, but Chesterwin intervenes. 

"Get off, Chesterwin. I'll handle this piece of shit!" 

"Deedee, keep your composure, we can't cross the line," he tries to reason with her. 

The woman knows her colleague is right; she can only push so far.

"Let's see if you can answer this. Are you aware of Nikola Drusla having any mental disorders?" Chesterwin asks, attempting to steer the interrogation in a more cooperative direction. 

"Besides the fact that he's a fucking junkie?" the man chuckles, thinking about his comrade. 

"Have you ever seen him bleed from the eyes or smash his head against tables?" Deedee asks after regaining her composure.

Upon hearing this, Reis Vonner turns pale, reacting quite differently than before. 

He was arrogant just a moment ago, but now he appears unsettled. 

"I have no idea," the criminal replies. 

"If you were more cooperative, we could lighten your sentence," Calpho tries to convince him. 

"Your friend Drusla threw you under the bus without hesitation," Deedee informs him. 

"He wasn't my friend. Just a senior I was in business with." 

"Why protect him, then?" the green-haired woman insists. 

"I have nothing to say," Vonner continues to stonewall.

"We know there's someone else involved," Detective Lang tries to bluff. 

Reis flinches for a moment but then composes himself.

"I really don't think so," he replies.

"What makes you say that?" Chesterwin asks.

"It's clear that you have nothing but conjecture," Vonner retorts.

Judging by his body language, Deedee has a hunch. 

"Are you afraid of this person? Are they threatening you? Does they have something against you?" 

Reis Vonner hesitates for a moment. 

"I-I don't know what you're talking about..."

"You've seen the strength of STADAV. We can protect you," she tries to get him to open up, reassuring him about his safety. 

Reis Vonner bursts into laughter. "HAHAHAHAHA!"

"You can't protect anyone," he says emphatically.

"Are you saying that this individual is so dangerous that even the police can't handle them?" Deedee continues.

Reis is uncomfortable. 

"I didn't say anything like that. Stop putting words in my mouth or making things up!" the man protests.

"Why are you so agitated, Reis? Are you scared, aren't you?"

"What the hell are you saying? I'm agitated because you're making up an absurd story!"

"So, you're the alchemist, even though you lack talent in [ALCHEMY]."

"We bought it," Reis asserts challengingly.

"From whom?"

"On the black market."

"That's bullshit, Vonner," Deedee tells him.

"I won't say anything more. Take me to the cell," Reis Vonner crosses his arms and seals his mouth shut.

Deedee would like to force him to speak, but she knows she can't go too far, not after Drusla ended up in the hospital after she had interrogated him. 

The matter doesn't convince the higher-ups who are pushing to close the case, and she feels the pressure from Captain Vasistas.

"Fine, for now, I have nothing more to ask. Chesterwin, take this piece of shit back to the cell." 

"Alright, get up, Vonner."

Deedee knows there's something bigger behind all of this, but she doesn't have concrete evidence. 

She needs to talk to the captain and try to buy more time. 

Her intuition tells her that there's much more to uncover, and she won't stop until she has the answers she needs.