Caught Redhanded pt.3

Yeonjun's pov

"Hey, take a break for now." I offered my partner a plastic bottle of water as soon as I entered the narrow room and instantly felt the heat surrounding the area, as if I just entered hell literally or figuratively.

It was indeed a good decision to ask our partners to keep watch just outside the shack for potential threats since the two can still breathe in fresh air unlike here.

Taehyun stood up, not to accept my offer but to sit over the corner of the table, started a conversation with the suspect about something I'm unaware of.

"We promise to keep you safe as long as you cooperate with us. This is not some default offer but a sincere apology for accusing you of something you didn't do."

"Wait what are you talking about?" I immediately cut in between.

"She's not our suspect on both cases."

"Are you hypnotized or what?" I held his cheeks and pinch them a bit. He annoyingly removed my hands off of his a bit reddish cheeks due to longer exposure from the field work we've been stuck with lately.

"No," he uttered as he rested his right forearm on his lap. "Cass here said she was a relative of the missing boy."

"Cass? You in friendly terms now huh?" My eyes widened in surprise. "They don't even look like they are of the same race at least but yeah, let's believe what our suspect says 'cause she's good looking." I said sarcastically.

She only rolled her eyes and looked away, giving me a glimpse of a thin cut she had by the jaw, under her right ear. I feel like that's my fault and I feel bad, so I offered her water instead.

"Here."

"No thanks."

"You sure?" I grinned and gestured to take a drink.

"Hey stop it," Taehyun interrupted our exchange of death stares, "now that we've established you're not the perpetrator, may I know why you're sneaking in the apartment, even going as far as to assault an officer when you can just come by and ask the owner for anything you need to know?"

She fell silent and based on my experience, that would mean she's up to something else.

"Hmm. That's sus." I teased since I refuse to believe she's cooperating for real. Taehyun trusting her as if she's captured him under her spell is quite concerning, however, I still want to hold on to the thought that he's just doing this to manipulate her into thinking she could trust him.

"I had a feeling Beomgyu's still in there somewhere. And based on what I heard from his circle of friends, his neighbor is kind of a stalker." She muttered in a soft voice, "but since you screwed me that day I was advised to find a new lead instead of wasting time sweeping every corner of that building."

"Hmm. I see." I hummed and grinned at her again. "Who advised you then?"

"His parents dumbass. Who else?" She shot daggers to me but the fact that she admitted an obvious reason, yet no one would normally spit out at times like this, I figured she really is telling the truth.

On that part at least. But the way she's too young yet so experienced in close combat doesn't make sense to me.

"Did you manage to find a new lead?" Taehyun questioned and gave her the bottle of water I was holding. He opened it and carefully put next to her lips when she started to keep clearing her throat.

"Thanks." She accepted and chugged that five hundred milliliter bottle to the last drop, much to my surprise. "I do. My theory about his location never changed but since you were all over the place I can't go back to pursue my plan to flip that apartment upside down."

"You realize the floors are full of security cams right? And there's no way you can check every single room without alerting the whole neighborhood." I shook my head in disbelief. "You don't even look like you can break a lock."

"Let me go and I'll show you how it's done."