"..."
The man known as Terrance Grain stared at Dave with an indifferent look in his eyes. This wasn't the first time he was asked about the death of the chosen hero he was supposed to protect.
Preliminary questioning on the day of the crime had already been carried out. Yet, the questioning didn't seem to have an end. The thing that got his mood sour was what he saw not long ago.
Seeing how his commander was dragged out of the interrogation room like some criminal didn't sit well with him. Kennedy was someone he deeply respected. After all, they were like a family at the training facility.
"I'll tell you what I've said several times already," Terrance sighed, closing his eyes for a moment. "Aiden Carrigan was a genius when it came to combat. And yes, he was rude to the people around him, but the kid never went too far. Personally, I liked the kid."
"So you held no grudges against him?" Dave asked the obvious, noticing the man glare at him briefly.
"No..." Terrace growled, his jawline revealing how he felt about the question. "My job was to protect the kid from anyone and anything that would have caused him harm."
It was actually a grand opportunity given to anyone who was chosen to be the guardians of the future chosen heroes. More often than not, they would follow the chosen hero, being a part of their team once they officially received their power boost.
No one in their right mind would pass up such an opportunity simply because the future chosen heroes were rude, even if the chosen heroes asked them to do certain things. It was a life-changing opportunity, even if it was only for a generation.
"Mm," the young detective nodded. "Then... Can you run me through what happened on that day?"
"Haven't I already given my accounts on this?" Terrance raised a brow. "How many times would this question be asked?"
"As many times as necessary," Dave replied flatly. "Now answer the question."
"..."
It was easy to deduce the reasoning behind the repetitive questioning streak. Knowing this, Terrance took a deep breath, gathered his thoughts and recalled the events of that night.
"Like any other escort day, we accompanied the young Carrigan to his home residence in Westmere City. It was the early hours of the night when we got to his community. However, his family was not around, as they had informed the young Carrigan that they would be out."
This was also another avenue that ARISA was investigating. However, it didn't hold too much ground as some of the other heroes had their families at home when the murder occurred, and they were none the wiser.
"Aiden wanted to be alone when we arrived at his home, and there was no reason to be in the house with him. So I stayed outside the residence while the others went to check on the security of the estate grounds."
Getting to this point, Terrance's eyes became distant, as if he were vividly seeing what he was narrating. "For over an hour, no sound came from Aiden's room. The lights were on as everything seemed to be normal.
"However, the silence persisted for too long. It was uncharacteristic of someone who could not stay in one place for long." Terrance raised his head and looked at Dave, an uncertain light flickering in his eyes.
"I called the others, passing my suspicions to them. However, we agreed that the kid might probably be asleep after the kind of training they went through during the day.
"But to be sure, I decided to go up to his room and check on him. T-that's where I found the boy on his bed, his eyes wide as he bled from the open wound in his chest." The guardian's narration was in line with what was recorded earlier.
A moment of silence passed as Dave allowed the man a moment to regain his composure. Despite how things looked, the people did form bonds with the kids.
Perhaps, it was all a farce. Who knew? However, this was their current reality. The people closest to the kids were not aware of what was happening until they moved to check up on them.
Some of them were right there, yet they saw nothing. It made no sense, but that was the story they had on hand. It was all too mysterious.
"Before you moved in to check on the kid, did you spot anyone or anything suspicious in the vicinity?" Dave asked, despite already knowing the answers.
"Hah..." The guardian sighed and shook his head. "No, I didn't. Surveillance videos would prove my words. Aside from the residents who were in their homes, there was nothing."
"Mm," The young detective nodded, leaning back in his chair. "What about strange behaviours from the kids? Did you notice any changes in their behaviour over the last couple of days?"
"Not really..." Terrance thought for a moment and replied. "Nothing stood out as different."
"Then, my final question."
Leaning over again, Dave asked the same question. Unsurprisingly, he was as guilty as everyone else. It apparently seemed that the NDA they signed held no real meaning.
Honestly, they could not be blamed, as no harm had come the kid's way before. It would be strange if they never relaxed when nothing ever happened.
After getting the names of those connected to Terrance, Dave glanced at the assistant, who nodded in response to his silent question. Aside from a few names they missed, everyone they had tagged was on the list.
"Thank you for your trouble, Mr. Grain." Dave brought the interrogation to a close. "You may go now. We'll reach out again if we need more information."
Dave was glad the man did not give him trouble like Kennedy, despite the glares he received from him. He quietly watched as Terrance got up and left the interrogation room.
"Call in the next personnel."
And so, Dave and Kael persisted with their interrogation, gathering as much information as possible to construct a timeline and uncover connections. With the other commanders pursuing different angles, it was only a matter of time before they obtained a solid lead, hopefully.
If Dave had to guess, these people might not have been involved in the murders at all. Some of them could be influential, but he couldn't see them having the means to carry out such a clean murder, leaving no traces behind.
At best, they might have unknowingly fed information to the mastermind, but aiding and abetting? Dave could not see it.
'Perhaps we're wasting our time here,' Dave silently mused. 'At the same time, we can't leave any stone unturned. Hah, what a nightmare.'