An honest lie | Kim Taehyung (editing*)

- Intentional accident -

XXII

Running towards his friend, Taehyung reached him with heavy breaths and sweat running down his jawline and neck.

"Did the ambulance leave?" He spoke first while settling his leather jacket.

Jimin nodded. "Yeah, just a couple of minutes ago."

"Did someone go with him?" He looked around, to spot anyone he could talk to as a witness.

"Yeah, a colleague of mine." Jimin replied, thinking back to the scene when Penelope cried her eyes out. He looked up to Taehyung and was about to speak when Jungkook came out of the building jogging. Taehyung had called him before leaving his apartment, since the police department was closer to reach.

Taehyung passed by Jimin and met Jungkook on the way. "What's the situation?"

Jungkook bit his lower lip. "We have a problem."

Taehyung scowled. "Which is?"

"Apparently, the guy was hit between 6:15 p.m. and 6:20 p.m."

"Apparently? Why aren't you sure of it? Didn't the cameras capture the hour?" He rested his hands on his hips waiting for an explanation.

"That's the problem." He exhaled. "We don't have footage of the accident."

"What are you talking about?" The detective asked in unrest.

"The camera that points at the street where he was hit, and consequently at the entrance, doesn't work. And hasn't worked since earlier this afternoon." Jungkook pointed at a camera just beneath a rain construction near the glass doors of the skyscraper.

Taehyung stared at it carefully. "Has it always been like that?"

"No, they said they didn't even know."

"How even?" He kept his eyes on it attentively.

"We'll have to talk to the security team once we head inside."

"Aren't there any other cameras in the area we could check?" Jimin pointed out and strolled towards them.

"There should be." Answered Jungkook while catching his breath.

The detective thought for a moment and nodded. "Any witnesses?"

"Apart from the woman who went with him to the hospital and Jimin, no one saw anything." He shook his head in denial.

Taehyung scowled. "Damn it. Alright, send someone from the police department to keep in check everything." He spoke as he approached Jimin again, who was quietly observing everything. "We're going to the hospital first." He gazed at him intensely and Jimin stared back at him with a mutual feeling.

Jungkook walked closer to them and broke their eye contact. Taehyung swerved towards him. "Meet us there."

The inspector nodded and made his way to his car, as Taehyung looked back at his friend. "You're coming with me. I want you to tell me everything you know."

~

On their way there, the ride was initially quiet. Both of them were engaged in their own world, thinking of the feasible explanation for a situation like this.

Taehyung sighed and started questioning his friend yet again. "What did you see?" He inquired while keeping his gaze fixed on the road and his hands steady on the steering wheel.

"I saw..." he paused and took a deep breath to calm himself. "I saw him walking to his car after talking to some of his colleagues. I was still inside the building, so I saw everything happening from a distance." Another small halt before he harshly spit out his feelings. "I thought he died."