An honest lie | Kim Taehyung (editing*)

- Mirage -

XXXIV

"I told you, I don't know what you're talking about!" The blonde man whined, rolling his eyes for the millionth time after Jungkook raised him the same question yet again.

He showed him a picture of a CCTV camera of the infamous black car. "Are you, or are you not the owner of this car?" His voice was steady and unbothered.

The man glanced at it and nodded while adjusting his stance on the hospital bed. "Yeah, what of it?" He spoke with a heavy accent.

Jungkook dropped his arm to his side and glared at him. "You're a suspect."

The man grimaced dumbfounded. "A suspect? For what?"

"For Leo Palazzi's car accident about two weeks ago." Taehyung joined the room and walked to stand right next to his partner after shutting the door behind him.

The man's eyes doubled in size upon hearing the name mentioned by the detective; sudden drops of sweat ran down his injured forehead.

Taehyung watched him from under his nose and crossed his arms on his chest. "What did you say your name was again?"

The blonde one cleared his throat but kept silent before traveling his eyes everywhere but the detective's.

Taehyung raised his eyebrows. "What? You don't have one?"

"I want my lawyer."

Jungkook heaved at the destination of the argument as he looked to his side in irritation, while Taehyung kept calm.

"Sure, but just letting you know," he leaned forward and rested his hands on the railings of the hospital bed, maintaining a steady and dominant eye contact. "A lawyer won't do you any good since the evidence is enough to put you in jail for the upcoming fifteen to twenty years for a hit and run accident, not to mention the felony for it is common to pay a fine of 18.000$ dollars." He clicked his tongue and shook his head for a more exaggerated reaction upon the bad news delivered. Then he smirked and looked back at him. "Well, in your case, since you fail to admit to the obvious accusations and ran at the sight of police officers after staying in the dark for two weeks, that would be 20.000$. Plus the money you have to pay for a good lower." He leaned even closer to him as the man gulped down a huge lump in his throat. "And let's face it, here in San Francisco? A good lawyer is paid in taxes pal."

He finally stepped back leaving the man to release a breath he didn't know he was keeping in his lungs, and waited patiently for him to speak up.

The man shut his eyes in defeat and hissed. "My name's James Cardican, and no I didn't run from police officers." He glared at them.

Jungkook sneered at that. "Then what are we if not police officers dumbass?"

Taehyung scowled and tilted his head. "Unless you expected someone else?" As he hit the right spot he noticed James going stiff at his assumption.

James did not utter a word and kept his gaze elsewhere.

Taehyung nodded at that and kept going. "You do know who Leo Palazzi is right?"

"He's like... that journalist on TV right? Everyone knows him." He laughed nervously.

"Nice try, but even if we don't get any answers from you we will from your track record." Jungkook intervened as he typed something on his phone.

James rolled his eyes at him and cursed under his breath.

Taehyung observed him carefully. "You're not American."

James looked back at him. "And you're not either." Then he scoffed. "Yellow scum."

Jungkook clenched his jaw at his discriminating remark and controlled himself from answering back.