Cause a Riot

Chapter 8

Officer Leroy stood in front of Malroy Cunning, eyes narrowed intimidatingly. He knew that Cunning had a brother. They had done a quick background check on him when they were first assigned the case a few weeks ago. However, the first time he interrogated him, it seemed Malroy had nothing to do with his older brother anymore. Now, however, Leroy suspected that he did. Two officers had caught Cunning running out of the gang's hideout from a vent and into the sewers. They tracked him down by a trail of blood drops that had leaked from his ankle, leading to the alleyway beside his brother's pizza shop.

Officer Leroy thought it couldn't be a coincidence.

"I'm telling you, officer. I don't know where he is. We haven't had contact in months. He changed his address and phone number."

"He dropped by here, I'm sure," the officer replied in a stern voice. "Your shop would've been closed otherwise."

Malroy frowned. "I was wrapping things up."

"We'll see," Officer Leroy said, watching the other officers inspect the area. He could sense how nervous Malroy was because of his tense body language. The officer couldn't tell if it was because it was the police's presence that scared him or the fact that he was lying about Cunning's whereabouts.

"Leroy," Ariese walked up to him with a paper bag in her hand. She raised it up. "Don found bloody cloth threads and there are wiped stains in the storage room."

Leroy eyed Malroy from the corner of his eye to see his reaction. The man's shoulders hunched up in tension and his pupils shrunk ever so slightly. The officer turned to face him. "Your brother was shot in the ankle," he said, for two reasons. One, to pin the blame on him and get him to confess, and two, to observe his reaction as he said this. If Malroy hadn't seen or had been in contact with Cunning, he wouldn't have known about the ankle injury and would be shocked by the news. Malroy, however, did not express surprise, just pursed his lips. "Did you know this?"

Malroy nodded his head. "He was here," he said, looking down. Leroy hadn't expected him to give in so quickly. Don, Keven, and Levias went to check the storage room and the door leading outside. "He has a pair of keys to my shop. I was wrapping up for the night when I saw him sitting in the storage room, covered in blood. It's the first time in eleven months that I've seen him. I didn't lie when I said I had no contact with him. He did change his address and phone number so I couldn't talk with him anymore. We cut ties months ago."

"Did you know he's a murderer?" Ariese asked though it was impossible for Malroy not to know. Cuzo had been killing for more than five years. When exactly he had started was still unclear to the police, but it was long enough for Malroy to have known.

"Yes, that's why we cut ties. I told him to stop but he wouldn't listen to me." There was anger in his voice that proved he was telling the truth. "He left in a fury last time and I had never known what he decided to do afterwards. I tried calling him but as I've already said, he's changed his contact information. I had nothing to do with his crimes."

"We're not saying you did," Ariese said consolingly. "We only asked you where Cunning was. You said he didn't know just a while ago. Why did you lie?"

"I don't know where he is," Malroy frowned. "Anymore. I figured he had left the second you entered the building and probably won't see him again."

"Yes, but you should have told us he was here," she pressed.

"Sorry," Malroy looked down, hands on the receptionist's desk.

"Do you feel like you have to protect your brother?" she asked further. "Despite the fact he is a criminal?"

Malroy pursed his lips. "I want to knock some sense in him and get him to stop, but I don't think I want him captured."