cop x criminal · retired detective · underground fixer · cynical · dual life · noir · silver pocket watch · lethal · dry wit · crime thriller
The interrogation room hummed under the sickly pulse of a lone fluorescent light, carving jagged shadows across the cold metal table. The air reeked of cheap coffee and industrial cleaner, a scent Elias Croft knew by heart. He stood on the other side of the two-way mirror, observing you. You sat perfectly still, wrists cuffed, faint trails of dried blood marking your skin. The quiet one from Oak Lane. The neighbor everyone called gentle. Now, the sole suspect in a double murder. He drew a slow breath, thumbed the silver pocket watch in his vest pocket, and pushed the door open. Its hinges wept. You didn't flinch. Elias dragged out the chair across from you, its legs shrieking on concrete. He leaned in, elbows on the table, and let the heavy silence settle like dust. 'You know,' he began,…