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Lisa kept fidgeting with her hair, glancing around the interview room like a trapped animal. Her fingers twisted a strand of hair over and over again.

"Here," Yoongi said, placing a cup of water in front of her. Lisa's hands trembled as she grabbed it and downed it in one gulp.

"How long have you known Michele?" Vienna asked, voice as gentle as a feather.

"I've known both her and David since middle school. I've always been envious of their relationship. They were absolutely adorable," Lisa replied, her voice shaky, eyes glassy with unshed tears.

"Were? What changed?" Yoongi's gaze was sharp.

""I—" Lisa's voice faltered. "You should ask David about that," she deflected, looking down at the table.

"Surely Michele talked to you about her marriage," Vienna pressed, leaning in like a cat ready to pounce.

Lisa hesitated, then sighed, her shoulders collapsing under the weight of whatever she was carrying. "Yeah... They were just so caught up with work... You don't think David did this, do you?" Her eyes widened with fear.

"How about you tell us what happened on the night of August 22nd when Michele went missing," Yoongi suggested, his tone calm but firm.

"Michele called me all upset. She had the night off to spend with David, but he was pulling a late one at the office. I figured a night out might cheer her up, so I suggested hitting up this new bar at Metro Plaza - Layover, it's really cool," Lisa explained, her voice steadier.

"What time did you meet?" Vienna asked, scribbling down notes, her earlier incident in the bathroom forgotten.

"A bit after nine. We had some shots, talked. I tried to take her mind off things." Lisa said, now fiddling with her bracelet.

"Did Michele ever mention feeling threatened or scared by anyone?" Vienna continued.

Lisa thought for a moment, her brows knitting together. "No, not really. I mean, Michele was stressed. She said there was something bad happening, but when I asked, she clammed up."

Something bad, huh? I wonder what that was...

"Did Michele talk to anyone at Layover? Any mysterious phone calls?" Vienna pushed further.

"No... wait, there was someone!" Lisa blurted out.

Vienna and Yoongi exchanged a glance.

Finally, a bone to chew on.

"I went to get us refills, and on my way back, I spotted some guy chatting with Michele," Lisa recalled. "By the time I got back to the table, he was gone."

"Can you describe him?" Yoongi asked, pen at a ready.

"He was hot. Like, really hot," Lisa said, a slight blush creeping into her cheeks.

Vienna stifled an eye roll. "Anything more specific?"

"He had tattoos... Oh, and he was Asian!" Lisa added.

"Did Michele seem particularly interested or wary of him?" Vienna asked.

"No, not at all."

"Did she mention his name or how she knew him?" Yoongi asked, searching for something concrete.

"No, she didn't talk about him at all," Lisa said, shaking her head.

"What happened afterwards? Why did you leave early?" Yoongi continued, not letting up.

"My mom called me and asked me to return home. Michele didn't want to face David yet, so she decided to stay behind. In the morning, David called and asked if Michele was at my place. That's how I found out she'd gone missing," Lisa said, her voice cracking as she buried her face in her hands.

Yoongi handed her some tissues, his voice a soothing balm. "It's not your fault, Lisa. You helped us a lot. We're going to find out what happened."

Lisa took the tissues with trembling hands. Yoongi stood and gently guided her out of the interview room. Vienna watched them go, a thoughtful expression on her face.

This could be the break we need.

Once Yoongi returned, Vienna glanced up from her notes. "We need to check the footage from that bar."

"Let's do it," Yoongi agreed, all business.

They huddled behind a computer as Yoongi pulled up the security feeds from Layover. The screen flickered to life, timestamped at 9:00 PM. He scrolled to the relevant timeframe and set the footage to play at high speed.

The bar was a chaotic blur of patrons, a sea of faces and fast movements. Vienna leaned in, her eyes fixed on the screen. Just before 11, they saw Lisa leave the table, and a guy approached Michele. Yoongi slowed the footage to normal speed.

"There he is," Yoongi pointed out, focusing on the figure.

Vienna watched as a guy in his late twenties approached Michele with a casual smile. He had an easy confidence about him. Michele said something, and the guy responded with a grin before walking away.

Lisa was right. He IS really hot.

She caught her breath for a moment.

Tattoos, confident smile... totally my type...

"What do you think they talked about?" Yoongi wondered aloud, rewinding the footage slightly to rewatch the interaction.

"Hard to say. Michele didn't look threatened, more... intrigued maybe?" Vienna speculated, her eyes following the guy as he moved out of frame. "Let's keep watching."

The footage played on, a silent movie of impending doom. Lisa left at 11:23, her departure marked by an unsteady wobble. Michele lingered, finishing her drink with the same deliberate slowness one might reserve for their last moments of peace. She approached the bar to pay, and there he was—the guy from earlier, now nursing a beer like he had all the time in the world.

Damn. He's smooth.

As Michele approached, he leaned in, his words lost to the grainy silence of the feed. Michele's body language changed. She paid quickly, movements sharp and hurried, then bolted from the bar.

"She's definitely trying to get away from him now," Yoongi observed, noting her frantic movements.

"Yeah, but why the one eighty? Did he say something to spook her?" Vienna pondered with a furrowed brow.

Not even two minutes later, the guy tossed a twenty on the counter and followed her out, moving with a predator's calm. The outside camera picked up Michele exiting and walking out of frame, phone pressed to her ear. Moments later, the guy left the bar, heading in the same direction.

"We need to run him through the system," Vienna said decisively.

Yoongi nodded in agreement and started preparing the stills for facial recognition.

Just then, Detective Doyle breezed by, casting a disdainful glance at the freeze-frame of their suspect. "You're wasting your time. I've told you, the husband's the one who did it."

Yoongi huffed in frustration, pausing over the keyboard. "Doyle, can you back off? We're following a lead here."

Vienna, ever the peacemaker, placed a steadying hand on Yoongi's shoulder. "Ignore him. Let's run this guy through the system and see if anything turns up."

Doyle shook his head, muttering something about wild goose chases as he sauntered off.

"Don't let him get under your skin," Vienna said softly, giving Yoongi's shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "We're on the right track."

Yoongi took a deep breath and continued with the facial recognition process. "Yeah, I know. It's just that guy always acts like he's got the monopoly on truth."

"Well, swagger doesn't crack cases. Evidence does," Vienna retorted, her eyes glued to the monitor as the software began to scan the image. "And right now, our evidence is pointing us towards this guy."

The system whirred and processed the data. A moment later, a match popped up on the screen: Jeon Jungkook.

"There we go," Yoongi muttered, peering at the file with a frown that could sour milk. "Jeon Jungkook, 27, unemployed. Last known address: 13 Bangtan Street, apartment 7."

Vienna leaned in, reading over his shoulder with a skeptical smirk. "Ah, a real gem. Assaulted someone at a bar—put him in the hospital—and also got himself arrested for public indecency. He was caught running around the street butt naked. Fits the profile of someone who might just decide to escalate."

Yoongi nodded, flipping through the digital pages with a look that said he was ready to punch his computer screen. "Definitely sounds like a loose cannon. We need to bring him in, see if he's got any insight or, better yet, confesses."

"Absolutely. But we need to tread carefully," Vienna warned. "If he's willing to beat someone senseless and parade around naked, who knows what he's capable of when he feels trapped."

Yoongi met Vienna's gaze. "We should also check if he's got any ties to Michele. Friends, acquaintances, any loose threads we can pull."

Vienna flagged down Jimin, a rookie who was busy trying to look busy. "Jimin, we need a deep dive into this guy's background. See if there's any connection between him and our victim Michele Park. Check her phone records, social media, anything that links them."

Jimin shot up from his desk, enthusiasm practically vibrating off him. "On it, Detective Song. I'll get started immediately."

"Don't forget to look into any other incidents at Layover or other local bars he might be tied to," Yoongi added, clearly relishing the chance to offload some grunt work.

"Got it, sir," Jimin replied, already scribbling notes and heading for the computer like it was a prize.

Vienna watched him go, appreciating the rookie's eagerness.

At least someone around here still believes in the thrill of the chase.

Yoongi shot Vienna a grim look. "I'm off to brief the captain and rally a team to drag this guy in."

Vienna nodded, her thoughts racing like a runaway freight train. "I'll keep tabs on Jimin's findings. We need to reel this guy in before he disappears into thin air."

Yoongi made his exit, leaving Vienna to join Jimin, who was already buried in digital paperwork. She hovered over his shoulder, peering at the screen with impatience.

Then her gaze returned to Jungkook's file, eyebrow arched in disbelief. "Unemployed but living in a high-rent district. How's he pulling that off?"

"Maybe he's a thief, a drug dealer, or some sort of a con artist," Jimin speculated, eyes glued to his screen.

If he's anything like Jeff, he's trouble...

"Or worse," Vienna said, a chill creeping down her spine. "Dig into any other bar incidents around the area. This might be his MO."

Jimin gave a firm nod. "On it."

Vienna pushed away from the desk, grinding through possibilities.

Are we finally making progress?

"Detective Song," Garcia, their tech wizard, appeared with a tablet and an air of barely concealed exasperation. "Ran the number Yoongi gave me, but it's a dead end. Burner phone, no GPS, no way to trace it."

Vienna sighed deeply. "So, no leads, no owner details?"

"Exactly," Garcia confirmed. "Burner phones are built to vanish. Even with a court order, we're scraping the bottom of the barrel."

"Fantastic," Vienna muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Is there anything useful at all?"

"Not from this number. I'll keep an eye out for any activity, but don't expect miracles."

"Thanks, Garcia. If anything changes, give us a shout," Vienna said, trying to mask her growing irritation.

Namjoon strolled in like he owned the place, his calm authority radiating with every step. "Vienna, I've sent Yoongi and a couple of uniforms to pick up Jeon Jungkook."

Vienna nodded.

Jimin, looking like he'd just swallowed a lemon, cut in. "Captain, I've been diving into Michele's phone records, social media, and any mutual connections."

Vienna turned her full attention to him. "And?"

"So far, nothing concrete. No direct contact between Michele and Jungkook. No leads through friends or colleagues." Jimin reported.

"Nothing at all?" Vienna pressed, as if daring him to pull a rabbit out of a hat.

Jimin shook his head, looking deflated. "No significant connections. I also checked other incidents at Layover and similar bars. No hits matching Jungkook's profile."

Namjoon frowned and leaned against Vienna's desk. "So, Jungkook's link to Michele is still a mystery. Could it have been just a chance encounter?"

Vienna shrugged.

"Officer Park, dig into Jungkook's associates. There might be something there."

Jimin nodded. "Yes, Captain. I'll broaden the search and dive deeper into his background."

Vienna turned to Namjoon. "We'll need to question Jungkook thoroughly once he's in custody. There must be a connection to Michele."

Namjoon nodded, his expression serious. "Absolutely. Keep me posted on any new developments. We're running out of time."

Just as he was about to leave, Vienna's phone buzzed. She quickly put the call on speaker. "Yoongi, what's the update?"

"We're at Jungkook's place, but he's not home," Yoongi's voice crackled with frustration.

Namjoon stepped closer to the phone. "Talk to the neighbors."

"Already did," Yoongi replied. "A nice old lady from across the hall saw him leave a couple of hours ago."

Vienna sighed. "Should I stake out his place after work and see if he returns?"

Namjoon shook his head. "We can't afford to wait. Given the connection to Senator Kim's campaign, time is critical. Get Garcia to triangulate Jungkook's location."

"I'll head back to the precinct," Yoongi replied.

Vienna ended the call and dialed Garcia's number. "Hey, I need you to triangulate someone's location. It's urgent."

Garcia didn't miss a beat. "I'll get on it right away. Give me a few minutes."

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A/n:
Uh-oh 😯
Seems like Jungkook
is connected to Michele🤔
But is he guilty of her murder?

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