The smoke steamed from Alia's gun. The girl fell to the floor, unconscious. James was kneeling with his hands still tied behind his back. Blood was on his shirt. The hooded man fell to the ground. His stomach was leaking blood.

"Paul...!!"

Alia picked up James's knife and James ripped off the mask, revealing that familiar face, drenched with sweat.

"Paul!!"

Alia tended to the girl, and James watched Paul close his eyes ever so slowly. He looked peaceful and ashamed. He moved his lips slowly and some blood was revealed. He didn't cough. He couldn't afford it. He needed to speak.

"Carrie... I'm... so sorry..."

His head slowly rested in James's arms. James felt for a pulse. He let a tear drop.

"She's alright. She's just knocked out."

Alia dialed a few numbers on the phone. James closed his eyes.

---

"It's not like me to get emotional."

James was sitting on the steps of the hotel, looking away. Alia was sitting next to him. Police were upstairs investigating.

"It impedes on the objectivity of an investigation, that's true."

Alia looked ahead. She seemed cold. She was cold.

"I used to be like that, James."

James continued staring in the distance.

"I think I was your age when I got into trouble like this..."

Silence.

"I used to do it for the thrill. For the excitement. For the truth.

"Then one day, I got caught into an investigation like this. I..."

James looked confused. Something was missing from this lady's story...

"I found out that not all killers are cold-blooded and out for no good reason at all. I found out they weren't like those detective stories. They were people. They are people. And for that reason, I made myself who I am today.

"Sometimes, people tell you that they didn't want to hear the truth at all."

She looked at him. James knew. It was emotion missing from her story.

"But then again, that's not for us detectives to decide."

A policeman approached Alia Elwood. She nodded and was led into a police car.

"That's for the courts to decide. Just as they'll decide my fate.

"I'm sure I'll get off with "defense of others", but I'll still be indefinitely stuck in the court system."

James stood up and wanted to say goodbye or something. It felt strange, leaving like this.

"Maybe we'll cross paths again, Jim."

---

James arrived home and suddenly remembered that he hadn't prepared any alibi for his uncle. He walked in and found his uncle reading a paper. It was early in the morning; the police investigation had kept James up all night.

"Back from Chris's, I see?"

James looked surprised at his uncle.

"Chris told me about your working on some kind of project. I don't condone you sleeping over at her house, but..." he folded his paper, "at least it's for your English class."

James nodded and made his way upstairs to go to sleep.

"By the way, you remember that dog, Bullet? I took him to the vet. Try not to wake him, he's had a long day yesterday."

James grinned. He knew what it was like to have a long day.

James jumped into bed and was surprised to feel that apparently someone was already sleeping there. That someone let out a yelp and after all the confusion...

The beagle was at the foot of the bed, wagging his table, and let out a quiet bark. James smiled.