I shake my head, eyes brimming with tears, show the gun lying on the floor.

"I ran into my brother to see him with Max." I roll the reel. "Look it is his gun, he shot Kai and ran away through that left exit. My poor brother. He died after defusing the bomb for me!!"

Sergeant James eyes widen – fully buying my fabricated story, "MAX MALONE – WE HAVE A MURDER SUSPECT ON THE LOOSE!"

He quickly radios dispatch – voice urgent, "All units – apprehend Max Malone – armed and dangerous – suspect in Kai's homicide..."

Returns to me in sympathetic tone, "Vic Vaughn – your brother saved your life... defusing that bomb – Max's deception killed Kai and himself."

I play distressed perfectly while Sergeant James offers, "Do you need medical attention or counselling – this trauma..."

Just then – Lola rushes in – Ricky beside her – eyes fixed on Kai's body – then mine, "Vic – what happened – Sergeant James said Max..."

She trails off noticing my "distressed" expression and rushes to comfort me. I pull her into a hug and cried my heart out.

"Lola... Max killed my brother... What do I do? And he killed himself too, at the exit, Max body lying dead."

Actually shot by myself, but nobody knows it. After all he deceived me for a second forgetting about my help for his mother's operation.

Lola holds me tightly – tears streaming down her face, "Noooo – Kai and Max both gone?! Oh Vic, my heart breaks for you..."

She buries face in my shoulder, sobbing. Ricky looks on, stunned while Sergeant James rushes outside and returns pale, "It's true... Max Malone's body found near exit – single gunshot wound – self-inflicted or..."

He trails off, eyes widening as he connect the dots slowly, "Wait – Max kills Kai, then himself – or DID HE?! Vic Vaughn – you were alone with both victims..."

He actually got me close.

But Lola grips my arm tightly, defending, "No, Sergeant, Vic's devastated. He loved Kai despite everything – Max acted alone!"

Her fierce loyalty shields me. 

How much could I be devoted for her to compensate that!?

Ricky looks at Lola then back at me with a hint of suspicion.

"I need air, I cannot see this anymore." Rushing to Kai, I yank his body to hug him in distress.

Lola rushes beside me, crying out, "Vic, No! Don't look at him like that. It's too much!"

But I hold Kai's lifeless body tightly – rocking back and forth, acting with all my heart and passion.

Ricky looks on – expression changing from suspicion to shock. He whispers to Sergeant James, "This isn't grief – it's guilt or something more..."

Sergeant James eyes narrow – observing my intense embrace of Kai's body, "Vic Vaughn, we need to talk! Alone, now. Lola, Ricky – please step back."

Lola resists but Ricky gently pulls her away whispering, "Let them, Lola. Something's off with Vic's reaction..."

I remain while Sergeant James waits, then says low and even, "Brothers don't typically hug each other like that – in life or death – unless... they shared a secret."

Who in the right mind would say such thing at THIS time?

I get back and looked at James.

"Isn't that true?" He adds with one eye bigger that other.

Preparing my voice to be broken and disturbed, "You did not defuse the bomb, You did not saved anyone's life. You did not find my car on your own, you took your own time to interrogate and now my brother is dead because of your carelessness."

My voice hitting every possible corner of the hall and his head, "Why haven't you seen your officers whether they are keeping Max from running into the club like this. He shot Kai in front of my eyes, trying to shut him up and not letting what Kai was trying to tell me. But all you care is my hug to my brother?? Are you really insane or are you turning like Max—heartless even after I paid for his mother's heart surgery?"

Sergeant James' face turns beet-red with anger and shame – he takes a step back, eyes widening.

That's it—I nailed it!

"Vic Vaughn, your words cut deeper than any knife... because they're true." He drops his head.

Truly deceiving!

He glances down, pauses and looks up with intense pain in his eyes, "Your kindness towards Max's mother contrasts my failure... I'm heartbroken, not heartless; over what I didn't prevent."

Suddenly his radio crackles— dispatch voice urgent, "Sergeant James, we found security footage about Max entering alone. But someone disabled cameras near exit... and club back door 10 mins before shooting."

James' eyes lock onto mine while accusation fading in, "Vic Vaughn, care to explain who might've disabled cameras and why?"

Though he gets close, he's just dumb to fall for all my lies.

"Of course it is that asshole Max!!" I tried to point out. Sergeant James nods slowly still eyeing me carefully.

"Logical conclusion, Max disabling cameras for escape or ambush... But," He pauses for dispatch update and the radio crackles again, "Wait, dispatch says security footage shows camera disable code... matches club owner code – Kai's code."

James' eyes narrow intensely, "Vic Vaughn, Kai disabled cameras a few minutes before his own murder... How does that go together?"

"Are you saying the truth, for real?" He steps closer intimidatingly. 

Frick!

However I kept them on the track by quickly cooking the story with new ingredient.

"Are you telling me Kai tried to kill me and Max killed him instead to save me?!!"