My legs have lost all feeling, surrendering to the cold of the winter night as we stared down at the body of Nguyแป n Anh Tuแบฅn, second-year law student, lifeless and pale against the dark wood of the floor. There seem to be no signs of brute force or struggle on his body, but we were standing in a dark shed, decaying and on the edge of destruction, lack of light obscuring any way of verifying whether Anh Tuแบฅn was murdered or had just died due toโฆunnaturalโnatural causes.
Informing his sister was going to be the hardest feat.
โWhat if I just kick the body over?โ
Immediately, Margaretโs head snapped towards Percy, scowling at him in disbelief, her back turned to the entire sight from the moment we discovered it.
โDude donโt fucking kick it! You want your prints on it?โ She exclaimed; her voice strained as tried her hardest to avoid looking over at the body. Rosie shifted over to cover Margaretโs view from the corpse, eyeing the body cautiously before pulling out her phone.
โYouโre going to call someone?โ I asked, my voice quiet but sharp enough to express my bewilderment, even though, out of all of us, Rosie probably possessed the most common sense. She looked up at me with a neutral expression, shaking her head before sliding her finger from the top of her screen, pressing a button to allow a light to shine out. She then turned to Percy.
โPercy, lean down and tell us if you see anything.โ
Letting out a smirk, Percy started leaning down.
โDonโt touch anything!โ Margaret exclaimed from behind Rosie, to which Percy immediately shot his hands up, keeping them at a distance as he lowering to a squat. He stared at the form for a few seconds, leaning closer and farther to get a comprehensive scope of Anh Tuแบฅn. I tried to not throw up, and instead, deferred to turning my head, looking out the broken window for anyone who could be approaching.
โThe top of his wristsโor what I can see peeking out of his suit jacketโlook red.โ Percy announced, and I could see the shadow that Rosieโs phone light emulated, shift. There was another second of silent before Percy spoke again. โTheyโre really raw. Probably from restraint. And struggle against said restraint. I wonder if the ankles are the same way, but theyโre covered by socks so there is no way to know without taking it offโฆโ
โDonโt take them off, Percy!โ I quipped in a whisper, causing him to chuckle.
โOh, ye of so little faith. He was probably tied to a chair or a pole or something. Rope. There are indents on his wrists.โ The mix of nonchalance and pointedness still settle strangely on my back, but by processing the facts of his statement, Anh Tuแบฅn seemed to have been restrained somewhere. Why and where, exactly, was completely unknown.
โBut for what? What could Anh Tuแบฅn ever do?โ Margaret asked, shifting her body around to see more of Anh Tuแบฅn, grimacing when her eyes grazed his face. Rosie placed a hand on her forearm and gently rubbed it.
โThe professors said that he was missing,โ Rosie started, and immediately, Percy cut in.
โYeahโthe same professors who would secretly sell your soul for an extra buck. Donโt trust rich people.โ
โThis is the wrong demographic, and you are the wrong speaker.โ I didnโt even realize that comment left my lips, registering the slip when Percy let out a chuckle.
โMargaretโs broke.โ
โStill,โ Rosie continued, her stable demeanor intact. โIf they made the official statement of โmissingโ out of their own volition, they must know something. They could have stated that they didnโt know what happened, but they said he was missing. Missing and then called a private investigator.โ
โThe PI-guyโs a joke. He doesnโt know whatโs going on.โ Percy scoffed, the leather of his shoes squeaking against the wooden as he stood, causing him to hiss at the sound. โShit, the floors gonna wear the material.โ
โSo do we tell him?โ Margaret asked, leaning further past Rosie to examine the body closer. None of us, besides Percy, really looked at Anh Tuแบฅnโs face, because looking at it was plainlyโฆ โTo confirm thatโฆโ
โIโm still unsure whether the PI really knows whatโs going onโis he in cahoots or unaware or are the professors actually unaware.โ This time, I was the one who almost cut Rosie off.
โNo, like you said, the professors put out the missing statement too fast, they definitely know something; the PIโฆIโm not so sure.โ She turned to look at me and nod.
โYeah, but we shouldnโt ask him straight. Especially with all the press regarding him. Have you guys seen the number of cameras popping up around campus? Iโve seen news trucks come in when I head to class and different ones leave when I get out.โ She fully moves away from Rosieโs body, walking closer to where Percy was standing. She then squats to stare at Anh Tuแบฅnโs wrists, still red as they were before, and have probably been for a long time. โLetโs just attend the press conference, we try to figure out if heโs aware of something.โ
โAre students allowed in?โ I asked, staring at the back of her head as she stands up, her head level with Percyโs shoulders.
โDo you know Ms. Ramoz, Bennet? Sheโs in the Media and Communications department; Iโm one of her journalism classes. I can ask her for a pass, maybe. Tell her I want to report on it for a project, or something. Long shot but itโs worth a try.โ She turns her face to me and shrugs, and before I answered, I can see the side of Percyโs face as she eyes her expression, taken-aback yet amused as he always is.
โDidnโt know you had a lying bone in your body, Marg.โ He teases, to which she rolls her eyes and ignores him. I can hear Rosieโs quick snicker at the comment.
โThink I should do it?โ She threw out, waiting for our responses. Percy, Rosie, and I all exchanges looks, deliberated in silence for a few seconds before ultimately nodding.
โYou were not surprised to find yourself ill adapted to the world, but it did surprise you that the world had produced a being who now lived in it as a foreigner. Do plants commit suicide? Do animals die of helplessness? They either function or disappear. You were perhaps a weak link, an accidental evolutionary dead end, a temporary anomaly not destined to burgeon again.โ
