01:30 AM - Interrogation Room
In the dimly lit interrogation room, the overhead light cast a harsh glow on Thomas's exhausted and disheveled face. He sat in a chair, his hands still trembling, while across from him, Gareth and Harold observed him with serious expressions.
Gareth leaned back in his chair and said, "At least one noose has loosened. You're not involved in their network."
Harold followed, his voice calm yet sharp. "But murder, Thomas... That's a crime with a severe sentence."
Thomas swallowed hard. His mind raced, searching for gaps in his fragmented memory. Gareth leaned forward, his gaze piercing into Thomas's eyes. "What was your relationship with Maya? Was she involved in this network?"
Thomas blinked, trying to retrieve lost memories. "Maya and I... we were just... friends..." But then, his expression shifted. Something felt off. "Wait... Maya was more than that."
Gareth caught on immediately. "Was Maya part of the network?!" His voice rose, demanding answers.
Thomas ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "I don't know... I..."
"Then why did you kill Maya?!" Gareth barked.
Thomas met his gaze, his own voice rising with anger. "I didn't kill her! There's no way I killed her!"
Harold exhaled deeply, leaning back. "But all the evidence of this murder points to you, Thom."
Thomas shook his head, struggling to remember. "I... I only heard two gunshots... No... three. Three shots."
Gareth slammed his hand on the table. "You! You pulled the trigger, Thom!"
Thomas instinctively denied it. "How could I shoot someone I love?!" His lips trembled, his mind desperately piecing together the scattered fragments of his memory. Then, something struck him.
He lowered his head, his voice barely a whisper. "No... Maya... forgive me."
Harold, maintaining his composure, asked, "Where did you get these files? From whom?"
Thomas closed his eyes, trying to recall something still shrouded in fog. "I got them from someone..."
Gareth pressed him, his tone firm. "Where? Who was it?"
But Thomas didn't answer immediately. He only murmured, his voice thick with emotion, "No, Maya... What happened..."
Tears welled in the corners of his eyes. He lowered his head, feeling the weight of something irreplaceable, something forever lost.
Harold studied him intently. "You need to remember, Thom. We'll find out who's behind this. But as long as you can't provide testimony and evidence, you'll remain the prime suspect in this murder."
Thomas took a deep breath, struggling to suppress a sob. "Someone gave me those files... In an alley near the diner."
Harold's voice carried an investigative edge. "What happened there?"
Thomas swallowed hard, slowly lifting his head. "There was chaos... gunfire..."