Innocent Until Proven Guilty

Chapter 4: The Swindler

“WHAT DO you mean?” his voice lowered, and the woman had his entire attention with the words she had said.

Another crime in this area, huh? He thought.

“Someone… A man in a suit… He stabbed the driver of that white car…” the woman replied trembling out of fear, unable to speak straight. Her eyes were unstable, while her hands were clasped together. She is still trying to recover from the shock.

Illinois frowned upon hearing her. He leaned forward and spoke. “A man in a suit?” he repeated with a hint of skepticism.

“Y-Yes!”

Illinois earnestly closed his eyes for a moment. “Did that man wear an eye mask?” Illinois asked, but the woman just slowly shook her head.

“I… I didn’t see his face…” trembling, she answered.

“Where is that car, then?”

The woman in a bob-cut hair turned around and had her index finger pointed to another dark alley which is before the lightened passageway next to this dark alley where they are currently in. It is almost impossible to see that place as the darkness covers it with only a few silhouettes of trees surrounding the area visible.

However, his eyes did catch a glimpse of a white car. But in a blink of an eye, the woman instantly withdrew her hands.

“YOU, DOUCHEBAG, STOP RIGHT THERE!” A bulky old man suddenly emerged from the darkness with a stick on his hand. He’s running toward their direction with a distorted anger look on his face.

“Oh, shit!” the woman cussed and disappeared from Illinois’ sight in an instant, which left him hanging alone, confused and bewildered.

A few moments later, the bulky old man reached his direction. “WHERE DID THAT SCAMMER GO?!” his voice rang on his eardrum seemingly breaking it into pieces. He wasn’t prepared for that megaphone-like mouth.

Illinois winced and said, “scammer? what do you mean, mister?”

“THAT WOMAN WHO WAS WITH YOU! SHE SCAMMED ME AND BROKE INTO MY STORE TO STEAL MY MONEY!” as though a wind of the electric fan directly aimed at him, Illinois was taken aback because of this old man’s powerful and ear-breaking voice.

“Calm down, mister—”

“HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO CALM DOWN, YOU PUNK!” the old man raised the stick, ready to swung at him. “COME TO THINK OF IT, YOU MIGHT GOT ROBBED TOO!” he didn’t really lower down his voice. At his age, it’s unbelievable he could still pull off that kind of voice.

“Mister, first off, lower down your voice. We’re absolutely just a meter away from each other. Another thing, calm down and I will help—” Illinois simply cupped his pocket while talking, and his jaw dropped open when he couldn’t cup a bulge of his wallet.

I.N.W.

IN A DIMLY lit street with a few street lights and cars passing, a woman in a bob-cut hair wearing a hoodie jacket is stomping her feet upon walking. As though a kid met the peak of joy, her eyes sparkled as the moonlight shone on her.

For a moment, the encounter earlier had entirely gone off from her mind.

All of the sudden, her legs took a brake which is then followed with a bursting laughter filling the silent street. “Mwehehehe~” a devilish smile followed as her eyes gazed at the seemingly expensive leather wallet on her hand.

“Seems like I hit the jackpot.” She went on walking again. “Let’s see how much that dude has…” she was humming a song instinctively afterwards as the sensation of jovial took over her.

However, what met her eyes halted her as the look of disbelief etched on her face. “What?! Just cards?!” she rashly took out all of the cards inside the wallet in hopes to find a cash in it, but there’s none.

“Ah, shit!” she threw her head backwards out of disappointment and was about to put them all back, when one of the cards caught her attention. “Hm? A black card?” curiosity plastered on her face. But upon observing it, her eyes widened in shock as she realized something.

“Damn, this is really a jackpot!” happiness showed up on her face again. “Who might this rich dude be~?” she pulled out the identification card, and what revealed in it gave her the chills. Her hands began to sweat.

“Shit, a detective!” she hissed and fastened her pace. She looked behind and observed her surroundings. “But wait… I think I saw this face before.” The woman narrowed her eyes into slits. She stopped on the illuminated spot of the street light and looked closely to the face of the identification card.

Not from afar, a group of men were having their ample time bursting out of laughter like friends do. They caught the woman’s attention. And just like that, her heart started to race again as her intuition sent her a signal of danger.

“Oh, fuck… this is bad.” She murmured as her eyes locked to the men who appeared to be thugs on her perspective, with the vibe they emit—heavy, dangerous, and cunning. Swiftly, she turned around and quickly paced back to the street that she had already strolled on.

“Hey.” One of the men suddenly called her out. His voice was raw and gravelly which brought shivers to the woman’s spine.

She took a huge gulp and didn’t respond to their call, although she stopped for a moment. But cold took her, and the nervousness is giving her the urge to run away from here.

“Where are you going? Aren’t you heading this way?” another man from the group asked.

The woman turned her head sideways and flashed an awkward smile at them. “A-Ah… No… I forgot—” she could barely say a thing because of agitation. “I-I’m going t-this w-way…”

“Ah, really? Why do you sound so scared, then? Do you think of us as thugs?” a low-pitched scary voice surfaced.

She gathered her courage and slowly faced them. “N-No, of course… he… hehe…”

“Hah… that doesn’t sound real, though…” the guy in a black hoodie said and stepped forward to her direction, bulging a sweat on the temple of the woman. “Hey, are you looking down on us?” he said and leaned forward, making her step backward.

“Woah, is this bitch serious? Do we look like fucking thugs?!” the army-cut guy in a windbreaker jacket shouted at her, and followed the step of the hoodie guy.

“That’s not how you treat a girl, Sean and Dominic…” another man stepped in, wearing an over-sized shirt. “Be gentlemen, yeah?” he taught them, as he grabbed their shoulders with his arms.

“Hmm… But that was degrading and insult to my guys, miss. I suggest we settle this with a payment, don’t you think?” he stood in front of her, and the woman was out of words. The oversized shirt man with his messy hair then extended his hands at her, while she looked at it with fear.