"Daniel Hori…" The policeman rushed to him and sat beside him.
The policeman, Dave, a middle-aged man with a clean shave and bald head, came in uniform and looked like he was done with his routine.
"So, Daniel Hori, I assume you're feeling well; if not, I don't care. I need your statement. You sign here, and we both can get our asses out of here."
He pulled out the writing pad and started asking questions; first it was all about his personal life.
"Alright, now about the accident. What are you doing there? The bodies of the victims were turned into warm mush, so we weren't able to identify them. Can you tell me who they were, or did you know them so we can identify and inform their families?"
Dave sighed and scribbled with his pen.
Daniel wanted to choose his words carefully; he knew he couldn't lie.
"They were thugs and wanted to get his money; I don't know their names."
"Thugs? Well, then they deserved it. Now, can you tell me who this 'him' is?" Dave had a faint idea, but he knew Daniel or anyone else had the gall to put his name on any paper of police or law.
"I don't want to say it—" Daniel spoke the truth he feared; anything he might say would get him trouble from both sides, the law and the butcher.
"Look, boy, just take whatever name. I feel bad for you, but I need to get this over with. Here's an idea: why don't you write a completely different incident?" Dave understood, and handling things like these was too much for his pay grade.
"I am not going to put my family in danger by getting involved with him." Dave sighed at the thought.
"You're asking me to lie?" Daniel looked at him with dead eyes, without knowing Dave was asking Daniel the impossible while putting his life on the line.
"One wrong word and he dies." Daniel was choosing his carefully too.
"No, you can't lie. I can't let anyone else die. Please stop." Daniel's mind was on the brink of breaking; he couldn't risk it.
If it starts going haywire, it might draw attention, or he might be taken for something far worse.
"Listen, kid, I know you're scared… Alright, because I have a son of your age too, I'll just put that you were not—" Dave etched his pen nonchalantly.
But suddenly Daniel snapped.
"DON'T LIE! I TOLD YOU TO NOT LIE! I'LL TELL YOU THE TRUTH, SO DON'T PLAY WITH YOUR LIFE!
I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING AROUND ME! I GOT INVOLVED IN BAD BUSINESS; MY MONEY GOT STOLEN! MY LIFE IS IN DANGER! I TRIED TO KILL MYSELF, BUT I COULDN'T! MY FATHER DIED! ALL BECAUSE OF ME
NOW I CAN'T LIE!
I CAN'T LIE, AND NO ONE CAN! ...no one can."
Daniel broke into tears at the death of his father; he grabbed the bedsheet and wept like a child.
Dave froze for a moment and patted his back; he was still reeling about everything Daniel said, and one thing struck him.
"Why can't he lie? Maybe he is too honest, but why can't others lie? Putting my life in danger?" Dave's mind was in a spiral.
Soon, Daniel stopped crying, cleaning his tears and snot. He looked at Dave.
"I am sorry, sir; it's better for you to not get involved with me. I know you're a family man; you said I am the age of your son, so you shouldn't get involved in this.
But please, whatever you write or do, if it's not true, please do it somewhere far away from me.
It's just something very weird has been happening to me."
Daniel looked away and stared at the window, thinking, "Where did everything go wrong?"
"It's okay, I understand, but the last question is, can no one lie to you? Is something wrong? You know if the doctor can help you, not being able to lie is a symptom." Dave put down his writing pad and looked at Daniel.
"I don't know if it's a disease or not, but I can't lie, and symptoms…symptoms." Daniel put his head down and thought for a second and remembered what the doctor had said to him.
"I don't know about the symptoms, but the doctor said I have a tattoo on my tongue. I've never gotten any tattoo, but he said I have one." Daniel was stuck on that part like he was missing something, something important.
Dave raised his eyebrows; it was the first time he'd heard something like this: 'Can't lie, appearance of symbol associated with accident.' Everything was getting weirder and weirder.
"Can you show me your tongue? Let's confirm that you have a tattoo on your tongue. Open your mouth and stick out your tongue." Dave squinted his eyes with a smile.
Daniel nodded and stuck his tongue out.
Dave moved his head with his eyes but saw nothing. "Looks like you're clear. Maybe the doctor was joking. Well, just to make sure, let me see the back of your tongue. I don't know if something can get ink there, but let's see." Dave sighed.
Daniel moved his tongue up…
"What the fuck?" Dave's face turned like he had seen his own ghost…
Dave tried to stand up, trembling, but fell on the ground.
"What the fuck! How? Why did you? Who are you?" Dave stared at Daniel; his face was covered in sweat, his lips were trembling, and his heart was pounding so hard that it could be heard by walking past him.
Daniel looked at Dave and tried to help him.
"No! Stay there! Don't move! Don't go anywhere!" Dave jumped back to his feet and ran outside, while Daniel was out of his wits.
"Just what the heck did he see?" Daniel knew this wasn't good news; wherever Dave went, it might not be good for him.
He pulled out the cannula and looked for any escape from his bad luck; he was on the 10th floor.
At the same time Dave ran outside and dialed a number on his phone, he wasn't able to catch his breath, and his body couldn't stop trembling.
Soon the phone was picked up.
Hello
"Ma'am, we have lead…" Dave huffed,
What? Officer Dave, speak clearly.
"I said we have lead!"
What kind of lead?
"About—about the Gosenji case, we have a lead…" Dave looked around, fearing that anybody heard him. He gulped his spit and put the phone back on his ears.
Gosenji Case?