"Why did you do it?"

           Cielo's voice rang through the entire room. There was a momentary pause before Officer de Leon broke it with a gasp. The question was so straightforward and blunt, it simply defied the step by step procedure! Was that what she meant by doing things her own way? She just dropped the bomb without warning!

          He went back to observing  Rio's expressions. Other than a smile that seemed to belittle those around him, there was no trace of regret, fear or anger. Normally, under such situation, a person would have a reaction. He would either panic, go angry, hysterical or would do anything to deny such accusation. He would defend himself. But this guy just gave them a smug face in response. Could this guy be a psychopath?

         "Officer, don't get too excited."

         He flinched. He sensed a cold aura surrounding the girl next to him. Did she read his mind even though they were not facing each other?

         "I think that question was rather boring." Cielo sighed. "Mind if I change it into something more interesting?"

          Officer de Leon looked at her in disbelief. Just what on earth did she think she was doing? He felt like dragging her back to the headquarter and gave her a thorough lecture on how she should conduct herself and extract evidence through questioning and interrogating. Being so blunt was wrong enough and now she wanted to change it? Were they here to have a chat?

          "Sure", Rio answered coolly.

          "How did you and your wife meet? Tell me about your love story." Cielo changed back to being the cheery girl she was with her excited voice and sparkly eyes. She looked like a puppy waiting for a treat. That look of her made Officer de Leon want to throw her out of the window.

         "Before that", she interrupted, "it's rather dark. It's not nice to have a conversation in a  room as dark as this. Officer, please turn on the lights."

          Am I your servant or something?! Despite his internal protest, he stood up and headed to the windows.

         "Not the windows, Officer. The lights."

         He raised an eyebrow. Why not the windows? It's still morning. He remembered her earlier warning. He guessed she was up to something and didn't delay anymore. After turning on the light, he went back to his seat. Even with the light on, the room stayed cold. Suddenly, a realization hit him.

         One of the common interrogation techniques was a cold room. An interrogation room would usually be cold and other than a desk and chairs and an observation mirror, walls would be bare. These features would make the suspect anxious and almost claustrophobic. The cold would lower his defenses even more. The more anxious and nervous he was, the colder he would feel. His senses would be heightened and his psychological power slowly crumbling. However, such technique couldn't guarantee a positive result. There were a lot of interrogations that went wrong and with authorities sentencing the innocent. Attacking someone psychologically could extract different body languages that the police could use against them. He had to agree that such method wasn't the most effective at all. What was she up to exactly? Was she mimicking an interrogation room?

        "Where do you want me to start?" Rio asked blankly.

        She seemed to be pondering. "How about from the first day you met?"

        He blinked. The day they first met? It felt so long ago, but it had only been nine years, hadn't it? Was it morning or evening? How old were they then? What was she wearing? He couldn't help but scrunched up his eyebrows as he tried to recall everything.

       "We met nine years ago through a common friend."

        He remembered. He was just an ordinary accountant in the government office. He was single. On a Tuesday, Diva, his co-worker, approached his cubicle. She asked if he was free on Saturday. He stopped what he was doing and look at her confusedly. She raised her hands and laughed.

       Don't get me wrong! My friend is single and isn't really dating or entertaining anyone. I heard you're single and I think you and her could make a perfect match.

       He turned her down politely. But Diva was a stubborn one. She insisted that they met even once. If both parties were not interested, that's the end of it. He asked her why she was adamant about it, but she just said she was bored and wanted to be a matchmaker. He found her intention really strange and her answer, not convincing. In the end, he agreed to go on a blind date with her friend.

       You'll like her! She's a sweet girl!

       Back then, Facebook wasn't a major social media platform. He didn't have a Facebook, but Diva had. She showed him her friend's photos. She wasn't a striking beauty like Diva, but she had a sweet smile and a pair of bright, brown eyes. She looked like a girl from a well-bred family. He was curious about the type of girl she was. After getting her phone number, he sent her a message, introducing himself. He thought a phone call might be too much. She replied. She introduced herself and confirmed Diva was her friend. They only exchanged a few messages. They set the date, time and location. They agreed to meet on Saturday, 7th of May.

        He was a punctual person, so it was only expected he would arrive at the meeting place fifteen minutes earlier. They agreed to meet at a new cafe in the city. Since it was hot, he ordered iced americano. He would be lying if he said he wasn't nervous and excited at the same time. He was. It was his first time to go on a blind date. He only dated once before and he and his girlfriend broke up after a year and a half. He was boring. That's what she said over the phone.

       He looked through the glass window. He saw a girl in white blouse and floral skirt passing by. She wasn't paying attention to her surrounding. Her eyes were on her phone. She looked so serious. He smiled. She was early too. Twelve minutes early. She did wear what she said she would. A conservative choice. Her hair was tied in a ponytail and she didn't wear too much makeup on her face. She's formal, unlike some women who would dress up to impress.

       She entered the cafe and he could tell she was nervous. She was clenching her jaw while clutching her shoulder bag tight. She scanned the entire cafe. Other than an old lady reading a newspaper and an old man ordering in front of the register, there's only him. He was seated next to the glass window. He waved at her.She smiled shyly when she saw him and her face slowly flushed red. She looked so pure and sweet then. At that time, he thought if she was the one, then, he would be the happiest man in the world.