Chapter 125 Sponge Bath (1/2)

There were many visitors for Kyle, though most had been screened thoroughly.

The first visit was, of course, by the police.

There were two police officers that came the next day to collect their statements. They were trying to get information from Kyle concerning his 'adventure' and how he actually managed to escape. All areas that they searched reached a dead end.

The lift compartment was not completely destroyed from the impact, but it did make any gathering of forensic evidence be minimal. There were no fingerprints and only Kyle's trenchcoat and black tie were pulled out from the rubble.

The security camera showed Kyle making several attempts to contact help when he finally sat down, his hair wet from sweat. After that, the camera had problems and a black screen was shown. Nothing could be retrieved from then on. They tried to retrieve the data from the mainframe, to see whether there had been any power surges or tampering but nothing turned up.

It was frustrating.

”Are you sure you don't remember what happened? How did you, from the lift, end up hanging by your fingers on the ledge?” insisted one police officer for the umpteenth time.

Kyle rubbed the back of his neck and said exasperatingly, ”Believe me, officer, if I knew, I'd tell you. I'd like to thank my rescuer for saving my life.”

”So you DO remember something! Someone came to take you out?” another officer jumped on Kyle's choice of words.

Kyle looked at him as if he was an idiot, ”Well, if it wasn't someone, then who? Me? Are you saying I managed to open the doors and grab the ledge? If that's the case, wouldn't the lift had pulled me down when it fell?”

”All I remember was that I was stuck and it was getting stuffy in there,” Kyle said. ”Everything else after that is a blank until I was pulled out. If you want to get something, then why not investigate why the lift malfunctioned?”

”Ah-hah! So you DO know that the lift was tampered with!” the same officer jumped on Kyle (figuratively speaking, of course)

Kyle gave him that 'are you stupid' look again then said, ”I said malfunctioned, not tampered with.

A lift that suddenly stops - isn't that a malfunction? So you're saying this wasn't an accident?”

”Ah..” stammered the officer.

”So what caused it to stop? And if this wasn't an accident, why are you asking me what happened? Why aren't you asking me whether I have any enemies? Why I would be targetted if I was the target?” Kyle pressed on.

”This must be your first case?” Kyle pressed on, ”A tip for you. I may be young and you may think I won't have any enemies, but dismissing it and focusing on something else just means you will just remain a police officer and never get promoted to a detective.”

The officer bristled and was about to retort when his partner put a hand on his shoulder. He closed his mouth then, for his partner was his senior and he had allowed him to do the questioning in order to gain some experience.

Obviously, he had failed and he bit his bottom lip in frustration. He could only step back and let his partner continue the questioning.

”Our apologies. He's still learning but is sincere,” the senior officer said.

”That's fine, but I hope you're not going to keep asking me the same thing,” Kyle replied, ”No matter how many times you ask it, or how different you phrase it, the answer will remain the same. I. Do. Not. Remember.”

”I understand,” the officer said, putting away his notepad, ”If you should remember anything, don't hesitate to call us.”

He handed Kyle his card, which had his name and direct number. Kyle took it graciously and thanked them, watching them go out. He could hear the younger officer grumbling about the whole 'questioning' bit.

Kyle was left alone again and he preferred it that way. It wouldn't be for long, so he leaned back on his bed. He had adjusted it so that it was at a70% angle and he switched on the television just to have some noise inside the quiet room.

He looked at his ankle that was propped up on a pillow and wrapped up in bandages. For good measure, it was in an ankle brace as well. That was at his mother's insistence. Unlike most ankle braces that were designed like a sock with the front part cut off, his ankle brace could be strapped on.

His ankle brace was partially of durable plastic that supported his ankle and the sole of his foot. This heel and top part of the feet, as well as his toes, were exposed. The strap was around the ankle and five inches above it, which could be tightened or loosened as he wished.

This was an unexpected injury. Well, so was the mild concussion but this was worse. Kyle needed his ankle to be healed quickly as the rock climbing competition was in two weeks. Luckily, it was only a slight sprain but it would still take up to 4 weeks to heal properly.

He didn't have the luxury of time.