by Imogen Nolde
I squinted at him. “Dylan? Are you sure?”
“Well, you didn’t think I had anything to do with it, did you?”
I couldn’t answer him.
“Oh really now ‘Mr. Redthorn’. You do insult me. What are they asking you for again?”
“Ten million.”
“That’s what I gave my nephew last Christmas. Just a bit of pocket money for him.”
“Alright, no need to show off.”
“You get my point, don’t you?”
“Yes.” I considered. “But it doesn’t explain where the police are getting their information.”
Mr. Greenstar shrugged. “Who knows. They have their sources, don’t they? The FBI and so on… Maybe they’ve been looking in to you for while.”
“That’s a rather disturbing thought.”
He stood up. “Well, I’m glad to have been of use to you then. I’d love to spend the rest of my day shooting the breeze, but unfortunately some of us have work to do.”
I stood up with him.
Shook his hand.
“Good luck.”
“You too,” I muttered.
I turned to leave.
“And don’t forget you’ll be hearing from me at some point.”
I glanced back at him.
“Believe it or not,” he said, “I have enemies too.”
Back in the elevator. Back to thinking about what I was going to do.
So everything led back to Dylan. No doubt the police would figure that out eventually. And what was to become of Zoe in that time?
I exhaled.
My phone rang.
“Yes?”
“Sir, I’ve had my people look at this surveillance footage you sent me.”
“Oh right. Of the car outside Zoe’s house last night.”
“Yes, it belongs to a woman named Amy Anders.”
“Amy Anders? The police detective?”
“Yes, that’s right, sir.”
“Damnit, you’ve been looking at the wrong day. Her car would have been there this morning – I need to know whose car it was last night.”
Silence.
“Hello?”
“Sir, again, it was Amy Anders’s vehicle. I thought you should know.”
19 Vera
This time I wasn’t going anywhere. There wouldn’t be any escape. Mr. Redthorn wouldn’t magically appear and make everything okay. This time it was real.
Head down, hands cuffed, I’d been transported from one side of the city to the other where James and Amy’s precinct was located. After being booked, I was thrust into an interview room where I was told to wait until they were ready for me.
I still hadn’t gotten over it. They’d actually arrested me.
James looked guilty as hell about it. I knew he did the best he could letting me go and everything, but I hadn’t realized I’d have half his squad hunting me down after. Naturally he took no formal blame, only in that he should have restrained me before leaving me unattended. That wasn’t going to be much of a problem this time round. The door was locked and there was nothing but concrete stone at every turn and angle of the room. That and a table with chairs of course.
James was the first one to see me. By himself.
He came in looking a bit startled. Confused.
Had trouble making eye contact with me.
“You can’t keep me here,” I said. “I know my rights. I haven’t done anything.”
“Quiet,” he said. Then looked up. “Amy’s in the next room. Interrogating Dylan. She’s working on a theory there. But when she comes up dry, it will only be a matter of time before she comes back to you.”
“Won’t you get in trouble?” I asked. “Telling me her moves.”
James shrugged. He leaned against the wall. “I don’t think she’s treated you right. I know what angle she’s coming at you with, but I just don’t see it.” He sighed. “I mean, this isn’t me being an idiot here, is it? You’re not involved in this are you?”
My eyes widened. “Involved in what?”
“I don’t know. Just the more we go into this, the more it seems Mr. Redthorn is one seriously bad dude. In all honesty, your whole office could be up for investigation. It’s not like you can prove you didn’t know he was a killer.”
“I still don’t know he’s a killer,” I said defensively. “The only person who’s suggested it has been you.”
“Alright,” James nodded. “So you convince me then.”
“Of what?”
“Of Redthorn not being a killer.”
I shrugged. “I … He’s …”
“What?”
“It’s not like I know every move he makes.”
James nodded again. “Right. And I have a stack of paragraphs from the FBI that has his name all over this shit.”
I looked away.
“I hate that you’ve been mixed up in this, Vera,” he said. “I hate – hate how he’s manipulated you. You’ve fallen for his shifty, snake-eyed charm. As people do. And now you’re besotted.”
“You can’t tell me what I feel or don’t feel. You’re not inside of me!”
“Yes, time does change things,” he muttered.
I stood up angrily from my chair. “Is that supposed to be fucking funny?”
His eyes flipped. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it. I apologize. Look, I’m on your side, Vera. He’s not. He’s only on his side. Now, he may not have anything to do with what’s happened to Zoe, but that doesn’t change the fact about what he is. You think you’ve got this? You think you can handle him?” He started to pace.
“I don’t think anything,” I said. “But at least I’ll give him a chance.”
“Do you know what I’m thinking about, Vera? Can you have a guess?”
I shook my head.
“I’m thinking – are you worth breaking out of here? Is it worth the risk for me?”
“I didn’t ask you to do that.”
“God, wake up, Vera. Can’t you see what’s happening? She’s gonna come in here, she’s gonna start beating you up –”
“What?”
“She’ll have some bleeding confession document ready for you to sign. Something where you get some time, but not too much time –”
“Well, shit you can’t let her do that.”
“It’s over my fucking head!” James shouted. “And I don’t even know if I can trust you! Maybe he’s got you so tightly around his finger that you’re playing me.”
“Playing you how? Jesus Christ. Don’t help me if you don’t want to. Just let me get fucked up. It’s not like I mean anything to you anyway.”
He stopped pacing.
Looked at me.
“I was willing to give it a shot,” he said. “Yeah. Sounds bloody stupid now. The whole time, you were just… I saw you that night and how with it you seemed. I thought you were into me but the whole time you were just into him. And fucking using me…”
“It wasn’t like that,” I mumbled.
“What?”
“I thought we were going to start something,” I said. “But I mean, we’re friends. What happened wasn’t what either of us wanted.”
“It wasn’t what you wanted.”
I breathed in heavily. “You’re not seriously mad, are you?”
He shrugged. “No.”
“Seriously?”
“Ah, what do I give a fuck?” he muttered. “This is just pointless arguing. Meanwhile Zoe’s out there and God knows what they’re doing to her…”
I was starting to walk towards him, but the door opened at that point.
Amy poked her way in. A knowing look on her face.
“How are things coming along here?”
James shrugged. “I’m still working on convincing her Mr. Redthorn’s bad news.”
“Oh, we’re way past that,” Amy said.
“We are?”
She looked at me. “Your friend Dylan, he’s confessed.”
“He has?” James said skept
ically.
“So Mr. Redthorn is innocent,” I asserted.
“Hardly,” Amy said. “Actually Dylan claims it was Mr. Redthorn who put him up to it.”
“No kidding,” James said.
“Yes, we’ll be having an entire manhunt for Redthorn by nightfall. Meanwhile I have to get ready for a press conference, so…”
“You carry on then,” James said. “I’ll finish up here.”
Amy eyed me suspiciously. “You would be right to take the deal that James offers you. He worked very hard to get it for you. Otherwise, it will be a very, very long time before you see daylight again.”
She bowed her head and exited the room.
James turned back to me.
“What deal?” I demanded.
“The deal I was telling you about,” he said.
“You can’t let her do this to me. It’s nuts. I haven’t broken any laws.”
“Legally, it’s out of my hands,” James said. “The only thing I can do is try and get you out of here. But I’ll get in serious shit if I do.”
I looked at the floor. “Well I can’t force you.”
“Vera.”
“What?”
“Nothing.”
He left the room.
As the door fell shut, my knees collapsed and I sunk in across the wall. I didn’t know how to handle this. I didn’t know who to call or –
The door opened. James put his head through. “Well, are you coming?”
“You’re letting me out?”
“What can I say?” he muttered. “The things we do for love.”
20 Vera
The corridor had a feel to it I couldn’t get away from. Like this whole time I’d been heading in one direction, and now I was about to swerve off course.
Was I really that worried about what would happen to James? Watching him checking either side of the passage, back and forth, a lack of certainty about him … the present events that had transpired seemed to go away. As though there was no investigation, Mr. Redthorn didn’t exist, and Zoe was perfectly okay. Like we were back in high school together, and friends without the complication.
There had been no hiatus.
The current moment was now.
“What?” James said, catching the look in my eye.
“Nothing,” I said. “I was just thinking about the old days.”
He wiped his brow. “Well, as usual, your timing is perfect.”
“Shut up.”
He grinned. “Let’s get the fuck out of here.”
James dragged me by the arm until we close to the end of the west side of the building. He made motion for me to stay put while he advanced a little further, down some steps. As he did so I caught the shadows of approaching officers before he did, and subsequently, hid myself behind a locker.
“Yo James, what’s up buddy?” I heard one of the officers say.
“Aar-ugh,” James managed.
“Have you seen Amy anywhere?”
“I’m not sure,” James answered. “She might be with a suspect.”
“Well, if you see her, there’s a Thomas Greenstar on line two for her.”
“Okay.”
“Catch you later.”
“Bye guys.”
A few moments passed before James reappeared.
“Good work,” he said. “Now let’s let a move on.”
I hurried along beside him. “Where to from here?”
“Fire escape’s just through here. Go down a couple of floors and I should be able to get you outside before anyone sees.”
We made it through the next area and James pushed open a door revealing, you guessed it –
“Stairs.”
“What?” James replied.
“Nothing,” I shrugged. “At least we’re going down.”
“Yes, I hate to break it to you, your highness – but if we take the elevator we might run into some trouble.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know.”
“After you, then.”
“Always a gentleman.”
We made it to the bottom of the stairs without incident. James pushed open the door sending a blast of afternoon sunshine radiating over us. “This is where I leave you,” he said. “Try to take care of yourself. Try not to get yourself caught again.”
“Yes,” I said with one foot out. “I’ll be extra vigilant this time.”
James looked behind him. “I have to go.”
Impulse struck me and I found myself standing on my toes and giving him a kiss on the cheek. “Sorry. About everything.”
He looked at me cautiously. “I’ll live.”
I smiled. Nodded.
He closed the door after me.
My arms folded inwards as I walked away, mixed emotions grappling me. At least I was free now. That was something. But where was I going to go?
What had become of Mr. Redthorn?
The cops had my phone now so I couldn’t call him. Not that I should have to anyway. Really there was only one thing I –
“Going somewhere?”
A familiar voice shook the ground behind me, and I whirled around to be facing James’s notorious partner, Amy Anders.
I couldn’t believe it. I just couldn’t fucking believe it. I was out. I was free. And now that was nothing but a distant memory.
James had been tazed. By Amy, or someone else I didn’t know, but when we reentered the police station he was on the floor being dragged up the stairs with drool oozing from his mouth.
I looked in his eyes but he wasn’t conscious.
“Oh Jesus, get off him,” I cried. “What have you done?”
Pain immediately shot through my back. Pain and burning. I started to black out. My vision blurred, my hearing distorted. Amy’s vice-like grip on my wrists pulled me along further. By the time I had my senses about me again, I was in another interview room.
And I wasn’t alone.
“You too, huh?”
Dylan was sitting against the wall with blood all over his face.
He’d had the living shit beaten out of him.
“Don’t worry I didn’t tell them anything,” he muttered. “It’s all bullshit.”
I staggered over to him. “Who did this to you?”
“Detective Anders.”
I sat down beside him.
“Hey,” he said. “You don’t have a smoke, do you?”
“No. Sorry.”
“Bummer.”
I pressed my head back against the wall. God knows how long we’d be in here.
“We do some stupid things, don’t we,” Dylan muttered.
“Yeah, I… What do you mean?”
He shrugged. “I’m such an idiot. Zoe was really nice too.”
My face peeled from the wall. “Dylan?”
“What?”
“What did you do to Zoe?”
He looked at me. “Pfft. I didn’t say nothing like that.”
“What happened? Tell me.”
Dylan laughed. “Whole lot of good that will do.”
“I’m serious. Do you know something? Do you know where she is?”
He got to his feet. Walked across the room.
I stood likewise.
“Jesus, Dylan. Tell me what’s happened to her.”
He glanced back. “You’re looking at me like I’m some sort of killer or something.”
“God dammit! Just fucking tell me.”
He shook his head. “Nothing to tell.”
“Dylan.”
“Vera.”
I stared at him.
He did not like it.
“I don’t know why you’re looking at me like that,” he said. “You know you should be grateful it wasn’t you.”
“It wasn’t me, what?”
“That got taken.”
I blinked.
Did he just say what I thought he said?
He glared at me smugly. “Uh-huh.”
I stormed across the room and rammed my elbow against his neck, pr
essing him to the wall.
“Jesus, Vera! Stop –”
“What did you do to her?” I screamed. “Fucking tell me! What did you do?”
“It wasn’t me,” he choked back. “I swear it wasn’t me…”
He was having trouble breathing.
I released him.
He stepped away from the wall nursing his neck. “You’re crazy.”
I put a hand to my forehead. I could feel tears coming.
I had to fight them.
I had to stay strong.
“She wasn’t even going to put out,” Dylan muttered. “She thought she was too good for me.”
My face twisted back at him in alarm. “What?”
The door opened behind me.
“Come on,” Amy said. “Your bus is leaving.”
“Dylan, what the fuck were you –?”
“I said, we’re going,” Amy snapped, grabbing me. “Don’t fuck with me or you’ll get another jolt.”
Amidst the confusion I allowed myself to be carried off by her, still unable to take my eyes off Dylan.
Until the door was closed.
“Amy,” I said.
“Detective Anders,” she corrected.
“Dylan was just about to confess. He had something to do with this.”
“He’s already confessed,” she said lugging me along.
“I saw what you did. You beat it out of him.”
She stopped, pushing me away at an arm’s length. She put her hand to her holster and removed her firearm. “That sounds like an accusation.”
My eyes darted. “No. I didn’t mean it. I’m sure it was a just interrogation.”
She replaced the gun and moved me along again.
We left the precinct via the front entrance. Amy had some words at the front desk in passing, but she was quiet enough that I missed most of what was said.
Moments later we were in the car park.
“Do you want to tell me what’s going on?” I asked.
“You’re being transported,” Amy replied.
“I know but to where.”
She turned around as we reached her car. “You ever heard of a man named Thomas Greenstar?”
I reflected. “What about him?”
She motioned to the passenger door. “Let’s get this ride started. It will give us something to talk about along the way.”
