by Mitch Goth
Outside the Texas Maximum Security Penitentiary, Kellen sat in her car, awaiting Ezra's departure. She sat in a dull, bare-bones government sedan, given to her by the governor. With a plane ride as luxurious as the one she had just experienced, she expected something flashier car-wise. But the beauty of the car she got was the furthest thing from her mind.
The brain of Kellen Monello was clouded. Clouded by painful recollections, clouded by the confusing and stressful present, and clouded by the hazy future. All the things racing through her head caused her to tremble. It was all getting to her, coming down like far more than any ton of bricks she had ever encountered.
It had been so long since she had come in contact with a killer she wasn't either arresting or speaking to within the walls of a prison. The last time this had happened she was still a girl, freshly traumatized and brought into the harsh reality of the world. Although, in the past, he didn't speak to her. All she saw of him was a shadow as he departed. Now it was more, and far worse. Kellen would be right next to one of the monsters, but even still it seemed worse. She wouldn't just be beside one, she would be working with one.
Flustered, shaking, and breaking a sweat, Kellen wasn't sure how to hide her apprehensions. She knew they would show, and they would bring her weakness out into the world. All of this swirling in her body made her feel dizzy.
Not sure what to do or what to focus on, Kellen pulled out her phone and looked at Remi's number. She couldn't call. It would interrupt everything that was set in place. It would take more time out of the search for a desperate and scared girl. She couldn't make another call, but all she wanted to do was shut out those thoughts and hit the button.
Before she could fall even further into the black oblivion of her psyche, Kellen was shaken out of her trance by a loud creaking and shifting sound from outside the car. She looked towards the noise, unsure of what it was.
The sound was coming from the front gate of the prison as it yanked itself open to let free a tall, silver-haired man, who was wearing a slight smirk and relaxed demeanor. The sight of Ezra Grazer walking out of the prison fences stabbed at Kellen's soul and multiplied her anxiety ten-fold. She had to use every ounce of her restraint to keep from losing it and throwing up her insides and her dignity out the car door.
Ezra was dressed in a wrinkled black dress shirt, which was rolled up halfway at the sleeves and unbuttoned to reveal a loose white t-shirt. In addition to this, he had slick black slacks with shoes to match. It wasn't anyone's Sunday best, but it was more than Kellen expected. His odd wardrobe for this first day of temporary freedom alleviated some worry from her mind. Although, as he inched closer to the car, all the nervousness returned.
Her heart nearly stopped as she heard the passenger door open. She kept a constant eye on him as he sat down beside her and shut the door, sealing the two of them in the tight metal cabin. It was strange, Kellen didn't seem to find the space in the car so small before. Now, no matter how big it could be, it wouldn't be enough for her to not feel smothered by her own emotions.
"Kellen." Ezra greeted, still wearing his cocked smile. "Surprised to see me, I suppose?"
She didn't reply. Kellen had no clue what to say to this man. She wasn't asking him questions over a table while he sat in shackles. No, she was talking one-on-one with a peer, not a prisoner. Her mind was blank.
"I think the first step in any good manhunt is to go somewhere." He pointed out towards the road.
"Please don't talk," she reprimanded him in the softest voice she had as she started the car and they rolled their way away from the prison.
"I could have some useful information for you. Information you could lose out on by giving me that gag order."
"Did you hear what I said? You might be free from that prison but you're not free from the law. You will do as I tell you."
"Do you know what color the RV is?" he ignored her.
"Did I fucking stutter?"
"It would seem rather important to be aware of the color if you're going to find it."
"I told you to be quiet." She looked in the rearview mirror. The prison was already out of sight.
"It's also a piece of information I happen to know."
"Damn it, Ezra, shut up!" Kellen paused for a moment. "Wait, what'd you just say?"
"I said I know what color the RV is. This is the point where rude people usually give helpful people apologies."
"I'm not apologizing, now talk. How do you know what color it is?"
"Thank good behavior for that," he explained, observing the surroundings of the outside world as they drove. "I get access to a computer with semi-restricted internet. Once I got that, it wasn't hard to hack through. I found the photos of our dear Megan's car in only a few minutes. After that, a quick look around the photos showed off the color. I'm surprised you weren't aware of it. The cops around here must have kept it from you, or at least stalling for a while before they hand over evidence."
"Son of a bitch," Kellen hissed. She figured there was a delay, but was never sure of it until now.
"It's sand colored, in case you're wondering. There were scratches on her car with pieces of that color paint. Rather straightforward if people aren't spinning you in circles."
"Goddamn it. Well, if you're so good at this whole solving crimes thing, what do we do next?"
At that moment, a soft sound filled the car, barely audible over the engine. It was a subtle rumbling. Kellen knew what it was. Since that morning she hadn't had a single crumb to eat. She had no appetite. Now it was catching up to her.
Ezra replied, "Perhaps something to eat might be in order?"
"You've got your life riding on this girl being found, and you want to waste time?" Kellen was shocked by this. She figured a man in a situation like his would be down to the wire and stressed. But Ezra was calm. He showed no worry or care for his future.
"We're not wasting time. We're keeping ourselves alive and active for another day. How is that a waste?"
"I suppose it isn't," she huffed. Unlike him, wasting time bothered her. "Let's just make it quick."
14
