“There’s an old man here to see you, Jamahl. Says that he is some priest or something. Do you want me to show him out?”
Jamahl picked his head up from his desk. He had been trying to get to sleep, but all he could see when he closed his eyes were monsters waiting for him to join them in the dark. He was happy that Timothy had given him some sort of reason to keep running from them.
“Did he give a name?”
Timothy looked down at the clipboard in front of him.
“Erm… Yeah, he said he was called Jude Anson. I sent details down to Moe to check out who he is. Do you want to see him?”
Jamahl stared at a blank wall for a few seconds. He was so tired. He almost closed his eyes and drifted to sleep whilst he was stood up.
“Jamahl?”
It was Timothy that caused him to focus again.
“Yes, I- Tell him to meet me outside. I- I need a smoke.”
-
Timothy escorted the priest out of the building a few minutes later. The precinct was quiet today, which was no change from the ordinary. It had been more hectic the last week or so, ever since Drakan was killed. That was understandable, he guessed.
When he got outside he found Jamahl easily enough. His partner was paler than he had been earlier. It looked as if he had seen a ghost or something. Jamahl had been acting weird the last few days. He was scared and paranoid all the time. Maybe Banfa dying had got to him. Maybe he thought he would be the next to be murdered, or something like that.
“Are you alright, dude? You don’t look too good…”
Jamahl waved him away, but there was an emptiness in his eyes as he did it.
“Yeah, I’m fine. What is it you wanted, Timothy?”
“Erm. You asked me to bring the priest out here, dude. He’s right here…”
The priest dude stepped from out of the doorframe then. He was an old man, wearing suspenders and everything. His white hair was a mess, as if he hadn’t had the time to truly get prepared before coming over that morning.
“Right. Yeah. I remember that. Thanks, Timothy. Did you get anything more out of the book I gave you, reverend?”
“Thats why I came over, officer. I woke up this morning to find my window smashed in and the book gone. What was weird was that someone had used my fireplace during the night, too.”
Timothy had no idea what was happening, but he could swear that Jamahl almost punched the wall when the news came through. His thoughts weren’t on that, though. He knew the book that they were talking about. Had Dan really broken into his guy’s house to destroy it?
-
The cupboard that they Starla found herself in was very dusty. It was not the ideal place for making out, but Barry said that everywhere else in the building had cameras. He didn’t want himself to be recorded in a compromising position with an attractive young woman. He didn’t realise that she had bugged here, too.
The mayor was skinny when topless. He didn’t have muscles, but at least he wasn’t as large as some of the men she had been forced to be with. It wouldn’t feel like she was being fucked by a wardrobe for a change.
“We have to do this quickly, darling. I’m meant to be making an announcement in a few minutes.”
She giggled at that. She hated playing the girly card, but some men liked it. Some men liked all kinds of creepy things. Some of the things that she had been forced to do to seduce powerful men… Well, they had been gross.
“Getting men to finish quick is my speciality, darling.”
-
Carson was annoyed at how much of his free time he now spent hiding behind things. Sure, he had often played at being spies with Task and Hoagy, but this was so different. It was much less interesting, and here they didn’t have fake guns, or catchy music as they walked along, or hot women on their shoulders. He had always imagined his woman being Kylie all grown up, but Task had told him that would never happen.
Hoagy had sent him out after the police officer, a guy called Timothy, to see if he let slip anything that might give away what it was that Dan was so anxious didn’t become public knowledge. So far he had followed Timothy to the general store, to a carpet shop, and, strangely, to a nursery. Now he was sat on a bench in the park, and Carson was hiding behind a fountain.
He had looked away for a few seconds, making an attempt to shoo a stray cat away from him, and when he looked back over at where his target was sat he saw another man, of a similar age to Timothy and Dan, had come to sit alongside him. He wondered at first if this was Jorn, but then realised that he looked familiar.
This was Trent Kidst, who had been in charge of the school yearbook for the last two years. Task and Carson had signed up to help with it last year, but they hadn’t talked much with Trent. He had other concerns. He was a part of Dan’s popular crowd too, but had never really had that popularity apply to others. His presence in Dan’s group had always been weird.
He moved a bit closer, so that he could try and overhear whatever the two of them were talking about. He didn’t want to arouse suspicions though, so tried to make it all look relatively nonchalant.
“-don’t want to do it anymore. It was fun in High School, but we are grown up now. You have seen what it can lead to. Do I need to remind you about Drakan?”
That was Timothy talking. Trent was listening intently, and nodded his head a few times in response to some of what was being said.
“Not going to lie, Dan has asked for my help in expanding, but I said no. Jorn said yes though, I think, and I don’t know about the others. I agree. We are too old to be doing this kind of shit.”
“The problem is that if Dan gets caught for what happened now then we will all go down. Nobody can know the truth, you got me? Nobody can know what we did in High School. Nobody can know what is happening again now.”
Trent nodded.
“Agreed. Now, I assume that this wasn’t all? Did you bring something juicy for me to pass on to the boss?”
Timothy smiled and nodded.
“It’s nothing massive. Max has nothing on Kung, you already know that, right? You ran an exclusive on Matthew Pika about the case. Well, some evidence taken from Drakan’s house has been destroyed. Max and Jamahl are baffled.”
“Sweet. Same deal as usual?”
“Yeah. Nobody can know that I told you.”
“You will be an anonymous source. I should go before someone sees me. Semper Vigilo Omnia”
Timothy nodded.
“Semper Vigilo Omnia”
Then Trent left, and Carson was left confused.
-
“Do you even know who these people are?”
Orion was so angry that he was almost as red as a tomato. She had just told him about her trips to see Avvy in the forest. Truth be told, she didn’t know who they were, but they seemed to know a lot about her. They knew just what to say to make her feel better when she was thinking about Banfa, or just how conflicted she felt about Teddy and Orion. They knew her, but she didn’t know them. They knew her better than Orion, clearly.
“I can protect myself, Orion. I just like being around them. They know just what to say when I am hurting.”
“So do most criminals, Alexa. You don’t think it’s weird that this teenage girl is living in the forest with three young girls? Is she even old enough to be their mum? Are they sisters? Are they hiding from something?”
Tears started to appear in her eyes. She had never known Orion act this aggressively towards her. She tried to tell her that it was just because he was concerned for her, but she wasn’t sure. It was almost as if there was some jealousy in his eyes. Deep down maybe she could see fear, too.
“How long have I been there for you, Alexa? I can look after you. You don’t need these girls in the forest. Just let me keep you safe from the shadows and the darkness. I can do it. I promise.”
She bit her lip. She had to tell him the other news.
“It’s not just that, Orion. There is someone else.”
He looked stunned.
“A guy?”
“Yeah. His name is Teddy Lee. He is a teacher at the local High School. He came to pick me up the other day. We are thinking of making ourselves a couple… officially.”
“Well- I- Does he know? Do you know? Do you remember the past now, Alexa? You told me once. You keep it so locked up, even from yourself. I think you need to unlock it and tell Teddy before you commit to him. He should know the truth. You deserve to know it too.”
She frowned at him, confusion in her eyes.
“What are you talking about? Look, can you just agree to let me and Teddy see each other? He is a nice guy, I promise.”
“You don’t need my blessing to date guys.”
That was true. She was unsure why she was asking for his permission to date a guy. Was she so insecure that she needed his approval now that she had found happiness? Was she worried how Orion would react if he found out the news from someone else?
“I just want you to be happy, Alexa.”
-
Jorn stepped into Frank’s office not really sure what to expect. He had been called up here by Frank. It had been Eyes that delivered him the message. He had been in the middle of trying to track the IP of Scrav for Eyes when the message had come in. Unfortunately he had been forced to abandon the attempt.
“You called for me, sir.”
Frank was sat on one side of the chess board, the pieces all set up, as if he was expecting a game.
“Do you play, boy?”
He stood awkwardly, unsure how to respond.
“Billy gave me a few lessons, but I wouldn’t say that I am very good at it. Wouldn’t you rather play Eyes? Or I can go get Dan-”
“Billy told me that he thought you had something about you, boy. I want to see if he was right. I need a new lieutenant. Would you want that post?”
He was taken aback.
“I- You- You have people senior to me. Shouldn’t they-”
Frank interrupted him for a second time.
“They aren’t leaders. Billy reckoned that you were. That is what I need. Somebody that men would be willing to follow. Eyes can do that. People fear him. Rightly so. I don’t need somebody people are scared of. I need someone they would follow because they like them.”
-
Billy walked along the corridor of the apartment complex. It was midnight, and the safety lights were on, but outside of the windows it was nearly pitch black. As a hitman he had learned how to get around quietly, and he was confident that he hadn’t been followed. He didn’t want the person he was visiting to suffer because he had come here.
He found the right door. Room 6A. It was the first room on the sixth floor. He had used the stairs though. Elevators could be tampered with. They could be bugged. He didn’t know what sort of systems Frank could have put up here. He had kept his face hidden on his way up, so that it would be difficult to know that it was him.
The occupant of the apartment opened the door a few seconds after he knocked. He swept into the room straight away, and closed the door behind him.
“Can I help you?”
Billy pulled down the things that were masking his face.
“You’re Teddy Lee, right? I have something to tell you about your sister…”
-
“Hello, Mr Master. You must understand that I don’t often just allow people to drop in like this. Some people have to make appointments months in advance.”
Matthew Pika was sat at his desk, opposite Dan, who was wearing a pink short sleeved t-shirt. It was surreal, with Matthew wearing his usual navy blue suit.
“I wanted to give you my condolences, however. What happened to your brother- Well, that is the kind of thing that we want to eradicate from today’s schools, isn’t it?”
“You are very kind, sir. That is sort of why I am here. I wanted to know what you know about this Professor Raatz story. Is it true that he was the person that supplied the drugs to my baby brother?”
Matthew frowned, although it was clear that he was restraining himself from flashing a smile. He enjoyed this game.
“I am not sure how you would expect me to know, Mr Master. I do not have that many friends within the police. That is just how it is for most lawyers.”
“You seem to know a lot about the Kung Fugi case-”
Matthew did laugh at that.
“Those cases are entirely separate. What? Do you think I know everything that happens in this town? I don’t have cameras set up all over the place or something.”
Dan leaned forward and whispered.
“Tell me what you know, Mr Pika.”
Matthew shook his head, the cheeky smile back on his face.
“If I refuse to tell the police what I know, then why would you think that I would tell you? This has been a fun meeting, Mr Master. I wanted to see you to give you my condolences. Now you have them. You can leave.”
Dan glared at the lawyer for a few seconds, grinding his teeth, though his lips were tight shut. He then got up and left, not having found out what he had wanted to find.
-
Starla was stood at the bus stop, waiting for her way home. Her bra was itching her right shoulder. Mayor Ansono had put it back on wrong after their little exercise. Her top was also ruffled, whereas it had been ironed this morning. It was cold and late, and she was shivering. There was the signs that it might snow in the air. She didn’t want to be outside when that happened.
That was when a black limo pulled up. She let out a groan. He couldn’t, could he? Not here, surely. The door popped open, but she tried to ignore it. Then there was a click, the sound of someone cocking their gun. She sighed, and stepped in. She wasn’t going to get herself killed over this.
-
Carson stood at the door the the flat that his cousin Laura had rented on her arrival to town. His mother had known that she was back, but, for whatever reason, hadn’t told the rest of the family. Laura was a lot older than Carson, but he remembered her bringing him sweets when he was little, and even letting him have a drink of her alcohol when they met up last year.
He knocked on the door. It was a few moments before there was a response, but his cousin opened the door eventually. She was as pretty as ever, with a red dress on that finished just above her knees. She was wearing lipstick. She had got herself dressed up. Was that all for him? Was she expecting Dan to come around after he had left?
“Carson. Come in, dear. Your mother told me that you wanted to talk about something? Did you bring your sister? It has been a while since I saw the two of you.”
“It has been.”
He stepped inside and stood awkwardly by the door as she closed it. She took his hand and guided him through her apartment to a leather sofa in front of a large TV. She sat down first, and then patted the seat next to her, and he sat there, his legs tight together and his hands in his lap. Hoagy had asked him to come here, to ask his cousin some questions about Dan.
“What is it that you brings you here, Carson? Have you argued with your mother and want to stay here for a few nights? I will happily let you take my beard, and I can sleep on the sofa for a few days.”
He gulped.
“I- I cam here to ask you some questions about Dan Master.”
“Dan Master? Isn’t he the brother of your friend Task? I don’t know what you expect me to tell you about him. I think I may have met him a few times in passing. Not enough for me to tell you anything that you don’t know.”
“I- I saw you kissing him outside of a hotel the other day. I wanted to warn you about him. He is up to something. He is hiding something.”
Laura laughed slightly.
“What he was hiding is that we are together. He has been here for a few weeks, staying in his own place and we have been meeting up secretly.”
“But- But he’s like fifteen years younger than you.”
She frowned at him.
“Now, now, Carson. Don’t be so judgemental. Dan and I are in love. He likes his ladies to be a bit on the mature side. Besides, I am still young enough.”
“I don’t like this.”
“Carson, darling. I need you to keep this a secret from your parents. They might not approve and, well, you know. Ever since my parents died they have felt responsible for making sure that I am alright.”
Carson stared ahead of himself, out of the window. There was a balcony on the other side. It overlooked the town square. He could see the massive clock on the top of the Town Hall from here. It was late.
“I won’t tell. If you tell me everything that you know about Dan.”
His cousin leaned in closer then, so her mouth was almost pressed up against his ear. She giggled slightly, and moved her hand onto his arm.
“Carson, darling. You know that I can’t do that, but maybe there is something else that I could do for you. Have you ever kissed a girl before, cousin?”
He gulped.
“Y- Yes. Three years ago.”
She crooned.
“Was it a proper kiss? Is there a girl that you would like to give a proper kiss to?”
He nodded.
“What is her name, darling cousin.”
“Her name is Kylie.”
She smiled.
“That is a pretty name. Is she a pretty girl?”
He nodded again.
“Then let me show you what you should do to her, cousin dear.”
It only took a few seconds for Laura to have him pinned back on the sofa, her legs on either side of his, her fingers moving slowly down her chest.
“I- I don’t want this.”
She smiled.
“Just pretend I’m Kylie, baby.”
“I don’t want to pretend. I want you to help me get her. Then I won’t tell anybody about anything that you told me.”
She smiled down at him.
“Good.”
-
“You let me give you handjobs despite knowing this? How fucking sick are you?”
"I- I didn't know at the time. I swear."
Starla stood in the office of her former boss. She turned around to look at the large man stood by the door. He wore the dark tinted glasses that she had come to associate with him. He was the only other person in the room asides for her and the man that had got the large man to bring her here.
He was at his desk, his head in his hands. He had just explained the truth about their intimate relationship. He was her former boss. He had been one of the men that she had seduced to then blackmail at some point in the future. She hadn’t known the truth about him. She hadn’t know who he was in truth. She had just known him as Frank Claas, the legendary mob boss that ruled the town of Wiki.
She hadn’t known that he was her father.
-
Jamahl was sitting in a chair. There was sweat running down his face. It was gathering in his beard and moustahce. There was an open bottle of scotch on the table to his left. There was one glass on the table, Jamahl had drained another and was still holding the glass. It dropped to the floor as his grip loosened. He let out a little whimper and tried to wipe away some of the sweat, but to little effect. He removed his police badge and placed it on the table besides him. Then he opened his mouth. It was dark, but he put something into it. There was a bang, and he crumpled down in his chair, blood staining the wall behind him
-
A piece of paper is placed on the table. A gloved hand picks up an ink quill, and begins to scrawl some writing down in a cursive style. The first few words on the paper read…
Dear maX
i Am sorry for My actionS. for everything i hAve done. it Was wrong, buT I was jealous. i killed banfa.