Tough Love

Part Two

During the ride to the police station, William slipped in and out of consciousness. He could see the padded walls of the carriage and hear snippets of conversation, but not much else. Despite his weakened physical state, he was living. He had come to Columbia for a better life not only for himself, but for Carmen. If this incident proved anything, it was that William and Carmen would've been better off on the surface.

The next time William opened his eyes he was in a damp, icy room. Everything was gray and when he tried to move his limbs, he found he couldn't. He groaned and looked down to see his wrists and ankles were tied to the chair. He turned to his left to see Obediah, Clem, Simon, and Drew all occupying a tiny, square room. Only Obediah was conscious with a bruised and bloodied lower lip.

Interrupting William's thoughts was the creak of the prison door opening. Six more men in black uniforms entered the dark room. The officer in charge was a man with salt and pepper hair and beard. On the left breast, William could read Lieutenant Santana. He couldn't have been much older than William at most.

Clem, Simon, and Drew all had ice-cold water splashed on their faces. As soon as the salt and pepper haired man stood in front of them, William turned his gaze to him.

"I'll make this simple for everyone," Lieutenant Santana said. He crossed his arms over his chest as his nine subordinates stood stoically behind him. "Just confess to being part of the Vox Populi and I promise to make your deaths nice and quick. Now who wants to start?"

"But we're not part of the Vox-" Obediah didn't get to finish his sentence, as one of the officers from behind Officer Santana stepped forward and punched him in the gut.

"Why did you attack the raffle? Where are the others?" Said another office, this one looking at Clem as he spoke.

"I don't know, I swear I don't," Clem said.

That same officer grabbed a fistful of his hair and pulled up. Clem gritted his teeth and glared at the officer.

William noticed as the other officers began to take charge, Officer Santana stood back. His arms were still crossed over his chest, but his eyes roamed everywhere but on the five imprisoned men.

"Liar," The officer who held Clem's hair spat. "You're Irish, you have to be one of them."

William decided to speak up. If these thugs were going to beat him, he wanted to fight back in some way. "Listen pal, I don't know where you're getting your information from, but I can assure you it's wrong."

A blond officer approached William and punched him in the gut. William grunted softly at the impact, but kept his brows knitted together.

"That isn't the right answer," the guard said, with spit flying into William's face. "Now what were you and the Vox doing at the fair?"

Idiots, William thought as he glowered at the officer. If this was how the interrogation was going to go, then this was going to be a long day.


As soon as Carmen saw the last carriage leave, she unlocked the door and opened it a crack. She listened and when she didn't hear anyone, closed the door. She then went to the attic door and listened for several minutes. When she didn't hear anyone, Carmen crept downstairs. She searched the entire house for any sign of movement and when she didn't find anything, went to her father's hidden weapons stash to ensure nothing had been taken.

Carmen briefly considered going down to the police station herself. However, she knew her father would've wanted her to act like everything was normal. Additionally, she didn't think it would be productive. She wondered why he'd been taken, and then it hit her like a bolt of Shock Jockey. Carmen raced to her room, where she had left her stack of telegrams. She rifled through each one until she found the one from Roy Fink.

Carmen growled in frustration at the empty air. Because Roy was a Fink, he practically owned Columbia's Police Department. If a Founder or relative of a Founder wanted someone to disappear, it could happen with the snap of a finger. Including locking up Carmen's father so that Carmen would be more willing to accept Roy Fink's proposal. She ripped up the telegram into a thousand tiny pieces, watching as they all fell to the ground.

If that's how he wants to play it, thought Carmen as she went to find a broom and dust pan to clean up her mess. Then two can play that game.

After Carmen had cleaned up the remains of the telegram, her stomach growled. She decided to get something to eat, until she saw a box at the foot of her bed. She did a double take in case someone had snuck in, but she knew after her father's arrest there had been no one.

Carmen sat on her bed and pulled the box into her lap. The box was large enough to fit six Murder of Crows containers into. The exterior of the box was iris and white. She noticed a note attached to the outside. As per her father's usual style, the note was short and sweet.

Open this whenever you want, kiddo.

Signed,

Dad

Carmen debated whether she should open it. After a short deliberation, however, she pressed the release button. Inside the box, Carmen would first find another note.

Don't forget who you are.

Carmen removed the note and looked at the photograph directly beneath it. The image was grainy, but she could still make out the man and woman. They smiled as the woman held the pink bundle in her arms. She squinted and noticed how similar the man's face was to the man who'd raised her. She folded up the photograph and placed it in her corset, before she reached for the Broadsider. She then read the second note.

And don't let anyone take that away from you.

Love,

William

Carmen dropped the note onto the mattress, too stunned to move. Why would William give this to her? And how long had he had this box?

These thoughts swirled in her mind as she placed the Broadsider beneath her pillow. At that moment, a knock came to Carmen's door for the second time that day. Her gaze went to the clock and she saw that it was 3:25 pm. He was early. Looking at herself in the mirror, she determined she wouldn't allow the Finks to have the last laugh.

I'm coming daddy, Carmen thought to herself as she fixed her hair and hurried downstairs.


By this point in the interrogation, William and the four other men were beaten and bloodied than when they'd been brought in. Obediah had several more cuts on his face and his nose was bleeding. Clem and Simon looked like they'd gone through cheese graders and Drew was unconscious. William himself had numerous cuts and bruises on his face. His shirt was tattered, blood gushed from his nose.

"You're making this harder than it needs to be. Just confess and this will all go away," Officer Santana said.

"Even if we were with this so called 'Vox' you keep speaking of, why would we tell you? You obviously plan to kill us," William said and groaned when he received another punch to the gut.

The blond officer looked to Officer Santana, who silently nodded. Half the officers left the room and eventually returned with a large, leather package and a small oak table. William heard it click as it moved, and the men placed it on the table.

The blonde officer took out a metallic object that looked like a combination between a cheese grader and a knife.

"I hope your wife knows you're borrowing her toe nail clippers," William said.

The blonde officer walked up to Obediah. He struggled against his binds and two officers held him down. The blonde man sliced the skin on Obediah's arm, flesh peeling off in thin slices. The skin was entirely removed from those pieces, revealing an angry red streak. Obediah cried out in pain as the three men backed away.

"See that?" Santana said as Obediah continued whimpering in pain. "You all are getting a hell of a lot worse if you don't confess now.

William's scoffed, "You're all mindless slaves. You know we're not part of the Vox Populi, which means Comstock has it out for all of us. We're here for your amusement, simply for you to torture until you grow bored of us. Or die, whichever comes first. Do you even know where the true culprits went?"

A brunet officer stepped forward and slammed his fist into William's ribs. He grunted in pain and glared at the other man.

"Shut it!" The brunet said, "All we want is a confession."

With that, he took out a dagger from the leather package and stabbed it into William's left shoulder. Again, William gritted his teeth as his shoulder throbbed.

Before either party could say another word, another police officer rushed into the room. He looked younger than anyone else in the room, roughly around Carmen's age.

"Lieutenant Santana there's a telegram from Albert Fink, sir," The young man said. "It's urgent."

Lieutenant Santana nodded and turned to the younger officer, "Thank you Officer Bailey, we'll take care of it."

Officer Bailey nodded and closed the door. Lieutenant Santana turned back to the five men.

"We'll be back and when we do, we want to hear a confession. Otherwise, you'll wish you'd been killed with the other Vox."

With Lieutenant Santana leading the way, the other men walked single file out of the room.


Carmen opened the front door to see a young man in a dark suit with matching short, dark hair. He leaned against a jeweled cane and joy filled his dark brown eyes.

"Roy you're looking as charming as ever," Carmen said, batting her lashes at him just so. She didn't want to overdo it.

Roy smiled, "Thank you. Say, do you know where your father is, by chance? I was quite looking forward to speaking with him," He said making an act of searching the interior behind her.

"He had business to take care of," Carmen said. "I'm sure you understand?"

"Indeed, I do," Roy said with a nod. "Did you receive my telegram?"'

"Of course," Carmen replied. "What about it?"

"Well I wanted to ask your father in person, but he's not here and it would be rude of me to seek him out when he's working," Roy said.

Carmen nodded, "I understand. Perhaps we could discuss it while we walk?"

"Certainly," Roy said and offered his arm to her.

She took it and they stepped out together. They walked past a carriage and went down the street to their left. Carmen could feel eyes on her as they walked, but she ignored them. A light breeze blew through her hair, and she tucked a stray dark curl behind her ear.

"Roy there is something you must know," Carmen said as they neared a park bench. She kept her voice down as she spoke. When he gestured to the park bench with his cane she nodded. "I lied about my father being at work."

"Oh?" Roy said, his eyes going wide.

Don't pretend with me, thought Carmen as they sat down. I see through your lies.

"Yes," Carmen said, worrying her upper lip. "You see there was a shooting at the raffle this morning when my father and I were at the fairgrounds. And I am afraid he has been lumped in with the Vox Populi," she said turning to face him as fake tears threatened to spill over. "I wouldn't ask this of you if it weren't important, but he's all I have. Please Roy, if I go with you, could you see that he's released?"

Roy turned away from her for a few moments. Carmen studied the way his mouth turned into a grin. Carmen looked away and focused her attention on the clouds around them.

"I would never want to cause you any grief," Roy said. He held out his arm to her and she took it, "But let me see what I can do. The party begins at seven o'clock and I will have Winthrop here pick you up a half hour beforehand, will this be acceptable?"

Carmen nodded, "Yes, of course."

"Excellent," Roy said as they stopped near his carriage. "And one other thing, no chaperones allowed." He then turned to an older gentleman

An older gentleman with graying hair stood outside with his hand near the carriage door. Roy addressed the man, "Winthrop, I need to send a telegram to my father."

Of course, you do, Carmen seethed as she watched Winthrop open the door for Roy.

"Very good, sir," Winthrop said with a nod.

"Until tonight, then," Roy said. He took her hand and gently kissed it, before he stepped into the carriage.

Carmen backed away onto her porch, before she watched the carriage rolled out of sight. Once Roy Fink was out of sight, she reentered the house and went to the kitchen. She figured she would plan how she wanted the evening to go as she ate lunch.

She wasn't truly interested in attending this party, but if it helped her father, Carmen would do it. As soon as she'd finished her salami sandwich, Carmen went to her room to pick out the perfect dress. She decided on one her father had given her for her last birthday. She could hear her father's voice in her head now, scolding her for even associating with a Fink.

Carmen then searched for a holster for her Broadsider pistol. Her father insisted she be fitted with one, but she'd never understood why until now. She wasn't certain if she would need her pistol, but her father had given it to her. She didn't think he would've given it to her if he didn't want her to bring it with her.


"Here I thought we were going to the guillotine," William coughed. "Turns out we're going to the gallows instead."

He hissed in pain as he jostled the knife embedded in his shoulder. Ever since Lieutenant Santana and his men had left, he'd gone all he could to remove the blade in his shoulder.

Just then, Lieutenant Santana and his six men returned to the door. Wordlessly, they pulled the dagger out of William's shoulder and untied him.

"You're free to go," Lieutenant Santana said as William gingerly put a finger to his left shoulder. "The charges against you have been dropped, courtesy of Jeremiah Fink. If you need a police escort to the hospital my men can take you." He then turned to the other four, "The rest of you will remain here until you confess.

"I think I'll pass," William said, knitting his brows together as he glared at Lieutenant Santana. He turned to give the other men a look, silently promising he would return for them if he could.

As he made his way toward the door, one of the officers held out a gauze. William refused and continued his way through the long hallways of the precinct. He called for a carriage and instructed them to the nearest hospital.

Throughout the ride, William tried to think of why Jeremiah Fink would want him captured. He hadn't done anything recently to piss Fink off, although Heaven knew that was too easy. He examined every interaction he'd had with Jeremiah and his family, and that's when it hit him. Jeremiah wasn't the reason he'd been imprisoned, it had been Roy.

The fact that he'd been imprisoned and framed for a crime he hadn't committed alone were enough to annoy him at best. The fact that Roy Fink had used him to get to Carmen made him livid. Of course, he couldn't have left if Carmen hadn't played into Roy's hands.

"We're here sir," the carriage driver said, interrupting William's thoughts. "Hope you get that shoulder look at."

"Me too," William said.

He handed the man some gold before he stepped out of the carriage. He made his way inside the hospital, hoping nothing happened to Carmen.

Fortunately, it didn't take long for him to see a doctor. The cuts were taken care of, in addition to the wound in his left shoulder. A nurse then wrapped his left shoulder in gauze and sent him home.

As soon as he got home, his suspicions were confirmed when he didn't find Carmen. From there, he put on different clothes and poured himself a bottle of rum. William sat on his armchair that faced the door and downed his glass of rum. As soon as it was empty, he refilled it.


Carmen eventually found a holster and put it on her bed for later. The rest of the afternoon dragged on and when it reached 5:45 pm, Carmen went upstairs to prepare for the party. She put on a sapphire dress with a sweetheart neckline and slight bustle. She added the matching top hat in addition to some gloves. She'd just placed her pistol underneath her skirt when she heard the carriage pull up.

Carmen grabbed her purse and descended the stairs two at a time. She locked the front door behind her as she stepped out into the streets of Emporia.

The orange glow of street lamps provided some light as the sun sank below the horizon. Hues of oranges, yellows, pinks, and plums decorated the sky above. There were a few carriages on the streets, but not many. She entered the one in front of her house as Winthrop held the door open for her.

"Thank you, Winthrop," Carmen said as she stepped inside.

"You're welcome miss," Winthrop said. He closed her door before going back to the driver's seat. The carriage then began to move. "My condolences about your father, miss. I hope he wasn't roughed up too badly."

I was right, Carmen thought as she clutched her purse. Her blood boiled as she thought about her afternoon with Roy. Outwardly, she met Winthrop's gaze and nodded.

"Thank you," Carmen said. "I hope so as well."

The rest of the carriage ride was silent, which was perfectly fine with Carmen. She could see the lights of Fink Manor from a distance. They were almost blinding as the carriage stopped in the nearly empty streets of Emporia.

The manor was three stories and what little lawn there was perfectly manicured. Carmen left her purse inside and thanked Winthrop when he helped her out of the carriage. She could hear music and conversation from the front door step.

Carmen picked up her skirts and glided up the steps. A black servant opened the door and Carmen nodded in acknowledge. As soon as she entered the house, she followed the sound of music to an immense ballroom.

Musicians sat in the far-right corner of the room as they played. The ceilings were high and one enormous chandelier hung in the center. Groups of teenagers conversed with one another as black waiters and waitresses passed around snacks on silver platters. In the center, couples danced on the floor.

Carmen scanned the room looking for Roy. She stopped as soon as she spotted a boy surrounded by numerous girls. As usual, Roy Fink wore a dark suit. She made her way toward him and stopped at the edge of his friend's circle.

"And here she is now, excuse me," Roy said. He pushed through the throng of people and stood before Carmen. She batted her lashes at him just so as he took her hand and kissed it. "Carmen darling, you look stunning."

Carmen nodded, "Thank you Roy, you look rather dashing as well."

Roy then turned to one of the musicians, "How about a slower song, Jared?" he said, and one of the musicians nodded. Soon the song 'Girls just want to have fun' began to play. Roy turned back to Carmen and offered his arm, "Would you care to dance?"

Carmen took his offered hand, "I would love to."

As Carmen twirled around the floor, she scanned the room. Around the floor was a large crowd of people, either talking or enjoying the provided nourishment. She saw Sara's eyes widen and she mouthed 'I'll tell you later', before she could no longer see her friend.

Carmen also noticed there were two exits to this room. The first led to the hallway she'd just come from. And the second was on the far left side of the room. She also noticed the tense expressions of some of the servants and how some of them kept disappearing and reappearing quickly.

Carmen and Roy danced for several more songs. They glided across the floor gracefully.

"Are you enjoying yourself so far?" Roy whispered, interrupting her thoughts. Carmen wanted to remove the hand around her waist and the one holding hers but didn't.

"Of course, it's very enchanting," Carmen replied.

Roy nodded, as if satisfied with her response, "I'm glad you're enjoying yourself." He pulled her away and then brought her in close again, "Carmen darling you dance beautifully."

"Thank you," Carmen said.

And just like that, the song was over. Carmen slowly pulled away. She figured she'd stayed long enough. Not only should her father be free, but

"My apologies Roy, but I need to freshen up in the wash room. I won't be gone long," Carmen said.

"Of course," Roy nodded. He pointed through the exit in the back-left corner of the room. "Exit through that hallway and stop on the first door on your right. You can't miss it."

"Thank you," Carmen said, and made her way toward the exit.

One of the black servants opened one of the doors and Carmen thanked him. She saw the labeled doors in the dimly lit hallway and her eyes searched for any other doors as she took a few hesitant steps past the bathroom.

Carmen saw a door at the very end of the hallway. Through the window of that door, she could see the night sky. She hurried there and as quietly as she could, opened the door. The orange emanating from the street lamps seemed even brighter than earlier.

From the back porch, Carmen could still see Winthrop and other servants milling about. She hurried him to and he turned toward her.

"Excuse me Winthrop, but I must be leaving," Carmen said. "My father is expecting me."

"Of course," Winthrop said and led her toward the carriage. He helped her inside before he closed the door.

As the carriage began to move, Carmen felt a knot form in her stomach. Her father, if he'd been freed, would be furious when she got home. She clutched her purse tighter the closer they got to Emporia. She could feel her pulse in her ears and even in her gloves, she could feel perspiration on her hands. She hoped he was in bed fast asleep, and wouldn't hear her come in. Somehow, she doubted that.

As soon as the carriage pulled up to her pear green house in Emporia, it stopped. Winthrop once again helped her out of the carriage and she thanked him. She waited until the carriage had left, before she made her way inside. She noticed the lights were off, which made her relax slightly.

Once Carmen stepped through the gate, she locked it. She pulled out her house key and placed it into the lock. She opened the door and turned on the light, before her keys fell to the ground.