FOUR

Prisoner 309271-otherwise known as Tallyn 'Toothless' Fury-looked up as the door of his cell opened and the warden walked in. Tallyn was completely relaxed as the man motioned him to his feet and levered himself up his feet. He was tall and powerfully built, his skin dark and eyes a piercing green. The warder watched him closely, motioning him to the hall.

"Where are we going?" Tallyn asked, his deep voice casual. He wasn't a stranger to the interior of a jail and though he was still on remand, he wasn't concerned.

"Your lawyer's here to see you," the warder told him gruffly. A tall, buff man with a thick black beard, the man's eyes tracked the prisoner in his garish orange coveralls as they headed to the next set of gates.

"Oh?" Tallyn asked. The warder frowned.

"You don't know him?" he asked and there was a shrug from the man.

"Court-appointed, I guess..." he said nonchalantly. "I'm facing a murder rap. So I guess they thought I needed a brief." They passed through another couple of sets of security gates and finally, the man was conducted through to a visiting room where the prisoner was led in-to see the lean shape of Hiccup sitting in the other chair, his dark suit cleaned, a fresh cream shirt on and his tie askew. His bruises were fading and his leg was in plaster but he looked up in shock and recognition, recalling the shape of the man as his consciousness faded. Tallyn warily took the seat opposite him as the warder retreated and left them together. Absently, Hiccup riffled though the papers he already knew by memory.

"Tallyn Fury-my name is Hiccup Haddock," the attorney introduced himself. The prisoner's green eyes widened and he gave a small laugh.

"Really?" he chuckled.

"Really," Hiccup said tonelessly. "Traditional family. I work for the Public Defender's Office."

"Get out of here!" Tallyn laughed. "Seriously-how did you get the ID, man? I recognise you…" Hiccup flicked his eyes up and glanced at the door, half-expecting the warder to burst in and drag him out for being an imposter. The truth was that the Defender's Office was so over-stretched that when Hiccup had checked in for work and volunteered for a straightforward open-and-shut murder case because he was still recovering from the attack, no one had raised an eyebrow, simply glad that was one off the overlong list. So he had managed to be assigned to defend the man who had confessed to murdering the man who almost murdered him…and who Hiccup himself had killed in self-defence.

"I am a Public Defender," he repeated and fumbled the ID from his pocket, showing the card to the prisoner and the man threw his head back and laughed.

"I sure lucked out here," he chuckled. "You actually are a lawyer…"

"Last time I looked," Hiccup commented sarcastically. The man frowned.

"Haddock?" he murmured. "As in DA Stoick Haddock, the most ferocious Public Prosecutor that Berk has ever had?"

"My father," Hiccup admitted evenly, his eyes watching the prisoner's face. It was clear to Tallyn that the man suspected his motives. But he burst out laughing again.

"That's rich…" he commented. Irritated, Hiccup shuffled through his papers and flicked his glance down the man's rap sheet.

"So you're no stranger to this place," he commented. "You've served three sentences for theft, assault and malicious wounding. Convicted once of attempted murder but cleared on appeal on a technicality."

"My favourite word in the English language," Tallyn commented smugly.

"And have been a suspect in numerous other offences not taken forward…" Hiccup continued.

"Yeah-I guess your Daddy didn't want to waste his time locking me up again," Tallyn snarked, lacing his hands behind his head. His sleeves were rolled up and Hiccup could see scales tattooed on the dark skin, making the flesh look almost like that of a dragon. His prison coverall was open at the neck revealing dark wings tattooed over his chest.

"He'd died by the time of your last conviction so I doubt he would be responsible," Hiccup pointed out. "Though, of course, you bear the final responsibility for your actions." Tallyn leaned forward.

"Do you?" he asked in a low voice as Hiccup stiffened. He looked up.

"I do," he said quietly. "But I needed to know…why did you confess to stabbing him? We both know you didn't…and if you had just called the cops, they would have assumed self-defence." The prisoner stared into the young lawyer's eyes.

"Because I needed to make sure he was dead," he said. "And finding me there with him dead…well, no one would credit I didn't do the deed." Hiccup frowned.

"Why not?" he asked as Tallyn sat back.

"You've read my rap sheet," he said obviously. "I mean, it's pretty obvious I'm a very bad man…and RD and I…well, we had a grudge that went beyond dislike…" The lawyer stared at him, eyes wide.

"Sorry?" he asked. "Could you explain a little more?" Sitting back, the prisoner's face closed and his eyes hardened.

"Red Death was a killer," he explained in a grim voice. "He terrorised the whole of downtown. He wanted something, he took it-and killed anyone in his way."

There was an awkward pause.

"Who did he kill?" Hiccup asked with understanding. Tallyn folded his arms.

"The mother of my daughter," he said gruffly. "He wanted her-and she fought back. He knifed her in the heart…just as he tried to do to you." Hiccup swallowed, images of the attack flashing before his eyes. Those frantic seconds as he fought for his life suddenly overwhelmed him and he began to breathe hard, his eyes unfocussing. Seeing his distress, Tallyn leaned forward, his hand resting with surprising sympathy on the lawyer's arm. "You okay?" he asked in a low voice. Hiccup shook his head, blinking and grimaced.

"M'fine," he said, pulling away as Tallyn sighed.

"I was following him," he said. "And looking out for his next victim-so I could help him. And maybe, get what I need in return." Suspiciously, Hiccup flicked his eyes up to meet the calculating acid green gaze of the prisoner.

"And what is that?" he asked.

"A favour," Tallyn breathed. Hiccup swallowed.

"And how much is that going to cost?" Hiccup asked baldly. "I am a lawyer. I know what happened. I cannot let you go to trial when I know you have given a false statement-and your confession is bull, first to last. I have to speak to the Prosecutor's Office and…"

"And what about Attorney-Client Privilege?" Tallyn asked him sharply. "I could complain to the Licensing Board that you breached my privilege!"

"You haven't told me anything-and I know you didn't stab Red Death because I did!" Hiccup snapped, leaning forward.

"So why didn't you come forward sooner?" Tallyn taunted him. "I mean, you knew someone had confessed. Surely you knew it was wrong?"

"I was in hospital. Concussed." Hiccup knew his tone was defensive and as he said the words, he realised why Fishlegs had suggested this was such a bad idea. Why there was a rule that you never defended in a case you were personally involved in.

"So why didn't you step forward when your brain recovered?" Tallyn was sitting smugly back now, his tone mocking.

"You have no idea…" Hiccup snapped.

"Try me," Tallyn taunted him. "Or do you want me to change my statement?" Head snapping up, Hiccup pushed himself to his feet, his jaw tight.

"No need-because I'm going to now," he said. "All I wanted was to make my wife happy, to see if we could adopt…but being charged with manslaughter, even in self-defence, will end that. But I cannot let you take the blame for my actions. I couldn't live with myself. I may salvage my career…but not my family."

"Wait!" Tallyn said firmly. "Look-I will make a statement on court…if you keep quiet until the case starts. You can be my defence attorney if it gives you any comfort…and all I ask in return for my silence…is a favour." Hiccup stared at him in defeat.

"I cannot do anything illegal," he said. "And I have to own up to my actions."

"Okay-but be aware of this," the prisoner said, looking at the lean lawyer and making his decision. "I was following Red Death to kill him when he attacked someone. I went out there to save a life-and take one. And though you fought back and saved yourself, I am willing to take the blame for an action I planned to do. Because he had to die."

"No matter what you intended, I was the one who slid the knife into his body and ended his life," Hiccup said quietly. "And I have to take the consequences…" The prisoner rose to his feet and stared into his eyes.

"Are you willing to die?" he asked bluntly. Hiccup blinked. "Red Death was a gang leader. He has followers who will be pissed that some nobody brief stabbed him to death. They may well come after you and your wife to remind everyone you don't mess with the Stoker Gang…" A chill ran through him but Hiccup managed to keep his voice steady.

"I have to do what is right," he said. "Even if it carries risks." But then Tallyn suddenly leaned close to him, his brilliant green eyes filled with purpose.

"My daughter," he said urgently. "Her name is Natasha. Natasha Anne Fury. My baby Natt. Date of birth 10/9/2010. Her mother's name was Ruth-May Kjetilson. She's been in foster care since her Mom was murdered…no fuckin' surprise because I'm not a suitable person to look after her full time. If I go down, she's lost in the system forever-with no one to check she is safe. I mean I don't have any family and my Ruth-May was all alone as well. Find her. Make sure she is safe. I got nothing…but a rich lawyer like you…well, people would listen to what you say. And you could make sure she's okay. No one is gonna listen to me. And she's just a kid."

Staring at him, Hiccup felt a shudder run through him. He wasn't sure what the man was asking but he was adamant that he didn't want Hiccup to speak up before the trial.

"I can make enquiries," he said cautiously.

"You do that," Tallyn said. "And I'll make your statement at the opening of the trial and you can say your piece then." Gathering his papers and limping painfully to the door, Hiccup paused and turned back.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked carefully. Tallyn grinned, his even white teeth gleaming in the light.

"I prayed for something as well," he said cheerfully. "And in you, I think I got it. I'll explain at our next meeting." Hiccup nodded and left as the prisoner sat back.

He had been tailing Red Death at a distance, waiting for him to attack some innocent so he would get his chance to save an innocent life and take Red Death's in recompense for his wife. But the skinny man had managed to save himself and all Tallyn could do was take the blame and save the man the hellish nightmare of having to defend himself for fighting to stay alive. And his prayers had been answered, for the man he had saved was a lawyer, a man with a steady career, a good character and a wife looking to adopt.

And for Tallyn Fury-the criminal Toothless-when all his prayers had been ignored, this final one seemed to be finally being answered.

oOo

Heading back not to the office but to the main Berk Police Station, Hiccup exploited his professional ID and limped through security on his crutches until he reached the records office. Carefully, he sought through the files and found the folder on the murder of Ruth-May Kjetilson. There was depressingly little and what he read gave him cause for concern: the woman was found stabbed in the kitchen of her small, first floor apartment in the poorest dockside part of town. The only suspect was her estranged partner-Tallyn Fury. But there was no physical evidence to link him. The window had been broken in and there was evidence of a struggle…but there was nothing they could use to ever have any prospect of a prosecution.

Turning the page over, he read Tallyn's interview and, having met the man, he could almost hear the man speaking the words, hotly denying killing Ruth-May and telling the cop interviewing him who had done the deed. The underworld would have known, of course-but Red Death was powerful and had left no evidence. And his protestations had been wild and angry, the reaction of a man furious at the wrong done to him and wanting revenge for the death of his wife.

Making copious notes, he replaced the file and then headed back to the office-before he began the long and frustrating process of finding out what had happened to Natasha. The girl had been taken into the system and placed in a foster home on the death of her mother, since her father wasn't considered suitable…but that meant the child was ripped away from her home and everyone she knew in an instant while wrestling with the devastating grief at losing her mother so brutally. And the Department Of Children's Services was a bureaucratic nightmare. Wrestling with his patience, Hiccup reminded himself he had navigated the way through these barriers before as he and Astrid had worked their way through the hurdles to achieve acceptance as suitable to adopt. Now he used all his skills as a lawyer, the names of Ruth-May Kjetilson, Natasha Fury and Tallyn Fury, their dates of birth, addresses, social security numbers…everything he could to finally find out that the girl was in foster care in neighbouring Raven Point.

Fishlegs looked up as he slumped back in his chair, his tie askew and jacket slung carelessly over the back of his seat.

"How did it go?" he asked his friend and winced as he saw Hiccup look guilty. "You didn't do it, did you?"

"He actually threatened to report me to the Licensing Board if I broke client-attorney confidentiality by telling them he wasn't guilty," Hiccup told him glumly.

"But that doesn't work when you are a witness-or the victim," Fishlegs reminded him. "Which is why you shouldn't have taken the case…this whole thing could go badly wrong…" Nodding, Hiccup sighed and closed his eyes.

"I know," he admitted. "And I fully accept and appreciate he is career criminal, a man who had committed some terrible acts purely for personal gain. But…why would he accept the blame for my action, Fish? Why would he take the blame for killing a man when he knew I was the one who did it?"

"He must want something," Fish said simply, making another note on his pad. Hiccup nodded.

"He does," he sighed. "He wants me to find his daughter."

Fishlegs gaped and sat back, chewing his lip thoughtfully as he inspected his friend. "And then what?" he asked. "You locate the girl, you then get him off, he gets credit for taking the blame for you, you put in a good word for him, he gets custody." Sighing, Hiccup shook his head.

"I locate his daughter, I confess, he is charged with perjury and obstructing the course of justice, he never gets custody because he's a career criminal and a suspect in the murder of the girl's mother." Which I don't believe he did.

"Which you don't believe he did," Fishlegs added astutely, peering at his congealed coffee. "I think you need a refill." He lumbered to his feet and wandered over to the coffee machine, his white shirt rolled up at the sleeves and his brown suit crumpled. Heather always joked that Fishlegs could crumple sheet metal but his wife and friends knew the husky man was the kindest, gentlest person they knew.

"I think I need a large dose of caffeine and probably an equal dose of sanity," Hiccup admitted, staring at the screen. The photo of Natasha was a poor one but showed a skinny girl with page-cut black hair, brilliant green eyes and caramel-coloured skin, her clothes scruffy. "Fish-that kid will never end up with her father-and is gonna end up lost in the system." Sloshing a large mug of horrible-smelling dense black coffee into Hiccup's 'Night Furies College Basketball Team' mug, Fishlegs cast a concerned look at his friend.

"I should tell you that it's not your concern-but you aren't going to listen, are you?" he commented, adding four sugars to his own cup and a large slosh of cream.

"Astrid is slipping away from me, Fish," the auburn-haired lawyer said wearily. "I love her so much but ever since we lost Finn…she's pulling away from me. She needs a child. And I can't give her one. We've been accepted for adoption…"

"You are not thinking that I think you're thinking-are you?" Fishlegs said sternly. "Oh, this is a terrible idea…" Hiccup sipped the horrible coffee he had been handed and grimaced.

"For sure," he admitted. "But I need to speak to her and tell her what has happened. To explain why I am doing this. Because Astrid is my wife-but also my best friend and she deserves to know." Fishlegs sat back and inspected his friend. His instincts told him that something strange was going on and that Hiccup was being used. The only question was-for what?

...

4/9 published 26/10/18