December 12th, 1978
"Dude, you can't drive! Your totally drunk, Mike!".
But Michael didn't listen. Smiling stupidly and waving, he took a long time trying to get his keys in the ignition. He didn't know he wouldn't make it past two intersection away from the house where that part was. Or that as he tried to stop, his wheels would skid across the wet road. Or that just before he hit the car going the opposite way on the other side of the road, he would make eye contact with the man he hit. Or that he would be the last person to look into those eyes.
Present
"Michael!" Mal yelled, pulling the old man out of his daze. Despite the fact that Mal had said he was going to help him, he still held his gun to him as he drove just in case. Mal pulled over and slowly turned to face the man. "Before we go any further, I need to know everything about who took Juliet".
"Like what?".
"Like their demands, how and when they took Juliet, stuff like that".
The old man's eyes briefly dropped "They said not to involve the police".
"Yeah, I got that" Mal spat, hoping the old man's mind wasn't starting to go "But it's to late for that. I am the police, and now I'm involved. What else?".
"He picked Juliet up from college about a month ago. Said I was at the hospital, and he was a family friend. She fell for it" he said hollowly "She's been missing ever since, he's only been keeping her for so long to toy with me".
"How do you know this?". Michael reached into the inner pocket if his jacket, pulling out a small slip of paper in a plastic bag and handing it to Mal.
"I got this in a plastic sealed bag in a envelope about a month ago. It told me every thing". Mal took the bag, looking over the demands. That the police aren't contacted of Juliet would be killed. That an exchange could be made, and innocent life just like he took, and his own.
"You didn't say they wanted you too" Mal said.
"What?" Michael said.
"They said 'to spare an innocent life, you must give another in addition to your own'". Mal pointed out. Michael fell silent, but suddenly asked in a hushed tone "Do you have a plan?".
Mal nodded "Are you willing to risk everything for her? To save her life?".
Michael responded "Your a cop, you do that every day for strangers".
"That's my job".
"And I'm a father" Michael said "That's my job".