Chapter Four

Gale waited for the doctor to finish before questioning Tobias. Even though, he was examined behind a screen Gale caught glimpses of his tattoos. He even managed to snap a picture of his back.

"How is he doc?" Gale asked.

"Fine. A few stitches. Gave him a tetanus booster and I wrote a prescription for antibiotics. He'll be okay."

Gale stepped into the examination room as Tobias put a shirt on. He swam in the oversized shirt they gave him. "You can change when you get to the station. Your clothes are there." Tobias nodded his head. "Before we leave why don't you tell me what happened."

He shrugged his shoulders. "Not much to tell. Someone shot a gun, and I got in the way." Tobias' indifference got under Gale's skin.

"What did the guy look like?"

"I didn't see him."

"How did you know it was a male?"

"I don't, I just guessed. I'm ready to go." He picked up the bag with his bloody shirt in it.

"Why are you in New York?"

"Just visiting."

"Who?'

"No one. We're tourists." Gale and Tobias walked through the hospital ER doors and to the car.

"What's your relationship with Bethany?"

Tobias stopped dead in his tracks. "What do you mean?"

"She your girlfriend, little sister, friend?"

"I don't see where that's any of your business." Tobias picked up the pace of their walked. Gale reached out and grabbed his arm. "Listen son..."

Tobias jerked his arm loose of Gale's grip. "I'm not your son!"

They stood staring at each other for a few seconds. "Okay. No problem." Gale opened the door to a waiting police car and he and Tobias got in the back seat. "Thanks for the ride guys."

Neither of them spoke on the way to the squad room. Gale didn't want to start a conversation that could end any second. He wanted to question Tobias in a controlled environment. Preferably, an interrogation room.

"Here's another soda." Katniss placed the Coke on the conference table. "I just heard from Detective Hawthorne. He'll be here in a few minutes with Mark. He's okay. Just some stitches." Tris smiled and seemed relieved. Whatever their relationship, she seemed to care for him. "Bethany, is Mark your boyfriend?" Katniss could see Bethany bite the inside of her cheek. The question made her nervous. That didn't mean she expected a lie, just that the question bothered her. "Yes." She answered.

"Yes." She answered.

"He seems nice. How long have you been together?"

"Less than a year." The girl relaxed a little. "Where'd you guys meet."

The girl let out a sigh. "Where'd you guys meet."

"It was during..." She paused. Katniss expected a suspect answer, "during a party. A friend of a friend introduced us."

"That's nice. I remember dating in high school. So much drama. I'm glad those days are over."

"You married?" She asked Katniss.

"Yeah." Kat turned around and saw Gale and Tobias entering the squad room. "Your boyfriend's here." Tobias walked into the conference room. "How are you feeling?" Katniss asked him.

"Fine."

"Your bag is there if you want to change. Can I get you something to eat?" Katniss said.

"No, we just want to go."

"In a little while. We have some more questions." Tobias glared at Katniss. "Why? We don't know anything else."

"You'll be surprised how much you know. We'll be back in a few minutes." Katniss closed the door and left Tobias and Tris alone.

"Gale, learn anything?"

Gale shook his head. "No, but he's hiding a lot. And he's got a temper."

"Well, if he does, I don't think he takes it out on her. She doesn't seem to have any bruising, and she's not afraid of him." Kat's phone rang. "We'll interview them again separately

... Hello... oh hey Tobin, learn anything." She put the speaker on as their captain walked in.

"Yeah, they got off the train that they said, but they didn't get on in Toledo. We found a conductor that remembered them. They got on in Pittsburgh with a ticket from Chicago. They were originally heading to Washington. I'm having Chicago pull and review the video tapes. They're going to get back to me."

"Hey Tobin, good job. Thanks." Katniss hung up the phone. "They lied about where they're from. I'm sure they lied about their names and that they didn't know the shooter."

"Do you think they're running from someone," Captain Dever asked.

"Yeah Emma, I do. Don't know what yet." Katniss said. "Do us a favor while we're questioning them. Take Officer Tobin's call from APD if he calls. Have Darius check with the gang unit about these tattoos. Ask them to check with Chicago PD about the tattoos. They might be gang tags."

The Captain stared at her subordinate. "Anything else Sargeant Mellark?" Katniss shook her head. Emma turned to Gale. "How bout you Detective?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "No." She rolled her eyes before she walked away.

"Ready Gale?"

"Let's go." They walked into the conference room where the pair sat around a large conference table. "Mark, could you go with Detective Hawthorne please."

Tobias narrowed his eyes. He went eye to eye with Katniss. "Why?"

"Because we'd like to question you about the shooting."

Tobias took a deep breath and pursed his lips. "We told you we don't know anything!" Katniss' heart didn't miss a beat and her breathing stayed steady. There was no reason to escalate this situation. Not yet, at least.

"But we still have questions to ask you." She said.

He grabbed his bag and walked towards the door that Gale blocked. Tobias may be tall and muscular, but he was no match for Gale. Gale could easily take him. He turned back to Katniss. "We don't have to answer any questions unless we're under arrest." He paused. "Are we under arrest?"

Katniss walked a few feet before answering. "No, you're not under arrest. We just thought you'd want to help us find a man that hurt you and killed another."

"Come on." He said to Tris. "Let's go." She got up and grabbed her bag.

"Sit back down Bethany." She spun her head between Katniss and Tobias, her mouth opened but nothing came out.

"You said we weren't under arrest. You can't hold us." Tobias said.

"It's true. You are free to go. But Bethany stays."

Tobias stood, placed his hands on the table and shot a glare at Katniss like a laser beam. Gale moved close to Mark, just in case. "Why? What the fuck are you talking about? Why can't she leave?"

Katniss strolled towards Tris and sat by her. She turned around and looked back at Mark. His nostrils flared and his eyes narrowed. Would this be enough to set him off? "Because she's a minor. She can't be more than fourteen," Tris' eyes got tremendous and she turned beet red.

"NO! I told you I'm eighteen. I swear I am!"

"Gale, escort Mr. Stewart out. He can wait for his girlfriend or leave if he wants to." Gale grabbed Tobias' arm.

Mark pulled his arm away. "I told you not to touch me!" Before he picked up his bag he leaned into Tis and whispered to her to say nothing. He got up and left the room.

"Do you have any ID?" Katniss asked.

"NO, I told you I lost it."

"Okay, let's start at the beginning. Tell me why you left Chicago."

... knock... knock... knock "Cap, the boy took off," Gale said.

"We couldn't hold him," Emma said. "You know you have to call Children's Services for the girl."

"I'll get to it." Emma nodded and went back to her paperwork. "Detective Darius has something for you, he has Chicago PD on the phone.

"Thanks, Emma."

"Glad I could help." She sounded sarcastic, but Gale wasn't sure. He had a hard time reading his boss.

... knock ...knock ...knock Katniss looked up and saw Gale signal her. "Be right back." She closed the door behind her. The glass conference room let Katniss keep an eye on Tris.

"Darius has Chicago PD on the phone."

They sat around a speaker phone and listened. "One of the tattoos is a gang symbol. Dauntless."

"Tell us about them," Katniss said.

"They haven't been around too long. They actually got their start as some underground fight club. They started peddling steroids and now have moved into distributing other drugs. They're violent and vicious. They don't just kill those who get in their way, they torture them." Katniss now started to think that the two teens were running away.

"Most recently they're suspected of killing two members of Abnegation."

Gale interrupted. "What kinda gang name is Abnegation."

The Chicago cop laughed. "It's not a gang. It's some do-gooder society like the Salvation Army. They run soup kitchens, clothing drives and provide homeless services. They run shelters."

"So what happened?" Katniss asked.

"They started complaining that drugs were being sold in a housing project that they manage, and two of them were capped. Andrew and Natalie Prior. Husband and wife. I'm sending you a news story right now."

The newspaper article popped up on the screen. The picture of the two victims appeared. Katniss focused on the woman. Blonde hair, narrow face. "Resemble anyone we know?" Gale agreed.

"Did the Prior's have any kids?" You could hear papers shuffling in the background.

"Yeah, boy, Caleb, seventeen and a girl Beatrice, sixteen. Boy's at college. We can't find the girl."

"Any photo?"

"I'm sending a family photo now."

Katniss smiled, "Thanks. Hold on a second." She muted the call. "Gale, get all the info you can from Chicago PD. Try to find out about Mark." Katniss printed out the photo and left the conference call.

She looked at the family photo and then at Beatrice. She wondered how long she'd been running. "I'm sorry." Katniss said.

"Sorry for what?" Tris asked.

"Sorry about your family, Beatrice."

She lowered her eyes. "I'm called Tris."

"Tell me about the shooter, you recognized him, didn't you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Did he also kill your parents?"

Tris kept looking forward and without hesitation she said. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"What is Mark's real name?"

"It's Mark."

"Tris, I'm trying to help you."

"We don't need your help." Katniss thought with enough time she could get what she needed to catch a murderer and protect Tris. But she didn't have time. Leads go stale fast.

"Tris, please. Your parents are dead, a guy from Queens is dead, Mark was injured. Please help me get who's doing this." Tris didn't take her eyes off the wall in front of her. Pleading obviously wasn't going to work. Katniss got up and walked out.

"Learn anything else?" Katniss asked Gale.

"They're sending a list of known and suspected gang members. We can see if we can identify Mark and if anybody can identify who the shooter was." Katniss' eyes glazed over. "Hey, you still in there?"

"Yes Gale, I'm still here. Just thinking about a sixteen-year-old runaway whose parents were just murdered."

"Emma wants us to call ACS." Gale said.

"We'll lose control of her if we do that."

"We can't keep her in a conference room all night."