Disclaimer: see first chapter
Author's note: I guess the previous chapter wasn't all that bad after all then? Thank you very much for the support. No Toby in this chapter. I've told you we are coming to the conclusion so this chapter gets the ball rolling...
Bree1387: Thank you! You are right of course, this is fiction after all.
BellaRide28: Hahaha! "The listener doesn't listen"... And another story? Who knows... keep reading! ;-)
SaraLikeMe: Giving him a hug might indeed not be the best idea. ;-)
Nightwatcher'sunknowngirl: All good things come to an end, don't they? Unfortunately.
Hala: The story's not really going very far any more, it's almost finished...
Enjoy!
Monday, old apartment, 8pm
Brick is pacing back and forth in the big room. Things don't look good. Victor got arrested only a couple of hours before and already the place feels different. The other gang members seem lost without anyone telling them what to do.
To an outsider the whole group looks like a tough bunch, but in reality they are only following a leader. There aren't many rules on the streets, but respect and hierarchy are probably the two most valuable principles. Victor is the number one, he's calling the shots and now that he's gone, people seem to wait for someone else to step up.
Brick knows that if Victor doesn't come back soon, fights will break out to establish the new pecking order. And he's not sure how it will all work out. Being Victor's second in command, so to speak, the others are looking at him right now but he also knows none of them respect him in the same way they listen to Victor.
All in all, this whole situation sucks. All he can hope for is that Victor is released within a few days. In the mean time what is he supposed to do with the cars? And then there's the job he is supposed to do with Tom and Richard tonight. And of course there is Toby, he still needs to call his friend back and show him some prove.
Brick makes up his mind. The cars can stay where they are until Victor comes back. It is too dangerous to move them now anyway with cops investigating and all. First he'll pay that Toby a visit, let him talk to his friends and then he can go and finish the job for Denver.
A few rooms down the hall Richard is pacing as well. He is supposed to play chauffeur tonight and he's told to wait here for further instructions. But then the cops came and they arrested Victor. Did they know anything about tonight?
When he ran away from home all those years ago, Richard had been living in the streets for a long time before he got in touch with Victor's crowd. The first few months had been great, he finally felt like he belonged somewhere, like people actually cared for him.
Nothing like home where his mother remarried some rich bloke only seconds after his father had died. The man had never shown any interest in his wife's first son. As soon as he could he had shipped Richard off to some fancy boarding school as far away as possible.
But with Victor Richard felt like he had finally found what he'd been looking for. Life still wasn't easy, far from it, but the guys had each other's back and Richard belonged to a family again. Then Victor started asking 'favours'. Nothing too big at first: pick-pocketing or stealing stuff in a supermarket.
When he met Brenda at the bar a few months ago, he fell for her head over heels. The woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. He knew he could never truly be with her as long as he stayed with Victor. So he told him he wanted to leave. That's when Victor suggested the carjacking to pay him off.
Now Richard realises he's been naïve to think Victor would ever let him go. And he also realises that if he goes through with the drug job, he will have lost his last chance to get out. Stealing a few wallets or a car even is nothing compared to drug dealing.
There is only one thing he can do. He feels stupid for not thinking about it earlier. But with Victor now out of the picture, things all of a sudden look clearer and simpler. After he checked no one's following him, Richard leaves the building, the file under his arm.
* * * * * * * * * *
Monday, police department, 8.30pm
Oz looks up as he notices the female detective leave the interrogation room. "And?" He asks.
Charlie shakes her head. "He's not talking. He's arrogant and he knows we don't have anything serious against him." When she sees Oz' defeated face, she continues: "But we still have over 20 hours to find something, so don't give up yet!"
"But you said you have found Toby's cell phone?!" Olivia says. "Can't that be used as evidence or anything?"
"It only proves Toby was in the building at one point. We can claim that Victor used it to find Oz' phone number, but really, anyone could have done that."
"And what about his fingerprints?" The doctor insists.
"Same thing. Victor could have picked up that phone at any time. He says he found the phone on the ground, but it was broken. He couldn't get it to work again."
"So what? He smashes it just for kicks?"
Charlie understands Olivia's frustration. "It is possible. There is no way for us to prove that he's lying. Or that he even saw Toby for that matter."
Every one looks up as Becker joins them. "We have a witness who claims he saw a fight in an alley behind the old block. When our people showed him Logan's picture, he's convinced that he was the one being beaten up and taken away in a van."
Olivia gasps. "Oh my god!"
"Why didn't he report this in?" Charlie asks angrily.
"He recognised the other two blokes as members of Victor's gang. He figured he didn't want to get in trouble and pretended he didn't see anything." Becker shrugs. "It's a wonder we even came across this guy."
"When did this happen?"
Becker knows his detective is not going to like the answer. "This morning."
"What?" Charlie jumps up. "You mean, Toby was actually in the building until this morning? That means he was probably there Saturday night as well, when we had a first look around the place."
Her boss nods. "Yes, probably. Look, there is nothing we can do about that now. But we do know that Logan is alive and taken somewhere else."
"Yeah and a hell of a lot of good that knowledge does us." Charlie sinks down on the chair again, rubbing her eyes. This day seems never-ending.
"And we have a number plate on the van," Becker continues, ignoring Charlie's comment. "I have all the patrol cars looking out for it."
The brunette gives her boss a small smile. "Sorry, sir."
Before Becker can react, the door to the police department opens and a young man steps on through. "I am here to turn myself in and I want to make a deal."
They all stare at the man standing in front of them. The man who it all started with. Within a few minutes Richard is escorted into an interrogation room with Charlie right behind him. Becker goes next door after denying Oz and Olivia's request to join him. Through the one-way window he observes Charlie and the young man.
"What deal are you talking about?" Charlie immediately starts.
"I can give you more information on Victor and the carjacking. And I even have some extra things to show you, but I want protection afterwards and your word that I don't have to go to prison."
The woman considers his request for a few moments. "I can give you the protection. As for the prison sentence that is not up to me."
Richard leans back. "I have valuable information, but I am not saying anything before I have your word."
"Look pal, you're already knee deep in trouble here. The fact that you came in here by yourself proves that you know that. We can arrest you right here and now for stealing your parents car." Charlie notices a hint of fear flashing over his face. "You can help your case only if you cooperate, ok? Just tell me what you got and I promise you I will do whatever is in my power to help you."
Richard hesitates. "I will need protection from Victor. This guy said he had friends with the police and he could help."
"Wait a minute. What guy?"
"I don't know! He showed up last Saturday, said he spoke to Brenda and wanted to help me."
"You mean Toby?" Charlie glances behind her at the dark window before continuing. "Where is he now?"
The young man shrugs. "I don't know. Brick hit him pretty hard on the head; I haven't seen him after that. Victor would take care of it."
"Ok, let's just start from the beginning. And don't leave anything out! This is you one chance." Charlie pierces his eyes before leaning back in her chair.
Richard tells her all how he got involved in the gang, how he wanted to leave when he met Brenda. About the carjacking and his mother. About Toby. "And tonight I was supposed to meet this guy and pick something up." He shoves the file over the table towards Charlie.
"This is the job you're supposed to do for Jason Denver?" She looks through the papers.
The man in front her nods. He looks defeated. "I am not into drugs. I couldn't go through with because I knew I would never get out after that job."
"You did the right thing." Charlie closes the file. "Right now, I need to know where Toby is. You have no idea where Victor may have taken him? He never mentioned some other place? Anything?"
"I don't know! It's the truth. Look, can you really help me like he said?" Richard leans forward. "I cannot go back now, they'll kill me!"
"With your testimony we can put Victor behind bars and then you don't have to worry about him anymore. But we can't do this without you, ok?" Charlie holds his gaze.
He nods understandingly. "Yes, I'll testify. Will I have to go to jail?"
"I am sure we can work something out. The DA will appreciate your help not only in this case, but also with the drugs." She looks at the young man. "What about your parents? Can't you go home? We can have a patrol car outside your house until the trial, you'll be safe there."
"No." The one word leaves no room for discussion. "I am not going back."
"They are your family, Richard."
"No, they're not." His eyes are cold now. "My family died when my father died. My mother doesn't care about what I do and her new husband hates my guts."
"That's not tr…"
"Yes! Yes, it is true! I am sorry, detective, but I am not going back. I am overage, so I can decide for myself. You cannot make me."
"No, I cannot." Charlie sighs.
"I thought I had found a better family with the gang, but I guess I was too naïve to see the truth." He laughs bitterly. "The only one I have got left is Brenda, but I doubt she wants to be with a convict."
"Don't be too hard on yourself, you are still young. You have got your whole life in front of you. Make something of it instead of feeling sorry for yourself. And don't waste your time with hating someone who will always love you. No matter what."
"Are you talking about Brenda?" Richard sounds confused.
Standing up, Charlie shakes her head. "A mother's love is unconditional, whatever you may think of yours."
* * * * * * * * * *
Monday, police department, 10pm
"Nice speech, Marks." Becker walks out of the room and follows Charlie back to the main office. "I didn't know you had it in you."
"If only I could believe it myself." The detective glances sideways at her boss. "You called his parents, right?"
"It's procedure, you know that."
"Yeah, quite the family reunion that will be." Charlie answers sarcastically.
"It's no longer our problem, Marks. We still need to find Logan." He points at Oz and Olivia in the corner of the room. "They should go home and get some sleep." And he leaves for his office.
When they notice Charlie, the two friends stand up. "And? Where's Toby?"
The detective pushes them back into their chairs. "He says he doesn't know what happened to him and I believe him."
"But what did he say?" Oz insists.
"You know I cannot talk to you about an on-going investigation, but we have enough evidence on Victor to keep him behind bars. It's only a matter of time now before we figure out where he is keeping Toby."
Before Oz can react, his phone starts ringing. "Hello?"
"I am with your friend now and you can talk to him so you know I speak the truth." An unknown voice says.
Putting his hand on his cell, Oz whispers: "It's them! The one who's got Toby."
"Shit, I forgot he was going to call." Charlie signs to a colleague nearby and apparently he immediately understands what she means. He puts some headphones on and disappears behind his computer.
"Keep him on the phone, keep him talking." She whispers to Oz.
"Hello? Yes, where is Toby?" The paramedic continues.
"Hang on". They can hear some noise at the other end. "Talk to your friend, but don't try anything stupid."
"Hello? Oz? Hello?" Toby's voice sounds tired.
Oz jumps up. "Toby?! Toby, are you ok? Where are you?"
"Oz!" His voice gains some strength. "Oz, I am ok! I don't know where..."
"Now you know, your friend is fine." The voice again.
"Toby? Hang on, let me talk to him again." Oz is nearly shouting in the phone now.
"No. You give me a hundred thousand dollars. Tomorrow night at midnight, you bring it to the fountain in the park. You put it there behind the bin and you leave."
"I need more time to get that amount of money."
"Tomorrow, midnight. Be late and your friend won't look so pretty in the morning." The voice threatens. "And no police!"
When the line is disconnected, Charlie turns to her colleague. "Anything?"
"He called with a cell phone and I managed to trace it to a hangar just outside town, near the lake." The officer smiles as he looks up from his computer. "I got an exact address."
