I really hope all the Italics and Bold text has transferred okay, it is really important in this chapter. -BADPENNY
Monday 24th November- 9: 36am
Bilbo twirled around on the desk table as the mind numbing boredom set in. I don't know if Bilbo would have actually descried being the center of a police investigation fun, but it was certainly better than sitting in his grey office and staring at a poster of a cat on a washing line.
There was anticipation in the atmosphere that Bilbo couldn't quite put his finger on. It was like the taste of the air just before a storm, you knew you shouldn't be outside but all you wanted to do was watch the lightning. Being in Thorin's world, so to speak, Bilbo could see what set Thorin apart from his team and the other coppers; he was tranquil in a forest of live wires.
People buzzed around him giving him side long glances of sympathy and pity when they thought he wouldn't notice: but he would always see. It didn't matter if it was a sideways glance over the photocopier or an open stare at his bruises, they were all the same and they all left him feeling raw and empty. But Thorin was odd. When he had cleaned Bilbo's cuts and scrapes the night before, he had been deadly furious and yet careful enough to protect Bilbo from his anger, it was not a look that was filled with pity.
"Baggins, you got a minute?" Dwalin's gruff voice pulled Bilbo out of his dark thoughts. Bilbo looked up from the empty plastic cup that smelled like whiskey and looked up to find Dwalin's bulk filling the doorway. The man was taller than Thorin and even more intimidating, but Bilbo could see a softness in those amber coloured eyes which made him feel at easy.
"I'm not exactly busy," Bilbo replied evenly, shrugging his oversized fleecy jumper up a bit so that he could see his hands. He followed behind Dwalin, puffing a little as he tried to keep up with the tall man's pace and marched out of the main office to a room adjacent to the main corridor.
It was small and a little cramped with two desks stood at either end of the room and a photocopier covered with mugs pushed under the window. One desk was perfectly neat with all the paperwork in perpendicular piles and family photos covering about every available service, while the opposite desk was what Bilbo's mother would have called a Humanitarian Hazard.
Incidentally Dwalin sat behind the messy desk and kicked out a chair for Bilbo to sit on. Tapping at the keyboard a moment, Dwalin and Bilbo sat in silence while the DI stared intently at the screen and Bilbo stared at the heinous mess Dwalin called his desk.
It was covered in…Well, it was just covered; A dozen polystyrene coffee cups crowned the top of the computer monitor, several empty bags of Jelly Babies had been shoved under a bottle of lucazade, sandwich wrappers and empty boxes of cigs were haphazardly crammed between towers of brown files, and to top it all off he had a at least four open boxes of biscuits.
"About five minutes ago, we got a call from front desk to say that your Bert Huggins had just walked in and declared himself," Dwalin said in a dead pan voice, not looking up from the computer screen as his fingers danced over the keyboard.
Bilbo suppressed the manic urge to clean and looked up in surprise. "That was quick."
"Too quick, usually takes hours, sometimes days for our boys to pick an APB up. But he just walked in," Dwalin swung on his chair and began digging haphazdly through files, sending many crashing to the floor in a melee of paper and SOC photos. He pulled out a file and slapped it on to the desk before grabbing the computer screen and turning it towards Bilbo. "Recognise him?"
The picture was a little fuzzy, taken by the CCTV in the down stairs reception it showed a tall bald middle aged man approaching the custody desk not five minutes ago.
"I…I can't be definite, he and his brother looked so alike. They were spitting images of each other, the only way you could tell is through posture and…I… and I can't condemn a man who is innocent, I just can't take that chance," Bilbo stammered, wringing his hands on his lap as the real meaning of Dwalin's words hit home.
He held power in his hands for the first time in his entire life. Bilbo had never wanted money or supremacy, even the idea of having that kind of control made his stomach churn. To think, Bilbo Baggins, the man who couldn't pick which machine to use at the laundrette, now had control of a man's freedom. Bert hadn't actually done anything, apart from be an amiable dinner companion, it was Bill who was the real worry.
Sucking in a steadying breath, Bilbo tried to calm himself and clear his mind.
Innocent until proven guilty. Innocent until proven guilty. Bert was just another bystander in the run of bad luck that made up Bilbo's life at the moment. .
"Dwalin, I can't tell if it's him," Bilbo said stubbornly, leaning forward to grip the edge of the dirty desk as tension rippled through him.
"Alright, calm the fuck down. No one said anything about condemning. This just means that we'll have to do an observation," Dwalin snapped in exasperation, snatching up the telephone which had been hiding under an issue of Guns and Ammo, and jabbing at the numbers. He tapped his pen impatiently a few times as he waited for someone to pick up, he glanced at his watch twice and then at the clock on the wall.
"Bout' time. This is DI Fundinson, I hear you've got a Bert Huggins at front desk…." Dwalin listened as the front desk reported back to him. Bilbo noted how his shoulders visibly tensed. "Give him a caution and use full restraint if necessary. Is the Custody Sargent with him?... Right, I want him in Interview Room One, I'll be down in a minute….Well, put him in Room Two then." Dwalin barked down the phone, slamming down the receiver as he got to his feet and began pulling on a tweed jacket.
"What's going on?" Bilbo asked, springing to his feet as Dwalin grabbed up handfuls of paper work, sweeping past Bilbo and making for the doorway.
"I thought you said Bert was an alright sort of geezer?"
"Well, he seemed alright to me. Why? What's he done?" Bilbo asked hurriedly as he jogged alongside Dwalin, following the police officer down the long corridor and towards a door marked 'stairwell'.
"Something along the lines of disturbing the peace and abusive behaviour, got to hand it to the guy, for someone who handed himself in he's certainly going down fighting," Dwalin added as he descended yet another flight of concrete stairs.
"Wait…wait, hold up. Are we talking about the same Bert Huggins? Cause if we are I don't wanna meet the abusive violent Bert. Give me the one who told food jokes any day," Bilbo complained, panting a little as he tried catch up to Dwalin.
Reaching the bottom of the stairwell, Dwalin paused at the fire door and gave Bilbo a withering look. "Two way glass, the greatest invention for big girl's blouses like you in the 21st century," he stated dryly, pulling open the door and striding through, leaving Bilbo to look perplexed.
"I'm not a fucking big girl's blouse! I would just like to keep my head from being smashed in. Thank you very much!"
*0*
It was a disconcerting thing for Bilbo to watch unseen as Dwalin and the Custody Sargent led Bert Huggins into Interview Room Two. Standing in complete darkness was bad enough but having to judge a man innocent or guilty was worse.
Was Bert just a pawn in someone's game like he had been? Did he know anything at all?
Only time would tell.
Constable McLif entered suddenly, making Bilbo jump out of his seat. Jesus! He was a bundle of nerves.
The Constable put her finger to her lips, indicating a little patronisingly that he should be quiet and began fiddling about with the knobs of the recording equipment. Sitting with his back towards the two way mirror, Dwalin sat in front of Bert but just to the left so that Bilbo could still see Bert's face.
"This is DI Fundinson interviewing Bert Huggins in Interview Room Two. The time is-," Dwalin dug his phone out of his pocket and placed it on the table, "9:51 am on Monday 24th November. Mr Huggins-,"
"Call me Bert, please," Bert interjected in a pleasant voice, giving Dwalin a broad smile as he did so. Bert was just how Bilbo remembered. His head was shaved close to the skin but white stubble covered his pale chin. Bilbo couldn't guess his age, Bert had one of those faces that was aged and ageless at the same time. He was taller than Bilbo, but then many people were; he was average height, build and looks. All in all, Bert was a very average and normal person. His clothes were a set of beige chinos and baggy white polo shirt, finished off with a pair of polished tan moccasins. He sat straight in the plastic chair as Dwalin laid down a brow file on the desk and addressed him in a stern tone.
"Tell me about your dealings with Mr Bilbo Baggins?"
"Mr Baggins emailed me about his companies payments to my firm," Bert answered easily, smiling warmly as he did so.
"And can you explain the payments? From data Scotland Yard have recovered, we know that your company was receiving ten thousand pound a month from Green Thumbs."
"Finance isn't my division," Bert said smoothly, his smile never faltering off his face.
Bilbo could see Dwalin's back muscles tighten and coil, he leaned forward his chair, bracing his hands on the table in front of him. Bilbo was glad he wasn't in Bert's place, for Dwalin was truly a dangerous man to mess with.
"And what is your division Mr Huggins? If you knew nothing of finance why did you respond to Bilbo's email?"
Bert's head dipped slightly, his face falling into shadow and darkness covering his sunken eyes. "We needed to know," he whispered under his breath like a dry rasp catching in his throat.
Bilbo silently got up from his chair and placed a hand against the two way glass.
"You needed to know what?" Dwalin snapped, slapping his hand down on the table. Bert's head snapped up suddenly, his face sunny and all smiles again.
"I don't know, I don't deal with those ends of the business. I am just the face and the smiles, you know. The outside image of the corporation," Bert chirped jovially, putting his elbows on the table and resting his chin upon his hands.
"Do tell me what Red Dragon does, I would just love to know," Dwalin said tightly, his words clipped as he grounded the words with his teeth.
Bert ran his hands over his bald head and chuckled, his shoulders shaking as he did so. He pushed his chair back from the table and smiled warmly at Dwalin, sighing as he did so.
"Care to share the joke?" Dwalin asked derisively, crossing his arms over his broad chest and setting Bert with a cold glare.
"It's a pity, I kind of liked you," Bert chuckled before throwing his head back and slamming his hands down on the table. His mouth gaped and drew into a silent scream, his throat convulsed as his a fist was being forced up from his throat. Bert's face turned purple and his eyes rolled back into his head as blood ran from the inside of his clenched fist.
Blood roared in Bilbo's ears as the progressing events honed into crystal clear and terrifying clarity. He turned to shout at McLif but it was already too late.
"Bert!" Dwalin growled, jumping to his feet. Dwalin was at his side in an instant, checking for a pulse in the straining neck and pulling back the eyelid to see a dilated blood shot pupil.
"Call an ambulance! He's having a fucking seizure!" Dwalin shouted at the two way glass as he dragged Bert on to the floor and tried to get him into the recovery position.
"Fuck!" Mclif swore as she scrambled for the door but Bilbo grabbed her belt, snatching the walkie-talkie and pressing it to his lips.
"Help! We have a situation in Interview Room Two! Bert is Bill! You hear!" Bilbo screamed incoherently, hoping beyond hope that Thorin or someone would hear.
The world crashed around Bilbo's ears in a shatter of glass and rib cracking weight slammed into his side. Dwalin was thrown threw the mirror with so much force that he pinned Bilbo to the opposite wall. With a cry, Bilbo covered his ears and huddled over Dwalin's bleeding head as three gun shots ran out.
There was a scream, then a cold and chilling silence fell. The only sound that could be heard was McLif choking on her own blood.
Bilbo looked up to see blood pouring from the Constables throat as she slide down to the wall by the door. Bert was standing over her, gun raised.
No, not Bert, Bill Huggins.
"Bilbo, you should have taken my offer," Bert said in a cold husky voice. He bent down and cleaned his gun on the corner of McLif's uniform, then turned and stalked towards Bilbo.
"You shot her," Bilbo heard himself say, a numb feeling spread through his body making Dwalin's unconscious weight turn to lead.
Bert's head snapped to a side and he let out a high pitched giggle. "We did, wes' shot her" Right in the heart! Pity, she would have tasty bite," Bert shrieked as he wriggled down onto all fours and licked his lips in McLif's direction.
"I'm sure she was a very nice young women, once you got to know her of course. But was there really need to shot her in the chest? This is a clean shirt, blood stains are an absolute nightmare."
"Shut up Bert, if someone askes' for your opinion then speak but your silence improves the room,"
"Hah, you told him Bill, you told im' good! You should cut out is tongue to stop im' from making more racket, that's what, cut it out good!"
"You always take is side!"
"Tom, you make one more noise and I'll have Go Lem go and hide you away like he did Baggins over there,"
"You wont! You're bluffin'! Nah, anyaway I could take a scrawny maggot like him!"
"Really? Well, how abouts' Azog then? I'm sure he needs plenty of things to blow up in his spare time."
"You two are just hopeless. For one thing Azog is far too busy that stations power grid to deal with Tom now, and as for Go Lem no doubt he's got his work cut out taking down that Thorin chap'. No, if you want Tom handled properly, he's got to go to the best and that would be the Big Boss,"
The man was mad!
Bilbo watched in terrified silence as Bert's face contorted and twisted into three grotesque masks, his voice warbled and deepened and his posture morphed from four legged animal to hunched over man to feminine man.
Dwalin groaned and tried to shift slightly, but Bilbo stilled his movements by pressing his hands against his back and covering himself more over Dwalin's body.
"Whats' we do now then?"
"We wait until Azog cuts the power and then make it look like DI Fundinson just couldn't take the stress anymore. White Butterfly's all round I think. What do you think boys, quick death or slow death? I was thinking Columbian necktie,"
"Columbian necktie! Please Bill, that's my favourites. So much blood, too little time'"
"Do try not to get it on my shirt," Bert said as he turned once again to Bilbo.
Dwalin tried to move again and Bilbo had to hold his arms tighter around the DI's head to hold him in place.
Bilbo's mind was racing, his heart was skipping beats and cold sweat was running down his spine. In the back of his mind he noted that he had been holding a breath for some minutes when he found his mouth speaking.
"You can't kill me," Bilbo gasped out, his voice hoarse from his growing hysteria. Tom's face curled into confusion and his head snapped round and returned to Bill's cold stony features.
"Oh yeah, whys' that then?" Bill asked gruffly as he idly checked the barrel of his gun.
"Cause…cause, the Go Lem. The Go Lem said no one was to touch me. I am his. I am sure he would be very very angry with you if you did kill me." Somehow Bilbo made voice sound strong and certain, he nodded fervently as if he was merely discussing the cricket scores in the pub.
"No one said out' to us,"
"Well, I think I know him a bit better than you lot do," Bilbo snapped matter-of-factly, desperation and adrenalin sending cold shivers down Bilbo's spine as Bill lowered his gun.
For a sickening second Bilbo stared down the smoking barrel.
Bill let out a cold humourless laugh that mutated into a shrill shallow shriek, dying down into hearty chuckle.
"Well, we'll see how much he likes is' little pet when is' brain is making the wall a new shade of red,"
Bilbo watched, frozen in fear and trapped under Dwalin's weight as Bill/Bert/ Tom drew their thumb over the safety and moved to squeeze the trigger.
Click.
The darkness of the barrel was too much for Bilbo. He had had enough of darkness, and he certainly didn't want his last few seconds filled with it.
Bilbo closed his eyes and thought back. Passed the pain and the dark, Bilbo thought of comfort.
Bilbo thought of Th….
The air kicked out of his lungs and the ground flipped under him, his organs protested and blood hammered against his ear drum. The collar of his fleece was dragged and tore as a strong pair of hands hauled Bilbo up and away.
Up and away his body went, Bilbo's mind noting that red mist flew through the air as the opposite all came to meet him.
His head slammed and dented the thin plaster wall, leaving Bilbo's head spinning. His knees buckled and turned to jelly as he slumped to the floor. The world gave a sickening tilt, trying to steady himself, Bilbo covered his ears but the noise wouldn't stop.
Screaming.
Bilbo looked up. Dwalin's agonising screams as Bill stamped on the Dwalin's ruined shoulder. The DI was pinned helpless and in pain. Blood smeared the opposite wall where Bilbo had been sat and spurted from the remains of Dwalin's shoulder.
He had saved him.
Dwalin screamed again as, in a futile attempt, his tried to pry Bill's boot off him but Bill smiled smirked and kicked Dwalin in the belly, making his body wrench upwards and pull against the torn flesh.
Bilbo saw red.
He found a strength in himself that was born of anger and rage and all the pain and hurt that had been caused. He took that anger, that burning ferocity, and channelled it.
His hands closed around the hard metal of a fire extinguisher and swung with all his might. Bill swore and ducked at the very last moment, he stumbled over Dwalin's body and Bilbo pressed his advantage. Bracing his hands at either end of the extinguisher, Bilbo charged forward and pinned Bill against the wall.
The man gasped for air, Bilbo smiled and pressed harder as nails and feet lashed out at him. "Not nice is it?" Bilbo breathed dangerously under his breath, baring his teeth and savouring the pain crossing Bill's face and the man turned purple.
"Dwalin you still with me?" Bilbo called over his shoulder, not daring to glance away from the mad man.
"Will take more than a lunatic to kill me! …Bastard, I am getting too old for this shit," Dwalin gasped in pain as he dragged himself across the floor, his arm dragging uselessly behind him; he used the wall to push himself up and swaying heavily, slammed his fist into the fire alarm before slumping with exhaustion.
Red lights and sirens blared to an almost deafening volume. Bilbo could hear the sounds of distant scrambling from above. But he couldn't dwell on this small victory.
The lights cut and the room was plunged into darkness and silence fell. Behind him Bilbo heard Dwalin swear but didn't dare turn as Bill started to shake with laughter.
"You think you've won. You think your safe. But now is when the real fun begins. You're all going to die," Tom giggled in a sing song voice, his words held no warmth only vicious and blood thirsty intent.
Bilbo felt something snap inside of him. He pressed his full with against the fire extinguisher and leaned forward so that their noses were almost touching.
"Don't you ever even think of coming near my friends again, you bastard!" Bilbo growled menacingly, filling every word with as much hate as he could. Bill opened his mouth to reply but Bilbo snapped his head back and slammed it forward, delivering an almost fatal head butt.
In a spurt of blood, Bill fell as Bilbo dropped the extinguished, his nose smashed and knocked out cold. Bilbo stood over the body, giving Bill a kick in the bollocks for good measure before turning to where he thought Dwalin was stood.
"We need to find Thorin,"
Hey, just a quick word.
1. thankyou for reading and reviewing, it does mean a lot to me.I hope to get this story finished by this time next week because I am off to uni and doubt I will have time to finish it then.
2. Cookie for anyone who saw the Sherlock reference
3. Bill, Bert and Tom do have a genuis mental disorder but for the life of me I can't remember it. Anyone help with diagnosis
4. McLif is based on one of my OC's who makes appearances in Fateful Past and LPHD.
p.s. Dwalin is my favourite but should he survive, I shall let you be the judges