Thanks for the reviews! I incorporated one flashback, but I am really trying to move forward with the story so I am going to keep the B/R bits short. Don't worry though, I am planning to "recap" the story with a heavy B/R focus in later chapters.
Vancouver: 6 Days after Termination Day
"Does this mean I don't have to go to school today?" Katy asked as she opened the door of James' rental car.
"No, this means you got a ride to school." James replied.
"What's up?" Katy asked, "why are you waiting for me outside at 6:35?"
"I thought about the case, about what the detective said." James started, while turning back onto the street.
"And?" Katy asked.
"Has Robin ever told you the real reason why Barney, and her got married?" James asked.
"Not really, although I suspected that he'd knocked her up."
"Well, they got married so Robin would be a citizen, and didn't have to go back to Canada." James explained.
"That's even worse than knocked-up." Katy commented, "and explains why they didn't sleep with each other until after the ceremony."
"They had to do that because Robin got arrested." James continued.
"Yeah right…that was right before she got married?"
"You know about it?" James asked surprised.
"Not really, it came up during the game we played."
Vancouver: 3 Days Prior to Termination Day
"Were you ever arrested?" Robin asked, putting the card down.
"Yes." Katy replied.
"YOU WERE?" Robin asked, "when?"
"A couple of months ago, no biggie." Katy waved it off.
"No biggie? Are you kidding? What for Katy? And why has no-one told me this?" Robin asked.
"Oh please, as if Katy knows about your arrest." Barney commented.
"What? No way!" Katy exclaimed.
"Way." Barney grinned.
"You were arrested? What for?"
"Thanks." Robin shook her head at Barney.
"Did you have to bail her out?" Katy asked him.
"No he did not have to bail me out. They released me after a couple of hours." Robin explained.
"A couple of hours? They kept you?" Katy asked.
"She joined a gang, and got a tattoo, and everything." Barney joked.
Robin turned around to him, "you got to talk."
"Me? I've never been in trouble with the cops." Barney defended himself.
Robin gave him a funny look, "and Sierra Leone?"
"You know about that?" Barney was clearly surprised.
"What happened in Sierra Leone?" Katy asked interested.
Barney, and Robin looked at each other for a few more seconds before Barney turned away, and said, "fine, I've been in trouble with the cops before too. One night, I got really drunk, and accidently peed on a church…had to do community service for that one."
Vancouver: 6 Days after Termination Day
"I couldn't stop laughing, and we dropped the topic afterwards." Katy said.
"But she never told you what she was arrested for?" James asked.
"Nope. I figured it was something silly...a bar fight or so," Katy replied.
"It seems as if she was arrested for threatening to kill someone, and for possession of an unregistered firearm. I was hoping you could tell me more about that incident."
Katy shook her head, "no, sorry. We didn't talk about that."
New York: 6 Days after Termination Day
Lily didn't know more about Robins arrest either, and since Ted wasn't picking up his phone, Marshall decided to head over to UltraCell, and try to talk to Barney's boss.
He never made it past the front desk though.
Apparently, the floor where Barney, and Bilson's offices were was off limit for visitors. You could only get up there if invited, and the guy refused to call Bilson, and ask if he wanted to see Marshall anyways.
"My friend is missing, he's an employee at this company too. Please, I just have a few questions." Marshall tried again.
"I am sorry, but only people who are either authorized, or invited are allowed up."
"That's ridiculous." Marshall vented.
"You could try calling him," the guy suggested.
Marshall stepped outside, and starred at the UltraCell sign for a second, wondering what the company really did.
He knew that James had access to Bilson's number from Barney's phone records, and so he texted him and asked for it, even though he would have preferred confronting Bilson in person.
Vancouver: 6 Days after Termination Day
"What are you doing here? You should go home Mr. Stinson." Detective Keller said as he noticed James standing in line to talk to the front desk.
"I just have a few more questions." James replied.
"Asking questions is usually my job." The detective replied, leading him down the hall, and into his office.
"Robin didn't kill Barney, that's just lunacies. I know her that her criminal history, and that arrest point into that direction, and sure, their relationship had some ups and downs, but neither one of them would ever hurt the other."
"What is your question?" The detective asked.
James hesitated for a second, not sure how to bring the subject up.
"You mentioned Robin was arrested for threatening someone, who?"
"Oh…I figured you knew." Detective Keller seemed surprised.
"Barney always said that the arrest was personal, that it was Robin's story to tell. So no, I don't know what Robin was arrested for, or who she threatened to kill that night."
"Do you want to hear what's written in the police report, or the rumor?" Detective Keller asked.
"Both." James replied, he didn't think he'd actually tell him the truth.
"Well the official version is that it came to an altercation between Robin and a guest in a New Yorker hotel lobby. She was arrested for carrying an unregistered weapon, and released shortly after. No consequences at all."
"But I thought they were going to revoke her visa?" James asked surprised.
"That's where all the rumors come into play, the guest was Judge Smith, and he was trying persuade Robin to go upstairs with him, she had other plans, they started struggling. A security guard called the cops, who upon arriving on scene, found the two still arguing, your sister-in-law was clearly worked up, and the cops ended up handcuffing her. They found the gun in her purse. Long story short, people are more inclined to believe a judge telling them that a drunk twenty-five-year old was threatening to kill him, then a drunk girl who accused him of trying to rape her."
James swallowed; he hadn't been completely on board when Barney first told him about the fake marriage, but after hearing this, he couldn't help but think that Barney had done the right thing.
"Why weren't there consequences? I mean, the wedding prevented Robin from being deported, but it certainly didn't make all the other legal problems disappear." James asked.
"You tell me." Detective Keller replied.
They looked at each other for a second, before James asked, "what do the rumors say about that?"
"There was a hearing, and afterwards the records were tweaked, and all charges were dropped. I don't know what happened in that meeting, but I think it's fair to say that your brother pulled some strings of his own."
James nodded, "probably. Have you talked to that judge?"
"I called the office, he was in New York last week…and he would be stupid to seek revenge, especially since there weren't any apparent consequences for him."
James nodded, he was glad that the detective had checked though. That still didn't tell him who the mysterious witness was.
"Your brother was clearly not as innocent as you like me to think that he was." Detective Keller said.
"Look, I really don't know what he did to intimidate that judge, but if anything, this proves how much he loves her. He would never hurt her, which makes your thesis about Robin snapping is faulty."
"Why would that witness lie about something like that?"
"I don't know, if I'd know who that witness was, I'd go, and ask myself." James replied.
Detective Keller leaned back in his chair, "Mr. Stinson, you have a family, right?"
"Yes, my son will be 17 months old next week." James replied.
"You should go home to him, I've dealt with many cases of missing persons in my career, and usually we either find them right away, or it'll be a long time. In this case I think it will be a long time until we find your brother."
"Look, I know I won't find them by walking around Vancouver asking random people whether or not they have seen them, but what if they were kidnapped? What if Robin is still alive, and they are torturing her? Barney would never forgive me if I didn't try everything possible to rescue her."
"And believe me, if something would point in the direction of her being kidnapped, I'd be out there searching for her, but it just doesn't seem that way Mr. Stinson." The detective countered.
"James…just call me James."
The detective nodded, "I know this isn't what you want to hear, and I get that. But it just doesn't look like they were kidnapped."
"Which means someone did a really good job." James muttered.
"No, it means that there was no one else. Something happened, no question about that, and we will keep searching for them, but I think it's time for you to go home."
James took a deep breath, "I can't just leave like this."
"I'll keep you updated on all new developments." Detective Keller promised.
James knew that he had to return eventually, he had already been in Vancouver for a week.
"Detective Keller? Jason Loufer is here." James hadn't even noticed that the door had been opened behind him.
"Perfect, we are done here anyways." The detective got up.
"Thanks for being so honest with me." James said as he shook the detectives hand.
"Are you going home?"
James shrugged, "there got to be something else I can do here."
"There isn't. I think asking the right questions in New York would probably provide more answers."
James wondered what he meant by that, while leaving the office.
"Go see your son James." The detective said, he was about to close the door on him, but hesitated for a second, "and also Ted Mosby."