Chapter X
A NEW SCHEME HATCHED
"DUE to the lack of proper evidence, this trial is dismissed." The judge replied as soon as the Bailiff announced the judge's return. "Commissioner, if you wish to continue your career, I suggest in gaining the proper evidence." He paused to let the warning sink in. "Dismissed."
Harry was sure he felt as elated as Jessie did. Still keeping an eye on Tracy, he caught up with Jessie. "Would you like a ride home?"
Jessie turned, her expression freed from worry. "Yes, please."
Harry nodded. "Wait here, I'll bring it around." Harry headed in the direction of his car and followed a good distance behind Ms. Trinh. She looked thoroughly disgusted. Harry smirked. Little did he know the new scheme forming in her mind.
TRACY was on the verge of fuming as she walked to her vehicle. Her seemingly perfect plan was now total destroyed, or so she thought. As she headed to her apartment, she spotted Harry Vincent helping Jessie Atkinson into his car. Her lips twisted into an evil smirk. "Jessie will still pay," she thought. "Even if I have to go through her friend, Harry to do it." She grinned once more and continued home to make the final preparations on her new scheme.
"I NEED to make a run to the grocery store." Jessie said after they arrived at her home. "Fred only let me buy what was needed each day."
"I understand." Harry replied. "Why don't I make that run for you. You can stay here and get the place cleaned up a bit."
"No, no. It's fine…"
Harry stopped her mid-sentence. "I insist."
She sighed. "Alright. I'll write up a list for you." She returned a few minutes later with a rather short list. "This is all I need for dinner tonight. I can make a bigger run tomorrow." Jessie handed the list to Harry. "Do you know where the grocery store is in town?"
Harry frowned, in the mist of being a gentlemen, he forgot he was in a new town. Jessie chuckled. "It's really simple. It's only a block from here. Just go up the street and take a right and you should be able to see it."
"Okay. I'll be back soon." Harry left and headed up the street in the direction of town.
ENJOYING the nice walk all too much, he forgot which turn to take. He shrugged and went left hoping sooner or later he would find out if he was right or wrong. He found quicker than he imagined. As soon as he turned the corner he was confronted and his world exploded into darkness.
WHEN Harry awoke, he found himself bound to a chair.
"Don't even think about trying to escape. It ain't possible." A harsh voice in the darkness remarked.
"Who are you?" Harry asked the darkness. He received no answer. He nodded once. "Right. Okay, so what are you gunna do now?"
"Silence!"
Harry quickly shut his mouth. Whoever this person or persons were, they we're not going to be nice about whatever they were going to do.
The door opened and the silhouette of a young woman appeared. "Did you get him?"
"Yes ma'am."
"Good." She neared Harry and removed the cigarette from her mouth. "How nice of you to drop by for a visit."
"Actually." Vincent started. "I wasn't intending to visit anyone at the moment."
She laughed. "Well, that's funny, I certainly have been expecting you."
Vincent paused for a moment. "Well, perhaps if you tell me who you are, it may clear things up a bit, on my end at least."
She leaned close to him, but her face still remained in the shadows. "Now why would I do a thing like that? You should already know who I am, you've been following me around all day."
Realization suddenly snapped in Vincent's head, this was Tracy Trinh and he was about to enter in some major trouble. She smiled when she saw the realization sink in. "You disappoint me, Harry. You're not the sort of man I would suspect wanting to help out someone convicted of murder."
"She wasn't convicted. Weren't you paying attention?"
"You're more trouble than you're worth to me anyhow."
"I didn't realize I was of worth to you."
She suddenly appeared in his face. Her face was remarkably young and beautiful for some who seemed devoted to crime. "Who asked you to follow me? Was it that Jessie girl?"
He remained silent. He knew the penalty for releasing the identity of his employer.
"You expect me to believe you are doing this of your own free will?" She stood up and motioned to the other person in the room. The lights suddenly flicked on and Harry silently wished they hadn't.
The room looked like it had been taken out of the middle ages. Chains hung haphazardly on the walls and mold oozed out of the cracks between the stones. Harry shuddered as Tracy moved forward. "Now we'll see if you still wish to remain silent." She said in a harsh whisper. Her head quickly snapped in the direction of one the thugs. He was a heavy-set man whose clothes looked like they were too small and he still wanted to put them on. Unfortunately the intelligence factor did not match that of his bronze, a factor Tracy relished on quite frequently.
He moved toward Harry in a menacing manner, his attempt at grinning evilly looked more like a dopey grin. Harry shifted uneasily in his chair, which wasn't easy, seeing as he was still bound pretty tightly to the chair. He silently cursed himself for turning down the wrong alley, but realizing that there was little he could do about it now, he quickly shoved it aside.
"What are we gunna do, Tracy?" The thug asked while untying the ropes binding Harry's wrists.
She smiled a cruel and wicked smile. "Let's see. What could I do to get you to talk?" She asked aloud. "Ah! I got it. Bruce, bring him over to the wall here. We'll let him hang for awhile, until I think of something better."
Bruce dragged Harry over the wall that Tracy pointed to. He slid Harry's already swollen wrists into the rusted iron cuffs hanging at the end of the chains. Bruce then elbowed Harry in the stomach causing him to instantly sag and groan in pain.
Tracy chuckled slightly. "I believe a good 24 hours like that will open your mouth." She smirked and left, leaving Bruce as guard.
A NEW SCHEME HATCHED
"DUE to the lack of proper evidence, this trial is dismissed." The judge replied as soon as the Bailiff announced the judge's return. "Commissioner, if you wish to continue your career, I suggest in gaining the proper evidence." He paused to let the warning sink in. "Dismissed."
Harry was sure he felt as elated as Jessie did. Still keeping an eye on Tracy, he caught up with Jessie. "Would you like a ride home?"
Jessie turned, her expression freed from worry. "Yes, please."
Harry nodded. "Wait here, I'll bring it around." Harry headed in the direction of his car and followed a good distance behind Ms. Trinh. She looked thoroughly disgusted. Harry smirked. Little did he know the new scheme forming in her mind.
TRACY was on the verge of fuming as she walked to her vehicle. Her seemingly perfect plan was now total destroyed, or so she thought. As she headed to her apartment, she spotted Harry Vincent helping Jessie Atkinson into his car. Her lips twisted into an evil smirk. "Jessie will still pay," she thought. "Even if I have to go through her friend, Harry to do it." She grinned once more and continued home to make the final preparations on her new scheme.
"I NEED to make a run to the grocery store." Jessie said after they arrived at her home. "Fred only let me buy what was needed each day."
"I understand." Harry replied. "Why don't I make that run for you. You can stay here and get the place cleaned up a bit."
"No, no. It's fine…"
Harry stopped her mid-sentence. "I insist."
She sighed. "Alright. I'll write up a list for you." She returned a few minutes later with a rather short list. "This is all I need for dinner tonight. I can make a bigger run tomorrow." Jessie handed the list to Harry. "Do you know where the grocery store is in town?"
Harry frowned, in the mist of being a gentlemen, he forgot he was in a new town. Jessie chuckled. "It's really simple. It's only a block from here. Just go up the street and take a right and you should be able to see it."
"Okay. I'll be back soon." Harry left and headed up the street in the direction of town.
ENJOYING the nice walk all too much, he forgot which turn to take. He shrugged and went left hoping sooner or later he would find out if he was right or wrong. He found quicker than he imagined. As soon as he turned the corner he was confronted and his world exploded into darkness.
WHEN Harry awoke, he found himself bound to a chair.
"Don't even think about trying to escape. It ain't possible." A harsh voice in the darkness remarked.
"Who are you?" Harry asked the darkness. He received no answer. He nodded once. "Right. Okay, so what are you gunna do now?"
"Silence!"
Harry quickly shut his mouth. Whoever this person or persons were, they we're not going to be nice about whatever they were going to do.
The door opened and the silhouette of a young woman appeared. "Did you get him?"
"Yes ma'am."
"Good." She neared Harry and removed the cigarette from her mouth. "How nice of you to drop by for a visit."
"Actually." Vincent started. "I wasn't intending to visit anyone at the moment."
She laughed. "Well, that's funny, I certainly have been expecting you."
Vincent paused for a moment. "Well, perhaps if you tell me who you are, it may clear things up a bit, on my end at least."
She leaned close to him, but her face still remained in the shadows. "Now why would I do a thing like that? You should already know who I am, you've been following me around all day."
Realization suddenly snapped in Vincent's head, this was Tracy Trinh and he was about to enter in some major trouble. She smiled when she saw the realization sink in. "You disappoint me, Harry. You're not the sort of man I would suspect wanting to help out someone convicted of murder."
"She wasn't convicted. Weren't you paying attention?"
"You're more trouble than you're worth to me anyhow."
"I didn't realize I was of worth to you."
She suddenly appeared in his face. Her face was remarkably young and beautiful for some who seemed devoted to crime. "Who asked you to follow me? Was it that Jessie girl?"
He remained silent. He knew the penalty for releasing the identity of his employer.
"You expect me to believe you are doing this of your own free will?" She stood up and motioned to the other person in the room. The lights suddenly flicked on and Harry silently wished they hadn't.
The room looked like it had been taken out of the middle ages. Chains hung haphazardly on the walls and mold oozed out of the cracks between the stones. Harry shuddered as Tracy moved forward. "Now we'll see if you still wish to remain silent." She said in a harsh whisper. Her head quickly snapped in the direction of one the thugs. He was a heavy-set man whose clothes looked like they were too small and he still wanted to put them on. Unfortunately the intelligence factor did not match that of his bronze, a factor Tracy relished on quite frequently.
He moved toward Harry in a menacing manner, his attempt at grinning evilly looked more like a dopey grin. Harry shifted uneasily in his chair, which wasn't easy, seeing as he was still bound pretty tightly to the chair. He silently cursed himself for turning down the wrong alley, but realizing that there was little he could do about it now, he quickly shoved it aside.
"What are we gunna do, Tracy?" The thug asked while untying the ropes binding Harry's wrists.
She smiled a cruel and wicked smile. "Let's see. What could I do to get you to talk?" She asked aloud. "Ah! I got it. Bruce, bring him over to the wall here. We'll let him hang for awhile, until I think of something better."
Bruce dragged Harry over the wall that Tracy pointed to. He slid Harry's already swollen wrists into the rusted iron cuffs hanging at the end of the chains. Bruce then elbowed Harry in the stomach causing him to instantly sag and groan in pain.
Tracy chuckled slightly. "I believe a good 24 hours like that will open your mouth." She smirked and left, leaving Bruce as guard.