The clank sound of the salmon ladder greeted Felicity when she entered the foundry. She sighed, knowing tonight wasn't going to be easy. Oliver on the salmon ladder meant he was in a mood. Not that she blamed him for being mad. Matheus did get away with murdering a child. At least he thought he did. Luckily for their team, she had some news. She ventured down the steps and into the open area of the foundry.
Oliver was hanging from the bottom rung of the salmon ladder. Sweat tricked down his chest and his breaths were harsh. He's been doing this for awhile. She set her purse on her desk and grabbed her tablet from inside.
"I have news," she told him. He dropped down from the ladder and grabbed his towel off the floor. As he walked toward her, wiping sweat from his chest, she forced herself to remain focused on her tablet.
"What do you have?" He asked once he stopped in front of her.
She flipped her tablet over for him to view. "I found video of the car that picked up Matheus."
He gripped the tablet, looking closely at the video feed she found from a traffic camera. "Did you run the plates?"
Felicity rolled her eyes, deciding to let that question go. "Of course." She triumphantly pulled out a piece of paper from her pocket. "The license plate is registered to Leo Jones in the Glades."
Oliver actually smiled at that news. Perhaps the smile was a little devious, but it was better than the scowl that marred his features for the past few days. "So I guess Leo Jones will get a visit from the Arrow tonight?"
Oliver's jaw clenched as he stared at the address. "Yes."
Oliver stopped his motorcycle in front of the building Felicity said Leo Jones lived in. It was a nondescript building, brick and boring.
"Oliver," Felicity called over the comms. "Are you there?"
"Yes," he whispered. "Where are Digg and Roy?"
"Right here," Digg replied, walking from the alleyway next to building. "The kid decided to take care of a robbery a couple of blocks over."
Oliver nodded his head. Roy was starting to take on more and more. "Leo Jones is on the fifth floor."
There was a fire escape along the side of the building. The window that belonged to Jones was lit. He was home.
Felicity waited anxiously in the basement of Verdant for any word from Oliver and Digg. They turned off their comms as soon as they began climbing the fire escape. She had protested, not wanting them to be without backup. What if Leo had a gun? What if police were nearby? Oliver cut off her protests, telling her he didn't want her to hear what he and Digg were going to do to Jones.
She just hoped Oliver didn't kill him.
Oliver looked down at the whimpering man tied to the chair in front of him and felt nothing. Leo Jones had blood running from his nose, his eyes were swelling and a couple of ribs were broken. A cold rage filled his veins and kept him from feeling any remorse for the pain he and Digg were inflicting on the man.
"Where did you take the body?" He demanded again.
Jones wept as he shook his head. "I don't know. I'm telling ya. I have no idea."
Oliver looked over at Digg, seeking his opinion. Did he believe him? Did he really have no idea where they took the boy's body off to?
Digg nodded his head slightly. Jones was at his end. He was just a low-level crook.
"Who else was with you in the car?" Digg asked. His fists were balled, waiting.
"If I tell you they'll kill me," he cried.
Digg leaned down until he was in his face. "Look at me," he demanded. When Jones looked up at him, fear bright in his eyes, Digg pointed over to Oliver. "My friend here will kill you. And I won't stop him."
Jones looked over at Oliver, who was dressed as the Arrow. He couldn't see his eyes, since they were obscured by a mask and his hood. His jaw was clenched and his hand was gripping his bow tightly. Though the Arrow wasn't known for killing any longer, he recalled the bodies that littered the streets when he started. Right now he looked like he wanted to cause him serious harm. If he didn't tell him what he wanted to know, he was dead. If he did tell him, he'd have time to skip town before Matheus found out.
"I swear, I didn't know there was a dead kid," he told them. "I don't mess with kids. Matheus pressed the panic button on his phone and his deputy sent me out."
Flashback
Leo should have listened to his mother. She told him to go to dental school. It was safe and he'd make a good living. Instead he was the driver for a crook. The money was okay and he did get to have a taste of the merchandise occasionally. It was the biggest perk of the job. All he had to do was drive and keep his mouth shut.
That night Matheus activated the panic button on his phone. Within 30 seconds they were out the door and in the car. Five minutes later they pulled up to where Matheus was. His second in command, Colin Fitzpatrick, told him to stay in the car. Leo could see Matheus on the ground, gripping his leg. He couldn't hear what he was saying to Colin, but whatever it was, it was serious. Matheus kept pointing aggressively over at the sidewalk. He saw Colin walk over and then come back over. He should have learned to read lips.
Colin walked back over to the car, bypassing the doors, and opened the trunk. To this day, Leo had no idea what was in the trunk. He was forbidden from looking. Since he valued his life, he left it alone.
He watched as Colin walked back over to the sidewalk. He couldn't see what he was getting, but he had an idea. He had a body bag. Someone was dead over there. They were getting rid of a body. He turned his head and focused on the street. If he wanted to stay alive and not end up in a body bag in the trunk, he was keeping his nose out of it.
End Flashback
Oliver wanted nothing more than to snap the neck of Leo Jones. Grip his neck and squeeze the life out of him. But he wouldn't. He'd let the scum live. He looked over at Digg and nodded his head. Jones didn't see his fist coming. One minute he was blubbering his pitiful excuse and the next he went flying back in the chair, knocked out.
Reactivating his comm, he looked around the room to make sure they didn't leave anything behind. "Felicity."
"Finally!" Felicity gasped. "I've been worried sick."
"We're heading back," he told her. "And we're fine."
She snorted. "The last time you told met hat, you had a cut that needed ten stitches."
"He's telling the truth," Digg assured her. "Make the call to the police."
They quickly made their way back out the window and down the fire escape. They had a new name and were one step closer to finding out where Matheus took the kids body.
Oliver swung his leg over his motorcycle and started it. He could hear Felicity muttering to herself through his comm and felt some of his stress melt away. Through all of this, she had been his touchstone. She somehow managed to keep him from finding Matheus again and killing him. She brought a ray of light to his life he never thought he would find or deserve. Before he could allow himself to follow the line his thoughts were taking him, he had to get rid of Matheus and find that boy.
"I have a name," he told her as he revved up his motorcycle. "Colin Fitzpatrick."
