Arlington, Texas, HQ Three, 2019
Over the entire course of his forty year career as Police Chief of Arlington's 4th district, Archibald Blithe had yet to come across an FBI agent who didn't regard him or anyone else not holding a federal badge, with immediate disdain. Agent Adrian Williams was no exception.
The argument over whether to release Luke Sutherland had been brewing in Archie's office for over an hour and the standoff between Williams and Martinelli seemed no closer to conclusion. As far as Archie was concerned, the District Attorney was spot-on; Sutherland was just an average blue-collar Joe caught up in the wrong place at the wrong time.
For the life of him, Archie couldn't work out exactly why Agent Williams had such a bone to grind with Sutherland; other than some macho need to stamp his authority.
Urinate up a tree like a dumb dog!
"Come on, Williams!" Martinelli was saying. "This is bullshit and you know it!"
"What's 'bullshit'..." Williams countered, "...is youusing your position to interfere with justice! Why are you here anyway?"
"Because Luke's a friend of mine."
"Be that as it may, your friend pulled a gun on me…"
An angry Martinelli stood swiftly from his chair. Both Archie and Williams grimaced as the metal legs scrapped along the linoleum floor.
"Oh for Christ's sake!" he yelled. "Luke did not pull a gun on you. He pulled a gun on the unknown armed men, who stormed his office with automatic fucking weapons! You trying to tell me you'd have reacted any differently?"
Williams folded his arms. "We identified ourselves. And anyway… call it a hunch, sixth sense, whatever… But I've got a feeling about this guy. Something in his eyes." He leaned forward to drum his point. "And my hunches are almost always right!"
"Something in his eyes?" Martinelli shot back. "You some kind of clairvoyant?"
Archie decided to step in before the two of them ended up in a punch up on the floor. "Look, Adrian... May I call you Adrian?"
Williams disapprovingly frowned, but nodded.
"I've known Tom for many a year now; and if he says this Luke guy is okay, then he's okay. You can trust the man's judgment. You have my word on that. Do we really need to waste precious law resources on something so cut and dry? Besides, Sutherland will be released into Tom's custody. The man has a life here. A clean record. He's not going anywhere."
Williams narrowed his eyes at Martinelli. "You're fighting pretty hard for this one. Why is that?"
Martinelli returned Williams' gaze with a serious expression. "I owe him. He helped me over a rough patch, when he fixed up my car."
Williams flung himself back in the chair, hands flying upward. "Well! There you have it! He fixed your car! Whoopee for him! Let's let him loose on the world!" But even as he said this, it was clear his resolve was flagging.
"Look," Archie reasoned. "You got the guys you came for. Sutherland wasn't even under surveillance, right?"
Williams nodded and sighed. "Releasing him is a mistake… I just know it! But I'm letting you have this one…"
"Thank you," Martinelli said with genuine gratitude. "You're doing the right thing here."
"I sure do hope so... for all our sakes!" Williams replied, already heading for the door.
...
Luke's jiggling foot had surely caused the large dent he could see in the grey floor tile. He could hear the argument going on in the room next door. He couldn't make out the words but every time Martinelli's deep voice boomed through the wall, Luke felt a spurt of hope.
So far the police and merely processed him. He had yet to be charged with anything.
He'd forgotten how many times he'd checked the cheap plastic red clock above the door. Yet he checked it again. He'd been cuffed to the chair for two hours. Two hours since his fingerprints were spirited away through the vast network of cyberspace for analysis.
It could be any moment now…
Drops of sweat ran down the side of his face and he irritably swatted them away. He felt sure Martinelli would get him off. But when? Right now he was cutting it a little close, if he wanted to catch up with Noah. Either he'd be discovered for who he was or he'd miss the rendezvous.
Noah should have collected Leo by now.
He wondered how long Noah would wait before he felt he hadto leave. Luke hoped Noah would see sense and go, when he got the chance. But deep down Luke knew better. Noah would wait for Luke until the very last split second, just as Luke would always wait for Noah.
There was a burning sensation in the center of his chest that made him wheeze slightly as he breathed.
Please let me see them again.
The arm cuffed low to the leg of the chair stung with pins and needles from being wrenched in the same position for so long. Every part of him strained under the stress and pressure he felt, as though the walls were drawing together; crushing him.
Finally, the door to the tiny office opened. When Luke saw the scowl on the face of Williams; and the victorious smile on the face of Martinelli, he almost cheered with relieved joy.
He knocked those emotions down and tried to keep a straight face.
Williams locked eyes with Luke, leaned with his palms flat on the table and came within inches from Luke's face. "Do not, I repeat, do not point a weapon at a federal officer ever again. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, Sir." Luke nodded, overplaying his expression of shame.
Williams regarded him for a few seconds longer, released an indignant puff of air through his nose and propelled himself back to standing. "The next time we come face to face Mr. Sutherland, I may not be as forgiving."
He tipped a fake hat at Martinelli and left the room, heading down the corridor to locate his team as the police chief squatted by Luke's chair to unlock the cuffs.
Luke gasped in relief, rubbing the red-raw wrist with a grimace and immediately standing to his feet.
Go, go, go ,go, go…
Chief Blithe held out his hand for Luke to take. "Please accept my sincere apologies for the mistake, Mr. Sutherland."
Hoping his sweaty palms wouldn't tip Blithe off, Luke shook the police chief's hand. "Please Sir, it's Luke, and there's really no need. It was my own stupid fault that caused the misunderstanding."
Blithe smiled, impressed by Luke's obvious respect and good manners.
"Tom!" Luke exclaimed, turning to the District Attorney and grinning at him. As Tom took Luke's right hand to shake it, Luke cupped Tom's with this left. "You have no idea how much this means."
Martinelli shook his head. "After everything you did for me Luke, the pleasure's all mine."
Luke made sure he had Martinelli's full gaze when he said, "Thank you. Thank you somuch."
He felt terrible for the fallout Martinelli and Blithe would be left with; and hoped Martinelli would remember this moment, seeing it for what it reallywas... a heartfelt apology.
"I wish I could give you a lift back to your car, Luke," Martinelli told him. "But I'm due in court in about ten minutes."
The fact that the man felt guilty about this after giving Luke such a precious lifeline, made Luke feel even worse. "You've done more than enough! I can just grab a cab. It's not a problem."
"Hell no!" Blithe insisted, patting Luke on the back with fatherly care. "I'll get somebody to drive you. It's the least this office can do after all you've been through today."
"No, no… It's okay." Luke tried to wave him off. "I don't want to waste any more police time."
"I insist!"
Shit! Fuck small town courtesy!
Desperate to leave and disappear, riding in a police cruiser when his identity was seconds from being exposed was the very last thing Luke wanted. But, at the same time, it would look incredibly suspicious if he turned down the offer.
Luke could do nothing but accept. He was introduced to rookie cop Kyle Miller, who "was only too happy" to drive him anywhere he wanted to go.
Shit!
Pulling closed the passenger side door of the police cruiser, Luke's eyes fell on the police radio through which, at any second, his dark secret could be revealed.
As Miller pulled away from the curb, Luke's mind raced to find a way out. It was at least a 30-minute drive back to his car and longer still back to the trailer park. He couldn't take that risk. He needed a logical alternative and fast.
"So...," the officer asked with a smile. "...where can I drop you off?"