37

The Second Half of the Interrogation

Hello, everyone! I hope that y'all are doing well. As for me, I'm in the south, sitting in my home and I'm iced in. And that, my dear readers, has given me the chance to work on my story. I hope that y'all enjoy it. I'd also like to thank each of you for alerting, favoriting, reading, and reviewing.

S/N: For those of you that don't remember what's going on with Eric, Pam, and Appius, reread chapter 32. It will clear up the confusion about the relationship between them.

As always, the characters aren't mine but the story idea is! Enjoy!

I couldn't get Andrew to answer any of my questions because he couldn't take his eyes off Eric. The fear that filled him was intriguing. Though I wanted to know what Eric had done to Andrew's friend, I was too afraid to look. If what Eric had done to Andrew's friend made him react like this, I didn't want to see or know … I think. It had to have been awful. The man was practically shaking out of his shoes. He was absolutely terrified of what happened. He was afraid that it was going to happen to him. There's no way that I can get what we need out of him with Eric looming over us. "Eric, can you leave me alone with him? I can't get anything out of him if you're going to be giving him the death stare the entire time. You're making it harder than it has to be."

"No," he answered. "I am not leaving but I will remain calm and put a smile on my face; though I don't agree with it. He should be afraid after what he's done. He needs to be afraid." The smile that was supposed to be on his face was nonexistent. He didn't even try to smile. He continued to glare at Andrew.

I couldn't argue with him. Though I didn't like it, he was right. Andrew needed to know what was going to happen if he's not truthful. I sighed and gave my attention back to Andrew. "You have to tell Eric everything that he wants to know. I'm not going to lie to you. You won't make it out of here alive. You will die tonight. Either Eric or Thalia, that beautiful vampiress right there, will be the one to kill you." I leaned forward a little and said, "Hopefully, it'll be just one of them and not both. That's not something that you'd want to have happen."

Andrew was petrified. His face was so wet that it was hard to tell if he was sweating or crying.

I reached out and took his hand in mine as I talked to him. "If you lie, you won't die quickly. You saw what happened to your friend. Your death will be much worse. You tell the truth, it will be quick." I glanced up to see what Eric's reaction was. He didn't have one. "You don't want it to linger do you … your death? You want to be honest with him, right? You want to tell him everything that you know. No lies. No holding back."

Andrew nodded and then shook his head.

"I get it," I said as I gave his hands a gentle squeeze before letting them go. "Good. Just remember, I've read your mind. If you lie, I'll know it and I will tell him. Are we clear?"

Eric's fangs clicked in place as he placed his hand on my shoulder. I guess my strong and forceful attitude turned him on. Mental note: Get forceful with Eric when I want something.

Andrew nodded his head. "I will do what you ask but can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

In a meek voice, he asked, "How can you work for them willingly … knowing what they are … what they do? How can you betray your own kind? You're telling me that they are going to kill me and you don't seem to care. Why would you do that?"

I crossed my legs and leaned back in my seat. "You don't understand, Andrew," I began. "I'm not your kind. I don't kidnap people for money. I don't kill innocent people for money. Don't ever think of us, me and you, as being the same kind. I'm nothing like you. Money can't make me betray my friends and my family. Now, tell us what we want to know. Tell us how you met Quinn and Maxwell Lee."

When I mentioned Maxwell's name, Andrew looked surprised. His mind was soon filled with the same shame that he tried to force on me only seconds ago. "Quinn and I worked together for this company called Extreme(ly) Elegant Events. He was the owner of the company and I worked security … me and a few of my other associates. After Quinn sold the company to some vampire in Michigan, we all went our separate ways. I got a job working security for a vampire in California. I'd been working for the guy for like three years when Quinn began working for him." He chuckled. "He was always real cool, ya know? Bringing coffee. Covering your shifts if you needed to be off to take the wife on a date or some school play that the kids had to be in." The chuckling was soon a distant memory. He began to shake his head as he glanced up at me. "I never knew that it would cost me my life. I'd always assumed that my life was worth more than a large decaf, soy latte and a couple of shifts."

I dipped into his head and he was speaking the truth. He honestly believed that Quinn was his friend. He thought that Quinn brought the guys T-bone steaks and baked potatoes out of the kindness of his heart. The beers and good times after work, they were nothing more than a group of friends just hanging out. They were supposed be nothing but good times with good friends.

"And then he offered me a side job," Andrew continued. "When he offered it to me, I didn't know what it was." He began to shake his head. "After he told me what he wanted me to do, I said no but so did the other guys." He looked in my eyes and said, "They went missing. They had family members that had been hurt or had gone missing. Never heard from again … any of 'em. I didn't want that to happen to me or my family."

"When he took your daughters from school, that's when you realized that you couldn't say no."

He nodded. "Yeah. Abby and Jecca … my twins. They're six." He quickly swiped at his eyes. "Quinn told me that I'd make a nice chunk of change if I took the job and shut my mouth. I could stash it away for my family. I could make sure that they had everything that they could ever want in this life. As I said, it didn't matter that I didn't want to do it. When he took my girls, I would have done whatever he told me to do." He sighed as he closed his eyes for a brief second. "When he brought them home from school, I knew that I had no choice. He said that it was his way of letting me know that he could get to them whenever he wanted. You should've seen the way he was stroking Jecca's hair or touching Abby's back." He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. "Sending them away didn't work either."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I sent them to stay with my sister in Virginia … my wife and my girls. I figured if they were with my sister and her husband, they'd be safe. He's a former Navy Seal, you know? Safe. He could have protected them from the things that go bump in the night … and the day."

I nodded. "Just like you. You two served together."

"Yeah," he whispered.

"And they still weren't safe."

As he shook his head, he said, "No. I was wrong. He sent me pictures of them at my mom's house having dinner one night. My entire family was at my mom's house for Sunday dinner and he knew it. He sent pictures to me. He said that he wanted to let me know that there was nowhere that I could send them or where they could hide. He knew their entire schedule. Every single person in my family … he knew everything about them." He pulled out his cell phone and unlocked it before handing it to me. "Scroll through the pictures. You'll see images of my family. Pictures that he sent me."

And he was right. It was easy to tell that Quinn was standing outside taking the pictures. Quinn didn't give him much of a choice when it came to working for him. After what Quinn tried to do to me, I'm pretty sure he would've done much worse to Andrew's family. I passed the phone to Eric. "We'll need the password to your phone. Eric needs to access your contacts."

Andrew rattled off the pin number.

Eric passed the phone off to Thalia. Seconds later, she was gone. Eric was still standing next to me.

"Maxwell Lee," I began. "When did you meet him?"

"A couple of days after I was forced to work for them," he answered. "I only met him once. He told me what he wanted me to do and I did it." Andrew leaned forward and said, "They threatened my family. My entire family. I wasn't given a choice. What was I supposed to do? I didn't have anyone to turn to."

Now, that I didn't believe. This time, I leaned forward as I questioned him. "Did you all plan what you were going to do?"

"Yes."

"Did you ever meet Pam … once, twice?"

"Several times," he whispered.

"Were you ever alone with her?"

He considered lying but realized that it would be futile. He nodded.

"Did you ever meet any of the others that were employed by her?"

He squeezed his eyes closed and nodded, yet again.

I returned my previous position but this time with my arms crossed over my chest. "So, you did have someone to turn to." I was done with the questions for now. "You could've sent Pam a message. You could've written a note and slipped it to her or tucked it in place where she would've found it. You could've told one of the Weres that you knew wasn't a part of the plan. There was a lot that you could've done to stop what happened but you did nothing." I could see that he'd never considered any of what I'd said and he was about to tell me why.

"My family's safety was at stake. Quinn was always around. Maxwell Lee, he …"

"Slept during the day," I finished. "And Quinn wasn't always around. He wasn't always following you. You said so yourself. You said that he was watching your family. I get that Quinn wasn't acting alone. He probably had a few people watching you and your family but you had chances to stop what happened. You could've made calls or sent text messages." Using my thumb, I pointed in the direction of the door. "You obviously got to keep your phone. I'm certain that if you'd gone to Eric and Pam with this type of information, they would've protected you and your family. Each of you would be safe. You wouldn't have to die tonight. You would be safe and at home with your family. Instead you are here. You had choices, Andrew."

Tears rolled over his cheeks as he nodded. "You're right."

He glared at Andrew as I asked my next question. "The person that Maxwell Lee is working for, is he a king … someone important?"

He shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. I just know that he's old and powerful." Then something flashed in his eyes. "I do know that Maxwell's afraid of him. He does nothing without that vampire's say so. That's what Quinn said."

Eric took a step closer to Andrew and asked, "Is he the reason Pam's still alive?"

"I don't know for sure, but I think so," Andrew answered. "I just know that she wasn't supposed to be hurt. Nothing was supposed to happen to her but Maxwell beat her up pretty bad before taking her to head guy. One of the guys told me that he looked to have had the shit beaten out of him."

Eric's growl filled the room.

Andrew scooted his chair away from Eric. "I know she's a vampire and all but he didn't have to beat her like he did. From what I heard, he was punished for hurting her."

"Are the guys that helped you still alive?"

He nodded.

"We need their names."

"There's only four of us left. Ted Graham, Michael Sheringham, Shawn Putman, and Kenny Gardner."

I looked up at Eric and he nodded. He had set the names to memory. I suddenly glanced up at Eric. Anger and terror filled him. Something was wrong. Something was terribly wrong. I knew not to say anything so I continued questioning Andrew. "Where is she?"

"I don't know."

Eric was about to do something more to Andrew but I stopped him. "He's telling the truth, Eric." I placed my hand on his arm and said, "You promised me. Don't do this here. Not in front of me."

He gave me quick nod as he calmed himself down.

Andrew took that moment to mean that he may somehow get away with what he'd done. "Hey," he began. "I get it. I know that you don't want to do this to me and you don't have to."

I wondered to myself what vampire he was hallucinating about. Eric wanted nothing more than to kill him but hey, it was none of my business. I kept my mouth shut and let him keep talking.

"Maybe you can let me go." Andrew looked up at Eric. His eyes were filled with false hope. "Maybe you can send me and my family away. I never had any of Maxwell's blood. I know what it means when you take a vampire's blood. I never had any of it. Not once. I always reported to Quinn until that night. He never showed up so we had to meet up with Maxwell." He then nodded at me as he made his plea. "So, yeah, I met him twice. Just twice but it doesn't matter. He will never find me or my family. We'll never come back to Louisiana. You'll never see us again."

"It's not my decision."

"I'd only met him twice." His face suddenly went blank. "The second time was that night … when we … when we did what we did. But I give you my word," he said as he looked up at Eric. "I will never do anything like that again. I will never hurt anyone again. I swear. Please, give me a chance to prove it. I only need one chance." An out of place smile appeared on his face. He knew just as well as I did that he was not going to walk out of this room alive.

Angrily, Eric asked, "Are you saying that your family is more important than mine?"

Andrew shook his head no. "I'm not saying that at all. I'd never say that."

But you did, I wanted to say. That's why he made the decision to do Maxwell's and Quinn's bidding. That's why Pam's gone and his wife and children are at home.

I took Eric's hand in mine as he talked. "I will not let you go. Pam is my family. Those humans that were with her, they were her friends. They were people that she depended on. They were a part of her family. They'd been with her for many, many years. She treated them like family. She protected them as best she could and you took them away from her. The vampires … Heidi, Clancy, Charles … the Weres, they were very loyal friends of ours." Pointing at Andrew, he said, "You took away my family. No, Andrew, you will not leave this room alive." He then looked at me and said, "I cannot let him go."

"I know." My grip tightened on his hand. I looked at Andrew. "Your family," I said. "Where are they? Are they safe now?"

He nodded. "Yeah. After the job was done, my family was left alone. Hell, a couple of days before the job was done, they were safe. I hadn't seen Quinn or heard from him."

Because I'd killed him. You're welcome.

"And you still said nothing," I whispered.

He heard me. My words seemed to have hit him hard. He looked up at Eric and said, "I'm sorry for what I did. I truly am. You can take my life. I owe it to you. I've taken innocent lives. I have no honor." He nodded and repeated, "I have no honor."

Eric said nothing. His apology was useless.

Looking up at Eric, I asked, "Do you have a slip of paper? We need his address."

"No paper needed, "he replied. "I'll remember."

I looked at Andrew and said, "I'll check in on your family to be sure that they're safe. If we see anyone around them, we'll protect them. They shouldn't have to pay for what you've done."

Andrew provided us his address without any extra prodding. "I didn't know what the job was until …"

Eric glared down at the man. "But you knew after and did nothing to stop it." To me he said, "Go to my office and wait for me."

I stood up to leave but stopped. "Andrew, I have a few more questions for you."

"Whatever you need," he mumbled.

"Do you know Dawn Greene?"

He nodded.

"She was Maxwell's girl from what she said." He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know how true it was but it was the rumor. I'd also heard that she was well known with a lot of men."

"Were there any other vampires or Weres involved with what happened?" I asked.

Again, he nodded. "Yeah. A vampire called Jonathan. I can't think of any Weres that were involved though."

Eric and I looked at each other. It dawned on me that Jonathan wasn't among the finally dead vampires from that night. I couldn't help but wonder where he was. "One more question," I said. "Have you ever heard of a town called Bon Temps? Dawn mentioned it once and I wanted to know what significance it has to what happened and what's going on."

"We have contacts that live there."

"Contacts?" I stepped closer to Andrew. "You mean there's more than one?"

"Yeah," he answered.

My shoulders tightened. "Do you know their names?"

He shook his head no. "She never gave their names. I know that one of them has met with Quinn. I don't know his name but I do know that he's supposedly well known in Bon Temps."

I looked up at Eric with wide eyes. That surprised me. I'd assumed that their only contact was my mom. "It's a guy?"

"Yeah."

"And you've never seen him?"

"No."

I dipped into his head once more and he was telling the truth. He hasn't lied about anything … well, other than about the amount of times he'd met Maxwell. He's been the most honest traitor we've come across since this whole thing started. I sighed as I looked down at Andrew. I offered him my hand and he took it. "Thank you for helping us and being honest about what you'd done and I give you my word. I'll meet with your family to make sure that they're okay. Is there anything that you want to tell them?"

He smiled and said, "Tell Mellie that I love her. My daughters, tell them that I love them. Tell her that there's a safety deposit box key in the gun case. It's on the top shelf and in the box with the shotgun shells … the blue ones. The money is at our bank. Tell her to show them the key and to give them the password." He began to cry. "It's her name. Will you do that for me?"

"I will." Just as I turned to walk away, I stopped myself. "Who helped Barry get into the meeting the other night? At the Longtooth pack meeting? Do you know who did that … who the contact is?"

He looked lost. "What? I don't know Barry or any Longtooth pack."

The confused and blank stare on his face told me that he had no idea what I meant. Smiling, I said, "Never mind." I patted him on the shoulder before leaving the room. To Eric, I said, "I'll meet you in your office." And as I walked away, an eerie feeling crept over my spine. I didn't want to leave and it had nothing to do with Eric. I wanted to stay and watch.

That scared me to my very soul.