Fate (Drift Series Book 4) (13 page)

“All right…I see your point. I feel like a weakling just sitting in the stands watching the game while my best friend and brother goes at it all on his own, but if that is what you need from me, that’s what I’ll do. I promise.”

“I appreciate it. Now, enough of this Christian talk, he dominates enough of my life as it is. Let’s enjoy the rest of this weekend.” I moved us out of the topic.

“I agree…sounds good.”

For the remainder of the weekend we didn’t talk about our troubles. In fact, we talked mainly about his and Sandra’s upcoming wedding. Scruffy asked me to be his best man and I of course accepted. I decided that my confrontation with Christian would have to wait until after the birth of my child as well as after Scruffy’s wedding. I would be there for those two events no matter what. I figured, Christian twisted the rules in his advantage long enough, it was time I did the same. No sense in going right out after him. Besides, I didn’t want to die before these two major events anyway.

CHAPTER 12

TALENTS

After the kick-butt weekend out with Scruffy, I returned home and went into a busy workweek with Sheriff Taylor. Even though I wasn’t able to attend school to become a police officer yet, Sheriff Taylor was constantly training me on his down time to get me more accustomed to human nature and how to handle the human incidents that I will be called out to do if I become a cop.

One particular day the precinct got a call about a person hiding out in Mountainside who was a possible suspect in an armed robbery and attempted murder that happened somewhere else in the state. Sheriff Taylor had to take everyone in our small police force to go and get this guy, insisting that I stay behind alone at the station to answer phones if need be.

“I could go with you Sheriff. You know I could have this guy wrapped up for you with a bow in a heartbeat…no trouble for me.” I urged him to let me tag along.

“Trust me, Leo, when I say I’d love for you to accompany us for that very reason, but our laws here, human laws, state that we must protect citizens, not put them in harm’s way. Until you become a cop, whether I like it or not, I must follow the law. Besides, doing something like that, me making a decision to let you go with us and handle this, could blow your cover or even cost me my job since you’re not a police officer.”

“You know I am not in harm's way, but I also understand the legalities involved.”

“I know you’d handle it fine…and safe…that’s what drives me nuts about not being able to bring you. Besides, this isn’t like Middleton where you could sneak around unnoticed, this is a singular event. We are trained to handle a suspect like this one. We’ll be fine.”

“All right, but let me tell you. I can sense that this guy is a little dark that you’re going after…be careful.” I warned.

“Thanks, Leo, we will.”

It was awhile before they landed the suspect they were hunting in town, but as I listened through dispatch and walkie-talkies, I heard that my suspicions about the suspect were true. He was hard to take down and was violently trying to fight the officers when they took him. Like always, the closer a dark soul got to me, the more I could sense their presence. When they got back to the station and pulled the suspect out of the SUV, I felt just how angry and nasty this man was. Not only did I feel it radiating off him, I could plainly see that he was a jerk by the way he was acting.

His arms were behind his back, and he was thrashing around while being escorted by Sheriff Taylor, calling him every profanity in the book. When they got inside the station, the man was as loud and disrespectful as he could be. I have to admit, if I was seeking out a soul as a full-on Drift Demon still, this guy would have been a prime candidate for me. I could have easily swayed his soul for the dark side so to speak.

As the officers shoved him through the office, the man just screamed and yelled the entire way. They finally got him into one of the holding cells in the back of the building and for the first hour or so he was there he continued to scream obscenities.

“That one is sure full of pep, Sheriff.” I joked with Sheriff Taylor.

“Damn it, Leo, how many times do I have to tell you, I’ve told you to stop with all that respect stuff…call me Sam.” He grinned at me.

“I know…I forget…I will.”

“Good. Now as for your assessment of our…friend…back there, he’s about three sheets to the wind if you get my expression. We were lucky he wasn’t armed at the time we surprised him. Once he sobers up a bit, we’ll talk to him. Always best to avoid a person in that state—let a person's sense come back to them before trying to deal with them rationally. Even if they’re sober and just angry, always give them some time to themselves to calm down before talking with them.”

“Understood. When are ya' gonna deal with that one?”

“Well, luckily for us we just have to hold him until the detectives from the other county show up to get him. They may question him here, but it isn’t our concern. We just have to keep him on ice until they get here to claim him. Good thing too, that guy is a pain in the butt as you can tell.”

“I see that.”

It wasn’t until the next morning that a couple of well-dressed gentleman showed up to deal with the hostile man. When the investigators showed up, they announced to Sam that this had become a murder investigation now and that he was the main suspect. Apparently the store clerk that he robbed and shot had succumbed to his wounds overnight. It appeared we had a murderer on our hands now.

Everyone piled into the holding area to get the potential fugitive. Although he wasn’t as amped up as he was when he first came in, he was still acting like an ass. They cuffed him and brought him back into the office area and into one of the small interrogation rooms where the two investigators from the other county went in to join him.

It was a couple hours before the duo came back out of the room and spoke with Sam. They informed him that although the suspect hadn’t called for a lawyer yet, he played games with the investigators just to be a jerk and waste their time. Sam told them he could see how arrogant the man was on the police video.

The man insisted to the detectives that it wasn’t him. He mentioned he has no gun nor has he ever owned one. His case was that he was in Mountainside the whole time, along with some other excuses. He hammered those investigators with profanities as well and belittled them. No doubt the guy was a real “class act”.

The detectives wanted to give it one more go to try and get a confession from the guy before they hauled him away. Sam wished them luck as they disappeared back into the room. It wasn’t ten minutes before they came out and said that the suspect had clammed up and asked for an attorney. They were about to concede and take him away before Sam came up with an idea; an idea that walked a fine line.

“Gentlemen, I think I could get you a confession, but it would require us to bend the rules a bit.”

“What do you have in mind Sheriff?” One of them responded.

“I have a friend here that can be very persuasive in getting someone to talk.”

“Look, Sheriff, I think we can appreciate your approach for a jerk-off like this guy, but we can’t go back to the nineteen fifties style of investigating. We rough this guy up, we get sued. Not to mention the possibility of setting free a murderer as result of such an act. Not to mention he’s requested an attorney now.”

Sam just waved his hands back and forth, “No, no, no…I’m afraid you don’t understand. The suspect won’t be harmed, in anyway, just scared enough to talk with the two of you after my guy pays him a little visit. No threats, no violence, just a little one-on-one talk to get him to open up to you about a confession.”

The two investigators just looked at each other like they had nothing else to lose. I knew Sam was talking about me going in there.

“No violence…nothing illegal that could end up having us all lose our jobs? If he talks…he talks?” One investigator asked for reassurance.

Sam waved at me to come over.

“Gentlemen, meet Mr. Leo Cutler.” I nodded and shook their hands.

“Leo, do you think you could get this guy to talk without using any violence toward him or crossing any legal lines…strictly using your power of persuasion?”

“I don’t know, but I could give it my best shot.”

Sam stepped aside and outstretched his arm towards the interrogation room. I started to walk to the door to go in when I thought of something, “You have to turn the cameras off…Sam.”

When I said that, the two investigators were about to object when Sam interjected, “I promise…this will get done…legally. Just let Leo here work his magic.” He reassured the men.

They shook their heads before one of them spoke, “Okay, but we are not liable for anything that may happen if this goes awry. We’ve known you for a while Sam, we’ll go against our better judgment on this. This is risky.”

“Duly noted.” Sam agreed and looked to me.

“Leo…follow the rules of law. I’m trusting in you to use your better judgment.” He raised his eyebrows and sunk his chin sternly.

I nodded in approval. One of the investigators tossed a pack of cigarettes and a lighter at me.

“Here…we promised we’d bring him one. Good luck.”

I caught the cancer sticks and opened the door to the interrogation room. When I entered the room, the shaved headed man was sitting in a chair at the end of a small table. I got a better look at him now that I was closer to him. He had tattoos up and down his arms, even on his neck. He had a look of arrogance about him as he sported an egotistical smirk. I walked up to one of the empty chairs at the end of the table and pulled it around in front of him, tossing the smokes I was given, along with the lighter on the table in front of him.

He didn’t say anything, just kept right on smiling at me as he reached for the pack. Still silent, he pulled one out and lit it, blowing it out as he slouched in his chair as if not having a care in the world. I just continued to stare at him.

“So…when all else fails, they send in the janitor to question me?” He took in another drag and laughed it out. I remained quiet.

“That’s right, I saw you when I came in. You’re not a cop. You think I’m going to talk to you? Better go back to sweeping the hallways in this dump.” He continued to grin at me.

I remained silent, keeping my glare on him. He kept grinning at me as he smoked his cigarette.

“You’ve got nothing to say? Oh…I get it. They sent you in here to bring me my smokes. Well, thanks…now get the hell out of here. I’m tired of your face.” He blew a hit of smoke right into my direction.

I reached over and grabbed one of the smokes out the pack. Now of course, I do not smoke, but that wasn’t the reason for me grabbing one. I lit it and drew back a hit.

“You know…a pretty boy like you would be very popular in prison.” He laughed, mocking me. “You wouldn’t walk straight for a month if you were on the inside. Your job here would be a perfect fit for someone like me to use you for in prison. I’d have you doing all kinds of favors for me…and my friends.”

Again, I remained silent, never taking my eyes off him.

“You think you’re tough? You’re young…and stupid. Little thugs like you think you’re soooo hard when you know you have backup in the other room. If the cameras were turned off and the pigs stepped out for a donut, I bet you wouldn’t have the guts to sit in that chair and stare me down like you’re doing now. You’d be shivering in a corner if I was out of these cuffs.” He held up his hands, showing me the handcuffs.

When he did that, he took another drag off his smoke and then flicked the still lit cigarette butt right in my face. I didn’t flinch an inch.

“The cameras are off,” I replied.

The suspect chuckled and reached for another cigarette.

“Yeah right.” He lit it.

“When I’m sent into a room with a criminal, they always turn off the cameras.”

My threat fell on deaf ears as all he did was lean back in his chair and laugh out loud.

“Oh…I’m sure they do. You probably are the toughest guy in this place.” He continued to laugh.

With a smirk, I took the cigarette I was smoking and raised the lit end towards my eye. The suspect just stared at me with a curious grin. I pulled down my lower eyelid and methodically ground the cigarette out on my eyeball. When I was done, I blinked and flicked my stamped out butt right back in his face.

He continued to smile, but his face transformed around his grin to a look of morbid confusion. He started to laugh again and clapped his hands within his cuffs.

“Well done…well done. We have a magician here too. Is that supposed to scare me?”

I leaned forward in my chair, “Why did you kill the clerk in that store? What did you do with the murder weapon and cash?”

He stopped laughing and leaned towards me in his chair, coming face to face with me. “I don’t know what you’re talking about…and if I did…I sure as hell wouldn’t tell some no account coffee runner like you. Like I told them, I want my attorney.”

“Forget your attorney. I’ll ask you again…where is the cash and the murder weapon?”

The suspect didn’t say a word. He took a drag off his smoke and blew it in my face, very, very, slowly.

“Well…I tried to be nice.” I warned.

He just smiled and rolled his tongue around his teeth in a menacing way.

I leaned back in my chair, “Tell you what…I’ll make you deal.”

He chuckled and leaned back in his chair too, “Oh yeah? What kind of a deal can you make me that I would even consider?”

“If I can make you piss your pants in fear…will you tell me everything you know?”

His voice gurgled before he replied, “You…make me piss my pants…with fear? I can honestly say that I’ve never been approached with a proposition like that. You got a set on you…I like that, but I’m afraid you’ve hit a wall here errand boy. I’ve never been that scared in my life.”

“Then that should make it easy for you to take the bargain then. Do we have a deal?”