Twists of Fate - Chapter 12 (PG-13)
Posted: Mon Feb 02, 2009 5:51 pm
Chapter 12
link from chapter 11: viewtopic.php?f=75&t=685&p=4071#p4071
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It was almost twilight when I got a call from Carl that they were pulling up at the police headquarters. I rushed there, completely disregarding the speed limit. Was Beth safe? Was Leni okay? And how had she and Mick managed to escape the burned car? Unanswered questions were clogging my brain so that I almost couldn’t think. The sleepless night didn’t help either. But I had to keep it together for at least a few more hours, until we had sorted this mess out.
I took the stairs to Carl’s floor; I was too impatient and wound up to wait for the elevator. When I scanned the room I could see Leni sitting with Carl in his office, talking. She seemed fine as far as I could see. Beth was sitting in another corner and a medic was treating her. I rushed towards them.
„Beth! Beth, are you okay?“
She looked up, with weary eyes but a triumphant smile. „Josh! Everything is fine. I just hurt myself on some – fence. It’s nothing, really.“ The medic finished wrapping her wrist and reminded her to visit a doctor if infection should set in. She nodded.
When the medic had left I knelt down next to her and watched her face. She was sitting hunched over, as if holding herself upright was too much work. There were bags under her eyes, from crying or exhaustion I didn’t know. She was paler than usual. But she beamed with pride.
„We got Leni back.“ she enthused. „Mick found her and kept her safe. The thug Fayed sent is dead.“
I was stunned. „Tell me everything.“
She struggled to get the story together from the beginning. „When I came to the motel Leni was in the main room. Mick had some kind of heat stroke or something. He was smart enough to lay down in the tub with lots of cold water. When I got there, he was already getting better. But when I left the bathroom to look after Leni, a man grabbed me and threatened me with a gun. He was searching for Leni. Mick must have heard him, he punched him and saved Leni and me.“
Beth stopped and took a sip of orange juice. She was really tired, but continued.
„The man must have fallen really awkwardly on the bed frame, because his neck broke. It was dark and I was shocked, I didn’t really see it happen. Leni is such a smart and brave girl, she had been hiding in a closet when she heard the door open. I brought some food with me, so we ate and waited. Leni fell asleep on the bed. About an hour later Carl pulled up. I was so relieved that it was over.“
„Thank God you are safe. I was so worried about you. And about Leni, too.“
„She is ready to testify.“ Beth announced.
„That’s great. I thought I had lost the case.“ That wasn’t all I thought I had lost, but I didn’t want to remind her of the row we had.
But her thoughts went into the same direction. „Did you find the leak?“
„I did. It was Kevin.“
She hugged me. „Oh, Josh, I’m so sorry. He was your friend.“
„Yeah. He was.“
I needed to stretch my legs, so I pulled up another chair and we sat in companionable silence for a while, close to each other. Carl came out with Leni, and she hugged me. „Mr. Lindsey, I’m sorry that I ran. I was just so confused. I didn’t know whom to trust anymore.“
„I understand, Leni. Carl will take you to another safe house. This time you will be safe, the leak is plugged. We found out who gave you up to Fayed. It won’t happen again.“
In the background Carl gave instructions to an officer and then told Leni to go with him. She hesitated, but her exhaustion won over her mistrust. She said good-bye and left.
Carl waved a folder. „Leni already gave her statement about today’s events. There are still some questions open, but it seems that Fayed sent a fake cop who had stolen a Victorville police car to kill Leni. Mick picked up on something and fled with her, and they took the police cruiser. Then Fayed sent a helicopter to nuke them, but they escaped again. St. John is resourceful. They had to walk through the desert, and Mick got sick. When we got to the motel he was on the mend, but still very pale.“
„Speaking of him, where is he?“ I asked, looking around.
Beth answered. „He was really exhausted and asked to be taken back to his car. He went home.“
Carl butted in. „He promised to come over after he had some sleep and give his statement.“
I wondered about that. It wasn’t like Mick St. John not to finish a job to the very end. But it seemed that he hadn’t had any sleep for 24 hours or more and had fallen sick in the desert, so I understood.
I took Beth home. Finally, we would get some rest.
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When I woke up it was only 1.30 pm. Beth was rustling about in the bathroom. When she came out I looked at her incredulously. She was dressed and ready to go.
„What are you doing? You need your rest.“
„I have to get to work and put the story out. News don’t wait.“
„Beth, you have been up all night, two nights actually, and have been hurt. Don’t you think you deserve a break?“
„If I don’t go, someone else will make a story out of this, and I want to have control over what they say. You don’t want this to mess with your trial, do you?“
She had a point. It was her story from the start, and any unfortunate word choice or misinterpreted factoid could jeopardize the case. I could trust Beth to say only what needed to be said.
„Can I at least drive you?“ I asked.
„No, you need your sleep too, and I’m almost ready anyway. Bye.“
And with that, she was gone.
But she was right, there were still things to be done. With a sigh and a groan I got up and padded into her bathroom to clean myself up. I would need to make a pitstop at home. The trial was up again and I had to prepare for a press conference.
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When I pulled into my driveway there was a car standing at the curb, and when I got out the other car’s door opened. It was Morgan. I freaked out for a moment. Why would she come to my home, and how did she know my address in the first place? Was she stalking me?
But curiosity won over, and I tried to put on a calm and collected demeanor. She came over, dressed in jeans and a shirt and without any make-up.
„Josh, I need to talk to you.“ she immediately said, moving closer.
„What do you want here? Why didn’t you see me at my office?“
„I couldn’t wait. I need to apologize to you.“
Still hesitating, I decided to let her in. I gestured her to follow me.
I hadn’t been at my apartment for two days. First I opened the blinds and put on a kettle for tea. I motioned for her to sit down on the couch. While I busied myself with putting together milk, sugar, cups and a few bisquits I wondered what had Morgan so worried that she would come here. I watched her out of the corner of my eye. She was nervous, twisting a white kerchief in her hands, looking around all the time, taking stock of the apartment.
Bringing the tea over I sat down. „Okay, spill. This has to do with the leak, hasn’t it?“
„Josh, please promise that this will stay off the record. I messed up, and I’m sorry, but I don’t want to be investigated because of this.“
„Of course you wouldn’t want that.“ I answered with a stern expression. „But if anything you did is criminal, I’ll have no choice but to turn you in.“
She shivered. „I did nothing wrong except for not disclosing my source.“ She looked down at her lap, still twisting her kerchief. „It was Kevin. He gave the information to Mo, the editor of Buzzwire, and she talked to me. If I had known that he gave information to Fayed too, I would have told you. I never wanted anybody to get hurt.“
She sounded really remorseful, but there was still a lot missing. „How do you know that Kevin was the leak in the Fayed case?“
„Mo just called an hour ago to tell me that Kevin had been arrested. You wouldn’t arrest him for leaking to the press. And she told me about what happened at that motel, too.
She – she hacked the police records.“
I stood up. „Morgan, you know how serious this is. For one, you better never told me that someone hacked the police records. And then two officers are dead because of that leak, Leni has been in lots of danger, the P.I. who worked the case with us had severe heat stroke, and we all had a hard couple of days and nights because of this.“ I sat back down. „On the other hand, everything’s fine now. I don’t have to bring your name up, you know.“
She looked up hopefully, her lashes full of unshed tears.
„Why are you doing this?“ she asked.
If only I knew. It was true, if I didn’t tell anybody that she knew more than she was supposed to know, it wouldn’t come up. There was no need. And she was sitting there like the proverbial poor sinner. I just couldn’t hurt her any further. On the other hand, it wasn’t like me to let any detail of a case go. Maybe I was just too exhausted and too triumphant about the case going well to dwell on such a minor point.
„Go home, Morgan. I need to get to work. We won’t talk about this again, okay?“
She nodded, stood up, her tea untouched, and I rose with her.
„Oh, one last thought.“ she said distractedly, grabbing her purse from the couch. „Something about what happened yesterday struck me as odd.“
„What is it?“
„You said the P.I. suffered a heat stroke. Why wasn’t Leni affected? She was in the sun as long as he.“
I thought about that for a moment. „Maybe he didn’t drink enough. Why does such a minor detail stand out for you?“
„Oh, I’m a photographer. I am a stickler for details. Never mind, it’s not important.“
Without warning, she hugged me tight, gave me a peck on the cheek, said „Thank you“ in that husky voice of hers, and vanished out the door before I realized what had happened. I was paralyzed for a moment. Then I let the tea sit where it was, changed into a fresh shirt and hurried for my office. I had work to do.
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link to chapter 13: viewtopic.php?f=75&t=1933
link from chapter 11: viewtopic.php?f=75&t=685&p=4071#p4071
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
It was almost twilight when I got a call from Carl that they were pulling up at the police headquarters. I rushed there, completely disregarding the speed limit. Was Beth safe? Was Leni okay? And how had she and Mick managed to escape the burned car? Unanswered questions were clogging my brain so that I almost couldn’t think. The sleepless night didn’t help either. But I had to keep it together for at least a few more hours, until we had sorted this mess out.
I took the stairs to Carl’s floor; I was too impatient and wound up to wait for the elevator. When I scanned the room I could see Leni sitting with Carl in his office, talking. She seemed fine as far as I could see. Beth was sitting in another corner and a medic was treating her. I rushed towards them.
„Beth! Beth, are you okay?“
She looked up, with weary eyes but a triumphant smile. „Josh! Everything is fine. I just hurt myself on some – fence. It’s nothing, really.“ The medic finished wrapping her wrist and reminded her to visit a doctor if infection should set in. She nodded.
When the medic had left I knelt down next to her and watched her face. She was sitting hunched over, as if holding herself upright was too much work. There were bags under her eyes, from crying or exhaustion I didn’t know. She was paler than usual. But she beamed with pride.
„We got Leni back.“ she enthused. „Mick found her and kept her safe. The thug Fayed sent is dead.“
I was stunned. „Tell me everything.“
She struggled to get the story together from the beginning. „When I came to the motel Leni was in the main room. Mick had some kind of heat stroke or something. He was smart enough to lay down in the tub with lots of cold water. When I got there, he was already getting better. But when I left the bathroom to look after Leni, a man grabbed me and threatened me with a gun. He was searching for Leni. Mick must have heard him, he punched him and saved Leni and me.“
Beth stopped and took a sip of orange juice. She was really tired, but continued.
„The man must have fallen really awkwardly on the bed frame, because his neck broke. It was dark and I was shocked, I didn’t really see it happen. Leni is such a smart and brave girl, she had been hiding in a closet when she heard the door open. I brought some food with me, so we ate and waited. Leni fell asleep on the bed. About an hour later Carl pulled up. I was so relieved that it was over.“
„Thank God you are safe. I was so worried about you. And about Leni, too.“
„She is ready to testify.“ Beth announced.
„That’s great. I thought I had lost the case.“ That wasn’t all I thought I had lost, but I didn’t want to remind her of the row we had.
But her thoughts went into the same direction. „Did you find the leak?“
„I did. It was Kevin.“
She hugged me. „Oh, Josh, I’m so sorry. He was your friend.“
„Yeah. He was.“
I needed to stretch my legs, so I pulled up another chair and we sat in companionable silence for a while, close to each other. Carl came out with Leni, and she hugged me. „Mr. Lindsey, I’m sorry that I ran. I was just so confused. I didn’t know whom to trust anymore.“
„I understand, Leni. Carl will take you to another safe house. This time you will be safe, the leak is plugged. We found out who gave you up to Fayed. It won’t happen again.“
In the background Carl gave instructions to an officer and then told Leni to go with him. She hesitated, but her exhaustion won over her mistrust. She said good-bye and left.
Carl waved a folder. „Leni already gave her statement about today’s events. There are still some questions open, but it seems that Fayed sent a fake cop who had stolen a Victorville police car to kill Leni. Mick picked up on something and fled with her, and they took the police cruiser. Then Fayed sent a helicopter to nuke them, but they escaped again. St. John is resourceful. They had to walk through the desert, and Mick got sick. When we got to the motel he was on the mend, but still very pale.“
„Speaking of him, where is he?“ I asked, looking around.
Beth answered. „He was really exhausted and asked to be taken back to his car. He went home.“
Carl butted in. „He promised to come over after he had some sleep and give his statement.“
I wondered about that. It wasn’t like Mick St. John not to finish a job to the very end. But it seemed that he hadn’t had any sleep for 24 hours or more and had fallen sick in the desert, so I understood.
I took Beth home. Finally, we would get some rest.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
When I woke up it was only 1.30 pm. Beth was rustling about in the bathroom. When she came out I looked at her incredulously. She was dressed and ready to go.
„What are you doing? You need your rest.“
„I have to get to work and put the story out. News don’t wait.“
„Beth, you have been up all night, two nights actually, and have been hurt. Don’t you think you deserve a break?“
„If I don’t go, someone else will make a story out of this, and I want to have control over what they say. You don’t want this to mess with your trial, do you?“
She had a point. It was her story from the start, and any unfortunate word choice or misinterpreted factoid could jeopardize the case. I could trust Beth to say only what needed to be said.
„Can I at least drive you?“ I asked.
„No, you need your sleep too, and I’m almost ready anyway. Bye.“
And with that, she was gone.
But she was right, there were still things to be done. With a sigh and a groan I got up and padded into her bathroom to clean myself up. I would need to make a pitstop at home. The trial was up again and I had to prepare for a press conference.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
When I pulled into my driveway there was a car standing at the curb, and when I got out the other car’s door opened. It was Morgan. I freaked out for a moment. Why would she come to my home, and how did she know my address in the first place? Was she stalking me?
But curiosity won over, and I tried to put on a calm and collected demeanor. She came over, dressed in jeans and a shirt and without any make-up.
„Josh, I need to talk to you.“ she immediately said, moving closer.
„What do you want here? Why didn’t you see me at my office?“
„I couldn’t wait. I need to apologize to you.“
Still hesitating, I decided to let her in. I gestured her to follow me.
I hadn’t been at my apartment for two days. First I opened the blinds and put on a kettle for tea. I motioned for her to sit down on the couch. While I busied myself with putting together milk, sugar, cups and a few bisquits I wondered what had Morgan so worried that she would come here. I watched her out of the corner of my eye. She was nervous, twisting a white kerchief in her hands, looking around all the time, taking stock of the apartment.
Bringing the tea over I sat down. „Okay, spill. This has to do with the leak, hasn’t it?“
„Josh, please promise that this will stay off the record. I messed up, and I’m sorry, but I don’t want to be investigated because of this.“
„Of course you wouldn’t want that.“ I answered with a stern expression. „But if anything you did is criminal, I’ll have no choice but to turn you in.“
She shivered. „I did nothing wrong except for not disclosing my source.“ She looked down at her lap, still twisting her kerchief. „It was Kevin. He gave the information to Mo, the editor of Buzzwire, and she talked to me. If I had known that he gave information to Fayed too, I would have told you. I never wanted anybody to get hurt.“
She sounded really remorseful, but there was still a lot missing. „How do you know that Kevin was the leak in the Fayed case?“
„Mo just called an hour ago to tell me that Kevin had been arrested. You wouldn’t arrest him for leaking to the press. And she told me about what happened at that motel, too.
She – she hacked the police records.“
I stood up. „Morgan, you know how serious this is. For one, you better never told me that someone hacked the police records. And then two officers are dead because of that leak, Leni has been in lots of danger, the P.I. who worked the case with us had severe heat stroke, and we all had a hard couple of days and nights because of this.“ I sat back down. „On the other hand, everything’s fine now. I don’t have to bring your name up, you know.“
She looked up hopefully, her lashes full of unshed tears.
„Why are you doing this?“ she asked.
If only I knew. It was true, if I didn’t tell anybody that she knew more than she was supposed to know, it wouldn’t come up. There was no need. And she was sitting there like the proverbial poor sinner. I just couldn’t hurt her any further. On the other hand, it wasn’t like me to let any detail of a case go. Maybe I was just too exhausted and too triumphant about the case going well to dwell on such a minor point.
„Go home, Morgan. I need to get to work. We won’t talk about this again, okay?“
She nodded, stood up, her tea untouched, and I rose with her.
„Oh, one last thought.“ she said distractedly, grabbing her purse from the couch. „Something about what happened yesterday struck me as odd.“
„What is it?“
„You said the P.I. suffered a heat stroke. Why wasn’t Leni affected? She was in the sun as long as he.“
I thought about that for a moment. „Maybe he didn’t drink enough. Why does such a minor detail stand out for you?“
„Oh, I’m a photographer. I am a stickler for details. Never mind, it’s not important.“
Without warning, she hugged me tight, gave me a peck on the cheek, said „Thank you“ in that husky voice of hers, and vanished out the door before I realized what had happened. I was paralyzed for a moment. Then I let the tea sit where it was, changed into a fresh shirt and hurried for my office. I had work to do.
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link to chapter 13: viewtopic.php?f=75&t=1933