NOVEL NEXT --LI--
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He replied with, "That's why I'm not telling you."
MONDAY
9:13 AM
Northwest of Windcreek
"Been a while since a situation got this messed up from one murder case."
I reviewed records and composites on my U.S.-issued mobile device as Connor Meadows lead the way.
To where, I didn't know at the time.
Sam popped her pink bubble gum.
"A ten-year old girl, right?" she said.
"Fourteen," said Kaylee. "I think."
Kaylee and Connor were the ones that helped take in the armed suspect we found at Il Male Nekantral.
"And from the Lowdown," I remarked.
"Just like our star Christopher Midnight," quipped Connor. "Funny because if you never told anyone they'd think you were from the Suburbs, or something."
"Sure, Connor."
Connor's device blinked and beeped, alerting us to take a turn in some sort of direction.
"Kaylee," I said.
"Yeah?"
"Who was the lady in the mask?"
She pressed her lips together and shook her head.
"Lady in the mask," I repeated. I watched Jupiter Two wag his big fluffy white tail as he trotted along beside us, a happy dog, not a care in the entire world. "Kayles?"
"Sorry," she said. "Sarah Olivia 'Coke Sandwich' Peters." The name was vaguely familiar. Though I knew it wasn't one of my cases- I would've known immediately. Maybe one of Kaylee's? Her vigilante ones, anyway. "Previously identified drug trafficker and addict."
"Any other known or alleged crimes?" I said.
"Apart from trying to assault us at the hotel," Connor said, "none that we've heard of."
Jupiter Two jumped up and down. I gave him a biscuit I still had on me from Baker Joe's. It was soggy from the snow, despite the wrapping.
"Why is she nicknamed Coke Sandwich?" I said.
"I'll send him the warrants," Sam said. "Girl puts coke in her sandwiches."
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Sheesh. I wondered what I missed in a week.
"We missed you, you know," said Kaylee.
"I missed having a purpose," I said. "I had to sneak inside just to use the training simulation rooms. Although that was fun."
"The guards wouldn't have stopped you," said Kaylee. "You were off the case a week, not the entire Union of Sta-"
Another resounding blast, and almost-blinding flash of pure white- from one side of the huge abandoned diamond mine we were now approaching.
"Shit," said Connor.
The soft lilac sky and its soft glow was seemingly so out of place from all the blood and all the fear I assumed we all felt.
"Fuck this," said Sam.
"This was... this was a diamond mine?" I said. "Supposedly, right?"
"Did anyone ever really believe there were any diamonds in here?" said Kaylee.
"Nope," said Connor.
"If by diamonds you mean heroin then yeah, probably," said Sam.
We all gave her some sort of look.
I had the perfect response.
"Umm," I said. "Cool."
"That shit ain't even strong, Chris." She popped a pill and swallowed it dry, around the peach-and-strawberry Baker Joe's bubble gum. "You should see the stuff they sell in mainland U.S., it's pure fire."
Kaylee and I stared at each other.
"I have," I said. I addressed Connor. "So... this place we're going. What is it?"
"We don't know. But Reynaldo Mendoza Torres, and Sarah Coke Shit, and Belinda, all had this same file with the same coordinates... and what seems like the same map. And, apparently, so did you."
"Coke Sandwich," said Sam.
"Please arrest me, Mr. Meadows, for having a random four-inch piece of soggy paper from a human trafficking patron, who offered to buy me shoes I couldn't accept per human abuse job protocol." I checked myself. "Correction, sorry- he offered me money to go buy shoes; money I couldn't take. Can you give me a cell away from Belinda Klein's and closer to the Davenports' office?"
"I'm not saying you're in on this," Connor said. "But... there has to be some reason he gave it to you."
"He felt bad for me. They all did. They hurt me anyway then felt bad then did it again." Jupiter Two nuzzled my arm. "Hey, if it's pointless... let's not talk about this today."
"Do you remember his name? How old was he? Where was he from?"
"Connor," said Sam. "Leave him alone."
It might help the murder victim. I mean- the case. It might help for the murder victim's case. There was no saving that girl now.
I stopped walking, and closed my eyes.
Kaylee put her hand around my wrist.
"Chris?"
"I... don't remember much. Older man, wore some kind of... a tux."
"Tuxedo?" asked Connor.
"Or a suit. I'm sorry, there were so many. This one wasn't ugly like a lot of them were. He was... he was kind of nice. I think he was."
"I told you to just leave him alone," said Sam.
Happy the raccoon poked the dimple on my left cheek.
"I tried," I muttered.
I kept walking.
"Any... distinguishing characteristics?"
"He told me to 'get out of here,' something like that."
"What do you think he meant by that?"
"Connor," said Kaylee. "Stop."
"No idea. We have a case, and now a kidnapping- two kidnappings. Are we any closer yet?"
Another explosion. Was it the third, or the fourth? We didn't even know what we'd heard earlier during the fight with the Talon.
Sam removed her hands from her ears.
"This shit's louder and more annoying than Jeminem X Cardo P rapping on crack," she remarked. "Real talk. This place mad gully, bro. Let's leave."
"No," the three of us replied in unison.
"You're the one that wanted to be here," Kaylee said.
Happy gave Sam an apple.
"Heat signatures," Connor said.
--ovw--