CHARLES

 

It wasn’t the first time I’d ever been inside of an interrogation room. The bright lights. The shadows. The dead silence. It was all shit cops did to try and intimidate everybody.

I leaned back in my seat and stared straight ahead, waiting for them to get on with it. I could practically hear them from behind the mirror on the wall next to me.

A few moments later, someone finally came in to say hello.

Some hard-nosed bitch in a pantsuit walked into the room and closed the door.

I’d seen her type before. Hair tied-up in a ponytail. Chest stuck out like she had a stick up her ass. A hand in her pocket so I could see her badge clearly. And she had to put her nose in the air so she could look down at me.

Law enforcement always had to make sure it was known that they were better than guys like me. It was a constant a reminder that I was evil and she was good.

She tossed a manila folder onto the desk in front of me, her eyes still locked on me.

“How are you feeling?” she asked.

“I’m a little sore. I was in a bit of a scrap.”

“A bit of a scrap, huh?”

“That’s right. I got into it with another guy.”

“You got into it with another guy… Witnesses at the scene say you were on top of the guy and pummeling him. You don’t appear any worse for wear.”

“My knuckles are a little bruised.”

I clenched my fist and smirked up at her. She didn’t smile back, that hard-nosed looked still in her eyes.

She picked the folder back up and started sorting through it while she paced back and forth in front of me.

“You would think that you idiots in clubs would stop getting into trouble, especially when you’ve all got records. Your prints are on file, so it’s not hard to look you up.”

I sighed through my nose and waited for the inevitable.

“Charles Lawrence. Aggravated assault and battery. Multiple cases. Unregistered weapons possession. Multiple cases. You’ve got quite the rap sheet for a man who’s been out of the service for years.”

“I had to make up for lost time.”

I stared at her, trying to get her to smile but she wasn’t having it. I guess being in the interrogation room meant I wasn’t going to find any amusement.

“I’ve been in Ivory for almost a year now,” she said. “I’ve gotten to know all of the clubs. I’ve gotten to know all of the members. Now, I would have assumed that this was just some scuffle between you and some guy over some dumb shit like him looking at you funny. But that wasn’t just anybody you beat up. That was Jamie Walsh.”

“Was it? That’s news to me.”

“Nice try. You almost got away with it. The cops in this town are too stupid to put two and two together. But I’m not.”

She leaned forward across the table and pressed her palms down on it as she glared at me.

“Surveillance says Walsh showed up in Ivory just this week,” she said. “A few days later, you show up in Ivory. Next thing you know, you’re on top of him, trying to beat him to death.”

“I wasn’t trying to beat him to death.”

“Oh, and I suppose those punches were to make him feel good.”

“They made me feel good.”

I shrugged and gave her a smirk. She still wasn’t having it.

“Do you have something to tell me, Lawrence?”

I didn’t hesitate in shaking my head.

“I don’t know,” I said. “I guess it’s just a coincidence.”

“I’ll bet it is.”

I could tell she was trying her best not to roll her eyes. She had to keep playing the role of hard-ass cop even though she and I both knew that shit wasn’t gonna work on me.

I sank deeper into my seat as she began pacing back and forth in front of me again.

“Let me explain something to you,” she said. “I know that you’re not involved in something bigger. I know this shit you have going on with Walsh is something petty. Frankly, I don’t give a shit what it is. But I’m going to tell you something for your own good.”

She stopped pacing.

“Do you know who Jacob Holmes is?”

The name sounded familiar but I shook my head.

“No, of course you don’t,” she said. “Clubs in this town don’t have a clue what’s going on. Holmes is better known by his alias Blade.”

Asia’s boss.

I didn’t react to it.

“Tell me why I should give a shit about what you’re telling me,” I said.

“You should care because we have surveillance on Holmes. And we have surveillance on all of the people he’s associating with, including Walsh. Holmes is up to something. He’s trying to set up a distribution center right here in Ivory so he could push his drugs to all of the cities surrounding this area.”

“I still don’t see why I should give a shit about any of this.”

“No, of course not. You’ve got… whatever personal vendetta with Walsh you have that you don’t even care about all of the months of work it took to set up a federal operation to take down Holmes.”

She leaned forward across the table and pressed her palms into it as she glared at me.

“Let me make one thing clear to you, Lawrence. Once I get enough evidence, I’m going to arrest Holmes and everybody he’s associated with. If you do anything to jeopardize this operation, I won’t hesitate to arrest you, too. Do I make myself clear?”

She stared at me like she was trying to break me. But the hard look she gave me just made me laugh.

“What’s your name?” I asked.

“Jane Lieberman. I’m a federal agent—”

“Yes, I can read your badge. The lights are really bright in this room.”

“That’s too bad. I can’t turn ‘em down.”

“That’s all right. I can handle the lights…”

I kept smirking at her. I didn’t have to say much more to make it clear to her that I didn’t give a shit what she said to me.

“Listen, Agent Lieberman—”

“I don’t want to have to arrest you,” she cut me off. “Stay away from Walsh. Stay away from Holmes. I’ve warned you. If you’re anywhere near them, I have no problem planting evidence on you and making it appear you were complicit with them.”

I had to hide back my surprise.

“You’re admitting that you’re willing to frame me?” I said. “On camera.”

“They’re not recording this interview right now. This shit is between you and me.”

“Is it? Then I could punch you right in the mouth and nobody will know.”

“It’s gonna be pretty hard to do that with handcuffs on you.”

“I’m willing to try if you are.”

“I can assure you… punching me in the mouth is the last thing you want to do.”

I swallowed and gave her a nod. I had to applaud the bitch. She knew what she was doing.

It was clear that Lieberman had her mind made up. There was no way I could make her see things from my perspective.

“Stay away,” she said. “And give your club the same warning.”

“They’re not my club. I’m a nomad—”

“I don’t give a shit. I’m watching you and everybody else who wears a patch. If anything happens without my consent, you’re gonna have to answer. You got it?”

She raised her eyebrows at me as she waited for my response.

“You got it?” she repeated.

“Yeah… I got it.”

“Good.”

“Am I free to go?”

She stared at me as she picked the manila folder up from her desk. She opened the door and an old man in a police uniform walked in a few seconds later.

“Give him a night in jail to think about it,” she said to the old man.

I rolled my eyes as the older officer walked up to me.

“Come along now,” he said. “Don’t make this harder than it has to be.”

Lieberman had her eyes locked on me the entire time while I left the room.

I turned to the old man and read the badge on his chest.

“Sutton,” I said. “Sheriff Sutton. Isn’t it a little late for an old-timer like you to be up?”

“Very funny,” he replied. “You’re lucky I have a sense of humor or I’d slug you right in the eye.”

“I’m glad one of us does.”

“This is Ivory. There’s always something that has to be dealt with. Even at this time of night.”

“Crime doesn’t sleep.”

Sutton escorted me through the police department.

“Do I really have to spend a night in jail?” I asked. “That’s not gonna accomplish anything.”

“You gotta learn your lesson. You just can’t go around punching people whenever you please.”

“I can’t imagine I’m the first man whoever got into a fight. Not in this town.”

“Don’t worry. There’s plenty of room behind bars for you.”

Sutton brought me to the other side of the station where there were a couple of cells waiting. Most of them were occupied by guys who looked like they were drunk when they were arrested. Thankfully, Sutton gave me a cell I could have all to myself.

I leaned up against the bars as he uncuffed me.

“Hey, Sutton. Lemme ask you something.”

“What is it?”

“That Lieberman chick. How do you like her?”

“I like her well enough. She’s got a job to do and she’s doing it.”

“Is she? I hear she’s been in town for a year now. Has anything really changed?”

He looked up at me and gave me a blank stare.

“Humor me,” I said.

“Lieberman is a tough gal. Even for someone who works for the government. Frankly, I gotta admit that the town has seemed a little quieter ever since she showed up.”

“But she’s got that operation going on. You know about it, right?”

“What operation?”

“Holmes. The whole thing with Blade.”

The old man squinted his eyes at me, making his face appear even more wrinkled.

“What do you know about the operation?” he said.

“Just what she told me. You’re trying to pin something on Holmes before he gets everything up and running.”

Sutton looked away from me and sighed.

“I guess it’s not the biggest secret in the world if she’s giving the details to random club members…”

He glanced down at the patch on my chest.

“…Listen, Char. I know you’re from out of town because I’ve met all of the Reapers before. You’re a nomad. That’s fine. Whatever business you got in Ivory, that ain’t my concern.”

“Good—”

“But if you’re getting involved with Lieberman’s operation, you’re making your business my business. I’m an old man. Don’t make my job harder than it has to be.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle at the old man. Just from the look in his eyes, I knew he’d seen some shit.

“Don’t worry,” I said. “I’ll settle my business in Ivory then I’m outta here. This will be the last time you’ll ever have to lock me up.”

“Don’t get me excited.”

He started walking away.

“I’ll be back in the morning,” he shouted.

I leaned up against the bars then watched the old man leave. I waited a few moments before taking a seat on the bench at the side of the cell.

Walsh was in town. I was one step closer. But all I could do now was wait for tomorrow before I took another step.