Too Far

19: Welcome Home

Just wanted to mention that I published this at exactly 4:20 on my time;)

"No, I don't personally know Robbie," I said for the hundredth time. The man standing in front of me gave me an unbelieving look. "He's a very reclusive person. Does a lot of illegal stuff. I don't usually pick those guys as my friends," I added bitterly.

They'd called in F.B.I. agents for the situation, which I didn't quite understand. Still, I wasn't going to complain. "We know what he does," he said in annoyance. "We've been trying to catch him for years, but we need you to tell us everything you can. This story you've told us isn't quite clicking with his M.O..." He flipped through some sheets from a file. "He doesn't do anything for anyone. That doesn't fit the profile."

So they didn't believe that Robbie would help Pete Walsh? This could be a problem. "Well, maybe he was there for another reason," I said feebly, raking a hand through my unkempt hair. "I know that he forced Louise to do a lot of things, like dealing or trading files to other men. He was putting her at risk of getting in trouble so he wouldn't be caught," I explained.

The man held up a picture of a tattoo, one I'd seen before and still got angry about. "Have you seen this tattoo?"

My jaw clenching, I nodded. It was the "R.B." he had his closest associates tattoo on. "Yes. He had Louise get it like an I.D. She could show someone to get into his office or something."

He slid another picture towards me and I felt my nostrils flare in disgust. It was a body, with the same tattoo on display. "Can you tell me why Robbie Black killed this man?" the man asked.

I looked back up, trying to keep my face expressionless. It wasn't as easy a feat as Louise made it seem. "Because he tried to get away from Robbie," I said numbly.

"So you think he's going to try and kill Ms. Bren?"

"If he hasn't already," I mumbled, feeling a sting in my nose. I wouldn't cry, but I wanted to. "It's been hours since they took her. She's probably dead already."

"I wouldn't be so sure," he said, seemingly switching from hostile to agreeable. He leaned back comfortably, spreading more pictures out. "All of these men were killed without a fuss. A single shot in the head or the heart, no remorse. Never got caught. No specifics on what the people look like, but all had one thing in common: all had been presumed either dead or missing at one point or another."

His eyebrow arched at me, as if I was supposed to reply to that. "The men who work close to him have to be completely off the grid. When Katherine and I started searching, he tried to make Louise get rid of us. She refused."

"She's no do-gooder, if that's what you're implying," the man said with a cocked eyebrow. "But we'll look into all of that after we have her in custody."

"Louise wasn't a criminal," I said coldly, my eyes narrowing. "Not to her will, anyway. Her life was just..."

"Screwed," he finished, nodding. "It's very interesting that she has such terrible luck and still manages to be alive now, even after all she's been through." He stared at me evenly, as if studying me. "We believe she would have let herself die years ago if she were any normal person. There's something up there that makes her different," he said, tapping his head.

"If you're implying that she is selfish, I wholeheartedly agree with you," I put in, crossing my arms. "But that's not a crime. She's done what she could to stay alive."

"She committed crimes to stay alive," he said, circling back to our first argument. "I can't take you at your word because you just want her free and safe. I'll talk to anyone I can get my hands on that might tell the true story." I opened my mouth to form a haughty reply, but he held his hand up. "Yours might be true, but I have to cover all my bases."