Secrets Of The Guilty [Nanowrimo 2019]

TWENTY

50%

Eli was perched on the desk chair, hands rubbing her temples, attention flicking between the clock on the computer and her phone. She tapped her phone awake, tensing when she saw the time.

Six more hours of waiting.

Eli got up from the chair, doing her best not to pace as the door was glass and Ryan would be able to see him from his office. He'd had his phone pressed into his ear for the past few hours, trying to get anything from his friend at the station and the rest of his connection. All of it made Eli restless, she felt useless and tense and coiled.

Eli cracked her knuckles against the desk when she heard two faint knocks on her office door. Tammy has one of her hands against the doorknob, the other on the door frame, just before a cart stacked with papers and boxes.

"I don't mean to interrupt," she says dragging a large package from the cart. "This came for you. Stephen said he tried your extension but you hadn't answered." Eli looks down at her office phone. The cord disconnected from the phone base.

"Right," she said just under her breath. She takes the package from Tammy, smiling her thanks.

The small box was no bigger than her phone, and light. No return address at the top and nothing but her name and the general address to the building.

Eli turns the box, gently pulling at the small envelope on top, before setting the package down and tugging the card out.

Amy.

Brows knitted, Eli pulls a letter opener from her desk, using the end to peel away the adhesive and opening the lid of the box.

"What the hell is this?"

She picks up a sealed hard drive, holding it by the edges. No label, no message, just a connection cable tapped to the side of it. She tapped it carefully out of its seal coming around the side of her desk, before slipping the cable into her computer.

Eli clicks the malware service open, putting the hard drive through a data check. She sits back watching it read the disc. She stands back from the computer, glancing across the office at Ryan. He's scribbling against a stake of bound paper.

The computer dings, automatically pulling open a black box window. A second later crackle through the speakers that turned into voices speaking, clearly and unobstructed. Eli pulled her desk chair closer before settling back into it.

The voice is male, deep, educated and almost familiar.

"A friend... a friend of mine has gotten himself in some trouble and unfortunately him being in trouble will result in an unwelcoming situation for everyone involved. So, I need you to get him out, you see, I need him to keep his mouth shut. Which means you need to make sure he can set the bail, and be at home soon." The recording sputtered as if someone was moving, the crinkle of a jacket or a shuffle of papers to close to the recording. "Do we understand each other, your honour?"

Eli's hands were slick. She paused, forcing herself to breathe.

She ran it back again, listening to each word, studying each movement, hoping for some clue. She listed to it twice before copying it, ejecting the drive and folding it back into the box and tugging her press pass from her throat.

Suddenly feeling closed in and dizzy.

Eli takes the drive and walks across the office to Ryan, banging on the glass. He waves her in, phone hanging from his hand before he hangs it up, a grim look stuck to his usually cheery face.

"I don't know what to do," she admits. "Open this. Don't say anything, just open it."

He complies. She waited, folding her restless hands on the table. As the voices played again, she watched him, ignoring the clench in her gut. When it was over, Ryan looked back at her.

"Where did you get this?"

"Amy sent it to me." Her voice was flat, careful, small.

"Okay, we are going to tell Robert first. This is proof of bribery or maybe blackmail. We don't even know if he's talking about Fenton. This doesn't link you to Amy in any way besides you opening a package. Alright?"

"Alright," Eli tucked her hands into her pockets. Wanting a drink. Needing one.

"Is he in his office now?" Ryan asks, but got up from his seat to check, one hand resting against Eli's elbow. "Do you need a second?"

"Can I just meet you in there? I just need a minute."

"I'll brief him."Eli looks sadly, almost reverently, at Ryan. "The paper has enough to fight this, Eli. Robert won't leave one of his own. Especially against a prick like Tanner."

They'd been right about the judge all along.

"I called about the briefcase, it wasn't logged in the incident report but they had logged one in the crime report. My contact said they hadn't logged it yet. Everything still crazy over there."

"Thanks, Ryan," she whispered back, still stuck in her head.

Eli's eyes skimmed the private information that ran beside the notepad on Ryan's desk. She looked at his notes, the sticky pads stuck to the underside of his computer, the chewed pencils resting in their metal holder.

They were right.

Eli sank back on her heels, resting her back against the wall. Her mouth quirked as she stared out into the press pool, just behind the closed door. Eli didn't feel like victories or proud. Her muscles ached, her bones seem to be getting stiffer and she couldn't shake the headache that had been trailing her since yesterday, she was sure it was a handover but it seemed to have just gotten worse right before she stepping to the office.

She took in a deep breath of air and blew it out her nose.