SECRET RADIO blog

"Killed! Killed right in public!" Surrounded by the remains of numerous dinners left uneaten, Detective Supina stamped back and forth from their own table to the next table over, His fair cheeks were flushed, his eyes huge and fierce with frustration and rage. "And by some unauthorized person who had no business being at the same table with him!" He whirled and stabbed a finger at Dr. Rolande and Dr. Drake. "You had no business tracking him down to question him! That is police business!"

Seated at one of the chairs as though he were in charge of the matter, Rolande leaned back and hooked a foot over one knee. He had expected some posturing, but it was time to get down to business. "The girl is an expert on the methodology that this man's gang has been employing in terrorizing and most likely killing innocent citizens," he said. "We needed to have her question him. We had to verify a link or dismiss it."

"That is not what you were hired to do!!" Supina shouted. "You were to trace hard materials."

"Her book called The Fighting Dead is a hard material."

"She manipulated you! Both of you! And then she manipulated him into attacking her!"

"Perhaps." Rolande did not want to entirely concede the point, but Carrie saw that he knew it was true. Rolande spoke again.

"The young lady made no move to attack him," he said. "No matter what she said to him, you cannot blame her for his actions. He attacked her first. She struck him once in self defense as he came down on her. Call it a tragic accident. A lucky punch."

"Lucky punch! You haven't seen the video clips of this young woman. Hangs a brick from the ceiling and smacks it with her open hand. Shatters it! That was no lucky punch. She knew exactly what she was doing! She set him up and then she killed him!"

"What video clips?" Carrie asked. "Why didn't you tell us?"

Supina whirled on her. "Because I want you for the forensic data. Stay out of the police investigation!"

Rolande eyed the younger man and kept his voice calm. "The problem remains, sir, that you will not be successful in tracking down and restraining the rest of this gang without the young lady's help. I think she knows more about all of this than she lets on."

"No that's not likely," Carrie said at once.

"I am not letting her go!" Supina bellowed. "She's killed a material witness!"

"No matter what her motives, it was still self defense," Rolande said. "A restaurant full of people saw him seize her by the throat."

Supina ruthlessly shoved aside one of the smaller tables that got in his way as he paced.

Rolande chimed in again. He seemed willing to continue to debate the point forever. "You know, I can just imagine the moment when you bring this wide-eyes, wisp of a girl into court for the brutal murder of a man who had a hand in the deaths of four unrelated victims as wells as two bank guards. Oh yes!" The scientist beamed affably. "What do you think the jurors will do when she tells the court that she interrupted this man as he was telling my female colleague that he intended to murder her in the cruelest possible way? And that he lunged at Anne first and had his hands around her neck when she struck him on the head? Just how many of Anne Thomson's fellow citizens are going to view this 20 year old orphan as a premeditated murderess?"

Supina turned and stared at Rolande. "That's exactly what she is. She calculated this whole thing down to the minute. She silenced the one person who might indict her to the police!"

Carrie felt a sudden chill as he said this, but she rejected the idea. "She is a young homeless woman with an amazing gift. She heard him threaten me with the most vile of threats. She reacted to distract him from me and protect me."

Supina threw his head back as he paced, as though tossing off her point of view as ridiculous. Then he stood, still fuming. "This is entirely the fault of REACH Research," he said through clenched teeth.

"I take full responsibility," Rolande said quickly. "I accept that. But the arrest of the young lady is unnecessary and will ultimately harm your case. She's your link."

"She is not the link to these people," Carrie insisted.

Supina waved his hand with a sudden swipe, as though brushing away both their objections. "I want assurances that she will remain under supervision."

* * * *

Carrie did feel a momentary stab of fear as the police officer opened the solid steel door to the interview room. He stepped aside to let her enter ahead of him. "I'll go in with you, Miss Drake," he said.

Her eyes flashed. She made her voice icily polite. "It's Dr. Drake. And that won't be necessary, Officer. Ms Thomson has not resisted her arrest, and I don't think she'll hurt me."

He was still hesitant, but Supina, standing behind him, gave a nod. "We'll keep an eye on things out here," he said. Then he spoke to Carrie. "The intercom is off. Your conversation will be private."

She nodded and entered. Inside, Anne was standing in the same relaxed stance that Carrie had seen earlier. The young American girl was facing the back wall of the concrete room. Moving like water, she flowed forward and slapped the flat of her hand into the wall. It looked like a mere slap until you heard the sound of the blow. She was actually hitting the concrete with considerable force.

Her escort withdrew and closed the door. The sound as it slammed home sent another unexpected arrow of fear into her. Carrie shot one involuntary glance at the two-way mirror. Anne turned from the wall, her eyes expressionless. For a moment, Carrie was very frightened, but she spoke calmly.

"Anne," she said. "I wanted to make sure you were all right. They wouldn't let me see you until now." This situation, she thought, was entirely her own fault. She had won Anne's confidence. And then she had subjected Anne to the sight of that horrible man, made her listen to him make the vilest of threats, and allowed her to react on instinct, the instincts of a child who saw all things as black and white; the instincts of a martial arts master who could kill.

"They didn't hurt me," Anne said to Carrie. Her eyes had that listening look: neither angry nor happy, only quiet and expressionless and ready. "Did they send you down to question me?"

"No, of course not." Carrie said. "I wanted to make sure that you're all right."

"Sit down," Anne said, and she gestured at the narrow wooden table and two chairs.

Carrie hesitated and then crossed to a chair, and Anne said gently, "I won't hurt you."

Carrie nearly protested the assurance and then did not. She sat down. At any moment, she thought, this frail looking young woman could have killed her, or Rolande, or the very officers who had locked her into this room for safe keeping. Yet Anne had evinced no resentment and no resistance against anybody. She also showed no remorse for what she had done, but Carrie herself found it difficult to mourn much for him. His threat against her own life had still been in the air when Anne had killed him.

"I thought--are you frightened, Anne?" Her voice was still hesitant.

"I was. When they brought me here. But I died to it."

"Will you sit down?"

Anne instantly sat down on the other chair and looked at Carrie expectantly. Carrie was still not used to the girl's complete acceptance of whatever came next. But as Carrie did not speak, Anne spoke again.

"There's no reason to be afraid of me, Carrie," she said gently. "I know I startled everybody by what I did. I don't think it was wrong. But I think it would be very wrong to hurt you or the people here. I abide in your world and must abide by your laws."

"I see," Carrie said.

"They took the chocolate bars from me," Anne added.

"Officer!" Carrie called. She turned to the two way glass and beckoned.

The door opened and the police officer and Supina both appeared at the threshold. She made her voice brisk. "Would you see to food, please? Do you have a canteen?"

"We'll get her something." Supina nodded and then gave a flip of his head to signal the other man to close the door. They left.

"When will they decide what to do with me?" Anne asked. "I guess I'll have to stand trial."

"I don't think so," Carrie told her. "Anyway, I hope not. After all, he attacked you. Rolande and I both made a good case for self defense."

Anne did not reply to this. Instead, she asked, "Who is Rolande? And who are you? Really now, tell me the truth. Why did you come looking for me on the first day?"

"We occasionally assist the police with difficult investigations," Carrie told her. "Rolande and I are forensic specialists. But we went slightly off course on this case."

"Yes?"

They were interrupted as the police officer again unlocked the cell. The Director and Rolande entered.

Anne stood, and Carrie stood with her. She was surprised at the sudden protective urge she had to put an arm around the girl, as though Anne were a child, but she did not do it. But she touched the cuff of Anne's sleeve, a subtle communication of willingness to help. Anne started at the touch and glanced down at her cuff.

"Miss Thomson" The Director said. "The police are unwilling to release you back to the street---"

"It was self defense!" Carrie barked.

He lifted a hand. "They can hold you as a material witness---"

"Witness to what?" Anne asked. "I live in the land of the dead."

"Well they don't believe that. They believe that you may have information to contribute on a current investigation." He rocked back on his heels. "However, at Dr. Rolande's urging, they have agreed to release you into the custody of my colleagues---"

Carrie let out her breath, loudly. Courtney pointedly ignored her, and Rolande scowled at her.

"I must insist on several points of agreement from you, Miss Thomson," Courtney began, but Carrie ignored him and turned to the girl. "Anne," she said clearly, all parental authority figure.

"Yes?"

"If I take you into my custody, will you give me your word to stay with me? Promise not to go off on your own until you're released from my custody?"

"Yes." A look of the dignity of the young martial arts master filled Anne's eyes. "I give you my word, Carrie." She glanced over at the Director.

Carrie turned to the men. "That's good enough for me!"

"Well all right, it's settled then!" Rolande exclaimed, now dismissive. He wanted to get back onto the case load.

The Director seemed about to protest. But on sudden thought he rocked back onto his heels again. He cocked an eyebrow. "All right then."

"These men are seeking to build their own reputations and sense of power by exercising domination and control over others," Anne said suddenly. "They will avenge themselves. They won't be able to endure a defeat or a capture."

"Yes, and how do you know that?" Rolande asked.

"Because she understands their mindset," Carrie snapped. "They're martial artists!"

"Are you saying you need our protection?" the Director asked Anne.

Anne's face was expressionless. "No. I'm dead. It doesn't matter what happens to me. But if you want to capture them---"

"Then we should get a good look at the dead man before he's shipped off to his next of kin," Rolande exclaimed.

"Well, you'd better hurry!" the Director snapped back. "The police have already taken him to their pathology lab!"

"Let's go then!" Rolande made to stride out. "Come on, Carrie!"

Carrie turned to Anne. "I've got to go with him."

"All right. I'll go." And Anne moved forward to follow them out.

Carrie put a hand against Anne's shoulder without thinking, stopping her. Anne started at being detained and her glance fell to Carrie's hand. Carrie instantly dropped the hand, and for just a moment, everybody froze. But Anne did not move, and Carrie said, "Not to the police morgue, Anne. You'll have to stay here."

Something flickered through the brown eyes. "Locked in this room?"

"I'm sorry." She tried to hold Anne's eye steadily, but she was keenly aware again of being slightly apprehensive. "I can't find any other alternative."

Anne instantly settled back, her face calm and expressionless again. "All right. Because I gave you my word."

"I'll be back as quickly as I can."