Free Never Cry Mercy by L. T. Ryan Page A
Authors: L. T. Ryan
mean a damn thing," I said.
Our hushed conversation drew stares from the remaining officers. They knew enough to consider us possible suspects until we were cleared, so they moved closer in an attempt to listen.
"We can't talk about this now." She glared at the plain clothes officer. "Just keep quiet until we're out of here."
Vernon came over and stood back a few feet from us. He said nothing, stared up at the ceiling. Outside, low, dark clouds raced past. I wondered if the storm had more in store for us. How would that affect the investigation?
"Billie," Vernon said, "is it OK if your cousin stays with you for the time being?"
She nodded.
"Good," he said. "Won't be able to stay here anymore, and I'd prefer if he were somewhere I can find him when I'm ready to talk."
"I'm standing right here," I said. "You can talk to me now."
Vernon shot a cross look in my direction. "I'll come get you when the time is right. Don't go nowhere. And I mean nowhere. You only leave that apartment with Billie. In fact, I want you by her side and only her side for the next forty-eight hours."
"How do you know she won't leave?" I said.
"Because you won't let her," he said.
"And how do you know that?"
"I can tell you're the kind of guy that doesn't want an innocent woman getting slapped with an accomplice tag. You'll do everything in your power to keep her from doing something stupid." He moved in front of me. I could smell today's lunch on his breath. Chili dog and a beer, maybe two. "Besides, why run unless you have something to hide?"
"Because sometimes it doesn't matter if you did it or not," I said. "If someone wants an outcome bad enough, nothing is going to stop them from reaching for it."
Vernon nodded slowly. "Get out of here so we can finish up what we have to do. I'll be in touch soon."
Reese grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the door. The screen door banged against the side of the house. We stepped out and took the most direct route to her place. The clouds thickened behind us. Streaks of lightening raced across the sky. The next storm was minutes from hitting.
A few blocks into the drive, Reese spoke up. "Jack, you should get out of here. I've never seen Vernon like that. The way he stared at you, it was like he could see you with the gun that killed them."
"You know if I go they'll arrest you. You'll be guilty by association."
"They won't. It's not me they want."
"We already gave them a story that we went to the house together. They're either gonna figure I was trying to hide my tracks after killing them, or that you helped me kill them and we were stupid enough to admit to both being at the scene together."
"I'll tell them that you slipped out in the middle of the night. You can take my car, get someplace you can hop on a bus or train and disappear again. They'll be trying to follow a bullshit identity. It's just gonna lead them to a dead end, right?"
She had allowed her feelings and passion to cloud her judgement. Her words stared logic in the face and laughed at it. For whatever misguided reason, she believed Vernon wouldn't come down on her. How could I get her to understand?
"Reese, what's the first thing you would do if you were afraid of someone fleeing?"
"Put a car on them."
"Look back."
She glanced over her shoulder. "What? I don't see anything."
"Look further."
"Dammit," she said after spotting the plain clothes in the unmarked car inching along a perpendicular street two blocks back.
"I'm not going anywhere," I said. "They've got nothing on me. I've survived being tortured. There's no way these guys are gonna coerce me into a false confession. Let's ride this out and try to piece it together ourselves."
"OK. I have little faith they're gonna get it right anyway. We'll see what they do, then go from there, I guess."
She cut through an alley so narrow we wouldn't have made it if someone had set a trash can out there. We emerged a few houses down from her place. It cut about a minute off the
Our hushed conversation drew stares from the remaining officers. They knew enough to consider us possible suspects until we were cleared, so they moved closer in an attempt to listen.
"We can't talk about this now." She glared at the plain clothes officer. "Just keep quiet until we're out of here."
Vernon came over and stood back a few feet from us. He said nothing, stared up at the ceiling. Outside, low, dark clouds raced past. I wondered if the storm had more in store for us. How would that affect the investigation?
"Billie," Vernon said, "is it OK if your cousin stays with you for the time being?"
She nodded.
"Good," he said. "Won't be able to stay here anymore, and I'd prefer if he were somewhere I can find him when I'm ready to talk."
"I'm standing right here," I said. "You can talk to me now."
Vernon shot a cross look in my direction. "I'll come get you when the time is right. Don't go nowhere. And I mean nowhere. You only leave that apartment with Billie. In fact, I want you by her side and only her side for the next forty-eight hours."
"How do you know she won't leave?" I said.
"Because you won't let her," he said.
"And how do you know that?"
"I can tell you're the kind of guy that doesn't want an innocent woman getting slapped with an accomplice tag. You'll do everything in your power to keep her from doing something stupid." He moved in front of me. I could smell today's lunch on his breath. Chili dog and a beer, maybe two. "Besides, why run unless you have something to hide?"
"Because sometimes it doesn't matter if you did it or not," I said. "If someone wants an outcome bad enough, nothing is going to stop them from reaching for it."
Vernon nodded slowly. "Get out of here so we can finish up what we have to do. I'll be in touch soon."
Reese grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the door. The screen door banged against the side of the house. We stepped out and took the most direct route to her place. The clouds thickened behind us. Streaks of lightening raced across the sky. The next storm was minutes from hitting.
A few blocks into the drive, Reese spoke up. "Jack, you should get out of here. I've never seen Vernon like that. The way he stared at you, it was like he could see you with the gun that killed them."
"You know if I go they'll arrest you. You'll be guilty by association."
"They won't. It's not me they want."
"We already gave them a story that we went to the house together. They're either gonna figure I was trying to hide my tracks after killing them, or that you helped me kill them and we were stupid enough to admit to both being at the scene together."
"I'll tell them that you slipped out in the middle of the night. You can take my car, get someplace you can hop on a bus or train and disappear again. They'll be trying to follow a bullshit identity. It's just gonna lead them to a dead end, right?"
She had allowed her feelings and passion to cloud her judgement. Her words stared logic in the face and laughed at it. For whatever misguided reason, she believed Vernon wouldn't come down on her. How could I get her to understand?
"Reese, what's the first thing you would do if you were afraid of someone fleeing?"
"Put a car on them."
"Look back."
She glanced over her shoulder. "What? I don't see anything."
"Look further."
"Dammit," she said after spotting the plain clothes in the unmarked car inching along a perpendicular street two blocks back.
"I'm not going anywhere," I said. "They've got nothing on me. I've survived being tortured. There's no way these guys are gonna coerce me into a false confession. Let's ride this out and try to piece it together ourselves."
"OK. I have little faith they're gonna get it right anyway. We'll see what they do, then go from there, I guess."
She cut through an alley so narrow we wouldn't have made it if someone had set a trash can out there. We emerged a few houses down from her place. It cut about a minute off the