Hello everyone,
Once again, thanks for all your love and support. It’s hard to stay motivated the more I learn here in the present day. I’m trying not to make too many comments about the present day because I want to get you all up to speed.
Oh yeah, some of you have asked about the two computers. I’ve been going through them and they are similar, but not identical at all. It’s like if you were to switch off using two computers, one each day. They are similar in that sense.
I’m sorry I haven’t spoken to you very much in the comments. I know Zander did, and you all loved it. I’m just too depressed and feeling hopeless.
I’ll continue where I left off now.
We left the station with Hernandez and got back into my car. It was late afternoon now.
"Well, we still have leads," I said. "We learned who Jack Hemsey is, and I bet we could check on the others through social media too."
"And the bar," she added. "We're going there next."
I drove us there. It wasn't far from the police station, only a couple of blocks, but the heat made us stick with driving.
It might have been slightly larger than any other bar I've ever been to, but otherwise it was normal. Incoherent music filled the air, and the hum and drone of light conversation filled gaps in the music. The bar was pretty sparse since it wasn't that late.
I paused for half a second when I thought I saw David King sitting in a booth, staring at me. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply. Katie noticed and waited for me. She gave me a questioning look, but I shook my head. Thankfully, she didn’t persist.
We sat down at the bar and ordered a beer for each of us. I fully intended to ignore my beer. I'm not a drunk driver. We just purchased them to blend in and hopefully make the bartender more cooperative.
Before the drinks arrived, Zander's phone pinged again. Same message.
M4N513THO: Where's Zander?
I ignored it.
When the bartender brought us our drinks, Katie turned on the charm.
"I'm looking for an old friend of mine I used to hook up with," she said over the music and conversations. "Jack Hemsey?"
"Name doesn't ring a bell," the gruff man in his forties replied.
"Maybe Kraig Munson?" I asked. He gave me a peculiar look.
"Nope."
"What about Sophie Atrikson?" Katie said next. The man paused.
"Sophie Atrikson," he said with a sigh. I couldn't tell if it was a sigh of exasperation, or longing.
"You know her then?" Katie prodded.
"Yeah, she used to come here a lot after work," he said. "Is she your lover too?" He said, winking at Katie.
"Sophie's also an old friend," Katie smiled undeterred. "I used to hang out with the crew a lot and lost contact a while ago."
"Hate to say it, but she was banned from this bar for fighting about... oh, I dunno over a year ago?"
"Who was she fighting?" Katie feigned surprise.
"Some guy who came and hit on her all night. The bastard wouldn't leave her alone. Eventually she slapped him, and he jumped all over her."
"She got banned because a creep hit on her and then attacked?" I asked skeptically.
"No," the man chuckled. "He had her down for a few seconds, but then she came right back and beat the living shit out of him. It was quite a sight! Unfortunately, the owner kicked her out. I didn't have much say in the matter."
“The guy didn’t get kicked out?” I asked.
“I don’t remember… I think he was allowed to stick around a couple more times, but after a while he never showed up again either.”
"Was she upset about being banned?" Katie asked.
"She didn't kick the owner's head in, if that's what you mean," the man laughed. "She respected his decision and I haven't seen her since."
“Were there any other fights around that same time?” I asked.
“We have our fair share of fights and brawls in here, just like any bar,” the man said sharply. “I don’t remember all of them.”
"Did Sophie ever come here with anyone else?" Katie asked. "Friends? Dates?"
"Sounds to me like you're a mourning ex-girlfriend," the man winked again. He just wouldn't drop the insinuations, would he?
When neither of us responded, he straightened his back. "Eh, probably a few times. In fact..." he said absentmindedly.
He wandered off to a far wall next to the entrance. It was covered in photographs. Stenciled letters above it labelled the area as "Favorite Moments." He plucked a picture off the wall and brought it back, setting it on the counter in front of us.
It was a picture of five people, all crowded in close and grinning. They all had their arms around each other and were posing in front of the back wall of the bar. The man pointed to the girl in the middle. She had dirty blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail. She was average in height compared to the other people in the picture.
Besides Sophie, there was one other girl and three guys. The lights around us were dim, so I couldn't make out a lot of their faces. One of the guys was enormous and stood over all of them, hands spread across all of their backs.
My eyes widened. I recognized him immediately as my attacker. I exchanged a furtive glance with Katie. She understood my message.
"These glorious bastards each beat our old drinking record one night. Sophie had already been here a few times before, but this time she brought a few friends with her. Before this, she spent a lot of her nights talking with me and getting to know the staff. She could also put 'em down like no other," he laughed.
The fact that my attacker was in the picture made me want a copy. It would be nice to know their faces. I pulled out my phone and held it up to take a picture, but the man gave me a suspicious glare.
"Alright. I've played along. What're you after?" He growled, pulling the picture back.
"Like I said," Katie replied. "Just looking for my old friends." With that, she hopped off the bar stool, and I followed suit. We left the bar casually, but left our beers untouched. As soon as we were out of sight through the bar's windows, Katie stepped up her pace.
"What--what's going on?" I asked, jogging to keep up.
"You had to pull out your phone like an amateur, didn't you?" Katie accused.
"I'm sorry!" I said.
"We'll go back another time when it's busier and take a picture of the wall," Katie said. "But right now, it's time to leave."
"Why are you in such a rush?" I asked.
"Because one of those guys in the picture was in the bar," she said. "I get the feeling we're being followed."
Sure enough, one of the guys in the picture sauntered out of the bar behind us just as we reached the crosswalk.
"I don't like this," I said as we waited for the light to change.
"I don't like being followed either," Katie said, discreetly watching the guy.
"No, I mean the teamwork. We have Jack Hemsey, who's connected to Sophie through the picture in the bar and the police reports. Now we have someone from the picture following us, and another one that attacked me. That's a good indicator that they're working together. God knows how many others there are."
"Fair enough," Katie said as the light changed.
We crossed quickly, and the guy slowly followed, acting nonchalant.
We made it to my car, but not much further. Katie suddenly tensed up and looked further down the street. I was taking out my keys to unlock my car when I noticed her tense stance. Her face darkened into a fury I've never seen before. An anger that could only be resolved through murder.
She suddenly took off down the sidewalk, running more furiously than I'd ever seen someone run before.
"Katie! KATIE!" I yelled after her. Damn, she was fast. I ran around the car and looked down the road for what had provoked her.
Two men were grappling with a young girl, trying to pull her into an alley just half a block away. In broad daylight.
Shit.
I raced after Katie, running as hard as I could without tripping. Running with my sling was awkward. I looked at the street, hoping someone else was coming to help. None of the cars passing by could really see what was going on because the sidewalk was lined with parked cars.
As I got halfway there, Katie made contact. She ran at one of the men from behind as he held the girl. Her arms were outstretched, preparing to tackle him. The man let go at the last second and swung his fist, smashing into Katie’s jaw. He’d been waiting for her.
She was taken completely by surprise and went down instantly.
The other man continued to pull the girl along, his hand smothering her mouth so she couldn’t scream.
He shoved the girl into the trunk of a black van that was tucked further into the alley. I could barely see the open doors from where I was. The girl’s legs kicked, but he pushed them in and slammed the two doors shut.
The man that had hit Katie reached down to grab her. He started to lift her arms to carry her away when I started shouting at him while I approached. He instantly dropped her and ran back to the van.
They both disappeared into the alley. Katie was barely starting to lift herself off the ground. In a split second decision, I turned around and raced for my car.
That’s when I noticed the guy from the bar running towards me. I sped up, getting ready to fight.
“Come on!” I taunted, full of adrenaline.
Instead of starting a fist fight and risking the van getting away, I dropped to the ground and kicked his legs. He was caught completely by surprised and flipped straight down, his face colliding with the concrete. There was a solid crack when he hit.
I rolled to my feet and kept running towards my car.
The keys fumbled in my hands as I struggled to unlock the door and turn the ignition. My car stuttered to life, and I pulled into the street, cutting someone off.
I had only gone a few feet when the black van reversed onto the street out of the alleyway. It jolted into gear and sped into traffic. Behind it, Katie ran into the road, chasing them. I had to swerve to avoid hitting her. In the rearview mirror, I saw saw her speed back to where my car had been. She must not have seen me swerve.
I settled in behind the van, moving to the same lane.
So, pursuit it was.
My phone rang, and I picked it up, knowing who it was.
"Where are you?!" Katie shouted.
"Following that van," I said calmly. "Don't worry, I'm on it."
"Those FUCKERS!" She screamed.
"Katie, calm down!" I yelled back. "Go back to the police station or bar and stay there. The guy from the bar is still by you. I think they’re all working together. Watch yourself! I'm calling the police now to tell them what's going on."
Before she could respond, I hung up and dialled 911. I put it on speaker phone and held it in one hand with the steering wheel in the other.
"911, what's your emergency?" The operator answered.
"Hi, I'm in pursuit of a black Dodge Ram 1500 van. Two males have kidnapped a young girl and are driving away with her."
"What is your location?" The operator said. I told her the street I was on and the intersection we were approaching. There were very few cars out on the four-lane road, so there was little risk of losing him.
"I'm sending vehicles your way. Once they arrive, please pull over and I'll send an officer to come talk to you," the operator said. "Stay on the line here with me so I can keep getting their location."
She asked me to read off the license plate, and I did. I froze.
It was the same.
The same license plate number as the car outside Zander's hideout. Different car. Same plate.
Teamwork.
At that moment, a car came out of nowhere from my right. It was heading the same direction, but shoved into my lane to push me towards oncoming traffic.
"Oh fuck," I said, putting the phone in my lap and gripping the steering wheel with both hands. My phone flew out of my lap as the other car, a familiar, dark green Honda Accord, slammed into the side of my car a little harder.
In the ultimate scenario of bad luck, the phone bounced and hit my arm. My arm hit the 'End Call' button, and the phone slid to the passenger-side footwell. Just perfect.
I risked a quick glance over my shoulder. The same gigantic man was behind the wheel of the Accord. His nose was bruised and purple, which made me smile a little.
"Wonderful," I said sarcastically to myself. Then I hit the brakes.
The cars behind us had already braked and cleared the way after noticing that my car was being rammed. The Accord scratched against my car as it sped past. It came to a stop a ways away, brake lights shining brightly.
The black van continued onward.
I ground my teeth, then hit the gas. I went into the median lane and flew past the Accord. The van made a left turn, and I followed suit, thankful that the light had stayed on a green arrow.
My rearview mirror told me that the Accord was also catching up.
Who the hell tries to create a car accident while in city traffic?
The van made another left as the light turned red. Several cars honked as I flew through the intersection. The Accord narrowly avoided an accident behind me.
Just as I was turning forward from watching the Accord, I saw the van turn right. When I tried to follow, I saw another car coming from my left and had to slam on my brakes. He did too, and screamed at me silently through his window. I desperately motioned for him to drive, but he kept screaming. I stepped on the gas and sped on. The Accord was getting too close for comfort.
When I went around the corner, the van was gone.
There wasn’t time to slow down and look around. The Accord was quickly approaching. He must have cut off the guy I almost hit.
My goal now was to lose the Accord.
I hit the pedal and swerved into the median. We shot past traffic and got up to 50 mph. A traffic intersection was coming up, and I desperately tried to figure out where I was going to go. The left turn light turned green, and my decision was made. I slammed on my brakes and skid my way through the left turn, picking up speed as soon as I'd straightened out.
The Accord was quickly behind me.
"Okay, okay, just stay alive long enough for the cops to catch up to you," I said to myself. Then I saw how close the Accord was getting.
I took a hard right, thankful that this intersection also had a green light. My phone started to buzz, and my right turn had brought it closer to me. I snatched it up with one hand and clicked 'answer.'
"Clark, what's going on?" It was Katie. "I saw you get hit by another car and--"
"No time!" I shouted. "Call Hernandez! The asshole from the hideout is trying to kill me with his car!"
As if to back up my claim, the Accord bumped me from behind. I sped up, putting the call on speakerphone and dropping it into the passenger seat. It slid just out of reach.
It was a poor choice, because I couldn't hear Katie's muffled voice over the roar of my old engine.
"I can't hear you!" I shouted. "I dropped my phone!"
The intersection I was rapidly approaching had all red lights. Shit. Shit. Shit.
I looked left. Then right. The cars might be just far enough apart.
Might.
I hit the gas and tried not to shut my eyes. My car got a little air as I shot through the intersection at 70 mph.
"Oh God," I exhaled with a sigh.
There was a sudden, loud crash behind me. I checked my rear view mirror. The big asshole had t-boned someone's truck. The relief was instantaneous.
Unfortunately, the adrenaline started to drain out of me immediately.
I slowed down to match the speed limit and took several random turns to move diagonally away from the scene. I grabbed my phone and saw that Katie had ended the call. I redialed and waited for her to pick up.
"I'm... okay," I breathed. "He crashed." I sat still and felt all my energy drain away while Katie shouted into the phone.
"Clark! Where are you?!"
"I'm... somewhere," I said, looking around. "In front of the Key's bank a few blocks away, I think."
“They took her to the Key’s bank?”
“What? No, the van got away,” I sighed.
She groaned angrily. "Come back to the bar," she said.
"The police are gonna be all over me," I resisted.
"Don’t be melodramatic," she said. “Traffic cameras will have caught everything.”
Struggling to move my lethargic limbs, I reached my hand out and put the car in drive.
I made it back to the bar, and the police officers who were on the scene took us back to the police station because I was unsteady. They needed my statement, but Katie insisted I rest because of the adrenaline. As a result, I was seen by an EMT at the police station while I told them what I could. I didn’t mention any backstory. I only said that I’d pulled out into traffic to chase the van when the other car started slamming into mine. They accepted my story that I was just passing by and noticed the assault.
I asked what had happened to the guy who’d been chasing me. He had been killed instantly in the car crash. So was the guy in the truck that got hit. They were working on cleaning up the scene now, but didn’t even know who my pursuer was. It was an absolute mess.
The man who I’d tripped must have ran off after Katie chased the van into the street. She said she couldn’t find him anywhere once she ran toward my car. I was upset because he could have provided some good information, provided we could have gotten him to talk.
I laid exhausted on a bed in a small room of the police station where officers could take a nap. The EMT had just left, and Katie and I were left alone.
“They’re going to arrest me for reckless driving,” I said nervously.
"You're still stuck in David King mode," she replied. "Cameras on the street will have recorded everything. Right now, we just need to get you off the street and somewhere safe. Zander will kill me if you get hurt again."
I was about to ask when she'd spoken to Zander about me when the door burst open.
"What the hell was he thinking?" Hernandez shouted, bursting into the room. The EMT was right behind him.
"Detective, you can't just--" The EMT was saying.
"Why the HELL did you think getting in a car chase was a good idea?!" He shouted, glaring down on me. I squeezed my eyes shut. My heart rate shot back up.
"Hernandez, STOP!" Katie shouted. I could hear her pull him back.
"First Zander, and now you! Who the hell do you two think you are? Do you think you're above the law? Did David Fucking King make you think you could do whatever the hell you wanted and people would sympathize?"
"Zander?" I croaked. I sat up, eyes blinking.
"Yeah," Hernandez growled. "Apparently he's been crawling the city and beating the hell out of every pimp he can find!"
“What?” Katie said.
“The 'victim' who got beaten up this morning? He said the perp asked a lot of questions about Sophie Atrikson. Who else do we know that’s looking for Sophie Atrikson?” Hernandez accused.
My eyes widened. Zander.
“Apparently, the victim doesn't know who she is, but the perp didn't believe him. He got beat on for a while, then the ‘perp’ took off, stealing his keys, phone, and wallet. The description matches Zander,” Hernandez said sharply.
“If that’s Zander, then he wouldn’t take those risks without a damn good reason,” Katie said firmly.
"Damn good reasons don't get you out of jail!" Hernandez shouted at her.
"All. Right." The nurse said in a loud, firm voice. "Detective, you are out of line. Leave. Now. Or I'll call Chief Gunderson."
Hernandez stomped out of the small room and slammed the door.
"I’m sorry," the EMT said. “You should be able to rest now.” I shook my head.
"Don't worry about it," I said, rubbing my eyes.
"Can we talk in private?" She asked the EMT. He nodded and stepped out.
"So, Zander is out looking for Sophie by beating up potential pimps and hoping they know her?" I said, furrowing my eyebrows and looking down. "That doesn't make any sense."
I looked back up, staring Katie in the eyes. "What did you mean Zander will kill you if I get hurt again?" I asked.
She took a deep breath.
"I've been lying to you a little," she said. "’I’ve been talking to Zander online since you found his hideout."
"What?" I hissed. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because he asked me not to."
"Tell me anyway," I insisted.
"Zander doesn't want you mixed up in this," Katie admitted. "He asked me to keep an eye on you and keep you out of the action if you ever caught wind of what he was doing."
“Well, clearly I caught on," I said.
"Not completely," she said. "I've been leading you down a trail that Zander took a while ago. I've intentionally slowed you down.”
“Just because Zander told you to keep me out of his way?”
“That’s not what it is,” Katie calmly stated.
“Then what is it?”
“I got into David's hard drive. And I know a little about what Zander’s doing. I know why he’s doing it."
I stared at her, my jaw setting.
"When the hell did you do that?"
"Last night while you were still asleep. I guessed the password."
"And when exactly were you going to tell me that you got in?"
"I don't know," she said, as if we were in a game of poker.
"So, I find Zander's hideout, give you access to what he was working on, ask for your help in finding him, and you start hiding information?!" I started to raise my voice. "My best friend is out doing dangerous shit, and you're hiding things!"
"I'm telling you now." She retorted neutrally. "I'm telling you now because you almost died today, Clark. You were almost in a car accident because of some bad people. And they want to hurt you because of Zander. Because of Zander and because of me."
I hesitated. So did she. Her eyes started to mist over, but she closed her eyes and steeled herself. Her eyes opened with the same dimness I'd seen before.
"So he doesn’t want me involved, but he’ll let you get in on it?” I snarled.
“I’m already involved,” she said in a dark voice. “I can’t stay out of it, but you can.”
“What. Happened. To. You.” I clipped. “God damn it, Katie, stop lying to me and tell me what you know!”
“No, you’ll try to get involved,” Katie retorted.
“I’m already involved!” I shouted. “I almost died today, according to you! Doesn’t that make me involved?”
“It makes you a target,” Katie said calmly. “A target that can hurt Zander if they get you. That’s why we need you to hide. We know they’re specifically after you.”
“Zander recruited me to help with David King, so why the hell can’t I help now?”
“Because they’re worse than David. Way worse.”
“Oh, so now you know who we’re after?” I spat.
“YES!” Katie yelled, standing over me. “THEY HELD ME CAPTIVE FOR A YEAR, CLARK, I KNOW WHO THEY ARE!”
I refused to back down. “So he’s doing it as revenge for you? Is that it?”
“No,” Katie said, annoyed.
“Who are they, Katie? Are the three people in the police reports victims or perpetrators?”
“Perpetrators. Sophie is the queen bitch,” Katie admitted. “But that’s all you need to know.”
“And you knew that all along,” I accused. “So you’re not going to tell me what this is all about?”
“No,” she replied.
"Well, if you're going to wait until I almost get killed to tell me secrets, then I don't want to be a part of this anymore," I said. I stood up and walked to the door. Katie jumped and grabbed my arm, holding me back.
“You can’t leave until I get you somewhere safe,” she said, looking me in the eyes.
“Fuck off,” I said, then yanked my arm out of her grasp. I stormed through the police station, picking up speed as I went. I didn't want to be anywhere near this anymore.
I got to the street and ran.
-Clark
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