Silence | Book 1

4-4: Friendship

"Wot...? 's he pulling our leg?" Killian asked, frowning at the text message that just showed on his screen. He shared a meaningful look with Liz, who was strapped into the front seat of Sam's Golf, whilst the phone in her hand pinged and lit up with the same message. A second ping made them both look down, and Sam gave a rather confused glance sideways while in the middle of her drive.

"What's going on?"

"Hibiki sent us a message from Tristan's phone, saying he got arrested." Killian said, looking down at his phone as if he could decipher more from the message if only he tried to read it in seven different ways.

"Tristan? Why would Tristan be arrested?"

"Doesn't say. It only has an address."

"I'm going to call, this has me worried." Liz said, as she pressed a few buttons and anxiously held her phone against her ear. It rang, and rang, and rang, and went to voicemail.

"He's not picking up." Liz's worry shone through in her voice, now beginning to tremble.

"It's alright, we'll just go to the address, and ask what went wrong. We don't know if it's anything bad, he could just end up with a fine." Sam gave Liz a gentle pat on her knee, trying to ease her worries.

"Yeah, prolly he took a piss in Hyde Park and got caught." Killian jested.

"Don't joke about it!" Liz immediately replied, furious, causing Killian to quickly lean back into the backseat as far away from her as he could. "What if he's going to prison?" She continued in a panic.

"It's too early for conjecture, we don't know the details. Let's all stay calm, so we won't kill one another on the way there."

Liz nodded, as Sam's voice of reason eased her worst fears. With her hands still shaking she filled in the address on her phone, showing the directions to Sam.

"It's not that far, only twenty minutes away."

Liz nodded again, as she let out a quivering breath trying to regain her composure.

" 'Ey Lizzy?" Killian asked from the back.

"What?" She replied with a bit more bite than intended, causing Killian to be a little taken aback.

"I wanted to say I'm sorry." He continued in a softer tone, so he wouldn't upset her again. "But it's Trissy, ye know, he can't have worked himself in too much trouble."

"Maybe but... sometimes trouble kicks him in the face?"

Killian furrowed his brow a little, and then had to concede to Liz.

"True... it does do that. But that doesn't mean he'll be going to prison."

"Can we just, not talk about prison?" Liz asked softly, ever more anxious about it all.

"Sure..." Killian said, laying his legs onto the backseat and resigning to the uncomfortable and anxious silence that followed.

They arrived at the police station a little under twenty minutes later, and both Liz and Killian dove out of Sam's car while she went to find a parking spot. Liz nearly went to run up to the door, but Killian held her back with one hand.

"Listen, police are a fickle bunch. We both had a few, so we best look normal, and then times a hundred. Maybe you do the talking, yer small and better dressed."

Liz nodded and took a deep breath, trying to rid herself of all the worry so she could be their spokeswoman.

"I'll just step in and ask for him, maybe Hibiki will be waiting as well?"