So Long, Not Goodnight

Chapter Forty-Nine

"Iero. Frank Iero. You remember, don't you?" Frank was holding the phone over the steering wheel, trying to multitask directing the car and talking to the officer he was patched through to.

"The name sounds so familiar," the tinny voice of the cop coming through the radio waves and out of the tiny speakers of his phone sounded higher than he remembered. "But I'm sorry I... I don't particularly recall..."

Focusing on the road, Frank bit his lip and reiterated where they had met and why. "You interrogated me at the hospital years ago... The assault of my best friend at a party who was pregnant with my son..."

Chief Inspector Kobell almost fell to the ground, remembering the sad, worried boy from the cramped hospital waiting room from a time that was so far away but haunted him, as did all these investigations that led nowhere fast. "Holy shit," Kobell muttered under his breath, palming the receiver as he gathered his thoughts. "You said that you have proof? The dispatch officer that transferred you... She said you mentioned having definitive proof this time."

"That's right," Frank hoped wasn't a lie as he continued to speed through the freeway, waiting for his exit to come. "You said that he keeps trophies of his victims. He still has them and I can promise you that I'm heading right for them as we speak."

"Where are you headed?" Kobell signaled to a troop of officers that had gathered with interest around the one sided conversation of a potential lead to the end. "My team and I will meet you there."

"St. Joseph's Cemetery," Frank drove under the exit to Blackwood, swerving into the lane for the off ramp.

Shouldering the phone, Kobell announced the location and other officers scribbled down the destination on their notepads, pocketing them and grouping towards the exit of the station towards the cars. "We're on our way. And Iero," Kobell turned away from his team. 

"Yes, sir?" Frank slowed slightly at the tight bend of the ramp.

"Wait for us to get there before you try anything," Kobell warned. "I don't want more hostages than we already have."

"Truth be told, with respect, inspector," Frank ran through the red light at the end of the ramp. "I won't be able to wait long."

"Understood," Kobell shook his head and hung up the phone. "Let's move!" He called to the rest of the vacating staff hoping they could get there before things could get much worse than they had already festered to. 

"Have we had time to calm down a bit?" Jake slipped through the door, noticing Gerard's slumped posture, weak and hopeless in his seat; a sliver of a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, enjoying the sufferance of the once hopeful hero. 

The bruise from his strong slap puffy and swollen around the crest of his outer eye excited Jake as he reached out and felt the heat from the inflammation radiate over the shells of his knuckles. Gerard winced away from the touch, shuddering like a wounded puppy. "Where's Helena?" Jake asked coolly.

"She's hurt..." Gerard looked up, his face still poised towards the ground. "She feels too weak."

Jake circled around the back of his chair and Gerard saw the string of phantom girls who he had imprisoned, Jamia with Ender on her hip and Bobby at her side included. Jamia stared and hissed at Jake, calming Ender who began to weep. Gerard met her gaze as Jake came back in front of him and winked, returning to his quivery, desperate persona. "So I'm stuck talking with a fag?" Jake reached a hand out and pulled Gerard's chin up to his disgusted face. 

"Sssorry," Gerard sputtered, watching Bobby's face contort angrily as he made a step away from their line and Jamia leaned over and whispered something to him making him stop and remain at attention.