Dangerous by Default

33. The interrogation

Fragments of a former self lay limp and lifeless all around him. Caine was standing alone among the splintery wreckage of what had once been his woodworking studio. He started to laugh, overwhelmed with relief. Funny how jumping out of an airplane without a parachute can change your entire perspective.

Just a few hours ago, he and Mina had been wrapped up in a parachute on Mavericks Beach. Eventually dragging themselves from the damp sand, they climbed up to a cozy patch of grass on the top of the cliffside. The early morning hours passed by without notice as they lay intertwined in conversation, soon watching the sky glow up around them. Nothing could compare to the euphoria they shared, greeting the new day after falling from the sky together.

With one glance at her watch, Mina realized that she had to return to the lab. It might have been her last day as the CEO of Dimensions but she didn't show it. She looked more determined than ever.

After dropping her off, Caine had been too buzzed to sleep. Instead, he went straight to his woodworking studio. It was time. Though the plane stunt may have brought a new light to their relationship, Caine still felt the need to show Mina just how sorry he was. It had to be something big, big enough for her to truly know that she was still everything to him. He would have to break down where all the carelessness had started. His ego.

Time to dismantle this.

He turned a lever. The water turbine, powered by the river of sewage deep below, whurred to life once more. Instead of using it to create, to enshrine his ego in the objects that ruled his life for so long, he finally felt content to let things float. He pulled the first chair he could reach under the destructive buzz of a saw. He had realized the plane jump wasn't just for Mina. He only wished he had come to this the day before. He grabbed another chair. Then another. His saw tore through the soft wooden legs so easily. They were so fragile.

Then his phone rang.

Janus. In all the panic and twists of the previous night, he had forgotten about the meeting he had set up before he fled from the museum. He was already 20 minutes late. Throwing on his shabby work coat, He rushed the three short Tenderloin blocks to the station covered in sawdust.

The cold metal chair sent a harsh shiver up Caine's spine. Just like on TV, Caine mused as he sat alone in the bleak lobby of the SFPD Tenderloin Station. A door slammed nearby, causing all of the cops to avert their eyes back to their desks. Somebody in a position of authority was pissed, and these guys were not about to get caught in the crossfire. Closely trailing the sound of the door, hard-pounding rubber boots seemed to shake the linoleum floor tiles.

Caine perked up. The boots belonged to a lanky detective with a messy bun. The look on her face was stony, and terrible. Caine now understood why the other police looked away.

"Thank you for taking the time to meet with me today, Mr. Blue." All business.

"Of course, I'm just sorry that I made you wait," he said, trying not to sound nervous, though her indifference made him uncomfortable. Janus barely looked at him as she pointed to a door down the hall, where he soon followed her inside.

It was an interrogation room, but the stacks of manila folders on the metal table made it feel softer, almost cozy, as if it were just a small home office. There was a faint trace of BO. Janus must have been working late.

Caine spoke first. "Ami make it out alright? Mina's mentioned her fear of guns."

"Ami's fine. A little shaken up, but she was lucky, all things considered. Haven't seen anything like that before."

"I still can't believe... switching the revolver.. It seems so.. elaborate."

Janus produced a glossy photograph from one of the piles of manila folders. Caine's jaw dropped. Silvery hair slicked back, his face seemed young, slightly plump, almost wet. The man was shirtless and laying under a blue and white striped beach tent. It looked like the French Riviera. Caine recognized this face. This was the last person Caine expected to be talking about, no less in a police station with Janus.