The Magpie's Death

Revelations (1)

As soon as the door closed behind them, Squirrel stood high on tiptoes and slapped the Magpie as hard as possible across the cheek. They weren't strong, so it wasn't particularly painful, but the action was still shocking. Ellie eyed the bit of skin starting to turn pink and let out the faintest breath, then covered it with her palm.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Squirrel turned red and their pretty face was covered in angry wrinkles, but they kept the words to a low hiss so others wouldn't hear. "Really? Jail? On purpose!"

The Magpie didn't need a slap or a lecture to know how stupid he'd been. He was aware somewhere in the back of his mind during each foolish moment. But that part of him wasn't in control.

"I couldn't let it go."

"Obviously." Never able to keep a negative emotion for long, Squirrel blew out a long breath and sat on the edge of the bed. "It was so sloppy, Maggie. I swapped out the fingerprints, but you can't be drawing attention to yourself."

Without responding, he carried Ellie over to the bed and tucked her in. She reached out for him to join her so he did. Her head shifted to rest on his lap. Within a minute, she was fast asleep and he pet her wild, wavy hair. Squirrel was fully on the bed now, legs out and crossed, upper body propped up on their palms.

"This is worrying, Mags. That sweet guy downstairs really likes you. Heaven only knows why, but he does." They couldn't hold in a smirk. "Seems like he's important to you too, since you made such a huge mistake because of him."

"Why are you here?" he asked, finding it unnecessary to react to the observation or subsequent teasing. What was done was done and he couldn't change that.

Squirrel huffed and glared at him, their expression turning serious. "Don't change the subject. You need to control this. It's dangerous."

"It won't happen again. Whatever it is, it isn't going any further. Why are you here?"

"That isn't..."

They drifted off, their light blue eyes searching him for something. There was still concern, but now, if he wasn't mistaken, there was also a hint of disappointment. With a wave of the hand, they sent those emotions away.

"Fine. I'll trust you then." Reaching into a small pocket in their dress, they pulled out a miniature flash drive and leaned toward him, gripping it delicately between two fingers. The corners of their mouth lifted. "I know what the Suns are after."

Squirrel slid off the bed, grabbed their suitcase, and pulled out a small laptop. Placing it close enough for the Magpie to see, they plugged in the drive. A few clicks opened a blurry photo of middle-aged men sitting around a low table. Women served and serviced them, but the image was too poor quality to make out faces.

"What is this?" he asked, squinting to search out any details among the muddled haze of pixels.

Squirrel grinned, closing the laptop. "That crazy Charlotte was blackmailing them!" Their eyes twinkled at the idea of someone in her position, the same position they were once in, doing something so bold. "She recorded something, something obviously damaging, and sent them this screenshot as proof. Her freedom in exchange for secrecy."

"Stupid woman."

The Magpie looked down at Ellie sleeping on his lap and wondered what her life would be like now if her mother had never done this. It definitely wouldn't be better.

"Yep." His friend shifted a little closer. "But they're still frantic looking. Looking for you and this girl. Which means they haven't found whatever she recorded."

He understood. The Suns thought it was with Charlotte's secret daughter. Either it was already in his hands - a definite problem - or it was still hidden with the girl – a potentially dangerous problem if someone else found it. The Magpie would at least recognize it and keep it for leverage. A deal could be made and the situation could be controlled.

If it was in Ellie's possession this entire time, there was only one place it could be. "If that's true, I know where it is."

He moved Ellie carefully off his lap, turning her onto her back. Reaching behind her neck, he unhooked a tiny chain and pulled it away. It was always hidden under her clothes, so he never thought much about it. Unlike other children, she never fiddled with it, hardly ever touching it.

Hanging from the thin metal was a silver heart locket. He handed it over to Squirrel, whose fingers were thinner and more nimble. After clicking the latch open, they picked away the tiny picture of Charlotte. Beneath was a micro-SD card and they both let out a little gasp.

Squirrel hurried to place it into an adapter and stuck it in the laptop. As the video played, the Magpie swallowed his surprise. "What the hell?"

"Is this... what I think it is?" Eyes wide and fixed on the screen as they watched, Squirrel barely whispered the question.

Nine middle-aged men wearing expensive suits sat around a low table. The location was easy to recognize. A back room in a restaurant used as a front for Suns' escort services. Young women flitted in and out with food and drinks as the men discussed high-level syndicate affairs. Affairs only the Boss should know about.

As the night progressed, business turned to pleasure, then to happy, drunken men being cautiously ushered to the exit. The room emptied and there was a scratchy, older voice near the camera.

"Charlotte?"

Most likely one of the women in charge of the lower rank girls.

"Did you leave your phone again?"

"Oh, yeah. Sorry ma'am."

Her voice was light and sweet. She sounded younger than the Magpie expected. He felt his heart clench, recalling again the naked, battered body. Her face flashed across the screen for only a moment - a face that looked too similar to the one sleeping beside him - before everything went black.