A Danger That Lurks In The Darkness | A TPQ AU |

XXVI | Just Survive

RUDY
"What are you doing here?" Her voice was flat, almost disinterested, but he could sense a dangerous undercurrent in her voice: the way her words escaped her, jagged; the tense frame of her body. Defensive.

The interrogation room's neon lights flickered down on the three of them, making shadows fall across Mae's face.

She flinched at Mini's glare, and said, stammering, "I— I just wanted to help,"

Mini didn't respond, the skin of her knuckles turning white.

He scowled, rage curling through him. "Well, you're doing a great job," he said, bitterly.

She turned her head downwards, her voice wavering, "You don't understand. I didn't have a choice."

Neither of them responded. He saw the faintest tremor of her fingers, a muscle twitch in her jaw.

He swallowed the lump forming on his throat, and she finally looked up at them, clearing her throat.

"I want you to throw me in jail."

Both of them stared at her, confusion warring across Mini's face.

"He can't get to me there," Mae explained, hope lighting up her face. "If you get me arrested, then I'll be safe— I'll tell you everything I know,"

"What... do you know?"

"Patricia. He killed her. He— he chopped up her body, and dumped it in the canal!" Her voice rose by an octave by the end of the sentence, the hope draining from her face, leaving behind a wild desperation.

She grabbed Mini's hands, while the latter flinched, and said, "You have to help me, officers. I won't survive— he'll kill me!"

"Hold on," he said, patiently. "Is he suspecting that you're going to come to the cops?"

"I don't know— but I want to get out of there as fast as I can. I'm not taking any chances, not after he killed his own brother."

"You saw—"

"I didn't see. But I can guess." She took a deep, shaky breath. "I told you. I want to get out of there before I end up like him."

"So tell us what you know." Mini said, her gaze boring into Mae.

Mae swallowed. "First, I'll need your reassurance that I'll be safe."

Mini's shoulders slumped. "It's not that simple. We'll have to find evidence— something that's been hard, since you and Mark are exceptionally good at covering your tracks. It'll take some time."

Rudy's eyes narrowed. "You could speed up the process by giving us evidence—"

Mae let out a bitter laugh. "You think he trusts me? He never trusted his own brother— and he'd trust me? He only got to me because he threatened to kill my mom." She took a deep breath.

"We can't promise you anything. The best we can do is witness protection— but if we catch him, and he testifies against you—"

"I don't care!"

She checked her phone, and her face blanched. She got up abruptly, her voice mechanical: "I have to go."

"Wha—"

"I have to go," she repeated, "Mark wants me there."

"We'll come with you— and arrest him then and there."

"You can't arrest him without a plan. Otherwise things will go sideways real fast."

"It's one versus two, I don't think—"