Crow's Nest [✓]

Chapter 24

William Lockwood, looking slightly better than the day before, walked into the office. He saw Thomas, Harry and Chief Gibson sitting there, an air of seriousness hanging over them.

"You wanted to see me?" he inquired, his voice neutral but concerned.

Chief Gibson nodded, his expression stoic as ever. "Lockwood, come in. We need your help."

He gestured for Lockwood to take a seat. The atmosphere in the room was a mix of tension and urgency. Something was obviously going on.

Chief Gibson looked at Lockwood, his voice firm as he made his intention clear. "We need you to conduct the official interview with Harry. You're not close to Harry directly, and we need an impartial perspective."

He looked at each of them in turn, his gaze steady and expectant. Lockwood nodded, steeling himself for the task at hand.

The Chief leaned back, satisfied with Lockwood's agreement. "Good," he said, his voice carrying a note of seriousness. "Get everything you can out of him, but be thorough. We need to figure out exactly what happened last night."

Thomas couldn't help but feel a pang of worry. He hoped Harry would stay calm and consistent under Lockwood's questioning.

As Chief Gibson and Lockwood led Harry into another room for the interrogation, Thomas was left in the office alone. The silence was deafening, the only sound the low hum of the fluorescent lights overhead.

Deciding to use the time productively, Thomas started doing some further research on the case. He pored over old files and newspaper articles, looking for anything that might be useful.

Liam, looking weary and with dark circles under his eyes, entered the office and flopped into a chair next to Thomas. He looked exhausted, as if he hadn't slept for days.

Thomas looked up from his research, his eyebrows raising slightly seeing Liam's exhausted state. "Liam, you look like you need about ten cups of coffee," he said, a touch of concern in his voice.

"Yeah, I feel like I could sleep for a week," Liam responded, rubbing his eyes. He looked over at the closed door behind which the interrogation was taking place. "Who's in there?"

"Harry's being interviewed by Lockwood," Thomas replied, his tone quiet. "Chief Gibson wanted someone impartial to grill him."  
He leaned back in his chair, his gaze returning to the files in front of him. "I've been doing some research, trying to find anything that might help."

Liam reached into his bag, pulling out a stack of notes and newspaper clippings. "I followed up on that lead you gave me," he said, his voice still a touch raspy. "Looks like there's a bit more to Johnathan than we thought."

"What did you find?" Thomas asked, setting aside his own research to give Liam his full attention. He leaned back in his chair, his eyes studying Liam's notes.

Liam leaned forward, dropping his voice to a whisper. "Apparently, Johnathan wasn't just some low-level drug dealer," he began, shuffling through his notes. "He was deep in the trenches, dealing with some pretty serious criminals."

"Some of the names he was linked to," Liam continued, lowering his voice even further, "are the kind you don't want to mess with. Big players in the drug game, guys who don't hesitate to get violent when they need to."

"Big players like Richard Flint..." Thomas said out loud.

Liam nodded, his eyes widening slightly at the name. "Richard Flint, yeah. One of the biggest names out there. If Johnathan was working for him, it explains why he ended up dead."

"This just got a lot more complicated," Thomas muttered, rubbing his forehead, his thoughts racing. If Johnathan was involved with someone like Richard Flint, the stakes were just raised significantly. Their investigation was no longer just about a new drug being spread around or a dead body. It was about dealing with organized crime.

"We need to get the Chief up to speed on this," Thomas said, a note of urgency in his voice. He glanced toward the closed door leading to the interrogation room. "But let's wait until Harry's done being questioned."

Liam nodded in agreement. "Yeah, probably best not to interrupt that just yet." He stifled a yawn, leaning back in his chair. "Meanwhile, I'll try not to fall asleep."

Thomas chuckled, the tension momentarily eased by Liam's comment. "Just don't drool on the desk."

Liam rubbed his eyes again, his expression comically exaggerated. "I make no promises. This chair is suddenly looking really comfortable."

Thomas rolled his eyes, a wry smile on his face. "Maybe I should get you some coffee. You look about ready to collapse."

Liam chuckled weakly. "Coffee would be like a shot of adrenaline at this point." He pushed his tired body up from the chair and stretched his arms. "I'm gonna grab a soda from the vending machine. You want anything?"

Thomas pushed himself away from the desk, deciding that he too needed a break. He told Liam he didn't need anything and headed out of the office.

The fresh air outside was a welcome contrast to the stuffiness of the office. He took a deep breath, trying to clear his mind of the myriad thoughts and information swirling around.

Thomas felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He reached in and pulled it out, unlocking the screen to see who the message was from.

Meet me at The Sailor. Alone.

Thomas's eyes widened slightly as he read the message. It was short and to the point. The message was clearly from someone who didn't want to be identified. But who could it be?

The name "The Sailor" immediately registered a memory. It was not only the nightclub he and Harry visited te day before, but also belonged to Richard Flint.

Thomas's mind started whirling. What did this person want? Did this have anything to do with the case? And why the insistence on meeting alone?

Despite the questions, something told him this was a lead he couldn't ignore. He looked around, confirming he was alone. He needed to go.