Of Lights and Shadows (Book 4)

20) No Questions Asked

Inside the glass office there seemed to be a strange stillness. It was even though on the other side of the glass walls there was a great deal of action happening, the Commissioner hardly heard it. It was just a distant muffle to him, barely registering any of it. He heard it every day and now it was just background noise.

For ten minutes he relaxed in his chair, enjoying for the moment a strange feeling of calm. As his heart sank, he opened his eyes and gazed downhearted at the hubbub taking place outside his door. What made it so calm before was the fact that Dastardious Hollow was no longer in the building. It was a relief for him to know that, but with a heavy heart he knew he had to realise that he would never fully escape the man. Not now that he had bowed down and stepped aside from him. Rising from his chair he walked to the door and opening it shouted for somebody to find him Mulligan.

'Detective Mulligan is down in the holding cells with Hollow's associate, sir,' a female detective told him, looking up from the folder she held open in her hand.

'Then get him up here now!' Gallapolo ordered before closing the door and returning to his seat.

With a sharp snap, Felicity Jordan closed the folder and dropped it on the desk next to her.

'Make sure that's there when I come back,' she said to the man seated watching her. He nodded as she moved away.  In five minutes she had located the correct holding cell.

'Mulligan still inside?' she asked the guard on duty.

'Yes, ma'am, he's been inside ever since that ruckus upstairs died.'

'I need to speak with him, open it up.'

Silently the guard pulled out his set of keys and, inserting one into the lock, opened the door. It was a simple room with a small metal table fixed to the floor, two metal chairs sat around it. Two men occupied them; the first was a man in a cheap suit with blond hair she had only briefly seen once before. He sat in the chair furthest from the door; the other chair was taken by Mulligan whose back was to the door.

The man in the cheap suit paid no attention to Miss Jordan as she walked in and stood beside her boss; choosing instead to keep his eyes fixed firmly on Mulligan. Mulligan looked up as she placed a hand on his shoulder and seemed to notice her for the first time, his brown eyes, bright and shining found hers. 'Ah,' he said, delighted, 'Hollow out yet? How did his meeting with the Galapagos go? Are we finally rid of him?'

Jordan shrugged. 'I don't know, but the Commissioner wishes to see you in his office straight away. It could have to do with Hollow.'

'Right away?' Mulligan asked, his eyes narrowing. 'I'm busy, doesn't he know that?'

At another shrug from her he sighed. 'All right, I'm coming.' With a sharp cough he squared his shoulders and adjusted his suit before rising from the chair. 'I'll finish with you later,' he promised Dutch before following Jordan from the room.

'I don't know where the hell Hollow found this man, but he won't say anything!' he confided to her as they left the hallway where the cells sat.

'Do we have a background on him yet?'                                         

'Hmh,' grunted Mulligan, 'Jones is running through his background now, we should get something from him soon.'

They separated without another word, Miss Jordan returning to her desk and Mulligan to his appointment. Knocking quickly on the office door, he walked in just as Gallapolo waved him in.

'You wanted to see me, sir?'

'Yes. Take a seat.'

As Mulligan took a seat, Gallapolo asked, 'That associate of Hollow's, Benjamin Dutch, you've still got him, yes?'