It was half five and Victor just pushed the heavy wooden doors to J's pub open. Spike was onstage, tuning his guitar.
"So, we're gigging tonight?" Victor shoved his hands into his pockets and looked up at him inquisitively.
"Ah, Vic," Spike smiled and then went back to the guitar, "You got my text,"
"Yeah, I did," He nodded, "My bass upstairs?"
"Yup,"
Victor nodded a few times but stayed where he was, a bit awkwardly.
"Is Trixie coming?" He asked then, glancing up at him.
"Oh, I'm sure she is," Spike replied halfheartedly, not looking up from the instrument on his lap, "I sent her the same text,"
"Did she reply?"
"Does it matter?" He snorted, "She'll be here. The bitch is always here,"
"Spike, she hasn't been here for days," Victor stood up onto the relatively small stage and grabbed the guitar out of his hands, "She could be dead for all we know,"
"You need to stop smoking that shit, man," Spike chortled, reaching for it.
"Haven't you noticed that a teenager was killed just outside this pub?" Victor tried not to let him get under his skin but felt his voice rising nonetheless, "Fiona's dead, the lawyer's a crack-head and Trixie's vanished,"
"Thomas does crack cocaine?"
"That's what you took from that!? No, you know what? Fine, be a dickhead,I'm not playing this stupid gig," He shook his head and jumped down from the stage, going to leave the pub.
"C'mon, man. Stop running back to your van," Spike called after him, "Don't be such a pussy and play your god damn bass!"
"Language!" Joseph barked from behind the bar.
"Sorry," Spike sheepishly waved at him. By then Victor was long gone.
"You will be if you swear in my pub again," He said before not so discreetly adding, "You little fucker,"
•~~×~~•
"Hey, were you thinking of-? What are you doing?" Reyn stepped when he saw Cori crouching by the bottom of her bed. He couldn't help but notice the strange item in her hands.
"What have I told you about coming in here without saying anything?" Cori grasped her chest after a brief gasp.
"To knock first," He rhymed odd, rolling his eyes, "What's that?" He gestured to the weird grey cylinder shaped thing she was holding
"It's a speaker, y'know, for music," She said, reaching in under her bes and carefully putting the speaker away.
"Are you hiding it?"
"It's my dad's, he doesn't like me taking his stuff," She got up from the floor, "What were you going to ask me?"
"Were you into going to the pub tonight?" He gave her a small smile.
"On a school night?" She raises an eyebrow.
"...Yeah,"
"What about my parents?" She laughed, "Do you expect me to tell them I'm helping you study?"
"For every question we each get right, we'll get a shot," The boy jested. She laughed again.
"Okay, I'll leave a note but if I can't sneak in and my dad kills me, it's entirely your fault," She pointed at him.
"It's only quarter to six, will I come back at nine?" Reyn glanced at his watch.
"Sure, sure yeah cool,"
•~~×~~•
The plan was set. Annabelle had a basket of fruit in her hands as she and Cleo stood outside the garda station. It was nearly getting dark.
"You ready?" Cleo looked at her fifteen year old associate.
"Yeah," She nodded. A bit nervously, but she nodded anyway and faces Cleo, "Let's go,"
They moves forwards, the prescient waiting for them. A lot of officers were in the middle of switching shifts, so the prescient was in a weird state of being busy but half empty at the same time. Just disarray.
Annabelle found her uncle halfway across the room and presented him with the fruit and an opportunity to char that he was obligated to take, even if it wasn't a good time.
Cleo spent her time snooping around, hand in pocket, clutching her notebook, ready to jot down anything that might point them in the right direction. Annabelle had to pull out all the stops. She was in no position to be awkward, Cleo needed this diversion. She just kept on insisting her uncle introduce her to any colleague of his that passed by. She was quickly becoming the biggest inconvenience the guards could've had at that moment. As nobody was looking, Cleo quickly looked at any files that were left on unaccompanied desks in hopes that the forensics report for Fiona would be there. She wasn't planning on rooting through desk drawers. The place wasn't totally empty and it would be stupid to assume that there wasn't any CCTV cameras. Every five seconds she glanced up at Annabelle to make sure she was still distracting whoever was around her and her uncle. It was on the nearest desk to the front door actually. She had misses it the first time around she had been so hasty. But it was there, lazily sprawled on some detective's desk. She had to be pretty frickin' quick. Time was running out. Everything in her eyeline was swiftly written down in her notebook. She couldn't stall or look around for much longer. She quickly got up and took her phone from her bag, sending Annabelle a short text before heading outside to wait for her, no eye contact needed. It was done.
