A Partisan's Fight - COMPLETED!

Chapter Eleven

To his dismay, Aldrik had to come to the station to give his testimony. He hadn't wanted to leave Mina alone, but she insisted that it was all right. After some bartering with the proprietor of the business, he was able to leave Albtraum to keep watch over her. For whatever reason the dog seemed to listen to him now. Almost as if he'd raised the pooch from a pup. The loyalty that shouldn't have been there was there. To a degree it gave him an ease of mind not being with Mina.

"What do you mean you let him go?" His ease of mind quickly dissipated as he talked with the police officer that had wanted to meet with him. He'd been immediately greeted with a lack of prisoner and a less than sympathetic officer.

"Well, Mr. Baumann, he says that your lady friend asked him to do what ever it was that they did. From the sounds of it, she is the one setting him up. My hands are tied."

"No, you listen here and you listen good. My friend does not lie. If she is saying that he assaulted her, then that is what happened." He angrily pointed his finger at the officer, enraged by the lack of lawfulness. She deserved so much more than the doubt that this fool had.

"Sir, it's his word against her word..." The officer began. He looked annoyed as soon as Aldrik cut him off.

"You saw her just moments ago! She had been stripped down to nothing! She had bruises on her! She was broken." The unbelievability couldn't be shaken from his expression. He had to do something. Had to defend her honor.

"I have told you already that there is nothing that I can do. Things have changed with what we can do for women that accuse men like that." Shrugging, the officer moved a pile of papers from one part of the counter to another. The attempt to look busy was overly defined to be real.

"You mean women's rights have been taken away." The rage in his voice mirrored in his eyes. He didn't dare imagine the fear he was radiating upon this officer. The things that were running through his head were less than honorable.

"If you would like to file a complaint, sir, it will be taken into consideration. Otherwise, sir, I am going ask you to leave..."

"Unbelievable!" He threw his hands up in the air and shook his head.

"Sir, if you do not calm down, I will arrest you." The warning was there. The officer's tone had grown more chilly, taking on an almost threatening manner.

Aldrik's brows shot up. "You will arrest me? I am a loyal citizen. Law abiding. Honorable. And you would arrest me? Do tell me, sir, why even bother asking for your help if you will not do the right thing?"

"Mr. Baumann, there is no proof that that even was the man that assaulted your friend. A traumatic thing happened to her. She could point to any man and say that he did it to her. Let us be honest, women are not always the most stable things. She might not have even seen the man. She did say that she had gone unconscious."

That was the last straw. How could he not question this officer's decision? It was outrageous and just plain insulting. "Tell me, sir, that if something that traumatic happened to you that you would not remember your attacker?

"Sir!" The offense had taken its toll on the officer. His eyes had widened. An anger had been brought out that had replaced the irritation.

"Tell me that you would not know that? And when you answer that question honestly, tell me that my friend would not know who assaulted her."

"Leave. Now!" The officer's voice had risen considerably. "Or I will arrest you."

Aldrik's nostrils were flared out. He'd hit a nerve and he was glad he had. This treatment was preposterous. "If I had money, you would listen to me. Would you not? You would not be threatening me right now. You would be taking my statement, and her statement. You would be arresting that man and making him an example."

"How dare... that is enough! Get out! Get out now!" Pointing at the door, the officer had his other hand on his weapon. His brows were knitted together, and his yelling brought some curious eyes in their direction.

"With pleasure, you arrogant pig." Aldrik ignored the rest of the officers staring at them — antsy with anticipation that something would happen. He found his way back to the streets before the officer had his chance to draw his weapon upon him. He found his way back to his vehicle. The idea that something like this would happen had never occurred to him. He could have sworn that if he had come from a family with money and status that this would not have happened. He would have been listened to and actions would have been taken.

He was not one for a stiff drink, but the moment he made it back to the pub that Mina had been left at, he found himself by that bar ordering up something that would help to calm himself down. He couldn't go in and see Mina again with the news that he had without being mellowed out. He didn't know how to tell her what had been said and done. He didn't want to see her disappointment. He didn't want to face the crushing pain she all ready felt.

Staring at the drink placed in front of him, he took a sip. The liquid burned his throat and seared at his anger. Times like these was when he wished for some form of status. Some way of being taken seriously. But no, that wasn't how it was. He was a commoner. One that worked hard for the people, yet was treated like dirt.

"I take it things didn't go well with the woman from last night?" A man slid in next to him. The dark brown hat he wore covered his eyes and didn't give much room to see who he was.

Aldrik glanced at the mystery man before focusing back on his drink. He didn't bother saying a thing. There was no need to advertise the anger that had yet to mellow.

"Do you know why she came to this town?" The man's tone wasn't revealing a question, it echoed more of a statement.

"You going to tell me?" Aldrik took another sip of the burning liquid, not bothering to look at the man.

"Nope, I think you all ready know." He replied calmly. Aldrik could feel the man's stare analyzing him.

Pushing back, he sat up straighter and gave the man his full attention. His gaze bore holes into the man, still filled with anger and contempt. "I think it's time for you to tell me why you know what you think you know."

"It depends. Who are you to her?" He didn't look at all intimidated, just patient like he had all the time in the world.

Crossing his arms and lowering his head, he didn't blink just stared. "A close friend who will defend her honor at all costs. Who are you?"

The man's lips twitched up in a half hearted smile. "I am the man who has the answers that she came here for."

Aldrik's demeanor changed rapidly. He lightened up and uncrossed his arms. "You have the answers she was looking for? You know how to find Roland?"

"Knowing and having an idea are two very different things. I know where he was taken from, along with her father. And, I have a general area of where they can be found." Gently, he raised his hand to signal the bartender. "Just a water, please."

The bartender nodded, filling a glass and placing it in front of the man. He swallowed the liquid quickly and threw a tip down in spite of the water being free.

"Tell me what you know. I will relay the message to her." Aldrik spoke with more urgency. He couldn't begin to fully comprehend the words that were being spoken. Mina had been right. This hadn't been a dead end. Time would tell for sure, but he finally felt the hope that she had felt.

"You can relay the message all you want, but that does not change the fact that the camp may have moved by now or both men may have been executed." He slipped an envelope of papers over to Aldrik cautiously. "I strongly recommend that this is not pursued. If you allow her to move forward with this, you both could be killed." With that, the man got up and left. He didn't say a word more. Didn't even offer his name. The deed had been done and a lead had been revealed. It was more than what they had begun with. There was hope for actually finding Mina's family. At least maybe he could offer her that much, since justice had just been out of reach.