Blood

12. The Police Station

The lobby has a counter with forms for dog and gun and fishing licenses. There's a couple of cheap armchairs and a coffee table with a fake plant. There's a water bubbler and a bunch of posters about CPR and gun safety. And the main thing there is is a wall with a locked door and a glass window with a little pass-through hole above a counter. You can pay a parking ticket there or hand over an accident report form. Usually the Chief sits back there with his feet up listening to the radio and doing crosswords, but he wasn't looking so comfortable today. He was fastened to his chair with duct tape and his arms were pinned too. There was even a piece of tape over his mouth. He frowned when we came in.

There was no sign of Hedges or his shotgun.

We stood there wondering what to do until an ahem got our attention. It was the Chief.

I went up to the window and leaned down to talk through the half circle opening. "How do we get into the cells?" I asked.

He raised an eyebrow. Then he pointed with his chin. I pointed too. "Over here?"
He nodded.
"What, a key ring or something?"

He shook his head.

"A button?"

He nodded.

Ok, I thought. Let's see if I can... I reached my arm in, up to my shoulder, and felt around. Nothing.

The Chief frowned and pointed further along, but I couldn't reach that far. Damn!

"Hurry up," Amira said from over at a metal door that said 'Holding Cells' on it.

I spotted a heavy stapler and reached for it. Then I swung it, bang, where the Chief was pointing. I have good aim. What can I say. There was a click and Amira said, Got it! Except she said it in my head. She held the door just a tiny bit open while she waited for me.

Ready? She asked, again in my head.

No, I thought.

You took out an entire hockey team, she thought back at me. Darn. She must've read the article in the local paper too. I guess everyone did.

There must've been a lot of blood, she thought. And at 'blood' her teeth slid out.

Mine did too. I guess that's what she wanted.

Then her sword was out and she was pushing through the door and I was elbowing past her to get out in the open while men in black suits turned toward us looking surprised. It was a visitor lounge and processing area, not the actual cells, which were through two more doors on the far end. The men had been making themselves comfortable, sitting at tables and desks, some with their feet up. When Amira whipped the sword out from behind her back they started coming out of their chairs and reaching for their guns.