Five Beautiful Boys

Mikey Makes a Startling Announcement

"This must be the other code I picked up," Ray announced as he and Bob joined Frank at the bars.
"Yeah, you're damn smart after the event, aren't you," Gerard laughed.
"So much for you supposedly hating your job!" Frank retorted. "You were quick to protect the very thing that you say you hate."
"No, I did this to protect me and Mikey! First to get Mikes away from you and second there was no way I was going to risk ending up in prison because of them thinking I was helping you."
"I thought you'd never come across an innocent man jailed!"
"I didn't want to be the first!" Gerard snapped back, unaware that almost the exact same thing had happened to Frank.

Frank ran his hand through his hair; he had mere minutes to think of a way out. Otherwise, the police would arrive and it would all be over. He glanced guiltily at Bob; this was to be his last job before trying again to find his abused son. He was pale and scared, if they were arrested, there was no chance he'd even be allowed to see his son again, let alone get custody of him.

"Bob," he said urgently, "will that gadget open the lock?"
Bob shook his head. "It's for mechanical locks, not electric. Sorry, Frank."
"Damn it! Ray," Frank turned to face his obviously scared associate, "try anyway."

Frank looked beyond the bars to where the brothers still stood. He was out of options; with no explosive to blow the lock, they were trapped unless Ray could somehow manage to programme something to beat the timing between code changes. As Frank looked out from within the vault, pale and fearful, only Gerard faced him now; Mikey had turned away.

"You might well look scared, Iero," Gerard crowed, "and you should get used to those bars too. Attempted robbery, kidnapping, murder? I'd say that was life without chance of parole, wouldn't you?"
"We haven't murdered anyone!" Frank insisted.
"Nice try, but haven't you forgotten my manager? You tampered with his car."
"What are you talking about?" Frank cried in frustration. "We didn't touch his car, we just broke his leg so he couldn't go to work."

Mikey turned back; could Frank be telling the truth? But surely Gerard wouldn't lie about that. They couldn't both be right, but they could both think they were right; his experience in court had taught him that.

"What did you do?" Mikey asked quietly.

Frank turned his eyes towards Mikey before lowering them briefly. What he would admit to wouldn't make him look good, but it would at least show him that he wasn't a murderer

"Leave it, Mikey, don't let him bother you any more, you're safe now," Gerard spoke softly and comfortingly.
"You really care about him, don't you?" Frank said with a faint smile on his face.

Gerard frowned, puzzled by the comment; of all things he expected Frank to say, that was not it.

"What did you do?" Mikey repeated, taking a few steps closer to the bars.
"I had your brother's phone bugged for weeks; his and his manager. As soon as I heard you were coming to visit, I arranged for an attack on the bank manager. We broke his leg, it wasn't smashed or anything really bad, just enough to keep him off work for a few days. Then, when Gerard had to cancel his vacation and he went into work, we kidnapped you."
"Liar!" Gerard snapped venomously. "You tampered with his car! He crashed on the way into work! You told me that yourself!"
"No I didn't!" Frank cried, astonished by the accusation. "I just told you he'd had an accident."
"Yeah, his car."
"I didn't say anything about a car!"
"Gee," Mikey cut in, "who told you about the manager's car accident?"
"His wife called. She was already at work on an early shift when she found out and went to the hospital."
"Did anyone say his car had been tampered with?" Mikey asked. "Or did you just assume when Frank mentioned the accident?"
"Don't play lawyer with me, Mikey! Why are you defending these people?" Gerard replied, confused by Mikey's behaviour.
"Isn't it possible he tried to drive himself to the hospital, not realising how bad it was and he crashed?"
Gerard shook his head in bewilderment. "Why are you doing this? Don't you want them locked up for what they've done to you?"