Jaws of Death

Chapter 8

"So, I'll just repeat the case. Correct me if I'm wrong..."

Matthew Murdock sat, scratching his bearded cheek with his finger absently. As exhausted as he was, he could feel and hear the old woman's breathing before him. He guessed her age to be close to sixty five. Her heartbeat had a worn out rhythm to it, but it beat faster than normal. She was anxious. In the first two minutes of talking with her, Matt understood that she was in considerable amount of worry. She constantly expressed her worry about her nephew, being held arrested in a facility awaiting trial. He had to repeatedly hear how her nephew was innocent and that the 'poor boy was stuck in there with men who would devour him'. And she was genuine. From what Matthew knew, apart from a few exceptional cases, a person's heartbeat always exposes their real nature and emotion.

He started narrating. "Two months ago, as you say, there was a significant rise in the number of women disappearances. And your nephew, Peter, decided to take it up upon himself to solve the mystery. Despite what you tried to tell him, Peter was keener on diving deep into the heart of the mystery than he was about being safe."

He could almost feel May Parker nodding along with him.

"Then, one day, he says to you that he's uncovered evidence that the women kidnappings are a part of a huge sex trafficking racket going on around Queens and Hell's Kitchen, New York. He also said something about the Irish and Wilson Fisk, but you can't remember exactly what...

"Days later, two weeks ago, he decides to go to the police, submits preliminary evidence and gets Wilson Fisk arrested. At the court, he promises to submit more evidences in two more weeks. Hence, Fisk is delegated to a correctional facility awaiting the conclusive trial, which approaches in three days."

Matt's throat went dry. He felt his way on the table for the glass of water May Parker had given him earlier and took a sip.

Continuing, he said, "And out of the blue, as you say, Police officers approached your nephew today and accused him of being involved in the sex trafficking himself and they claimed to have evidence that he was caught on-site, at the scene of crime. Is that right? And they arrested him. You believe he was framed, is that right, Mrs Parker?"

He heard her sob. "Yes. (sniff!) Poor boy (stiff!) If only Ben had been alive... and he's so young. Being caught in a case like this could endanger his future. (sniff) He has big ambitions in his life. All that would..."

Matt felt for her hand and patted it. "Don't worry, Mrs.Parker. I'll do my best to help you."

"Will you take the case, Mr. Murdock? Will you represent him?"

Matt wanted badly to say yes. But he couldn't. He didn't want to make a promise he couldn't keep. After all, until he is able to talk to Peter Parker, he couldn't be sure of his innocence.

"I'll consult with my law partner Franklin Nelson and get back to you. I might need to talk with your nephew too, to gain an understanding of his perspective into this fiasco. Once I've done that, I'll let you know my answer, Mrs. Parker."

With that, he stood up. The conversation with May Parker had been able to keep his personal pain at bay. But now that it was over, the physical fatigue he had being pushing through, for the past fortnight, returned in full measure. There was a feeling of dead weight over his chest that he couldn't just get rid of. He still felt very much like the young boy who had lost his vision. Blinded and alone, in a world full of misery.

Gaining his sense of direction, Matt Murdock walked towards the door. Behind him, he heard May Parker wish him good night. He raised a hand amicably in acknowledgement and opened the door, distractedly.

He collided with a man waiting outside. "Oh! Sorry!"

"That's okay." But Matt felt the insincerity in the response. Obviously, the visitor didn't like to be dashed upon and almost knocked down by a blind man. "Is Mrs. Parker inside?"

Matt heard the voice from behind. "Who's there?"

"Hello, Mrs. Parker. I'm Alex. Alexander Toomes. I'm a friend of Peter's. He had asked me to drop in and take care of you..."

Matt kept walking out of the house and onto the road, in the chilly air. The conversation between the visitor and May Parker got so subdued that he could barely hear them. But he had an unsettling feeling in his gut. Something about the visitor, his breathing and his heartbeat rubbed Matt the wrong way. He felt like the man was hiding something. Something sinister.

But, as he crossed the street, his mind was reverted back to the task at hand. He had to find Karen. His world had been revolving around that woman for the past year, especially the last three months. It was upon him to find her.