Chapter 14

Chapter 14

  “So, let me get this straight,” Detective Nathara Washington sat across from the woman who had just been brought in. 

The woman didn’t look that scared... she looked exhausted, almost a bit defiant. She was currently wearing a man’s blue button up shirt that was grass stained, torn, and covered with mud. Her pants were new, as they were police-issued sweats that Nathara herself had lent to her for the proceedings. She had attempted to put her hair up as she was brought in, but at this point it had just given up and didn’t so much as hang as it did surrender itself in brown chunks over her face face, and a bit in the back in the saddest ponytail to ever grace this tiny police office in the middle of nowhere, Tennessee. 

Nathara continued, “You and two of your work buddies, one of whom took the nose dive off the cliff out behind your motel--”

Evie cut her off, “Was probably pushed.”

Nathara wrote something on her pad. Really it was just a doodle of an airplane she had been working on for the last three obvious cases, but Evie didn’t know that.

“Was probably pushed off the cliff of your motel because two angels gave your other friend and a stranger a mystic quest to stop,” Nathara checked her notes, “Nicolas Cage from taking over the world.”

Evie wasn’t an idiot. She knew how it sounded. But at this point Tyler was dead, Mars, Kaplan, and Elizabeth were missing, Hamlet had run away, and she was facing assault charges.

After she had managed to hit Officer Daniels into letting her go, she tried to follow Hamlet, along with the guys who managed to shove Mars and Kaplan into the back of their truck. However, Officer Daniels reached out his hand and grabbed her foot. Not responding to this well, she kicked him in the face twice while trying to stand up, and that just set off another chain reaction that led her into her current situation.

However, she did have to ask how well liked Officer Daniels was, as at least three other people high-fived her on the way to the holding cell.

This was her Hail Mary pass. By being 100% honest, they would probably consider her either drunk or crazy. In the really off chance, maybe someone would believe her, then she could be on her way to finding out where Mars and Kaplan were taken, and she could start forming a rescue plan.

What she didn’t realize that this was the exact moment that Mars and Kaplan were being shown to their new car after one of the fanciest breakfasts they’d ever tasted. Later, when Mars would describe it to her, she would have a similar reaction to when Officer Daniels grabbed he leg.

“Yes.”

“Now, after you saw the police cars, you and your cat Hamlet, who you stole from,” Nathara checked her notes again, “The Angel of Death...”

“Mars took Hamlet.”

“I see. Well, Hamlet, the Angel of Death’s Cat ran away while your other friends were being kidnapped.”

“And that’s why I had to beat Officer Daniels in the face.”

She thought she heard snickering from behind the giant piece of glass everyone pretended wasn’t a two-way mirror but she knew from every cop show, ever, that it totally was.

Officer Nathara Washington closed the file. “Ms. McCarthy, I believe you.” 

Evie looked up at her, waiting for the “but.” This was a moment tailer made for the “but”. There was a very long pause. Detective Nathara Washington stood up, walked around the table, and sat

While everything was paused for the “but”, Detective Nathara Washington stood up and walked around to Evie’s side of the table. She sat down on the corner, the jacket from her gray pantsuit riding up just a little bit. She wore it more because she thought that’s what Detectives should wear more than what she was comfortable with, and that was obvious

“I believe that there was a moment of confusion, and our officer overreacted.”

It was coming. She knew it was coming.

“But you can’t go around assaulting police officers. Even if they completely deserved it.”

“Hey!” came from behind the mirror that totally wasn’t two way.

“You never chipped in for Jerry’s retirement party, Daniels! Don’t pretend we didn’t remember!” Nathara yelled at her own reflection.

More snickering behind the glass.

“So what’s going to happen next?” Evie asked.

“What’s going to happen next is that you are going back to that cell for a little bit while we fill out some paperwork, then by this afternoon we will be able to release you.”

“But what about my friends?”

Nathara had thought that was all part of the whole “Nicolas Cage taking over the world” thing she was sarcastically using as a way to deflect the whole situation. She mentioned as much to Evie.

“No, some idiots threw bags over my head while your idiot detective was wrestling me to the ground.”

“This is getting hurtful,” a voice came from behind the glass.

Before anyone could say anything else, a younger officer came running into the room, “Sir... I mean, ma’am,” Nathara intimidated him, so he made that mistake at least once a day. There are two guys out front that say they know her. Say that she’s their sister and ran away last night.”

Evie was elated. Mars had escaped and came back for her. Those creepy twins must have realized she was taken away by the police. 

Nathara was a little more suspicious. 

“Tell them to wait, I’ll bring her out as soon as I can.”

“Ma’am, they’re real insistent. They said something about being on a timetable, that she needs to take her meds.”

Nathara eyed Evie.

There were two choices Evie had right now. She could trust her gut that said, “Mars was most recently abducted by a bunch of guys, and if they were trying to tie up loose ends then this is the moment to strike.” Or she could trust the other part of herself that assumed Mars was free and just wanted to get out of this tiny police office, out of these ripped and dirty clothes, into the hottest bath she could possibly stand, and leave it to Mars and that other guy to save the planet.

Maybe she didn’t have enough sleep. Maybe she had more faith in Mars. Or maybe she just didn’t want to answer any more questions. So she gladly took option B, and headed to the door to take her imaginary meds.

It wasn’t until she was rounding the corner, removing a piece of grass from her hair wondering if she should salvage it or if she was going to shave it all off when she looked and realized that the two men waiting for her decidedly weren’t Mars nor were they the other guy.

One of them was tall. Almost impossibly tall to still fit in this tiny police station. He had muscles on his muscles, dark skin, and short cropped hair. He also had just the perfect amount of stubble to be sexy and not messy. If she wasn’t so sure he was going to kill her, she might be attracted to him.

The other guy was shorter and had a sling on his arm. That was all she could really notice until the big one shoved him down and raised his huge hand.

“Sis!” Gomez smiled.

“You’ve never seen that man in your life, have you?” Nathara prided herself in her ability to read people She didn’t have this ability, really, once mistaking a waiter for insulting her when really he was asking her if she wanted breadsticks. This resulted in her banishment from the only Olive Garden in town.

No, what she was able to read was the very apparent surprise on Evie’s face, which was evident enough to the large man standing there who she thought the smaller man referred to as “Gomez”. Several things happened at once.

-Evie, realizing that this man either kidnapped or killed Mars and was probably an agent of Nicolas Cage was now after her, started to run back down the hallway.

-Detective Nathara Washington drew her service revolver, but found herself knocked to the ground when Evie turned to run.

-Several Officers pounced into action, running towards the now falling Detective.

-Gomez, seizing his opportunity, started running after Evie, leaping over the melee of officers now in action.

-Jeff, seeing another opportunity, started to run but was dragged along with Gomez.

-As Evie ran past the interrogation room, Officer Daniels attempted to leave. She shoved the door towards him, this time missing his crotch but getting the door planted firmly into his stomach, causing him to double over just as Gomez ran by. Not being able to readjust to the man now lying on the ground and still with Jeff in tow, Gomez tripped, slid, and banged his head on the corner of the wall.

Evie turned around to see everything that was going on. Jeff on the ground, shirt still in the now dead man’s grip. Nathara being helped up by a team of officers. For the moment, she was safe. Probably still under arrest, but safe.

Breathing heavily, she pushed her back to the wall and fell to the floor when she saw it... Gomez, now towering over her. She tried to push back to scream when an unfamiliar face stepped inbetween them. He didn’t look threatening... in fact his presence sort of felt calming.

“He won’t hurt you. Not where he’s going,” the man said, “People call me Izzy.”

She recognized the name.

“Have you seen my cat?”

“Mars said he should take one.”

“Not, Hamlet. I told him to take A cat. Not MY cat. Stupid Mortals. Come on, Lurch. And when you see Mars again... wait, where are we in all of this?”

“Mars and Kaplan were kidnapped and I was brought to the police station.”

Izzy pulled out a notebook, “Have you killed that girl yet?”

“Him?” Evie looked confused.

“No, that girl... you know what, I’ll let you be surprised. You’ll find out soon enough. But anyway, when you see Mars again, you tell him to take care of that cat and I want him back.”

The two men disappeared in a blinding flash of light. When Evie could see again, she looked up to see half the police station was now standing around her.

They didn’t seem amused.