Walker #2
I explained the situation that had landed me in Arete. “Of course, there’s no paper trail, no recordings, nothing that can be used. Which is, I’m told, extremely important for proving things actually happened.”
“Physical evidence in this case would be helpful,” he said, pulling out a pad of paper and a pen and began writing. “But if used correctly, it can sow the seeds of doubt in the jury.”
“Would the prosecution even let you use that?”
“You let me worry about the prosecution,” he said sternly. “You worry about listening to what I tell you and answering my questions, or those of my team, in full and with complete transparency and honesty.”
“Yes, sir,” I said, and when he looked at me with a wry expression, I laughed. “Hmm, Navy?”
“Marines,” he said. “Now, I will need to hear about your arrest. We already have the recording of it, but a firsthand account from you directly could be useful. Maybe not in testimony, but for fact-finding.”
“Recording?” I asked in confusion. “We were in Cade’s private room, God.”
Don’t think about him, don’t think about him.
It was one thing to let my thoughts drift to him and the time we had together while I was alone in my cell, but I wasn’t going to do it here.
It didn’t matter that I was warming up to Raymond and his no-nonsense approach, and the way he had bullied the agents by merely existing.
No one else deserved to see how I actually felt, or how much it hurt to be away from him, to know that he had fought like hell to help me and he—
“Did they arrest him?” I asked because, fuck, I had to. “Do you know? Wait, no. I…forget it, uh, recording?”
“Cayden Wilcom was not arrested and is not being brought up on any charges. And Marc Shepherd provided me with the footage of the arrest.”
“Er, how?”
“The facility is equipped with security cameras in every part of the resort, more or less. They are kept deactivated but can be activated if the need arises. I’m sure you missed that part in the paperwork you filled out, but it was all there.”
“I…okay, great,” I said, hoping that whoever saw that tape either missed what happened before the arrest or enjoyed a bout of raunchy, gay sex. “Wait, hold on, you know Mr. Shepherd?”
“Yes,” he said simply.
“And you know about Cade…how?”
“It was on his behalf that Marc contacted me,” Raymond said, narrowing his eyes. “Did you not know?”
“Last I checked, Cade was as broke as I am,” I said with a snort. “And no offense, but you scream expensive to hire.”
“The Wilcoms aren’t the only ones footing my bill,” he said, watching me.
“Cade’s parents? They don’t have much money either,” I said, remembering that although his family was doing better, they weren’t rich enough for this guy.
“My fees are being covered by more than one party.”
“Who the fuck—”
“Let’s see, your sister and her husband are also putting up money. Mr. Wilcom contacted her. As well, we have other families here…Bassey, Clark, Kines, Morrow are all names on the list.”
I sat back, my eyes stinging. “All of them? They’re…they’re all there?”
Raymond looked up, and the stony expression on his face softened. “These were—”
“The men I served with the longest…as a group, before I was taken out of action after taking a bullet to the lung. All but Cade were killed in action a few months later, so there was no team for me to be assigned back to, and I…” I closed my eyes because to keep them open invited tears I didn’t want to shed.
“I never spoke to any of their families. Not once after they died. And they’re… God save me.”
“I believe it’s the loved ones of your former teammates who are doing the saving right now,” Raymond said in a gentle voice that felt so odd coming from him. “Headed by Cayden.”
“Of course,” I said, trying to clear my voice of the thick rock lodged in my throat, but it was impossible. “I’m sorry, I—”
“Take as long as you need,” he said. “We have plenty.”
I took a deep breath. “I doubt that.”
“Well, I would like to go over the basics with you, jot down notes and anything that comes to me,” he admitted. “But I understand that you’re dealing with the understanding that you weren’t on your own as much as you thought.”
“Don’t,” I said with a strangled laugh. “You’re going to make me cry, and I don’t want to cry right now, not in this building, not where any of those fuckers could—”
“Then perhaps it might help you to know that after you and I have spoken, I’m going to ensure you are given the chance to shower and change, and you’ll be allowed an unsupervised visit.”
“My sister? Or—”
“Mr. Wilcom.”
I bowed my head and sighed. “Of course he’s here. I should have known that fucker wouldn’t give up that easily. He was always so hardheaded and didn’t know when to quit.”
Raymond gave a low chuckle and tapped the stack of files before him. “You two are kindred spirits then.”
“He’s a better man than me,” I said and shook my head, leaning forward. “Alright, lawyer me.”
Raymond smiled, but he pulled something out of the folders, keeping the pen in his hand and began.
* * *
It was weird how much pleasure you got out of a brief, rather shitty shower after not being allowed to take one for three days.
It was something I experienced from the time I served, but I suppose that was one thing I had been spoiled with once I’d returned to civilian life.
It was cold, brief, and not all that satisfying, but by the time I was putting on new clothes, if the sacks pretending to be clothes they gave me counted, I felt like a different person.
“Oh,” I said, coming to a stop as I exited the room and saw a familiar face. “Agent Smith? We’ve gotta stop meeting like this. I’m starting to feel you might have a crush on me.”
“Don’t push your luck,” he told me stiffly.
“My luck was pushed from the first time I ever found myself under fire,” I told him with a smirk. “Do you know what that’s like? Or have you always let other people do the hard stuff for you?”
“Walker,” came a stern reprimand as I kept the smile on my face when Raymond appeared. “Come along.”
“Right,” I said as I glanced back to see that the agent who’d led me into the shower was close behind, her expression devoid of emotion. Though, and I might be seeing things, I thought there was a flicker of amusement in her eyes as she followed.
“You shouldn’t antagonize Agent Smith; it wouldn’t’ be in your best interest,” Raymond told me as I was led through the halls of…
hell, I couldn’t actually remember where I was.
I had been thrown into the back of a van and taken to a plane, then thrown into the back of another van, but that was all I could remember.
“You realize he’s just showing up all the time to harass me, right?” I asked. “Like he’s going to intimidate me.”
“And your attempts to make him think you aren’t bothered could make things harder for you,” Raymond said, stopping at a door. “Including making it difficult for you to have these visits while we await your bail hearing.”
I didn’t like being scolded in front of the agent, but she was posted by the door with the same stoic expression. “Right.”
“Come on in,” he said, leading me into a room that was a marginal upgrade to the interrogation room they had used before. At least the chairs had cushions, and I wasn’t cuffed. “I’m sure you remember your article on the use of donations to veterans to be funneled back into law enforcement budgets?”
“I do,” I said as I took a seat while he remained standing. “That was the one that really got a lot of attention from people. Even ended up with some arrests.”
“Agent Smith’s brother was one of those people arrested,” Raymond told me, raising a brow. “So it would be in your best interest not to poke the already enraged bear.”
“Wait, how the hell did that get past everyone? Shouldn’t that be a conflict of interest?” I asked.
“It is, but considering his brother doesn’t share his last name, no one thought to dig deeper amidst the chaos and investigations going on,” Raymond said.
“My team dug that up, however, and we will use that along with many other things. That said, you have about an hour for this visit, completely unsupervised or taped, but don’t abuse the opportunity. ”
“I won’t,” I told him. “And I know it’s your job, but…thanks. I doubt you had to arrange this much.”
“It’s my pleasure,” he said, turning to leave the room.
It was a few minutes later that the door opened again, and I saw Cade enter.
There were dark circles under his eyes, deeper than usual, and although his clothes were neat and pressed, he looked around awkwardly as he entered.
When he spotted me as I rose from the chair, his face lit up.
I didn’t waste time; I kissed him immediately, reaching up to hold the face of the man I thought I would never have the chance to see like this again.
“You look like shit,” I said and then blinked. “Sorry, I don’t know where that even came from. You don’t look like shit, you just look like you haven’t slept. You don’t need me giving you hell when I know you’ve been going through it.”
“Me? I’m not the one in jail,” he said, leaning back to look me over and frowning. “Why do ya not look like shit?”
“The arresting agent has been doing his best to drive me crazy. Sadly for him, I’m not bothered by any of his petty shit, and I’ve used it as a chance to keep getting under his skin.
Apparently driving people who deserve it up a wall gives me life, because I sure as hell haven’t been sleeping much,” I said, dragging him over to the table so we could sit close, facing each other.
“I’m told that I have you to thank for Raymond. ”
“Sort of,” he said, ducking his head. “Mr. Shepherd was a great help. I guess he knew him back in his Corps days. I think he felt bad that there wasn’t much he could do for us, but I thought that was enough.”
“And…the others?” I said, wincing. “The families? Really?”