Mason:
She looked scared out of her pants; wandering through a dark, moist and soggy underground place that looked so eerie. I didn't understand how Thomas Rue here claimed to know every corner. It was either he worked for one of those old crooks or grew up being chased out of his home, ending up straying around town and indirectly learning every corner trick there was. I just couldn't bring myself to trust him.
"So we go through here, a few more lanes and then we'll be there." He stopped and turned. "Just...let me warn you. Roger can be a little bit of a psychopath."
"What do you mean?" The girl tilted her head inquringly at Thomas, a strand of hair falling over her forehead.
Thomas leaned in, "He's crazy." He made everything he said sound dramatic.
We walked for a few minutes and then got to the very end of the sewer.
"We go up." Thomas began to climb up the rungs. He dragged the lid of the manhole open and in came a great amount of fresh air. I noticed the girl heave a sigh of relief. She must've been suffocating in this place. We climbed up, as easy as we came in. The sky had turned a little darker, showing signs of midnight approaching.
There was a small old inn bustling with music and flashing lights. It was the only building in the vast area and it looked no less than a place for criminals.
"That's where he is." Thomas brushed some dirt off his hood.
When the door flung open, all eyes fell on us, and the place became as silent as a graveyard. I could see the faces of crooks and criminals sitting mano-a-mano in the bright lantern light. Beside them were town-helpers, dragging their fingers over the men's necks and planting wet kisses on their hairy faces. The girl instinctively stood behind me, peeping like a kitten behind its mother. Her hand clutched nervously unto the back of my jacket as everyone stared, especially at her. Thomas walked in first, and then we followed.
"Hey friends!" Thomas waved at them like a drunkard who nearly tripped.
"Who've you got there?" Asked a man with a beard dripping with beer.
"These are my friends." We walked in. I nearly scoffed at what he said. Friends?
"Since when did you got friends?" Another man bellowed from behind the counter. His statement sent the men bursting into laughter.
"I like to try new things." Thomas chuckled. "Where's Big Panda?"
"He's in the back." The man behind the counter replied. "Is the girl a friend too?" I saw the lust in his eyes and the way his eyes lingered over her body. I felt some rage within me.
"Not a chance, Crux. She's taken already." Thomas said, slipping past the counter to the back. He didn't give us any order whatsoever, so we consciously had to follow suit.
"She'd be a fine one." I heard one man mutter under his breath. It took a lot not to walk over to him and punch him in the face. Even if I did, what would it benefit? She is not mine...she is not my girlfriend. She's Meredith, a whole different person.
When we entered the dark and shady backroom, I noticed a huge figure in silhouette in the corner. Thomas stood aside and introduced us.
"This is them?" His hands were in his pockets while he leaned against the wall with paint peeling off it. Them?
"Welcome." The huge man said. He turned, and my lips parted slightly with surprise when the light fell on his face. I saw a wretched old man with a dirty beard and weary eyes. He looked ragged, like he had been cast away from the surface of the earth. "I hear you are the ones who got caught in the fit up." He sat on a sofa and spread his legs. "Sit, have a seat." He picked a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and lighted one. We sat down. Thomas remained in the corner, guarding the door.
"Ask your questions." He puffed out smoke. Looking at the filth we dwelt in and the way this man looked didn't convince me that he had stacks of money somewhere. He didn't look like a billionaire. Or was this a disguise to prevent him from being identified?
"How did you know about the robbery?" It seemed almost so easy to get to this point. I had expected this man to ask for something in return but he hadn't...so far.
"I know everything that goes on in this town." His eyes fell on the girl. They stayed on her for quite a while. She shifted uncomfortably. "From robberies...to murders." He chuckled.
"It's a pity you were the ones who were used. Grimes did do a pretty good job."
"Tell me everything in detail." I sat at the edge of the sofa. "Who is this, Grimes?"
"Grimes. He's a crook; a cheat. First he robs me of my possessions, then he runs away with his harlot girlfriend." So they were both associated in a way?
"Where is he now?"
"He could be anywhere." He looked at her again. He had a doubtful look on his face, wondering why the girl was so quiet. She lowered her head to avoid his gaze.
"Why did he use us as decoy?"
"I don't know why he picked you both, but what I know is that the necklace was stolen from Travis Edgar. He owns a jewelry store; a large one. It was packaged and sent by you to Grimes."
"Wait...how was it stolen, then?"
"He has his way. He has his men." He puffed again.
"But why is all the attention on us?"
"He used a fire outbreak at the other side of town to create a distraction from the theft." The girl's head shot up and her eyebrows crinkled.
"A fire?" She finally spoke, her voice calm as ever. Rogers's attention was directed to her. He cocked his head and watched, a little amused at her gentle composure compared to her hussy, aggressive look.
"Yes. An explosion of some sort at Blisslake Street 12. A life was lost in that fire; some college girl or something." Wait, so...
I looked at the girl. Her eyes were wide with fear. So there was indeed a fire? Was it the one that killed her? The one she was caught in? Why was the fire directed to her place and nowhere else? Something was odd, and we had to get to the bottom of this.