66 Dear Nick, Were Glad You're Here!
1615 Words
Noah’s desperate. It seems like he won’t be able to escape this place sooner than he had expected it to be.
The police were now declaring him in their custody, and that he was to stay within their care for 24 hours.
“Am I entitled to get some help from my family?” he didn’t look as he spoke to no one in particular.
On the nearby seat, Fitch stared at Cora. His face was unreadable, and when Noah turned to face him, he didn’t even say a word.
Sighing, Noah came to the conclusion that he was already at the end of his wits. He had no idea how he would proceed with seeking legal assistance.
He looked around the room, hoping he would find something that would solve all his current problem right now. His head halted on a nearby cubicle; two men in uniforms were chatting away the remaining hours they have in the office. One man looked a lot like his friend Nick—
He stood up with haste as the realization struck him like lightning. His eyes found a worried-looking Fitch. Then, he moved it toward Cora, who stared at him with a confused expression.
“Can we take our phones and call my lawyer?”
Cora turned her chair behind. She reached out to a box and opened it. From inside it, she handled the box to Noah and had him identify which among it is his phone.
“Point to me which one is your phone,”
Noah pointed to the smartphone in a black hard case, “That one.”
Cora placed the box behind her and handed Noah his phone. As soon as the telephone grazed his fingers, Noah felt the bolt of urgency rush through his veins. He couldn’t open his phone at first. His hands were clammy, and his thumbprint could not be read.
Inwardly cursing, he wiped his fingers on his pants. Breathing, he began to press his thumb on his phone’s screen. The phone’s screen alighted, then he immediately scrolled through his contacts. When his eyes landed on the name Nick, Noah began dialing his number.
The ring on the other end of the line was dreadful. Every second wasted on waiting for Nick to pick-up his phone made him anxious—
The ringing stopped, the line crackled, and then Nick’s voice started speaking.
“Hey, Noah. What’s up? It’s been so long!”
Noah couldn’t remember the last time he breathed. He was panicking, and he couldn’t think straight. But when he heard Nick’s voice, he snapped back into reality.
He had his hand on his forehead, “Oh, thank God, Nick!”
Noah wasn’t sure why he imagined the furrow on Nick’s brows when he said that. Answering with immediately, Nick asked, “What’s the matter? Is something the matter?”
“I’ve got a huge problem here. Can you come to the police station a few streets from the mall?”
“What?!” Nick exclaimed, “I’m heading there as fast as I can. I’m still at work. Tell me everything that happened when I arrive. Until now, don’t say anything unnecessary that would make you stay in that place for the next 24 hours. Do you understand?”
Noah nodded his head.
“He didn’t see you,” Fitch remarked as a smile spread out on his tired face.
Both of them are exhausted from being interrogated for a crime they didn’t even do.
“Oh, right,” Noah almost chuckled if not for the seriousness of the situation at hand.
He began to open his mouth to speak, “I understand,” he replied to Nick.
“Good. I’m hanging up, man. Message me the exact address of the police station you’re talking about. It would take me about an hour or more since I’m coming from the city. It’s a busy day today.”
“Right. I’ll message you right now.”
Nick hang-up the phone.
Noah had a sense of calmness scourging through his chest. Somehow, he’s relieved a little bit that Nick is on his way here to aid him to defend what really happened.
“Is he coming here?” Fitch inquired as his eyes landed on Noah’s phone.
Noah nodded vigorously, “He is. And thank God I remembered I had a lawyer friend!”
Fitch patted his shoulder, “I’m sure he would be a great help,” his eyes lingered on Cora who was intently eyeing the both of them as they spoke to each other.
Meanwhile, Karol still casually sat beside her. She looked bored—that woman had the audacity to look like she hadn’t made a mistake, and for causing them the trouble of getting arrested.
“That reminds me, do we call our family?” Fitch inquired, his face paling. “Oh, if my mama knew, she would surely want to go home after I get out of this place!”
“That depends…” Cora interrupted.
Fitch raised his eyebrows at her, “How so? We have nothing to do with your entrapment operation being crap and all.”
Slamming her fists on the desk table, Cora didn’t removed her stare at Fitch’s irises, “That’s what all criminals say. And how sure are you that what Karol was doing was an entrapment operation?”
“You think everyone here is so heroic? And that no one is a criminal in the police force?” Fitch’s nostrils flared, “if that’s what you think, then you need to reevaluate your morals.”
Cora narrowed her eyes at him. Her jaw tensed at Fitch’s casual stance.
“You think you know me enough to try and tell me to reevaluate my morals?” her words came out like a fire being thrown at Fitch’s face. “How dare you accuse the police.”
Fitch tilted his head to the side. He sat down on the chair once more, his mouth turning into an insufferable smile—well, that is when Cora couldn’t stop the burning hatred that spread on her chest at what Fitch had stated.
Noah turned his head to Fitch, “Stop that. We’re not supposed to fight them.”
“Maybe you should learn a thing or two from your friend here,” Cora gestured, her tone mixed with repulsion and contempt. She bared her teeth at him, but Fitch ignored the emanating intimidation she was trying to show.
“That’s enough,” Noah’s voice resounded. “You’re adults, and you shouldn’t be fighting like this.”
“Don’t tell me what to do—” Cora spat. Karol had to pull Cora down, her voice still void of any emotion. She wasn’t able to finish her sentence. Her eyes were burning with a fire she can’t identify.
That was the time Noah realized that she was… good. She was so good at doing this—pretending that nothing was happening around her.
“You’re the police,” Karol whispered on Cora’s reddening ears.
As if the woman understood the implication of her bursting anger, Cora turned her head to the side. She stared at the window on her room.
The moon was making the glass panes glowing with its borrowed light.
Noah had to look down to check his wristwatch.
He almost cursed. It’s already eight in the evening. And today’s probably a rush day, so Nick would take his time arriving here.
Noah decided to let Thomas and the rest of his employees that he was at the police station. Of course, to say that Thomas panicked was an understatement. The older man screamed the vilest word that came out of his mouth when he learned where he was.
Noah couldn’t blame him. He was always this worried when one of them does something grave such as spilling the beans they need to plant for winter. His version was—he would like to consider it that way—a tad bit different from what Wynn and Nancy experienced in the farm.
He can already imagine Thomas’ scolding when they get home.
After almost two hours, Nick finally arrived at the front door of the police station.
When Noah saw him, he almost took him in a bear hug and cried on his shoulders like a child had been left by his mother.
Nick was in his usual uniform. He was in his suit and tie. The blond hair on his head blown by the wind. It was sleek as he ran his fingers on his golden strings.
“Thank God!” Noah sat down, his hand holding his forehead as Fitch greeting Nick in a polite manner—too polite for the likeness of the people around this place.
Cora had her paper and pen ready on the table. She showed the initial report, and it was up to Nick to believe whatever he saw.
Fitch eyed him suspiciously, “Nick, was it?” he asked in a way that Nick wouldn’t find awful or offending.
“Sure, man.” His eyes fleeted toward Cora who seemed suspicious of him, too. “Can I speak with my clients?”
“Go ahead,” Cora gestured to a room they can use.
Karol wasn’t as relaxed as she used to be when the three of them arrived here for the first time.
When Nick was able to close the door, he began walking toward the seat across the two of them.
“First off, please don’t tell me that you did prostitution," Nick said it with a severe tone.
“Absolutely not!” Fitch exclaimed. “My mother would have damned me to eternal death and hell if she knew I was doing such things!”
Noah inched forward, his hand over the other on the desk, “We didn’t. This girl randomly asked if she could hitch a ride home.”
“That’s the only mistake we made. We trusted a woman.”
Noah nodded, “Yeah, we did. We didn’t even think that she was suspicious or anything.”
“You dimwits!” Nick sighed, his head leaning on his palm. “She must have been part of an entrapment plan.”
“Sharp as always,” Noah commented. “I think she was. Because she didn’t look like she was some prostitute that would get money from anything. She must have confused us with the people she was supposed to entrap at the gas station.”
“What did she tell the police?” Nick began opening his bag. He took out his pen and paper. “Go on,” he urged them.
Noah gulped down the saliva on his neck, “It’s going to be a long night.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Fitch added as a yawn escaped his lips.
- Writer
