Reason would dictate that I eavesdrop on the conversation just outside the door.
And that's just what I did. I slid from the stool and made my way to the front door, pressing my ear against the wood, holding my breath.
Through the patter of the rain, distant voices could be heard. They were a bit muffled, but not enough to obscure what they were saying.
"Hey, haven't I seen you before?" The voice, which I assumed belonged to Detective Alec, began. "Fancy meeting you here."
Darron stuttered. "Y-yeah, I think we saw each other at one point..." He obviously didn't remember.
"I am sorry to disturb you this late at night, Mr. Beckett," Detective Alec continued, smoothly moving past the previous topic. "but I saw that the lights were on and figured I'd come over to get a statement, just in case you'd seen or heard anything."
A moment of silence fell between them. I could only imagine the mortified expression on Darron's face at this vague line of questioning.
"H-heard or seen what?" Darron nervously chuckled.
"Did you happen to hear or see anything at around 12 AM tonight, Mr. Beckett?" Detective Alec asked, ignoring the previous question. Looks like he caught on to something...
"N-no. I was asleep in my room all night."
"What about your son, Ezra?"
A grin spread across my face as I resisted the urge to laugh. This was going to be good.
"M-my son?" Darron paused before answering quickly. "Why don't you remind me where we met before? I don't remember telling you about my son."
Detective Alec didn't skip a beat. "We met at Tallow's. You were drinking heavily and disturbing the peace. I was one of the Officers on scene that tried to calm you down."
"Wait..." Darron trailed off. "You're Detective Alec, right?"
"The one and only." Detective Alec proudly replied.
"Sh-" Darron started, no doubt wanting to curse. But, as if realizing what he was about to say, he smoothly transitioned the word. "-hould I be worried? I mean, is there a predator roaming around or something?"
"No, nothing of that nature. Why don't you bring Ezra out so he can answer some questions?"
"He's at his Mother's." Darron quickly interjected.
Silence...
"Isn't your wife dead?"
My eyes widened as I cupped a hand over my mouth. How much did Darron spill to Detective Alec when they first met?
As if to save Darron from his self-made predicament, a third voice greeted the duo standing just outside the door.
"Heeeyyy, Dare! How ya doin'?"
Darron coughed, seeming to have choked on his saliva. "H-hey, it's been a while. I'm doin' great. What brings you here this late at night?"
"Ah, you know. This and that." A brief silence. "It's nice to meet you, the name's Claude Von Breif, but friends call me Claude."
The snickering grin on my face slowly disappeared as a chilling sense of anxiety rose up.
I know that name.
That was the name of a "teacher".
What the hell was he doing acting as the Transport?
"Nice to meet you, the name's Alec." Another brief pause. Seems like they shook hands. "I'm a Detective at the Rossenwood Police Department."
"That explains the police cars parked across the street." Claude commented. "Is Darron perhaps involved in any way?"
"No, I have no reason to suspect so. I came over because I saw the lights were on and figured he'd be able to provide a witness statement as to what occurred at 12 AM tonight."
Claude chuckled. "That is quite a time to stay up 'til."
"Indeed." Detective Alec agreed. "So, what brings you over this late at night?"
"Ezra needs his meds. He's unable to sleep without it." Claude sighed. "You still have some left, right?"
"Yes, yes I do." Darron jumped on that lie.
"I'm sorry, is Ezra not here?" Detective Alec interjected.
"No," Claude answered before Darron could, "he isn't. Did Darron not tell you that?"
"He said Ezra was at his mother's..."
"Ha!" Darron obnoxiously laughed. "Haha, did I say mother's? I meant to say cousin's house."
"Right..." Detective Alec trailed off. Without having seen his expression, I knew that Alec wasn't believing the situation. However, I also knew that Detective Alec would not be pursuing this line of questioning any further. He had no case, just suspicions. All he can reasonably do is go back to doing his job.
"So, are you able to provide a statement, Mr. Beckett?"
"No, not at this time." Darron answered. "I'll call you if I remember anything. I have your number somewhere..."
"Here," Detective Alec said, "take my business card. Try not to lose it this time. Call me the moment you remember anything. I'm sorry for disturbing you gentlemen this late. Have a good night."
"You too." Claude replied, his voice moving closer to the door. "I wish you luck in your investigation."
"Thank you." Detective Alec's voice was further away now, becoming harder to hear. I took this as a clue to scurry my way back to the kitchen island.
The door clicked open from behind my back, the crunch of glass breaking the silence.
"Ah, no wonder why you were acting so suspicious." Claude remarked upon entering. "Just about looks like you murdered somebody."
Darron stayed in guilty silence as Claude walked around the counter, coming face to face with me, a faint scent of peppermint lingering.
Claude was ever the fashion king, dressed in casual attire as if he had stepped out of a business magazine. His wet milk brown hair was slicked back, revealing his sharp emerald eyes that gazed down at me in bemusement.
"Damn, you got quite the number, huh, kid?" Claude ruffled my hair, purposefully pushing it back to better assess the damage.
"Not too bad." Claude lifted his head to face Darron who still stood by the door. "Luckily you kept the damage relatively light."
"I tried." Darron croaked out, voice just a whisper now.
There it is. That pathetic sense of shame.
"So, what'd he do? Tried to run?"
"No..." Darron admitted.
"Ah, so just bein' a prick." Claude concluded. He moved to grab a mug from the cupboard before grabbing a stool and sitting across from me. "Well, kid, do you know what comes next?"
I licked the cut on my lip in thought.
I decided to go with the truth.
"No, I don't."
Claude raised an eyebrow. "Did he not mention me?"
"He rarely talks to me."
"Aw, that's so sad." Claude mockingly commented, resting his chin in his hand, eyes peering back at Darron. "I'm disappointed Darry, you know I don't like unprepared kids."
"He's obedient," Darron defended, "unlike the other kids you mentioned. I don't see you having a problem with him."
"'Course you don't." Claude turned his eyes back onto me. "They never do..."
A moment of silence fell between us, his eyes studying me.
Claude pushed forward his mug. "Pour me a drink."
Without question, I picked up the kettle and poured him some water.
The test starts now.
Claude picked up the mug and took a sip, frowning when he realized the contents. "It's just water." He glared at me. "Why are you drinking just water? What is wrong with you?"
"I was thirsty." I simply replied, eyes locked onto his.
He clicked his tongue in disappointment. "Here I thought you were drinkin' somethin' good..."
He leaned back, exhaling dramatically. "Well, here's the deal. You are coming with me. Your father already sold your ass a long time ago." He nodded his head at Darron before continuing. "You're never coming back. No matter what you say or do. You are now property of Head Mistress Cheyanne."
I remained silent, almost expressionless. Perhaps if I was truly Ezra I'd scream or cry but the most I felt was a sorrowful feeling of acceptance. Looks like I was regaining more control of my emotions. Should I take that as a sign that Ezra is slipping away? If so, perhaps that is for the better...
"Any questions?" Claude asked.
"No."
"None?"
"None."
"You know, it's not good to blindly follow in situations like this." Claude warned.
I relented, tossing out a random question. "Why me?"
Claude grinned. "Why not you?"
Immediately after providing that question-answer he stood up. "Well, it's time to go. Darry, you got a luggage case?"
"Yeah, it's in the bedroom. Let me go get it for you." Darron rushed to his room, as if finding an opportunity to hide.
"Don't worry kid, it won't be so bad." Claude looked down at me. "Just think of the Pros. No more school, no more nagging parents, you can do whatever you want."
"What about the Cons?" I already knew what the Cons were, but it was better to pretend not to.
"You'll have some homework. Maybe even make and break a couple of friends." Claude nonchalantly revealed. "But it's nothing to worry about. They would do the exact same thing to you, given the chance."
"That's reassuring." I sarcastically said.
"Isn't it?" Claude nodded his head.
As if on cue, Darron rushed out with a worn out black luggage case. Claude grabbed it from his hands and zipped it open.
"Get in." He instructed.
I complied, stuffing myself into the luggage case. Claude zipped it closed around me, picking up the case once done.
It was dark and cramped inside the case. I could feel the world around me sway with every step he took.
"It was a pleasure doin' business with you, Darry. Let me know if you come across any more." Claude said as he departed.
In a couple of minutes Claude tossed me into the back of his car before getting into the driver's seat, driving to some unknown destination.
Taking this chance, I struggled to unzip myself from the luggage case. It was an extremely hard and tedious task, but it was doable. By the time I was done, I was huffing, out of breath. My injuries hurt even more, aggravated by the entire process. I ignored the pain and crawled my way into the passenger seat.
"Did I tell you you could get out?" Claude asked, eyes on the road.
"You didn't say I couldn't." I snapped back.
Claude snickered, amused by my answer.
Together we gazed out into the rain, focused on nothing but the darkness ahead.