Chapter 4

‘Name: Chuck McGregor.

State of origin: Illinois.

Date of birth: 8th November,1976.

Inmate number: 928.

Charged with attempted murder, sexual abuse and exploitation, physical abuse, statutory rape and withholdal of vital information from government agencies.

Convicted of attempted murder, sexual and physical abuse.

Date of conviction: 6th may 2014.

Expected date of release: 12th August, 2039.’

Flynn listened as Agent Sawyer listed off everything in the document he held in his hand as they drove down to the Chicago state rehabilitation center.Chuck didn’t exactly look like a sex offender but then even cubs look cute to idiots too.

He didn’t know why the image of a bleeding fourteen-year old seemed to be etched on his mind. He shook his head as though it could clear his mind.

Dressed impeccably in a three-piece black suit, he alighted from the black ford and made his way to the entrance of the gigantic prison, his face as expressionless as ever. The wardens had already been notified of his arrival so there wasn’t much hassle. They all acknowledged themselves with a nod.

The Chicago state rehab center stood menacing on a 6 acre land, fenced with high walls which were lined with electric wires. The edges of the wall held a security tower. On them, stood armed police men, who watched over the prison dutifully. It seemed impregnable … and cold.

Inside the prison, a deadly type of silence filled the hallways. Flynn could count the number of guys he had sent to this place. They were never good guys. All of them had committed heinous crimes. The walls were smeared with substances that had blackened with age. Most of it looked crimson.

Within these walls, Flynn knew, you were either the hunter or the hunted. Prison tales had sometimes been his bed time stories in the past. The walk to the interrogation room took a while but soon they were there.

It was a white room. The walls, floors, everything was white. A metal table and two steel chairs stood in the middle of the room.On one of the chairs, sat Chuck. Flynn observed the man from behind a non see through observational glass that demarcated the interrogation room from where he stood.

Prison life had taken its toll on him. His eyes were drawn and grey hairs now dotted his already balding head. Multiple scars lined his arm. One ran from somewhere beneath his orange jumpsuit to the palm of his right hand. The muscles on his arms said something about him still trying to keep fit even in the prison but his protruding belly spoke much about age catching up with him. There was a hard glint to his eyes that spoke volumes of what he was capable of.

As he stared with disinterest at the demarcating glass, Flynn knew at that moment how he was able to evade suspicion from the whole town before he had stabbed Clarissa with that pair of scissors. Looking at him. People would have seen a man of authority. Someone who would only think about the good of others. A person who looked as harmless as a dove. Perhaps, if they had looked close enough, they might have realized that it was all an act. With a more collected thought, Flynn pushed the door open and strode into the interrogation room.

*********************************************

‘Nice to meet you, Chuck. They tell me that you’ve been a good boy. Trying to get a parole now, are we?’ Flynn said with a smirk as he took his seat.

'A man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do.’ Chuck said with a heavy drawl, then shrugged.

‘What’s bugging me is, …’ Flynn reclined on the seat and crossed his arms across his chest. ‘Why are you in such a rush to leave here? Got some unfinished business out there?’ ‘Till we die, we all have some unfinished business.’ He shrugged again.

‘So, what’s yours Chuck?’

'What do you want with me?’ Chuck asked as a mild look of irritation flitted across his face.

Flynn slowly leaned forward and placed his hands on the table. ‘I just want to know how you’ve been spending your time in here.’

Chuck shrugged, this time, a little bit too casually. With his hands cuffed to the bars on the table, his range of motion was limited.

'Just been doing stuff old men do. Nothing spectacular.’

'Like trying to relieve some of the horrors you created?’An emotion that looked very akin to excitement crossed Chuck’s face but some nanoseconds later, the mask of indifference settled back in.‘There are no horrors to relieve, boy.'

'Boy.'

A very subtle way of telling him that he was worth nothing, Flynn thought. He’d had his own fair share of dealings with narcissists. He could spot one a mile away.

‘Well, I could put a few good words for you, prod a few buttons and you’d get on the parole list. It just depends on how well you play this game.’ Flynn said with a smirk.

With that, he leaned back on his seat as he waited for Chuck to pounce on the bait he had just dangled right in front of him. He keenly observed Chuck’s expression as it changed from indifference to surprise to suspicion and to glee which he barely managed to conceal beneath his mask of indifference. Years of training at the FBI academy had taught him the art of reading expressions. Nothing was ever hidden from his eyes.The men stared at themselves for a very long few minutes before Chuck broke the silence in the still room.

'What do you want to know?’

'What do you have to do with Clarissa’s disappearance?’

A decoy.

‘I have nothing to do with that. I’ve been here for eight years. What could an old man like me do from here?’

‘Exactly what I want to know.’ Flynn leaned forward again. ‘You see, we all know you had an obsession for her. I’ve heard news about how you spend time relieving your pedophilic days to your friends here. You might’ve sent someone after her. It’s not like it’s new stuff around here. So, the earlier we’re done with this shit, the better for the both of us. Did you send someone after her, Chuck? Are you still upset that she put you in here? What do you want with her?’ his voice had risen to the highest crescendo before he was done.

'I have no answers to those questions.’ Chuck said with a suspiciously calm tone. When Flynn realized his mistake, it was a bit too late. He had let his emotions get the better part of him. He realized that Chuck now felt like he had the upper hand in the situation. Yelling had made him sound desperate. But, on a second thought, it was a smart move. If Chuck was a fool, he would try to relish in his short lived victory and might spill something he was meant to keep secret. He smiled inwardly and continued the fool’s act.

‘You have answers to my question and you’ll give them to me, Chuck.’ Flynn said through gritted teeth.

'Why do you sound so desperate? Was she your cunt like she was mine then? She used to be a sweet, sweet girl ……’

The smugness in his voice made Flynn see red. One minute he was right on his seat, the next, he was dishing out an uppercut. The sound of bone meeting bone echoed across the room. A horrible crack followed almost immediately. He was boiling on the inside. It was very unlike him to react on impulse but he just couldn’t help it.

Blood trickled down from a spot on Chuck’s lips. He didn’t seem to notice though. He looked stunned like the blow had shocked his senses into limbo.

'That was the tip of an iceberg. Mess with me one more time and you’d be toothless.’ Flynn’s voice seemed to shake him out of the daze.

‘You’ll never find her.’ A smirking Chuck spat out.That seemed to be the answer Flynn had been looking for because he stood straighter, straightened out an imaginary crease on his suit and then, left the interrogation room.

The car was silent as they drove back to Kenwood. A lot of thoughts whirled round Flynn’s mind.Chuck had no idea about what was going on.If it wasn’t Chuck, then who was it?Why wait after eight years?Who else knew about Clarissa’s past apart from the McGregor couple, Donny and the Cavendish siblings?What was the motive behind all this?Why even kill other women who in no way had any connection to Clarissa?So many unanswered questions.Hell, the urge to drown himself in alcohol was so intense. These thoughts were slowly driving him nuts.On impulse, he made another decision. He might regret it but it would be worth it.

It was dark when he pressed the doorbell but he could still spot a few agents some poles down. That was good enough. At least, they’d report whoever left or visited the house. The bell rang the second time before she deigned it necessary to open the door for ever it was. She looked through the peephole and heavens, it wasn’t who she was expecting.

Flynn Grant had come to visit her at night.

Okay, that wasn’t not weird at all.

Inhaling deeply, she opened the door.

'Hey.’ Clarissa said a little bit out of breath from the swirls in her tummy. She stepped aside to let him in.

‘you didn’t tell me you were stopping by.’

'I just wanted to check on you, see how you’re doing.’ He pretended not the notice how flushed her cheeks looked. Or how beautiful she looked in her white mid-thigh gown. The warmth of the living room seeped into his chilled bones. Clarissa cleared her throat.She urged her brain to think of something to say to diffuse the growing tension between them.

'Ahhh…..something smells nice inside here. You baked?’ Flynn asked as he followed the sweet smell to the kitchen.Clutching a fist over her thundering heart, she shut the door and followed at his heels. That man was whirlwind, she thought.

'Yeah, I baked some cinnamon rolls. You want some?’Without waiting for a response, she opened the tray containing the cinnamon rolls. Snagging a chinaware from the plate rack, she placed some of the rolls on it and set it in front of him. Bustling round the kitchen gave her something to do with her hands.

Flynn had already made himself comfortable on the counter. Pulling his gloves, he pounced on the rolls.He made a small throaty sound.

‘This taste really nice. Woah.’A small smile touched her lips and she let it blossom into a full smile. No one ever complimented her cooking. Not even Marley. She watched him take a bit from the second roll and closed his eyes as if he wanted to savor every single drop of the taste.

‘If you keep looking at me like that, I might think there’s something on my face.’The smile turned into a full belly rumbling laugh. It was the way he wriggled his eye brows and the funny expression on his face that made her burst out laughing.

Flynn smiled too. He loved the sound of her laughter. The way her eyes crinkled at the corners and the way she threw her neck back while laughing. It made him a bit happy to see her smiling. Flynn decided not to bring up the issues they were faced with or Chuck. They might as well enjoy the night to the fullest.

'You wanna go somewhere?’ Flynn asked and She furrowed her brows in thought. After some minutes, she nodded.

'Yeah. I haven’t been to Barov’s in a while. I was supposed to meet up with the girls last Saturday but I was over at Marley’s.’

‘Let’s go there. Go get dressed.’She caught the mischievous glint in his eyes and raised her brows in askance.Flynn simply shrugged and made a show of focusing on the cinnamon rolls.She didn’t know the exact word that described exactly how she felt.

Excitement.That was it.

It seeped into her and coated every part of her being. it was overwhelming and she loved it. She hadn’t felt that thrill in a while.

Barely able to contain her excitement, she left the kitchen grinning.

They didn’t go to Barov’s.They went to the kenwood park. The winter festival was ongoing. She hadn’t been to the winter festival since the death of her parents. They rode the Ferris wheel and the roller coaster and even bounced on the bouncing castles. Even though she objected at first, the persuasive boy in Flynn made her agree to every ridiculous idea he brought up.

She remembered the feeling of exhilaration overwhelming her just before she began screaming out of unadulterated happiness on the roller coaster. She wondered why people even felt scared on the roller coaster.They ate cotton candies and hot dogs till they couldn’t stomach anymore.They even took pictures at the photo booth. Trust Flynn to make weird and funny faces. They played the dart games and Flynn had won her pink panda.And, one thing she’d never forget was that she laughed.Like really laughed.And a lot.She didn’t remember the last time she had let down her guard enough to laugh wildly, with no care in the world.

That night, she had left all fears at home. Or maybe somewhere else.She wished the night would never end.Sadly, it came to an end rather too soon.It was a few minutes to midnight when Flynn walked her to her front door.

'I can’t believe it’s already this late. It feels like we just left here a few minutes ago.’ Clarissa said rubbing her mittens together.

'Well, time flies.’ Flynn replied with a small smile.The both of them went silent again. She racked her mind for what to say, but nothing was forthcoming. So, she stared at him, stared as if it was the first time she was seeing him. The Flynn she had been with today was different from the one she was used to seeing. This Flynn saw through her façade.He had known when she needed breaks even without her saying it out loud. He had known when it was just her fear of the unknown pushing her to say ‘No’. he had been attentive and caring. He had been funny and …. And just everything.

He stared at her too.She had let loose today, had let her guard down and had fun.As much as he loved the her that seemed to have her shit together, he had also loved the her that he had seen at the park. He loved the way her azure eyes sparkled In the moonlit night and the way she was holding his stare. In that moment, he didn’t feel like leaving.

Not until Clarissa face began to morph into HER face. Her hair changed from the black frizzy curls to a long, straight honey colored hair. Gone were the azure eyes and in their place, icy blue ones. He shook his head to clear the image from his head but, it just wouldn’t bulge. She was smiling while saying something . And then he saw her yelp, just before the blood splattered on his coat.The bullet had gone right through her head.

'……Flynn? Are you okay?’ the voice of a worried Clarissa snapped him back to reality.He blinked his eyes a couple of times to collect his thoughts.

‘Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. I just spaced out for a bit.’

'ohh, I was thinking, maybe we could this again, sometime soon?’ Clarissa rocked back and forth on her heels, with her hands stuffed inside the pocket of her coat.

She looked at him with uncertainty etched on her face.He looked a bit distracted. She had noticed him sweating profusely the past minutes. Something was off, she thought. ‘Yeah, sometime. I should leave now.’ He said, already stepping down the landing.

Okay…That wasn’t weird at all.

She watched him leave without a second glance in her direction but, she still bellowed a ‘goodnight.’ At his retreating figure which he didn’t acknowledge.Still wondering why the sudden change in his mood, she trudged into her house.

He watched them from the window. He had seen them leave for the park and had stalked them till they came back. He had made himself so unnoticeable that the Agents trailing from behind hadn’t even looked twice in his direction. The feds had only slowed him down but it didn’t deter him in the least. He had evaded them in the past. He wouldn’t let them stop him now. Not when he was so close to getting what was his. No one could stop him,Not even Agent Grant.The pest was beginning to piss him off. He had wanted to pay Clarissa a visit but the Agent had stuck around like glue.But, it didn’t matter though.Anyone who stood in his way would go down too.

***********************************

The week had been uneventful. She saw less of Flynn, Agent Grant. She tried to remind herself that keeping their relationship formal was probably best for the both of them. . She chided herself sternly whenever she let her mind slip back to that night. The day after, she had arrived at the office to meet a bleary-eyed Barry. He kept muttering apologies, even after she had told him that she was fine and that the collision hadn’t suddenly made her develop any brain damage or turned her into a living vegetable.

After a bit of guilt tripping by her friends, she had agreed to meet with them at their bar. They referred to it as that, because the three of them had met there. The bar was overpopulated as usual and, she was late as always. That was probably two constants in her life. The thought made her smile.

Sydney on spotting her, enthusiastically waved her over. Shrugging off her coat, she strutted over to their booth. ‘

'Hey y’all.’ She shouted over the pounding the music.

'You need to hear this.’ the ever high spirited Sydney mouthed almost immediately.

'Oh, what is it this time?’

‘Claire, will you do us the honors? Or should I? damn it, she’s seeing someone.’ Sydney blurted out. Red stained Claire’s cheek. A wide-eyed Clarissa stared at Claire. The three of them had met on the night of their high school graduation. Three high school graduates, alone, absent from their graduation after party, sulking for whatever reason known only themselves. They had ended up bonding, becoming best buddies and attending the same university. Claire hadn’t dated anyone, at least to their knowledge. Sydney changed boyfriends like she changed clothes. She wanted to conquer femininity as she put it. Clarissa hadn’t dated anyone too but they all understood why and no one spoke about it either.‘So, do we get to know who he is or….?’ Clarissa said as she gave Sydney a conspiratorial wink.

'Well, nothing is certain for now. We’re just keeping everything on the low. So…..’ Claire spat out hurriedly.

‘Not even a name?’ An exasperated Sydney scoffed.Clarissa gave Sydney a look that said ‘not now’.

'Well, if he makes you happy, then we’re fine with it…’

'Speak for yourself, Rissa.’ Sydney cut in while glaring at the other two which they ignored pointedly.

'Syd will come along eventually. If she doesn’t, she can go fuck herself.’ A smirk appeared on Clarissa’s face. Claire held back her laughter as Sydney flipped off the two of them. They were used her outbursts. It never ran deep. None of their fights ever exceeded the day it had started.After the little squabble, they ordered their favorite Russian vodka, as they shared how the week had gone.

'How’s your little affair with FBI guy going?’ Sydney asked with a mischievous glint in her eyes.With eyes as wide as saucers and a blush dusting her cheeks, Clarissa lifted her glass to her lips before answering slowly, ‘There’s nothing going on with the both of us. He’s just a supportive and friendly FBI guy. Nothing more.’

‘But, the park date can’t just be a nothing.’

‘Oh no, you don’t. you stalking me now, huh?’ Clarissa asked a bit defiantly.

‘News spreads quite fast around here. Mrs. Durkins saw you and she told a friend who told a friend who told a friend till a friend told me.’ Syd said in a duh tone.

'How could Mrs. Durkins have known it was him?’ Clarissa asked suspiciously.

'Well, she never said it was him. I just figured that he was the one. Kenwood’s a small town, girl.’

'It was an outing and nothing more. People can’t seem to mind their business anymore. Is that how boring your lives are?’

'Okay guys. You can stop bickering for a moment and take a deep breathe.’ The ever-mediating Claire spoke at last. She had always been content to let them both do the talking but some times it can get chaotic. Sydney made a show of glaring at both Clarissa and Claire as she quietly sipped her drink.

'You two are no fun.’ Syd said with a pout.

'That’s why you love us.’ Claire said in a singsong voice.Stretching a hand across the table, she tucked Sydney’s hands into hers and flung an arm across Clarissa’s shoulder to draw her closer to her side.

'I love you both. you guys make my life so much hell but I think it’s worth it.’

Maybe, because of that show of affection from Claire made the girls stop bickering and the night went on as every time they met up.

That night as she curled up on her bed to sleep, Claire thought about her two friends. The coolheaded Clarissa and the chaotic Sydney. They brought so much into her life. She didn’t know how she would have scaled through life without them. From the darkest moments of her life, when the death of her brother in that car accident had shattered her life, when it seemed her whole existence was falling apart right in front of her, they’d helped her see the light again. She had thought that they were the best things that could happened to her till he had come into her life. She had wanted to tell them who he was, she had barely stopped herself from spilling her gut. But with him came a lot of baggage and secrets and she was really keen on keeping them for him.

She turned around to watch the man that lay beside her. His face, one face she would never get tired of seeing. And, she would do everything in her power to keep him safe.

*************************************************

As Sydney trotted down the 6th Avenue, she thought about the lovely moments she had shared with her friends as they grew from girls to women. She remembered the one time they all used to have fun, like really let their guards down and have fun. But now, they were just a shadow of who they used to be. The fun-loving trio were fast becoming familiar strangers. It seemed like she was the only one who was noticing the change in the dynamics of their relationship.

A quick stop over at the channel café for her regular morning coffee and she was headed down to the DOUZE boutique where she worked as the receptionist. She greeted Mrs. Durkins, the office cleaner as she pushed the double doors open and walked in. She was always the second person to arrive at her workplace since she got hired, first being Mrs. Durkins.

DOUZE was a household name in Kenwood. Owned by a man popular in the town for his unabashed promiscuity, it also served as the town’s gossip hub. Sydney thought of it as a place where women who had nothing to do other than flaunt their wealth came to share tidbits about themselves and other people.

Secretly, she despised them. They had what she didn’t and would probably never have. As she wriggled out of her jean and shirt, an idea struck her. Why not find out who Claire’s mysterious boyfriend was? That thought seemed brilliant. And, a good way to pass time. As she shrugged on her uniform, a mid-thigh black gown, she imagined herself sneaking around Claire’s apartment and she let out a throaty laugh. She packed up her stuff and put them in her locker.She snagged her lipstick from her purse, it was the latest rouge. Her boss had once said red looked good on her and coming from him, it could’ve been a genuine compliment and it might’ve also been a ploy to flirt with her. No one could understand him.

Dabbing the bright red lip stick on here lips, she smacked her lips together to even out red smear.When she was done, she smiled at her reflection in the mirror and struck a pose with her hands akimbo.

'Detective Sydney Diaz at your service.’ She said , throwing a mock salute.With that she cat-walked out from the changing room and to her work post.