We sat there in silence while I dug through my pint for any remaining cookie dough buried in the ice cream. When I couldn’t find anymore, I set the pint on the floor. I rubbed my lower belly. “I have the worst cramps. I swear I have a sadistic uterus,” I complained dramatically.
The prisoner gaped at me like I’d lost my damned mind.
“What’s your name?” I asked.
He was quiet for a moment, debating whether or not he should answer. “Ian,” he mumbled. More bloody drool spilled from the corner of his mouth.
I was surprised he'd answered, but I didn’t let it show. “Do you have a girlfriend or wife, Ian?”
“A wife.”
“Do her cramps try to kill her like mine do?” I shifted in the uncomfortable chair to help relieve the pain in my lower back.
“No.”
“Lucky woman,” I mumbled, finding the perfect position, which was somewhat slouching in the chair with my legs crossed. “Do you have any kids?”
His single unswollen eye softened as he stared down. “A daughter.” He refused to look at me when he answered. Hmm…
“You’re a brave man. I don’t think I could handle having a daughter. Girls are scary,” I rambled. “How old is she?”
“Seven.”
My attention was drawn to Jamie’s switchblade, still embedded in his thigh. I leaned forward and nodded to the blade. “Do you mind if I take that out?” He didn’t answer me. I had a feeling pride was standing in his way. I wrapped my hand around the grip of the blade and pulled it from his leg. His body went rigid and he hissed.
Holding the bloody knife, I stood and made my way over to Jamie. He and Stefan were both leaning against the wall by the stairs. Jamie watched me with his arms crossed over his chest. I invaded his space. Smiling up at him, I wrapped an arm around his waist. My hand brushed over the gun I knew was tucked into the back of his pants. He let me take it without question. “I’m borrowing this,” I said, waving the gun a little. He didn’t protest. Both he and Stefan just continued to watch me, waiting patiently to see what I’d do.
With the switchblade and gun, I walked behind Ian and cut the zip ties, freeing his wrists from the back of the chair.
“Maura!” Jamie pushed away from the wall. I stopped him in his tracks by cocking the gun. I gave him a pointed look that said, I got this.
“Ian’s not going to do anything stupid, now are you, Ian?” I asked sweetly as I held out the switchblade to Ian. He stared at the blade, then at me and made no move to take it. “Take it,” I ordered.
He lifted his hand to take it but hesitated halfway. I grew tired of waiting and placed the grip of the blade in Ian’s hand, then returned to my chair with Jamie’s gun.
Stefan pushed away from the wall as well, taking a couple of steps forward. I could see worry etched around his eyes as they bounced back and forth between Ian and me.
Ian stared at the blade in his hand, beyond confused. It wasn’t the norm when it came to interrogating someone, I was sure, but Ian was a special case. The guy was prepared to take his secrets to the grave and that wasn’t going to work for me. We needed to go about this a different way.
I pointed the gun at him. “I’m going to give you a choice.” Ian eyed the gun. “Two, actually. I’m going to let you pick how you’re going to die. You knew how this was going to end. You’ve already accepted it. That’s why I’m going to let you pick how you go out.” I studied him as the wheels turned behind his one good eye. “Option number one…you can kill yourself, right now, with the knife. I recommend the wrists. It’s less painful, but it takes a while. You’ll bleed out slowly. Panic uncontrollably sets in about the same time the cold does. Soon after that, you won’t be able to move because there’s no more blood pumping through your body. I hear your sight goes first, and while you sit there in complete darkness, your brain will go haywire. Some say as you’re dying, you see your entire life flash by. Others say you see and feel everything you regret. I think you just remember random shit, like what you had for breakfast, because how can the brain bring forth all your memories if it doesn’t have what it needs to function?” I said, tapping my finger to my chin, as if pondering, before I shrugged. “That’s dying for you. It’s still the unknown.” The room was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. “Option two is probably painless.” I wiggled the gun in my hand. “I’ll make it quick. All the pain and fear you’re feeling will be over in an instant,” I told him, snapping my fingers. “It’d be the more dignified way to go out. I’d take it, but option two has a price.” I paused, leveling my eyes with Ian’s. “I need to know who you sold the guns to.”
Ian’s eye narrowed in disbelief. I knew what he was thinking. His skepticism confirmed what I suspected. The right question wasn’t where the money was but why he would be willing to die to keep it hidden. “I already know where the money is.” For only a brief moment, his eye widened. “You see, you’ve already told me. Human behavior is a fascinating thing. When pushed or presented with the right questions, it’s amazing how someone will react. Like how I asked about your family. When speaking about your daughter, your reaction was stronger compared to when we talked about your wife. Love is a strong emotion but when paired with sadness, it’s hard to hide. When grouped with fear, any human would do something drastic. I’m assuming she’s sick or was sick and that’s why you needed the money? Why else would you break the code and betray the family unless it was for someone you loved?” I watched as panic took root. I could see it in the way his breathing picked up and how his eye was unblinking. “You know what? Let’s sweeten option number two. If you tell me who you sold the guns to, we won’t go after your family for the money.” I refused to look at Stefan. I was probably going to catch hell for making that kind of promise because it wasn’t my place to make, but I’d deal with that later.
I sat back, waiting for Ian’s decision. He stared down at the ground and his grip around the knife tightened. “The Aryans,” he finally answered. I knew of them. White supremacist gang. I quickly turned to Jamie to see if he was satisfied. When nothing was said by either him or Stefan, as promised, I pointed the gun at Ian and pulled the trigger. The force behind the bullet caused Ian’s head to fly backward and his body to fall to the floor. I stared at his lifeless body for a moment, feeling the finality of his death. He'd wronged the family; even if I understood the reason behind his betrayal, his death was necessary.
I padded my way back over to Jamie and Stefan. They both held different expressions. Jamie was unreadable, whereas Stefan looked like he was calculating or scheming. I wasn’t quite sure. I held out the gun for Jamie to take. “Will you be done with this soon? I figured we could watch a movie?”
He took his gun from my hand and he tucked it into the waistband of his pants behind his back. He then surprised me by taking the sleeve of his shirt and wiping at my cheek. “You have blood on your face.”
Eww. A shower was in my near future. “You didn’t answer my question.”
Jamie’s eyes softened as they looked torn.