RUTHLESS
"Listen up Flint" Miguel said into the reciever, his voice not bothering to hide his tone of mockery.
"From the video, you I'm sure have already taken a guess" he continued, then he said "screw that...I have your daughter and son Flint. My bosses have been making a particular request that keeps on being ignored. Close the case Flint or they die. After them, your wife comes next, then we find everyone else close to you and they die....you have two weeks.
About your snitch friend, he's dining unconsciously down in a river body somewhere with the fishes...I believe you get my point detective...now there's a high possibility of a repeat of that particular event in the coming days"
Flint's blood grew cold, beads of sweat broke out across his forehead.
He knew perfectly well, what Miguel was talking about.
He felt bad about the man.
He'd unknowingly sent peter to his death.
He hadn't believe a word when the man had been lamenting about being caught between the devil and the deep blue sea.
Flint couldn't think straight, his thoughts flew in multiple directions.
These people really were ruthless. More ruthless than he had imagined.
"too late for that pal... I've been kicked off the case" he said in a panic filled voice, through gritted teeth.
"even if I wasn't, how do you expect me to close such a sensitive high profile case in two weeks? two fucking weeks!" he almost screamed, his lips quivering, his voice shaking.
"Not our problem Flint... you're a cop... think of something" Miguel replied heartlessly.
Flint's initial bravado had vanished the moment he set his eyes on the video of his kids.
His son badly battered and hanging by his wrist.
"I'm off the case...how.." Flint began but Miguel cut his sentence short.
"My bosses decide if you're off or not detective so if I were you, I'd get to work"
"Please I need more time" Flint begged.
"there's none detective... you're wasting valuable time" Miguel replied.
"How do I know you're not going to waste them on the spot the moment you get what you are after"
"you see ah... detective... that's the thing...you don't. You're just going to have to trust me" Miguel replied.
"Like hell... I'm no fool" Flint replied, causing Miguel to chuckle.
"I want to talk to them...I want to know they're alright... lemme know they're fine" Flint requested.
"there'll be plenty enough of time for that Flint... this conversation has gone on longer than necessary" Miguel said, then he added
"you should have taken the money Flint. My bosses were being generous. It was an easier way out" then the line went dead.
Flint bolted from the hall in his panic stricken mode and ran in the direction of the convenience.
He slammed the door the moment he went in and turned on the sink tap.
He splashed cold water on his face. Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! he screamed, punching the sink with his fists.
He kicked the wall under the sink, his eyes began to grow moist and red.
He was battling a barrage of emotions at the moment.
Anger, pain, frustration, hatred, they all rolled into one person.
Suddenly he felt like hitting something. Anything.
He looked around but there was nothing to hit, just the sink, doors, the mirror and the bare walls.
He settled for the walls and began to punch them with all his might.
His anger, the pain, everything he felt, he released it on the wall.
He only stopped and took a breath when his fingers began to bleed then he left the convenience, slamming the door shut behind him and headed straight to the chief's office.
"how could you! You knew didn't you!" Flint screamed at the chief the moment he walked through the door of the man's office.
"what are you talking about?" that man asked in reply, brows raised then he added "I don't know how you managed to do it Flint but you're back on the case"
"they have my kids" Flint replied, ignoring the chief's words.
"what?"
"They have Fayth and Paul damnit" Flint replied, this time, his voice rising an octave higher.
"Shit! Flint what did you do that pissed them off so much" the chief asked wide eyed.
For them to hunt his family, Flint must have done something wrong or pissed them off the chief reasoned.
"they want the case closed" Flint said animatedly.
At this point, Flint felt as though he had exhausted all his emotions.
He felt numb, he felt drained.
He had been pacing back and forth in the small confined space of an office but now he collapsed on the chair in a heap.
The entire thing had weakened him to his bones.
He was clueless how to go about the entire matter.
He'd never covered up or buried a case for once in his life.
He had always been upright, done everything by the book...well except on some occasions where he bent the rules a little to get the results he desired.
He was a damn straight cop. Where the fuck was he to start from he wondered.
The chief stared at him with piteous eyes.
"what do they want in return for their release?" he asked.
"They want the case closed, every evidence I've gathered, buried"
"wait a minute...you found evidence and didn't come to me about it? what did you find?" the chief asked incredulously.
"you're as dirty as they come..how was I to tell you anything? I didn't trust you, and I still don't Flint replied plainly.
The chief's face flushed red with embarrassment.
"watch it Flint.. I'm only trying to help"
"yeah right... like you have been since day one" Flint replied dryly.
The chief stared daggers at him but gave him no reply.
Flint placed his head in his palm, he was still shaking.
He still hadn't called Shonda to inform her of the unfortunate series of events.
She was going to blame him for the entire thing he was sure.
"I don't know the first thing about burying a case" he admitted to the chief raising his head suddenly.
"you never had to do anything from the beginning Flint. The commissioner and I have been here all along, you only just had to agree to the entire thing" the chief said folding his arms.
Hope surged within Flint.
All he has to do was look the other way and his kids would be home free.
If he had been told he was going to be doing this in a million years, he wouldn't have believed it.
He was actually going to bury a case. In reality though...what choice did he actually have he thought.
"what do I have to do" Flint asked
"surrender every shred of evidence you've found. Bring it to my office first thing tomorrow. I'll contact the commissioner... we'll see about a press conference and decide what to dish out to the public"
Flint just nodded his head like a robot.
"they're coming home Flint" the chief made an attempt at consolation.
Flint gave him no reply.
He just walked out of the office and out of the precinct. He wasn't in the right frame of mind to drive so he hailed a cab home.
The moment he walked through the doors, Shonda knew something was terribly wrong.
His face was drawn, his skin pale, he looked like he'd just fucked a ghost.
"I'm sorry Shonda ...it's all my fault" Flint said, finally breaking down.
"what are you talking about baby" Shonda asked, confusion written all over her face as she held his face in her palms.
"Fayth .... Paul.. they're.." Flint said, handing her his phone.
He couldn't find the words.
"oh god..." she said, placing her palms on her lips the moment she set her eyes on the footage.
she slowly sat down on the floor close to Flint, tears instantly beginning to well in her eyes.
"bu..butt ...you st ..sttoo..topped" she stammered, shaking her head, refusing to believe what she'd seen.
"I'm..so..so.. sorry" Flint said, his voice filled with remorse.
"How could you..it was always your career above everything else" Shonda accused, her voice breaking, betraying every ounce of fear she felt.
"Flint these people tried to kill you! They tried to blast you to Mars! Yet you still couldn't let go! How could you let it get to this point!" She screamed at him.
Flint couldn't give her a reply. He didn't know the words.
Shonda let her tears fall for sometime, an uneasy silence settling in the living room then she said "what do they want" When Flint didn't reply, she repeated again, this time raising her voice.
"what the fuck did they demand Flint!"
"case closed"
"then what's keeping you here...what the fuck are you still doing sitting down here" she asked, hitting her palms over the other.
"my children are still alive Flint! Get them home! and safely too! ...if one hair goes missing from their heads, this marriage is done" she said and went upstairs to their room, slamming the door.