CHAPTER 29
They reached the station in about twenty minutes.
Not a single word was spoken the entire drive.
The station was crowded inside. Officers hurried through the corridors. Voices drifted from the offices. Some people were still wearing evening gowns, while others had already strapped holsters over their tuxedos.
Cooper had arrived before they did.
Billy was waiting outside the investigative division. The moment he spotted Lake and Parker, he headed straight toward them.
"Detective Lake, in there —"
He stopped mid-sentence.
"My God..."
He stared at Rick. A bruise was spreading beneath one eye, his split lip was swollen, and dark finger marks stained his neck.
Then he looked at Aaron.
He was pale as chalk. Dark stains were visible across his shirt.
"What... happened?"
"Cooper," Lake said shortly. "Where is he?"
"Interview Room Three already, but —"
"How did you arrest him?" Rick asked.
Billy looked uncertainly from Aaron to Rick.
"Rick... maybe you should—"
"Where are the others? Have Hayes and Kowalski arrived yet?" Lake cut him off.
"Detective..."
Aaron stopped abruptly.
"One more irrelevant word, Hong," he said, looking him straight in the eye, "and I'll suspend you again."
Billy lowered his gaze.
"Understood."
They walked silently down the corridor. As Billy drew level with Rick, he held out the case file. Parker took it without taking his eyes off Aaron's back.
An unpleasant tickle settled in his throat. Rick gave a quiet cough, as though he'd simply swallowed air the wrong way, then immediately pressed his lips together.
"It happened exactly the way you predicted, Detective," Hong said quietly. "The bait worked. I saw you run through the crowd and knew right away it had started. I found the sheriff. We took him during the deal itself."
"Were all our people with you?" Lake asked without slowing.
"Yes."
"Has anyone questioned Cooper yet?"
"No. They were waiting for you."
They stopped outside the interrogation room.
Through the thick glass, Rick saw a small gray room: a table bolted to the floor, a metal chair...
...and Cooper.
He sat with his head lowered. His cuffed hands rested motionless on the tabletop.
A chill ran down Rick's spine. Was this really it?
Had they actually caught him?
And were they finally about to learn what had happened to Katie?
"Good," Lake said briefly. "Don't let anyone in."
He reached for the door handle, but before opening it, he looked at Rick, who had frozen in place.
"Coming?"
Rick lifted his head sharply.
After
Forget it, he hadn't expected Aaron to speak to him at all.
All this time, he'd been certain Aaron wouldn't say another word to him. Wouldn't even look at him. That he'd simply walk into the interrogation room alone.
His heart clenched so tightly he struggled to breathe for a second.
"Y-yeah..."
He stepped closer.
Lake waited for him before opening the door.
Cold, dry air hit Rick's face and immediately slipped beneath his cuffs. It felt as though even his lungs refused to draw in the smell of metal and bleach soaked into the walls.
The room instantly felt smaller.
The only sound breaking the silence was the faint clink of handcuffs as Cooper shifted one hand.
When he saw them, he smirked. The corners of his mouth twitched so sharply that the smile looked more like a spasm.
"Well, well..." he drawled. "Chip and Dale in the flesh. You two look like hell today."
Parker barely heard him.
Aaron walked calmly to the table and stopped across from Cooper.
For several seconds, they simply looked at each other.
Only then did Lake sit down, a little more slowly than usual. Rick immediately noticed the fingers of his right hand tighten around the edge of the table before relaxing again almost at once.
"Shall we talk, Mark?"
Cooper only gave him a crooked grin.
"Or do you prefer Coop?"
The smile slowly disappeared from his face.
"Hah." He gave a short snort, jerking his hands. The cuffs clinked again. "I'm not telling you a damn thing."
Lake didn't answer.
Mark narrowed his eyes.
"You're there, I'm here," he added. "That's the whole situation. Always has been. Nothing's changed."
"I don't think you fully understand the situation you're in."
Cooper raised an eyebrow.
"Really?"
"Who arranged the meeting?"
Something flickered across Cooper's face for a split second, but he regained control almost immediately.
"That's your first question?"
"Yes."
Coop leaned back in his chair. The handcuffs jingled softly as he shifted his wrists.
"Then you're out of luck. You're not getting an answer."
"You will answer."
"What makes you so sure?"
Aaron leaned forward slowly, his shadow falling across the table.
"Because I'm here," he said calmly. "And you're there."
For several seconds, Cooper stared at him in silence.
"You think that changes anything?"
"It already has."
"What exactly?"
"You're wearing handcuffs."
Cooper gave a quiet snort.
"So?"
"And the people who brought you here..." Lake paused. "...aren't."
Mark ran his tongue across his dry lips.
"Still as arrogant as ever..." he muttered. "God, you're fucking irritating."
He smirked again. His thumb absently caught at a hangnail.
"So you know who arranged the meeting?"
Cooper slowly shook his head.
"I'm not saying shit without a lawyer."
"That's your right."
Cooper frowned slightly.
"Your lawyer's already on the way," Lake continued. "We still have some time before he arrives."
He said nothing else. Mark kept staring at him for several more seconds.
"You think you can outwait me?"
"No," Lake replied. "I think you've already told me more than you realized."
Rick watched them in silence.
At some point, he realized he was no longer waiting to hear Cooper's answer.
He was waiting for Lake's next question.
The thought eased the tension inside him almost without him noticing. Rick smiled faintly and finally leaned one shoulder against the doorframe.
A low, unpleasant chuckle cut through the silence.
Mark slowly shifted his gaze from Lake to Parker and suddenly laughed.
"Oh, whatever." He shook his head, genuinely amused. "Being here isn't so bad."
He shrugged lazily.
"It could've been worse."
Lake tilted his head slightly.
"What exactly?"
Mark blinked, staring directly at him.
"What are you talking about?"
"You said,
'It could've been worse.'"
"So?"
"What exactly could have been worse?"
"It's just an expression."
Aaron nodded calmly, as though the answer satisfied him completely.
"I see. So being arrested didn't scare you."
"Should it have?"
"Most people arrested with a shipment of narcotics behave differently."
Mark gave a short snort and leaned forward again, resting his elbows on the cold table.
"Guess I'm just not
most people."
Lake gave a slight nod.
"I've noticed."
Rick pushed himself away from the doorframe.
Without waiting to be asked, he walked over and placed the case file in front of Lake.
Their eyes met for only a moment.
Aaron gave the slightest nod and immediately opened it.
"Then explain something."
Mark remained silent.
"Most people who've just been arrested spend the first few minutes asking what kind of sentence they're facing. Or trying to convince us there's been some mistake."
Lake turned a page.
"You never asked."
Cooper only gave him another crooked grin.
"Well, would you look at that. Is this a
real detective sitting in front of me?" He chuckled, clearly amused by his own joke. "Still don't see where you're going with this."
Lake finally looked up from the papers.
"I just made an observation."
For several seconds, Mark stared at him silently.
"An observation about what?"
"That the prospect of ending up here didn't frighten you."
"Maybe I've just got strong nerves."
"Maybe."
Lake shifted a little closer.
"Or maybe you know it'll be worse outside."
Cooper's jaw tightened. His thumb instinctively caught the same hangnail again.
He immediately tried to pull his hands beneath the table, but the length of the chain wouldn't allow it.
Lake calmly closed the file.
"If a man would rather sit in a cell than face what's waiting for him outside..."
He looked up at Coop before adding more quietly,
"...then he's in serious trouble."
He held Mark's gaze.
"Isn't that right, Mark?"
"The fuck is wrong with you?" Cooper hissed. "You think I'm suicidal?"
The corner of Aaron's mouth twitched ever so slightly.
He leaned back slowly, never taking his eyes off Cooper.
"You know what struck me as odd?"
Mark stayed silent.
"We caught you with the merchandise. In the middle of the deal. Alive." Aaron's voice remained as even as ever. "And all this time, nobody's even tried to get you out."
Cooper gave a contemptuous laugh.
"You really think that's how it works?"
"I only know one thing."
Lake tilted his head.
"When someone matters..." He paused. "...they aren't left alone in a moment like this."
The smile slowly faded from Mark's face.
"But it's very convenient to abandon someone you don't mind losing."
Cooper clenched his jaw so hard the muscles stood out along his cheekbones.
"Shut up," he hissed.
Lake folded his arms across his chest.
"You don't even know what happened after your arrest."
His voice never changed.
"Do your people even know you're here?"
"I said shut the fuck up."
Rick tensed almost imperceptibly but didn't move.
Aaron let a brief silence settle without changing expression.
"Or did they cross your name off the list the moment those handcuffs clicked shut?"
Lake gave a quiet hum.
"Strange. A man with your reputation..." He looked at him steadily. "...and no one even tried to find out where you'd gone."
"You don't know a fucking thing about me!" Cooper lunged forward as far as the cuffs allowed. "If Fox hears about this —"
"Fox," Lake interrupted.
"Fuck!" Coop exploded. The handcuffs bit so deeply into his wrists that they tore the skin.
One of Lake's eyebrows rose ever so slightly.
He leaned forward slowly. His fingers brushed the case file.
Opening it, he took out a photograph and slid it across the table toward Cooper.
"What was in the black bag?"
Cooper's eyes darted to the photograph.
For several seconds, he stared at the image of himself and Stanley standing in the alley. Then he looked at Parker, then back at Lake.
"You..." he breathed, bewildered. "You were watching me even back then?"
"Cooper. Focus."
Lake waited patiently.
Rick realized he hadn't taken his eyes off Mark. Cooper nervously licked his dry lips, and beneath the table one of his legs had started bouncing.
Rick's throat tickled again, and he gave another quiet cough.
"God damn you!" Cooper snapped, baring his teeth. He threw himself back in his chair as far as the chain would allow. "It was a test shipment. Stanley was supposed to spread it around. If people liked the product, I'd tell Fox, and the deal would go ahead."
"I see."
Lake removed a second photograph from the file and slid it across the table.
The slightly blurred image clearly showed a gray pickup truck.
"November eleventh. One p.m. Bus station district." He looked up at Coop. "Were you carrying out another job for Fox?"
Cooper picked up the photograph and frowned. Then he looked up sharply.
"What's this supposed to mean?"
"Answer the question."
Mark fell silent. His leg began bouncing even faster beneath the table.
"I'm waiting," Lake said coldly.
"If they kill me, that'll be on you, Lake!" he hissed.
He drew in a noisy breath.
"I was with Rachel that day. She can confirm it."
"Who is Rachel?" Lake asked.
"My... friend..." Cooper hesitated, his eyes darting away.
"What kind of friend?"
"My girlfriend."
"And you met her by the bus station?"
Mark said nothing.
"Why?"
"She asked me to meet her at a bar."
"Why did Rachel ask you to meet her at a bar?"
Cooper let out an irritated breath.
"To talk."
"About what?"
Lake never took his eyes off him. Mark only turned his head away.
"What was so important that she called you to a bar in the middle of the day?"
The muscles in Coop's jaw became even more pronounced.
"Did she want to tell you something?"
Mark didn't react.
Lake tilted his head slightly.
"Or was she upset about something?"
Cooper flinched.
"So..."
Aaron said quietly,
"She was upset."
