The Teal Cove Chronicle
Friday. July 2, 1982
Around 8:30 AM
Shelley approached the front door of the Chronicle’s office after being dropped off by Gary. She hoped her spare car key arrived soon; supposedly it was on the way in the mail, sent by her mother after a brief and uncomfortable phone call. Until then she had to rely on getting rides from others to get around. Gary had been very obliging in that respect, but she hated to be a burden on him. Last night she had gotten a ride to the site of a hostage standoff with Felicia, whom Mike and Cindy had asked her to work with on the story. Felicia had never like her for some reason, and after Shelley’s initial attempts to be friendly had been rebuffed, the feeling had become mutual. Still, after spending a few hours working together on this story the previous evening, Shelley thought there were signs that the tension between Felicia and her might be lessening a little.
Shelley paused a moment at the door to gather her courage. She was nervous this morning; she and Felicia were planning to go to the police station to follow up on the events of the night before, which could very well lead to another encounter with the man she knew as “Mouse”. Mouse had been the one responsible for last night’s hostage situation, having broke into a house and taken the family inside prisoner. He’d also been one of the car thieves who’d held her captive. Aside from seeing him from a distance through her camera lens the night before, the last time she’d seen Mouse she’d been tied to a chair and gagged, with Mouse dangling her car keys in front of her to taunt her over the fact that he planned to steal her car and there was nothing she could do about it.
Things would be different this time, though, if she did indeed get the opportunity to interview him. This time she was a free woman, and Mouse was the one in captivity. The power dynamic would be reversed. Shelley imagined that a lot of people in a position similar to hers would want to use the opportunity to gloat, to taunt the one who’d victimized them. Not Shelley, though; she just wasn’t that kind of person, and besides, Mouse scared her and she would prefer not to have anything else to do with him. She knew she’d be under the protection of the police and that Mouse wouldn’t be able to attack her, that he’d be restrained somehow or locked away from her, but that didn’t keep her from feeling the fear. She wondered what Mouse would do. Would he be apologetic? Try to defend his actions? She felt it was more likely he would try to turn the tables, maybe try to intimidate her by saying things that would conjure up memories of her time as his captive? For some reason, it occurred to her at that moment that she was wearing the same clothes now that she’d had on while tied to that chair.
He’s getting in my head already, she thought. I can’t let him do that; got to prepare myself mentally.
Shelley forced herself to consider the positive side. An interview by a reporter who had actually been a victim of the criminal she was interviewing could do wonders for the newspaper, not to mention her own career. Besides, there were other things she and Felicia could accomplish at the police station as well. They’d almost certainly learn a lot about what the police had found in their investigations into the car theft ring and the hostage situation. And perhaps they would get a chance to interview the family whom Mouse had taken hostage. Shelley felt like the teenage girl might be more willing to talk to her in particular than to other reporters, since they’d both been captives of the same man.
When Shelley stepped inside the newspaper’s office, she found that Felicia wasn’t there yet. Shelley took a seat in the lobby to wait for her; after all, she would need to ride with Felicia again to get to the police station. I hope that spare key arrives soon, she thought to herself.
Friday. July 2, 1982
Around 8:30 AM
Shelley approached the front door of the Chronicle’s office after being dropped off by Gary. She hoped her spare car key arrived soon; supposedly it was on the way in the mail, sent by her mother after a brief and uncomfortable phone call. Until then she had to rely on getting rides from others to get around. Gary had been very obliging in that respect, but she hated to be a burden on him. Last night she had gotten a ride to the site of a hostage standoff with Felicia, whom Mike and Cindy had asked her to work with on the story. Felicia had never like her for some reason, and after Shelley’s initial attempts to be friendly had been rebuffed, the feeling had become mutual. Still, after spending a few hours working together on this story the previous evening, Shelley thought there were signs that the tension between Felicia and her might be lessening a little.
Shelley paused a moment at the door to gather her courage. She was nervous this morning; she and Felicia were planning to go to the police station to follow up on the events of the night before, which could very well lead to another encounter with the man she knew as “Mouse”. Mouse had been the one responsible for last night’s hostage situation, having broke into a house and taken the family inside prisoner. He’d also been one of the car thieves who’d held her captive. Aside from seeing him from a distance through her camera lens the night before, the last time she’d seen Mouse she’d been tied to a chair and gagged, with Mouse dangling her car keys in front of her to taunt her over the fact that he planned to steal her car and there was nothing she could do about it.
Things would be different this time, though, if she did indeed get the opportunity to interview him. This time she was a free woman, and Mouse was the one in captivity. The power dynamic would be reversed. Shelley imagined that a lot of people in a position similar to hers would want to use the opportunity to gloat, to taunt the one who’d victimized them. Not Shelley, though; she just wasn’t that kind of person, and besides, Mouse scared her and she would prefer not to have anything else to do with him. She knew she’d be under the protection of the police and that Mouse wouldn’t be able to attack her, that he’d be restrained somehow or locked away from her, but that didn’t keep her from feeling the fear. She wondered what Mouse would do. Would he be apologetic? Try to defend his actions? She felt it was more likely he would try to turn the tables, maybe try to intimidate her by saying things that would conjure up memories of her time as his captive? For some reason, it occurred to her at that moment that she was wearing the same clothes now that she’d had on while tied to that chair.
He’s getting in my head already, she thought. I can’t let him do that; got to prepare myself mentally.
Shelley forced herself to consider the positive side. An interview by a reporter who had actually been a victim of the criminal she was interviewing could do wonders for the newspaper, not to mention her own career. Besides, there were other things she and Felicia could accomplish at the police station as well. They’d almost certainly learn a lot about what the police had found in their investigations into the car theft ring and the hostage situation. And perhaps they would get a chance to interview the family whom Mouse had taken hostage. Shelley felt like the teenage girl might be more willing to talk to her in particular than to other reporters, since they’d both been captives of the same man.
When Shelley stepped inside the newspaper’s office, she found that Felicia wasn’t there yet. Shelley took a seat in the lobby to wait for her; after all, she would need to ride with Felicia again to get to the police station. I hope that spare key arrives soon, she thought to herself.
Felicia was the first person Shelley encountered, despite the fact she had not been there when she entered the lobby. Her car pulled up not long after Gary drove off and she came through the front entrance. It was clear that she was tired and not ready to be awake yet, much less at work.
Mike Wolfe came out from the back before Felicia could even say anything. "Good morning, ladies," Mike said perhaps a bit too enthusiastically for this early in the day, at least for Felicia. Felicia mumbled an intelligible greeting and gave half a nod in acknowledgement.
"Someone needs some coffee," he observed aloud. "So, big night last night and a huge day for us! I don't need to remind any of you a lot has happened around in here in a short time and this little paper isn't used to so much excitement. Hell, neither is this town."
Yes, a lot HAS happened in a very short time. That's still an interesting coincidence for our new star reporter, Felicia commented to herself silently. She had almost felt a little bit of a connection yesterday with Miss Shelley Higgins. It was hard not to bond over the circumstances. However, the timing of all of this action was still very much at the forefront of Felicia's mind.
At the mention of coffee, Felicia walked over to the coffee pot and helped herself. She was still not ready to be a social butterfly. She'd let Miss Higgins do the talking here.
"So, what is the plan for this morning," Mike inquired, giving his reporters the freedom to plot their next steps.
Mike Wolfe came out from the back before Felicia could even say anything. "Good morning, ladies," Mike said perhaps a bit too enthusiastically for this early in the day, at least for Felicia. Felicia mumbled an intelligible greeting and gave half a nod in acknowledgement.
"Someone needs some coffee," he observed aloud. "So, big night last night and a huge day for us! I don't need to remind any of you a lot has happened around in here in a short time and this little paper isn't used to so much excitement. Hell, neither is this town."
Yes, a lot HAS happened in a very short time. That's still an interesting coincidence for our new star reporter, Felicia commented to herself silently. She had almost felt a little bit of a connection yesterday with Miss Shelley Higgins. It was hard not to bond over the circumstances. However, the timing of all of this action was still very much at the forefront of Felicia's mind.
At the mention of coffee, Felicia walked over to the coffee pot and helped herself. She was still not ready to be a social butterfly. She'd let Miss Higgins do the talking here.
"So, what is the plan for this morning," Mike inquired, giving his reporters the freedom to plot their next steps.
Shelley had only been waiting in the lobby for a minute or two when she heard the front door opening and looked up to see Felicia just arriving. She was about to say hello, but Mike emerged from the back and beat her to it by wishing them a good morning. Shelley turned to Mike and replied, “Good morning.” Felicia mumbled a greeting of her own, then went to get herself a cup of coffee when Mike suggested it. She was clearly still sleepy, which was understandable, but Shelley hoped she’d be fully awake by the time they left for the police station, since Felicia was going to have to drive.
“We’re going to go over to the police station,” Shelley responded when Mike asked about their plans for the morning. “We’ll find out if there’s any more information on last night’s hostage situation, and maybe we’ll get an update on the investigation into the car theft ring as well. It turned out the hostage-taker was a member of that group.” Shelley suspected Mike already knew about the connection between last night’s standoff and the car thefts, but Shelley wanted to make sure. “We’re hoping they’ll let us interview the culprit. He’s a guy the car thieves referred to as ‘Mouse,” maybe because he has big ears, or maybe ironically just because he’s a big guy in general. We’ll also see if we can interview any of the family members who were taken hostage. The police wouldn’t let any reporters talk to them last night, but maybe things are different now.”
Shelley turned to Felicia and said, “Do you mind driving again, Felicia? I still don’t have access to my car.”
*tags*
“We’re going to go over to the police station,” Shelley responded when Mike asked about their plans for the morning. “We’ll find out if there’s any more information on last night’s hostage situation, and maybe we’ll get an update on the investigation into the car theft ring as well. It turned out the hostage-taker was a member of that group.” Shelley suspected Mike already knew about the connection between last night’s standoff and the car thefts, but Shelley wanted to make sure. “We’re hoping they’ll let us interview the culprit. He’s a guy the car thieves referred to as ‘Mouse,” maybe because he has big ears, or maybe ironically just because he’s a big guy in general. We’ll also see if we can interview any of the family members who were taken hostage. The police wouldn’t let any reporters talk to them last night, but maybe things are different now.”
Shelley turned to Felicia and said, “Do you mind driving again, Felicia? I still don’t have access to my car.”
*tags*
Felicia was still working on getting awake. She'd let Miss Higgins fill Mike in on what happened last night and what their intentions were.
"We’ll also see if we can interview any of the family members who were taken hostage. The police wouldn’t let any reporters talk to them last night, but maybe things are different now,” she concluded.
Mike nodded. "It would be nice if you could find a way to speak to the family and get some statements from them," He agreed. "I don't want you two to split up. I know you could cover more ground that way, but if you do get to talk to this guy, it would be best to not do it alone even though he is incarcerated."
Shelley turned to Felicia and said, “Do you mind driving again, Felicia? I still don’t have access to my car.”
"I guess that's our only option," Felicia stated bluntly. She had no issue driving, but there wasn't really an alternative in this instance. That being said, she would prefer to drive even if Miss Higgins had her own car.
After finishing her coffee, Felicia was a bit more awake. "Okay, I guess we start with the cops. Let's go. I have a feeling this will be a long day. Oh! One more thing," she added.
Felicia pulled some papers from her purse. "I was up late last night. Partly, I couldn't sleep because of all the excitement, but I transcribed all the notes I got from the tape recorder. I also grabbed some fresh batteries and another tape we can use."
She handed a few typed pages to Mike. "Let's go," she said leading the way to the car.
"Alright, I bet there will be other reporters there," Felicia mused aloud as they pulled out of the parking lot. "We can see if we can get some more information from someone at the station and then ask if we can get that interview. I don't know what the odds will be with that."
The police station wasn't that far from the newspaper office. It was still morning rush hour in the small town, but since it wasn't that big and school was out for the summer, the traffic wasn't that much worse than it would be normally. They passed a little Korean donut shop on the way. The sign outside simply read "Donuts" in a plain pink font with no branding.
"Cops love donuts," Felicia announced, turning to Shelley to get her thoughts. "A little gift couldn't hurt to help us get our foot in the door. And I could use a second cup of coffee. What do you say?"
It was hard to read just how serious Felicia was being at the moment, but the car was stopped at a red light and she was in a position to turn in to the shopping center.
"We’ll also see if we can interview any of the family members who were taken hostage. The police wouldn’t let any reporters talk to them last night, but maybe things are different now,” she concluded.
Mike nodded. "It would be nice if you could find a way to speak to the family and get some statements from them," He agreed. "I don't want you two to split up. I know you could cover more ground that way, but if you do get to talk to this guy, it would be best to not do it alone even though he is incarcerated."
Shelley turned to Felicia and said, “Do you mind driving again, Felicia? I still don’t have access to my car.”
"I guess that's our only option," Felicia stated bluntly. She had no issue driving, but there wasn't really an alternative in this instance. That being said, she would prefer to drive even if Miss Higgins had her own car.
After finishing her coffee, Felicia was a bit more awake. "Okay, I guess we start with the cops. Let's go. I have a feeling this will be a long day. Oh! One more thing," she added.
Felicia pulled some papers from her purse. "I was up late last night. Partly, I couldn't sleep because of all the excitement, but I transcribed all the notes I got from the tape recorder. I also grabbed some fresh batteries and another tape we can use."
She handed a few typed pages to Mike. "Let's go," she said leading the way to the car.
"Alright, I bet there will be other reporters there," Felicia mused aloud as they pulled out of the parking lot. "We can see if we can get some more information from someone at the station and then ask if we can get that interview. I don't know what the odds will be with that."
The police station wasn't that far from the newspaper office. It was still morning rush hour in the small town, but since it wasn't that big and school was out for the summer, the traffic wasn't that much worse than it would be normally. They passed a little Korean donut shop on the way. The sign outside simply read "Donuts" in a plain pink font with no branding.
"Cops love donuts," Felicia announced, turning to Shelley to get her thoughts. "A little gift couldn't hurt to help us get our foot in the door. And I could use a second cup of coffee. What do you say?"
It was hard to read just how serious Felicia was being at the moment, but the car was stopped at a red light and she was in a position to turn in to the shopping center.
"We’ll also see if we can interview any of the family members who were taken hostage. The police wouldn’t let any reporters talk to them last night, but maybe things are different now,” she concluded.
Mike nodded. "It would be nice if you could find a way to speak to the family and get some statements from them," He agreed. "I don't want you two to split up. I know you could cover more ground that way, but if you do get to talk to this guy, it would be best to not do it alone even though he is incarcerated."
Shelley shivered at the thought of being alone in a room with Mouse. It was a scary thought, though she didn’t think it would ever happen. If she did get a chance to interview him, she was sure there would be at least one or two policemen there as well to guard him, and maybe more. Even so, Shelley thought she would be less nervous with someone she knew in the room, even if she and Felicia weren’t exactly friends. And there were other reasons beyond just her own safety to have Felicia there with her during the interview, Shelley reasoned. For one thing, a close-up encounter with Mouse might give Felicia a better understanding of what she’d been through when Mouse was holding her captive. Shelley got the feeling Felicia still suspected her of somehow being involved with the car thieves, which of course was utter nonsense, but just telling Felicia that wasn’t going to convince her. For another thing, it occurred to Shelley that her objectivity as a journalist might be questioned if it was just her conducting such an interview, but the same didn’t apply to Felicia.
Shelley turned to Felicia and said, “Do you mind driving again, Felicia? I still don’t have access to my car.”
"I guess that's our only option," Felicia stated bluntly. She had no issue driving, but there wasn't really an alternative in this instance. That being said, she would prefer to drive even if Miss Higgins had her own car.
Before they left, Felicia finished her coffee and handed some pages to Mike, which were apparently a typed transcription of the recordings Felicia had made the previous evening. It didn’t appear that Felicia had a copy for her, but that was fine; she could probably get a copy when they got back to the office later. Besides, she thought she already knew most of the stuff that was in it, and she didn’t want to be burdened with carrying around a bunch of papers while they were out getting new information.
"Alright, I bet there will be other reporters there," Felicia mused aloud as they pulled out of the parking lot. "We can see if we can get some more information from someone at the station and then ask if we can get that interview. I don't know what the odds will be with that."
Shelley hadn’t thought about the possibility of other reporters being there, but it made sense. She wondered if she and Felicia should have gotten an earlier start, but considering they were working for a newspaper that came out once a week, it wasn’t like they were going to get some kind of big scoop by beating everyone else to the information. Any competitive advantage the Chronicle had in this story would come not from the speed of reporting, but from the unique insights they could provide. She remembered what that one reporter, Dennis Crenshaw, had told her the night before about reporters from different outlets working together and sharing information “once the cat is out of the bag.” She wondered if he might be one of the other reporters they were likely to encounter at the police station.
The police station wasn't that far from the newspaper office. It was still morning rush hour in the small town, but since it wasn't that big and school was out for the summer, the traffic wasn't that much worse than it would be normally. They passed a little Korean donut shop on the way. The sign outside simply read "Donuts" in a plain pink font with no branding.
"Cops love donuts," Felicia announced, turning to Shelley to get her thoughts. "A little gift couldn't hurt to help us get our foot in the door. And I could use a second cup of coffee. What do you say?"
“Yeah, that sounds like a great idea,” Shelley responded, but then some thought came to her that seemed to embarrass her a little, because her face turned red and she looked down at her lap. “But…I don’t have any money to contribute. The car thieves emptied my purse and took all my money when they had me tied up. Today’s supposed to be my payday at Speedy’s, but I called in today for this, and I haven’t been by there to pick up my paycheck.”
Mike nodded. "It would be nice if you could find a way to speak to the family and get some statements from them," He agreed. "I don't want you two to split up. I know you could cover more ground that way, but if you do get to talk to this guy, it would be best to not do it alone even though he is incarcerated."
Shelley shivered at the thought of being alone in a room with Mouse. It was a scary thought, though she didn’t think it would ever happen. If she did get a chance to interview him, she was sure there would be at least one or two policemen there as well to guard him, and maybe more. Even so, Shelley thought she would be less nervous with someone she knew in the room, even if she and Felicia weren’t exactly friends. And there were other reasons beyond just her own safety to have Felicia there with her during the interview, Shelley reasoned. For one thing, a close-up encounter with Mouse might give Felicia a better understanding of what she’d been through when Mouse was holding her captive. Shelley got the feeling Felicia still suspected her of somehow being involved with the car thieves, which of course was utter nonsense, but just telling Felicia that wasn’t going to convince her. For another thing, it occurred to Shelley that her objectivity as a journalist might be questioned if it was just her conducting such an interview, but the same didn’t apply to Felicia.
Shelley turned to Felicia and said, “Do you mind driving again, Felicia? I still don’t have access to my car.”
"I guess that's our only option," Felicia stated bluntly. She had no issue driving, but there wasn't really an alternative in this instance. That being said, she would prefer to drive even if Miss Higgins had her own car.
Before they left, Felicia finished her coffee and handed some pages to Mike, which were apparently a typed transcription of the recordings Felicia had made the previous evening. It didn’t appear that Felicia had a copy for her, but that was fine; she could probably get a copy when they got back to the office later. Besides, she thought she already knew most of the stuff that was in it, and she didn’t want to be burdened with carrying around a bunch of papers while they were out getting new information.
"Alright, I bet there will be other reporters there," Felicia mused aloud as they pulled out of the parking lot. "We can see if we can get some more information from someone at the station and then ask if we can get that interview. I don't know what the odds will be with that."
Shelley hadn’t thought about the possibility of other reporters being there, but it made sense. She wondered if she and Felicia should have gotten an earlier start, but considering they were working for a newspaper that came out once a week, it wasn’t like they were going to get some kind of big scoop by beating everyone else to the information. Any competitive advantage the Chronicle had in this story would come not from the speed of reporting, but from the unique insights they could provide. She remembered what that one reporter, Dennis Crenshaw, had told her the night before about reporters from different outlets working together and sharing information “once the cat is out of the bag.” She wondered if he might be one of the other reporters they were likely to encounter at the police station.
The police station wasn't that far from the newspaper office. It was still morning rush hour in the small town, but since it wasn't that big and school was out for the summer, the traffic wasn't that much worse than it would be normally. They passed a little Korean donut shop on the way. The sign outside simply read "Donuts" in a plain pink font with no branding.
"Cops love donuts," Felicia announced, turning to Shelley to get her thoughts. "A little gift couldn't hurt to help us get our foot in the door. And I could use a second cup of coffee. What do you say?"
“Yeah, that sounds like a great idea,” Shelley responded, but then some thought came to her that seemed to embarrass her a little, because her face turned red and she looked down at her lap. “But…I don’t have any money to contribute. The car thieves emptied my purse and took all my money when they had me tied up. Today’s supposed to be my payday at Speedy’s, but I called in today for this, and I haven’t been by there to pick up my paycheck.”
The Teal Cove Chronicle
Friday. July 2, 1982
Around 9:00 AM
The police station wasn't that far from the newspaper office. It was still morning rush hour in the small town, but since it wasn't that big and school was out for the summer, the traffic wasn't that much worse than it would be normally. They passed a little Korean donut shop on the way. The sign outside simply read "Donuts" in a plain pink font with no branding.
"Cops love donuts," Felicia announced, turning to Shelley to get her thoughts. "A little gift couldn't hurt to help us get our foot in the door. And I could use a second cup of coffee. What do you say?"
“Yeah, that sounds like a great idea,” Shelley responded, but then some thought came to her that seemed to embarrass her a little, because her face turned red and she looked down at her lap. “But…I don’t have any money to contribute. The car thieves emptied my purse and took all my money when they had me tied up. Today’s supposed to be my payday at Speedy’s, but I called in today for this, and I haven’t been by there to pick up my paycheck.”
"That's fine," Felicia replied. She didn't seem to be concerned. No one else was in the shop at the moment and it was a quick in and out. A few minutes later, the pair continued on to the police station with a plain white box filled with a dozen donuts of different types.
After parking, Felicia grabbed her notebook and tape recorder. She passed the donuts to Shelley. "Here," Felicia said. In her mind, she paid for them so Miss Higgins could at least carry the breakfast treats in for her.
Once in the lobby, a cop behind a desk looked up. "What can I do for you ladies," he asked.
*Tag Shelley*
About 20 minutes later, the two reporters were lead into a small room with a table. It wasn't unlike the set up in a television show. Since Teal Cove was a small town, they didn't have a booth with a glass divider separating prisoners and visitors like in a prison.
Mouse, now in an orange jump suit and no longer wearing the black leather cowboy hat he'd had while at the farm gave a sneer as he entered and was seated across from Felicia and Shelley.
"Well, well, well," he mocked. "Look who it is..."
*Tag Shelley*
Friday. July 2, 1982
Around 9:00 AM
The police station wasn't that far from the newspaper office. It was still morning rush hour in the small town, but since it wasn't that big and school was out for the summer, the traffic wasn't that much worse than it would be normally. They passed a little Korean donut shop on the way. The sign outside simply read "Donuts" in a plain pink font with no branding.
"Cops love donuts," Felicia announced, turning to Shelley to get her thoughts. "A little gift couldn't hurt to help us get our foot in the door. And I could use a second cup of coffee. What do you say?"
“Yeah, that sounds like a great idea,” Shelley responded, but then some thought came to her that seemed to embarrass her a little, because her face turned red and she looked down at her lap. “But…I don’t have any money to contribute. The car thieves emptied my purse and took all my money when they had me tied up. Today’s supposed to be my payday at Speedy’s, but I called in today for this, and I haven’t been by there to pick up my paycheck.”
"That's fine," Felicia replied. She didn't seem to be concerned. No one else was in the shop at the moment and it was a quick in and out. A few minutes later, the pair continued on to the police station with a plain white box filled with a dozen donuts of different types.
After parking, Felicia grabbed her notebook and tape recorder. She passed the donuts to Shelley. "Here," Felicia said. In her mind, she paid for them so Miss Higgins could at least carry the breakfast treats in for her.
Once in the lobby, a cop behind a desk looked up. "What can I do for you ladies," he asked.
*Tag Shelley*
About 20 minutes later, the two reporters were lead into a small room with a table. It wasn't unlike the set up in a television show. Since Teal Cove was a small town, they didn't have a booth with a glass divider separating prisoners and visitors like in a prison.
Mouse, now in an orange jump suit and no longer wearing the black leather cowboy hat he'd had while at the farm gave a sneer as he entered and was seated across from Felicia and Shelley.
"Well, well, well," he mocked. "Look who it is..."
*Tag Shelley*
After parking, Felicia grabbed her notebook and tape recorder. She passed the donuts to Shelley. "Here," Felicia said. In her mind, she paid for them so Miss Higgins could at least carry the breakfast treats in for her.
Shelley was fine with carrying the donuts once she had her camera bag settled across her shoulder. Once in the lobby, a cop behind a desk looked up. "What can I do for you ladies," he asked.
Shelley had been here a couple of times before, and she thought she’d talked to this officer once or twice before. Nevertheless she decided to start by introducing herself in case he didn’t remember her. “Hi, I’m Shelley Higgins, and this is Felicia Jackson. We’re here from the Teal Cove Chronicle to follow up on last night’s hostage situation. We’d like to get an update on the investigation, and maybe interview Mou… um, Mr. Gatts, if possible. And if any members of the family who were taken hostage are available and willing to talk to us, we’d like to interview them too. We also brought donuts, in case anybody would like some,” she said, raising the box a little.
About 20 minutes later, the two reporters were led into a small room with a table. It wasn't unlike the set up in a television show. Since Teal Cove was a small town, they didn't have a booth with a glass divider separating prisoners and visitors like in a prison.
Mouse, now in an orange jump suit and no longer wearing the black leather cowboy hat he'd had while at the farm gave a sneer as he entered and was seated across from Felicia and Shelley.
"Well, well, well," he mocked. "Look who it is..."
Shelley was already feeling some anxiety about her upcoming encounter with Mouse, and seeing that there was no glass divider made it worse. After she and Felicia were seated at the table and waiting for Mouse to be brought in, Shelley tried to occupy her mind by thinking about how to conduct this interview. The first thing she tried to decide was what she should call him. Mouse? Probably not; it was too informal. Besides, he might not like it if anyone other than his friends used it, and she was definitely not one of those.
Her thoughts were interrupted when Mouse was brought in. It was clear from his mocking tone and comment that he recognized her, though he didn’t call her by name, and it occurred to Shelley that he probably didn’t know it. He and Jerry had already left to steal her car by the time Speedy Chicken went through the contents of her purse and found her driver’s license, and she didn’t remember Jerry calling her by name in front of Mouse; they’d only referred to her as things like “the brunette”, “the broad”, and “the bitch” if she remembered correctly. She was a little reluctant to give him her name, but she supposed she needed to give him at least part of it.
“Good morning, Mr. Gatts. I see you remember me from the other night, but you may not know my name. You may call me Miss Higgins, and this is my associate, Miss Jackson. We represent the Teal Cove Chronicle, and were hoping you’d be willing to talk to us about last night’s hostage situation, and your part in the car theft ring. It would be an opportunity to let the community know your side of the story.”
*tags*
Shelley was fine with carrying the donuts once she had her camera bag settled across her shoulder. Once in the lobby, a cop behind a desk looked up. "What can I do for you ladies," he asked.
Shelley had been here a couple of times before, and she thought she’d talked to this officer once or twice before. Nevertheless she decided to start by introducing herself in case he didn’t remember her. “Hi, I’m Shelley Higgins, and this is Felicia Jackson. We’re here from the Teal Cove Chronicle to follow up on last night’s hostage situation. We’d like to get an update on the investigation, and maybe interview Mou… um, Mr. Gatts, if possible. And if any members of the family who were taken hostage are available and willing to talk to us, we’d like to interview them too. We also brought donuts, in case anybody would like some,” she said, raising the box a little.
About 20 minutes later, the two reporters were led into a small room with a table. It wasn't unlike the set up in a television show. Since Teal Cove was a small town, they didn't have a booth with a glass divider separating prisoners and visitors like in a prison.
Mouse, now in an orange jump suit and no longer wearing the black leather cowboy hat he'd had while at the farm gave a sneer as he entered and was seated across from Felicia and Shelley.
"Well, well, well," he mocked. "Look who it is..."
Shelley was already feeling some anxiety about her upcoming encounter with Mouse, and seeing that there was no glass divider made it worse. After she and Felicia were seated at the table and waiting for Mouse to be brought in, Shelley tried to occupy her mind by thinking about how to conduct this interview. The first thing she tried to decide was what she should call him. Mouse? Probably not; it was too informal. Besides, he might not like it if anyone other than his friends used it, and she was definitely not one of those.
Her thoughts were interrupted when Mouse was brought in. It was clear from his mocking tone and comment that he recognized her, though he didn’t call her by name, and it occurred to Shelley that he probably didn’t know it. He and Jerry had already left to steal her car by the time Speedy Chicken went through the contents of her purse and found her driver’s license, and she didn’t remember Jerry calling her by name in front of Mouse; they’d only referred to her as things like “the brunette”, “the broad”, and “the bitch” if she remembered correctly. She was a little reluctant to give him her name, but she supposed she needed to give him at least part of it.
“Good morning, Mr. Gatts. I see you remember me from the other night, but you may not know my name. You may call me Miss Higgins, and this is my associate, Miss Jackson. We represent the Teal Cove Chronicle, and were hoping you’d be willing to talk to us about last night’s hostage situation, and your part in the car theft ring. It would be an opportunity to let the community know your side of the story.”
*tags*
After offering the cop working the desk the donuts, the two reporters were informed that they could interview the prisoner. None of the family members who had been held captive in the incident were there and it would be up to the pair to reach out to them directly for an interview.
About 20 minutes later, the two reporters were led into a small room with a table. It wasn't unlike the set up in a television show. Since Teal Cove was a small town, they didn't have a booth with a glass divider separating prisoners and visitors like in a prison.
Mouse, now in an orange jump suit and no longer wearing the black leather cowboy hat he'd had while at the farm gave a sneer as he entered and was seated across from Felicia and Shelley.
"Well, well, well," he mocked. "Look who it is..."
An officer remained behind Mouse in the corner of the room in case he tried anything. He said nothing, but gave the prisoner a disapproving glare that only Shelley and Felicia could see.
“Good morning, Mr. Gatts. I see you remember me from the other night, but you may not know my name. You may call me Miss Higgins, and this is my associate, Miss Jackson. We represent the Teal Cove Chronicle, and were hoping you’d be willing to talk to us about last night’s hostage situation, and your part in the car theft ring. It would be an opportunity to let the community know your side of the story.”
Mouse sat there for a moment giving the two reporters a cold, icy stare. Suddenly he burst out laughing. "Mr. Gatts... I do reckon I like the sound of that. Well, Miss Higgins, I can't say its nice to see you again. I liked you much better with that rag stuffed in your mouth. You was so much nicer when you was nice and quiet," the convict began. "So, you want me to tell my side of the story..."
*Tag*
Felicia glanced uncomfortably between Shelley and Mouse. "Reckon I'd like to hear more about your side of the story," Mouse replied. "Like how you managed to get loose. Tell you what... let's play us a lil game. I ask you a question, you ask me a question. I get to go first. Don't wanna answer? Game over. Deal?"
Felicia glanced to Shelley. She hadn't been there, so she didn't have anything to offer up. This was going to be Miss Higgins decision.
*Tag*
About 20 minutes later, the two reporters were led into a small room with a table. It wasn't unlike the set up in a television show. Since Teal Cove was a small town, they didn't have a booth with a glass divider separating prisoners and visitors like in a prison.
Mouse, now in an orange jump suit and no longer wearing the black leather cowboy hat he'd had while at the farm gave a sneer as he entered and was seated across from Felicia and Shelley.
"Well, well, well," he mocked. "Look who it is..."
An officer remained behind Mouse in the corner of the room in case he tried anything. He said nothing, but gave the prisoner a disapproving glare that only Shelley and Felicia could see.
“Good morning, Mr. Gatts. I see you remember me from the other night, but you may not know my name. You may call me Miss Higgins, and this is my associate, Miss Jackson. We represent the Teal Cove Chronicle, and were hoping you’d be willing to talk to us about last night’s hostage situation, and your part in the car theft ring. It would be an opportunity to let the community know your side of the story.”
Mouse sat there for a moment giving the two reporters a cold, icy stare. Suddenly he burst out laughing. "Mr. Gatts... I do reckon I like the sound of that. Well, Miss Higgins, I can't say its nice to see you again. I liked you much better with that rag stuffed in your mouth. You was so much nicer when you was nice and quiet," the convict began. "So, you want me to tell my side of the story..."
*Tag*
Felicia glanced uncomfortably between Shelley and Mouse. "Reckon I'd like to hear more about your side of the story," Mouse replied. "Like how you managed to get loose. Tell you what... let's play us a lil game. I ask you a question, you ask me a question. I get to go first. Don't wanna answer? Game over. Deal?"
Felicia glanced to Shelley. She hadn't been there, so she didn't have anything to offer up. This was going to be Miss Higgins decision.
*Tag*
Mouse sat there for a moment giving the two reporters a cold, icy stare. Suddenly he burst out laughing. "Mr. Gatts... I do reckon I like the sound of that. Well, Miss Higgins, I can't say it’s nice to see you again. I liked you much better with that rag stuffed in your mouth. You was so much nicer when you was nice and quiet," the convict began. "So, you want me to tell my side of the story..."
Shelley ignored his comment about liking her better when she was gagged. Clearly he was trying to intimidate her, and it might be working a little bit, but Shelley was determined not to show it. She figured the worst thing she could do was to let him know he was getting to her; that would only make things worse.
“That is your name, right? Nigel Gatts? Or we could call you Mouse if you prefer.” Shelley considered asking him if he was a man or a mouse, but decided that might be pushing things too far. “And yes, we’d like to hear your side of the story.”
Felicia glanced uncomfortably between Shelley and Mouse. "Reckon I'd like to hear more about your side of the story," Mouse replied. "Like how you managed to get loose. Tell you what... let's play us a lil game. I ask you a question, you ask me a question. I get to go first. Don't wanna answer? Game over. Deal?"
Felicia glanced to Shelley. She hadn't been there, so she didn't have anything to offer up. This was going to be Miss Higgins decision.
Shelley glanced briefly at Felicia, perhaps to seek encouragement, but then quickly returned her gaze to Mouse. This somehow felt like a trap, but she didn’t see how it could be. She was pretty sure this guy knew nothing about her, aside from her last name, that she was a reporter for the Chronicle, and that she owned a Firebird. And that she’d spent a night tied to a chair at the Farm, of course. What could he ask her that would be so bad? She supposed the worst thing that could happen was that she’d refuse to answer one of his questions and the interview would come to an end, but if she didn’t agree it was probably going to come to an end right then anyway. And after he made that comment about wondering how she got loose, it occurred to her that he might not know what went down at the Farm after he and Jerry left, so his questions might all be about that. She didn’t mind those kinds of questions; she’d answered plenty of similar questions from who knew how many reporters in the last couple of days. After pausing a second or two to consider all this, she said, “Yes, it’s a deal.”
*tags*
Shelley ignored his comment about liking her better when she was gagged. Clearly he was trying to intimidate her, and it might be working a little bit, but Shelley was determined not to show it. She figured the worst thing she could do was to let him know he was getting to her; that would only make things worse.
“That is your name, right? Nigel Gatts? Or we could call you Mouse if you prefer.” Shelley considered asking him if he was a man or a mouse, but decided that might be pushing things too far. “And yes, we’d like to hear your side of the story.”
Felicia glanced uncomfortably between Shelley and Mouse. "Reckon I'd like to hear more about your side of the story," Mouse replied. "Like how you managed to get loose. Tell you what... let's play us a lil game. I ask you a question, you ask me a question. I get to go first. Don't wanna answer? Game over. Deal?"
Felicia glanced to Shelley. She hadn't been there, so she didn't have anything to offer up. This was going to be Miss Higgins decision.
Shelley glanced briefly at Felicia, perhaps to seek encouragement, but then quickly returned her gaze to Mouse. This somehow felt like a trap, but she didn’t see how it could be. She was pretty sure this guy knew nothing about her, aside from her last name, that she was a reporter for the Chronicle, and that she owned a Firebird. And that she’d spent a night tied to a chair at the Farm, of course. What could he ask her that would be so bad? She supposed the worst thing that could happen was that she’d refuse to answer one of his questions and the interview would come to an end, but if she didn’t agree it was probably going to come to an end right then anyway. And after he made that comment about wondering how she got loose, it occurred to her that he might not know what went down at the Farm after he and Jerry left, so his questions might all be about that. She didn’t mind those kinds of questions; she’d answered plenty of similar questions from who knew how many reporters in the last couple of days. After pausing a second or two to consider all this, she said, “Yes, it’s a deal.”
*tags*
Shelley glanced briefly at Felicia, perhaps to seek encouragement, but then quickly returned her gaze to Mouse.
Felicia noticed Shelley looking at her as if to get her approval or opinion on the prisoner’s offer, but wasn’t sure what to say. She hadn’t been there and it seemed Mr. Gatts wanted information about things he hadn’t witnessed. It occurred to Felicia that he didn't know what had happened after he and Jerry left the farm since the other criminals fled in the middle of the night. She wondered if he knew they had gotten away and abandoned the place.
From what Felicia understood, this guy and scary Jerry had gone off to get Miss Higgins Trans-Am and had for some reason gone to Doreen’s house and tried to break in. Felicia was curious to get some blanks filled in on what happened, not just for the story or because she’d have some juicy gossip for Marie later, but it would satisfy her own curiosity. For one thing, she wanted to know how Doreen tied into the story. Obviously, Shelley’s car was not parked at her house and Jerry should have known that. Before Felicia could react or encourage Shelley, the conversation progressed and Miss Higgins accepted the man’s terms for the interview.
“Yes, it’s a deal.”
Mouse grinned a big toothy grin. His teeth were yellowed and caked with black stains around the gums. His dental hygiene was clearly not good.
Felicia sat her tape recorder on the desk and pressed the play and record buttons down simultaneously. She also readied her pen and paper to take any notes to help in addition to the recording. If she thought of anything to ask, she’d chime in but would let Miss Higgins take the lead for now.
“So, the deal was I get to ask first,” Mouse reminded Shelley. “I want to know how y'all managed to get freed and what happened after I left with shit for brains to go fetch yer car. That’s my first question. Then you can ask me one, I reckon.”
Felicia noticed Shelley looking at her as if to get her approval or opinion on the prisoner’s offer, but wasn’t sure what to say. She hadn’t been there and it seemed Mr. Gatts wanted information about things he hadn’t witnessed. It occurred to Felicia that he didn't know what had happened after he and Jerry left the farm since the other criminals fled in the middle of the night. She wondered if he knew they had gotten away and abandoned the place.
From what Felicia understood, this guy and scary Jerry had gone off to get Miss Higgins Trans-Am and had for some reason gone to Doreen’s house and tried to break in. Felicia was curious to get some blanks filled in on what happened, not just for the story or because she’d have some juicy gossip for Marie later, but it would satisfy her own curiosity. For one thing, she wanted to know how Doreen tied into the story. Obviously, Shelley’s car was not parked at her house and Jerry should have known that. Before Felicia could react or encourage Shelley, the conversation progressed and Miss Higgins accepted the man’s terms for the interview.
“Yes, it’s a deal.”
Mouse grinned a big toothy grin. His teeth were yellowed and caked with black stains around the gums. His dental hygiene was clearly not good.
Felicia sat her tape recorder on the desk and pressed the play and record buttons down simultaneously. She also readied her pen and paper to take any notes to help in addition to the recording. If she thought of anything to ask, she’d chime in but would let Miss Higgins take the lead for now.
“So, the deal was I get to ask first,” Mouse reminded Shelley. “I want to know how y'all managed to get freed and what happened after I left with shit for brains to go fetch yer car. That’s my first question. Then you can ask me one, I reckon.”
Mouse grinned a big toothy grin. His teeth were yellowed and caked with black stains around the gums. His dental hygiene was clearly not good.
Felicia sat her tape recorder on the desk and pressed the play and record buttons down simultaneously. She also readied her pen and paper to take any notes to help in addition to the recording. If she thought of anything to ask, she’d chime in but would let Miss Higgins take the lead for now.
“So, the deal was I get to ask first,” Mouse reminded Shelley. “I want to know how y'all managed to get freed and what happened after I left with shit for brains to go fetch yer car. That’s my first question. Then you can ask me one, I reckon.”
“’How we escaped’ and ‘what happened after you left’ are almost two questions, but in this case they’re closely related, so I’m fine with considering it a single two-part question, but my question will have two parts also,” Shelley said. Without giving Mouse a chance to agree or disagree, she plunged into the answer. “I’ll answer the second part first: what happened after you left. While my friend and I were tied up in the trailer, that Chief guy and the Speedy Chicken trucker dude had the radio tuned into the police dispatch, and a message came in that there had been a break-in at a house in the Oakhill Estates, and one of the suspects had been identified as Jerry Hardy. So all your car-thief buddies were afraid yinz were gonna get caught and rat them out to the cops, and they decide to vamoose. They had a quick discussion about what to do with me and my friends, and decided to just leave us behind tied up. Then they hightailed it out of there, and that’s the last we saw of them.
“Okay, part two, how we got loose: Once your buddies were gone and nobody was guarding us, we started trying to get ourselves loose. I didn’t see how the ones in the house got loose, but I’m told that, in your buddies’ hurry to get away, somebody careless left a blade within reach of one of my friends, and she was able to get it and cut herself loose, and then untie the others in the house. And in the trailer, my friend started thrashing around until he managed to break the chair he was tied to; he’s a lot stronger than me. Then one of the ones who’d been tied up in the house came out to the trailer to help us, and he and the guy who’d been tied to the broken chair worked together to untie me.
“Okay, my turn. Why were yinz trying to break into that house in the Oakhill Estates, and why did you pick that particular house?”
*tags*
Felicia sat her tape recorder on the desk and pressed the play and record buttons down simultaneously. She also readied her pen and paper to take any notes to help in addition to the recording. If she thought of anything to ask, she’d chime in but would let Miss Higgins take the lead for now.
“So, the deal was I get to ask first,” Mouse reminded Shelley. “I want to know how y'all managed to get freed and what happened after I left with shit for brains to go fetch yer car. That’s my first question. Then you can ask me one, I reckon.”
“’How we escaped’ and ‘what happened after you left’ are almost two questions, but in this case they’re closely related, so I’m fine with considering it a single two-part question, but my question will have two parts also,” Shelley said. Without giving Mouse a chance to agree or disagree, she plunged into the answer. “I’ll answer the second part first: what happened after you left. While my friend and I were tied up in the trailer, that Chief guy and the Speedy Chicken trucker dude had the radio tuned into the police dispatch, and a message came in that there had been a break-in at a house in the Oakhill Estates, and one of the suspects had been identified as Jerry Hardy. So all your car-thief buddies were afraid yinz were gonna get caught and rat them out to the cops, and they decide to vamoose. They had a quick discussion about what to do with me and my friends, and decided to just leave us behind tied up. Then they hightailed it out of there, and that’s the last we saw of them.
“Okay, part two, how we got loose: Once your buddies were gone and nobody was guarding us, we started trying to get ourselves loose. I didn’t see how the ones in the house got loose, but I’m told that, in your buddies’ hurry to get away, somebody careless left a blade within reach of one of my friends, and she was able to get it and cut herself loose, and then untie the others in the house. And in the trailer, my friend started thrashing around until he managed to break the chair he was tied to; he’s a lot stronger than me. Then one of the ones who’d been tied up in the house came out to the trailer to help us, and he and the guy who’d been tied to the broken chair worked together to untie me.
“Okay, my turn. Why were yinz trying to break into that house in the Oakhill Estates, and why did you pick that particular house?”
*tags*
“Okay, my turn. Why were yinz trying to break into that house in the Oakhill Estates, and why did you pick that particular house?”
This was the part Felicia wanted to know most of all. Why had they gone to Doreen's house? Had Jerry planned to kidnap Doreen, too? Was he going to add her to his collection of captives? If so, what were his intentions?
Mouse burst out laughing and let out an obnoxious snort. It took Felicia a moment to figure out what was funny about Miss Higgins's question.
"Yinz? Yinz? What does that mean? That must be some kind of Yankee word," Mouse asked after he finished laughing. "And to be clear, that ain't my question before you try to screw me over. That was, uh... what's the word?"
"Rhetorical," Felicia answered quickly. She regretted blurting that out. The pair could have found a loophole had she not done so and maybe gotten a free question out of this scumbag.
"Yeah, I reckon that's what I mean," Mouse mused. "So... why was we interested in that house you asked about? Well, that would be Shit-for-brains doin'."
Felicia was thinking about how she'd seen Shelley and her friends earlier that night and followed them but turned back.
"Well, Miss Higgins, as you may recall Shit-for-brains was braggin' he knew where your car was," Mouse continued. "So, after we took yer keys, we went to go fetch it. Problem was, the car wasn't where the kid thought. I was of course pissed. I never liked that lil sum bitch no ways and was just lookin' for a reason to kick his rich lil ass."
Mouse paused and stared long and hard at Shelley watching for a reaction. Felicia noticed the man didn't seem to have any interest in her, probably because he didn't know her.
Mouse continued, "Anyhow, he thought he had a couple of ideas of where your ride might be. After lookin' round, he was getting desperate cuz I was gettin' pissed. So, he told me about someone else in his neighborhood who had some real nice ones he knew. I think the boy thought that as long as we didn't come back empty handed, it would save his ass. Anyway, reckon that's how we ended up at that place. After breaking into a POS car out front of the place, Shit-for-brains got the remote and attempted to get into the garage to boost one of 'em."
That was as far as Mouse went. He wasn't about to volunteer anything else. Felicia wondered if Mouse was leaving anything out. Was that all there was to it? For Mouse, likely. It dawned on her that was probably the story Jerry had given and he did know that Doreen's parents drove expensive cars. There were probably additional motives on Jerry's part, like kidnapping her once he knew he wasn't getting his date. The creep seemed a bit obsessed.
"My turn again," Mouse announced as soon as he finished. "Why was you n' yer friends out that way that night? How'd you know what we was up to and where we was at?"
This was the part Felicia wanted to know most of all. Why had they gone to Doreen's house? Had Jerry planned to kidnap Doreen, too? Was he going to add her to his collection of captives? If so, what were his intentions?
Mouse burst out laughing and let out an obnoxious snort. It took Felicia a moment to figure out what was funny about Miss Higgins's question.
"Yinz? Yinz? What does that mean? That must be some kind of Yankee word," Mouse asked after he finished laughing. "And to be clear, that ain't my question before you try to screw me over. That was, uh... what's the word?"
"Rhetorical," Felicia answered quickly. She regretted blurting that out. The pair could have found a loophole had she not done so and maybe gotten a free question out of this scumbag.
"Yeah, I reckon that's what I mean," Mouse mused. "So... why was we interested in that house you asked about? Well, that would be Shit-for-brains doin'."
Felicia was thinking about how she'd seen Shelley and her friends earlier that night and followed them but turned back.
"Well, Miss Higgins, as you may recall Shit-for-brains was braggin' he knew where your car was," Mouse continued. "So, after we took yer keys, we went to go fetch it. Problem was, the car wasn't where the kid thought. I was of course pissed. I never liked that lil sum bitch no ways and was just lookin' for a reason to kick his rich lil ass."
Mouse paused and stared long and hard at Shelley watching for a reaction. Felicia noticed the man didn't seem to have any interest in her, probably because he didn't know her.
Mouse continued, "Anyhow, he thought he had a couple of ideas of where your ride might be. After lookin' round, he was getting desperate cuz I was gettin' pissed. So, he told me about someone else in his neighborhood who had some real nice ones he knew. I think the boy thought that as long as we didn't come back empty handed, it would save his ass. Anyway, reckon that's how we ended up at that place. After breaking into a POS car out front of the place, Shit-for-brains got the remote and attempted to get into the garage to boost one of 'em."
That was as far as Mouse went. He wasn't about to volunteer anything else. Felicia wondered if Mouse was leaving anything out. Was that all there was to it? For Mouse, likely. It dawned on her that was probably the story Jerry had given and he did know that Doreen's parents drove expensive cars. There were probably additional motives on Jerry's part, like kidnapping her once he knew he wasn't getting his date. The creep seemed a bit obsessed.
"My turn again," Mouse announced as soon as he finished. "Why was you n' yer friends out that way that night? How'd you know what we was up to and where we was at?"
Mouse burst out laughing and let out an obnoxious snort. It took Felicia a moment to figure out what was funny about Miss Higgins question.
"Yinz? Yinz? What does that mean? That must be some kind of Yankee word," Mouse asked after he finished laughing. "And to be clear, that ain't my question before you try to screw me over. That was, uh... what's the word?"
Shelly blushed. Ugh, I let my Pittsburgh accent show, she thought. I gotta remember not to do that, especially when talking to reprehensible jagoffs.
"Rhetorical," Felicia answered quickly. She regretted blurting that out. The pair could have found a loophole had she not done so and maybe gotten a free question out of this scumbag.
"Yeah, I reckon that's what I mean," Mouse mused. "So... why was we interested in that house you asked about. Well, that would be Shit-for-brains doin'.
"Well, Miss Higgins, as you may recall Shit-for-brains was braggin' he knew where your car was," Mouse continued. "So, after we took yer keys, we went to go fetch it. Problem was, the car wasn't where the kid thought. I was of course pissed. I never liked that lil sum bitch no ways and was just lookin' for a reason to kick his rich lil ass."
Mouse paused and stared long and hard at Shelley watching for a reaction. Felicia noticed the man didn't seem to have any interest in her, probably because he didn't know her.
Shelley tried to maintain eye contact with Mouse while showing a neutral expression, but she worried that she might have one of those “deer-in-the-headlights” looks that would tell Mouse she was afraid of him. She’d seen his violent side when he hit Jerry after Jerry taunted her. A short time later he’d done a little taunting of his own, so he’d probably just hit Jerry because he wanted to, not because of the taunting. Now Mouse was admitting that he wanted to beat Jerry up, and it seemed likely to Shelley that he wanted to beat her up too, though he hadn’t actually said that. But maybe she was just imagining it.
Mouse continued, "Anyhow, he thought he had a couple of ideas of where your wheels might be. After lookin' round, he was getting desperate cuz I was gettin' pissed. So, he told me about someone else in his neighborhood who had some real nice wheels he knew. I think the boy thought that as long as we didn't come back empty handed, it would save his ass. Anyway, reckon that's how we ended up at that place. After breaking into a car out front of the place, Shit-for-brains got the remote and attempted to get into the garage to boost one of 'em."
That was as far as Mouse went. He wasn't about to volunteer anything else. Felicia wondered if Mouse was leaving anything out. Was that all there was to it? For Mouse, likely. It dawned on her that was probably the story Jerry had given and he did know that Doreen's parents drove expensive cars. There were probably additional motives on Jerry's part, like kidnapping her once he knew he wasn't getting his date. The creep seemed a bit obsessed.
Unlike Felicia, Shelley wasn’t aware of the arrangement that had been made for Jerry to have a date with Doreen in return for spying on her and her friends, but from what Mouse said it was clear that Jerry and Doreen knew each other well enough for Jerry to know what kinds of cars were kept inside the garage. That was how Jerry had been identified as one of the culprits so quickly that night. Shelley had follow-up questions she wanted to ask, but with the question-for-question format they were using for this interview, any follow-up questions would have to wait. She would still be able to ask them, but it really did disrupt the flow of the interview.
"My turn again," Mouse announced as soon as he finished. "Why was you n' yer friends out that way that night? How'd you know what we was up to and where we was at?"
Shelley didn’t really want to answer this question, but she was willing to for the sake of continuing the interview. She thought for a few seconds about how best to answer it, and then said, “I don’t know if you are aware of it, but my friends and I were the ones who found the stolen cars in the lake. We weren’t looking for them; we were just out boating, having a fun day at the lake, and it just so happened that Jerry Hardy, the guy you refer to as Shit-for-brains, was with us. We had just met him and didn’t know him very well, but invited him to come along so we could get to know each other better. After we discovered the stolen cars, he said some things and did some things that made us think he might know more about them than he was letting on.
“So a few nights later me and a couple of friends were out driving around and we spotted Jerry’s orange bug heading away from town and away from his neighborhood, and we decided to follow to see where he might be going. When he was near that farm, we saw him pull off the road and flash his lights at a semi, apparently letting the truck driver know where to turn. It seemed strange that a semi would be on a rural road like that, but we left because we didn’t want Jerry spotting us. We decided to go back the next night as a group and just drive around the area to see if we could figure out what was going on. We didn’t know about the farm or exactly what was going on there, we just knew something odd was going on in that general area. And then our van broke down on that road that leads to the farm, and then yinz captured us. By the way, ‘yinz’ means the same thing as ‘y’all’; it’s just a contraction of ‘you ones’ instead of ‘you all’. You get that answer for free.”
Shelley wanted to ask some of her follow-up questions, but she decided to get a bigger and more important question in early, in case Mouse decided to clam up, or ended the interview early because she wasn’t willing to answer one of his. “So for my next question, I’d like you to describe your experiences between the time you fled the house you and Jerry tried to break into and the time you were apprehended last night. What all did you do, and why?”
"Yinz? Yinz? What does that mean? That must be some kind of Yankee word," Mouse asked after he finished laughing. "And to be clear, that ain't my question before you try to screw me over. That was, uh... what's the word?"
Shelly blushed. Ugh, I let my Pittsburgh accent show, she thought. I gotta remember not to do that, especially when talking to reprehensible jagoffs.
"Rhetorical," Felicia answered quickly. She regretted blurting that out. The pair could have found a loophole had she not done so and maybe gotten a free question out of this scumbag.
"Yeah, I reckon that's what I mean," Mouse mused. "So... why was we interested in that house you asked about. Well, that would be Shit-for-brains doin'.
"Well, Miss Higgins, as you may recall Shit-for-brains was braggin' he knew where your car was," Mouse continued. "So, after we took yer keys, we went to go fetch it. Problem was, the car wasn't where the kid thought. I was of course pissed. I never liked that lil sum bitch no ways and was just lookin' for a reason to kick his rich lil ass."
Mouse paused and stared long and hard at Shelley watching for a reaction. Felicia noticed the man didn't seem to have any interest in her, probably because he didn't know her.
Shelley tried to maintain eye contact with Mouse while showing a neutral expression, but she worried that she might have one of those “deer-in-the-headlights” looks that would tell Mouse she was afraid of him. She’d seen his violent side when he hit Jerry after Jerry taunted her. A short time later he’d done a little taunting of his own, so he’d probably just hit Jerry because he wanted to, not because of the taunting. Now Mouse was admitting that he wanted to beat Jerry up, and it seemed likely to Shelley that he wanted to beat her up too, though he hadn’t actually said that. But maybe she was just imagining it.
Mouse continued, "Anyhow, he thought he had a couple of ideas of where your wheels might be. After lookin' round, he was getting desperate cuz I was gettin' pissed. So, he told me about someone else in his neighborhood who had some real nice wheels he knew. I think the boy thought that as long as we didn't come back empty handed, it would save his ass. Anyway, reckon that's how we ended up at that place. After breaking into a car out front of the place, Shit-for-brains got the remote and attempted to get into the garage to boost one of 'em."
That was as far as Mouse went. He wasn't about to volunteer anything else. Felicia wondered if Mouse was leaving anything out. Was that all there was to it? For Mouse, likely. It dawned on her that was probably the story Jerry had given and he did know that Doreen's parents drove expensive cars. There were probably additional motives on Jerry's part, like kidnapping her once he knew he wasn't getting his date. The creep seemed a bit obsessed.
Unlike Felicia, Shelley wasn’t aware of the arrangement that had been made for Jerry to have a date with Doreen in return for spying on her and her friends, but from what Mouse said it was clear that Jerry and Doreen knew each other well enough for Jerry to know what kinds of cars were kept inside the garage. That was how Jerry had been identified as one of the culprits so quickly that night. Shelley had follow-up questions she wanted to ask, but with the question-for-question format they were using for this interview, any follow-up questions would have to wait. She would still be able to ask them, but it really did disrupt the flow of the interview.
"My turn again," Mouse announced as soon as he finished. "Why was you n' yer friends out that way that night? How'd you know what we was up to and where we was at?"
Shelley didn’t really want to answer this question, but she was willing to for the sake of continuing the interview. She thought for a few seconds about how best to answer it, and then said, “I don’t know if you are aware of it, but my friends and I were the ones who found the stolen cars in the lake. We weren’t looking for them; we were just out boating, having a fun day at the lake, and it just so happened that Jerry Hardy, the guy you refer to as Shit-for-brains, was with us. We had just met him and didn’t know him very well, but invited him to come along so we could get to know each other better. After we discovered the stolen cars, he said some things and did some things that made us think he might know more about them than he was letting on.
“So a few nights later me and a couple of friends were out driving around and we spotted Jerry’s orange bug heading away from town and away from his neighborhood, and we decided to follow to see where he might be going. When he was near that farm, we saw him pull off the road and flash his lights at a semi, apparently letting the truck driver know where to turn. It seemed strange that a semi would be on a rural road like that, but we left because we didn’t want Jerry spotting us. We decided to go back the next night as a group and just drive around the area to see if we could figure out what was going on. We didn’t know about the farm or exactly what was going on there, we just knew something odd was going on in that general area. And then our van broke down on that road that leads to the farm, and then yinz captured us. By the way, ‘yinz’ means the same thing as ‘y’all’; it’s just a contraction of ‘you ones’ instead of ‘you all’. You get that answer for free.”
Shelley wanted to ask some of her follow-up questions, but she decided to get a bigger and more important question in early, in case Mouse decided to clam up, or ended the interview early because she wasn’t willing to answer one of his. “So for my next question, I’d like you to describe your experiences between the time you fled the house you and Jerry tried to break into and the time you were apprehended last night. What all did you do, and why?”
Shelley didn’t really want to answer this question, but she was willing to for the sake of continuing the interview. She thought for a few seconds about how best to answer it, and then said, “I don’t know if you are aware of it, but my friends and I were the ones who found the stolen cars in the lake. We weren’t looking for them; we were just out boating, having a fun day at the lake, and it just so happened that Jerry Hardy, the guy you refer to as Shit-for-brains, was with us. We had just met him and didn’t know him very well, but invited him to come along so we could get to know each other better. After we discovered the stolen cars, he said some things and did some things that made us think he might know more about them than he was letting on.
Felicia wondered if Shelley noticed her reaction when she spoke of how they'd met Jerry. The Higgins girl had no idea that Marie had hired him to get the goods on Starla and Tabitha, nor did she have any way of knowing that Felicia had that information. For a moment, Felicia felt guilty. While she wasn't lying to Shelley, since she'd never been directly asked, Felicia realized it bothered her suddenly, almost as if she was ashamed of helping someone cover up a crime. Felicia tried to force her poker face and look emotionless as Miss Higgins continued her story.
“So a few nights later me and a couple of friends were out driving around and we spotted Jerry’s orange bug heading away from town and away from his neighborhood, and we decided to follow to see where he might be going. When he was near that farm, we saw him pull off the road and flash his lights at a semi, apparently letting the truck driver know where to turn. It seemed strange that a semi would be on a rural road like that, but we left because we didn’t want Jerry spotting us. We decided to go back the next night as a group and just drive around the area to see if we could figure out what was going on. We didn’t know about the farm or exactly what was going on there, we just knew something odd was going on in that general area. And then our van broke down on that road that leads to the farm, and then yinz captured us. By the way, ‘yinz’ means the same thing as ‘y’all’; it’s just a contraction of ‘you ones’ instead of ‘you all’. You get that answer for free.”
"Well I do reckon I appreciate that lil grammar lesson there, Miss Higgins," Mouse replied when she explained the meaning of 'Yinz' at 'no charge.' "So a bunch of kids in a van solving mysteries. We apparently didn't find yer talkin' dog unless Buford shot it before bringin' y'all to the house."
*Optional tag*
Felicia was still suspicious about Miss Higgins, but at this point it was obvious that she legitimately didn't know about or have anything to do with the car heist. Maybe that was indeed all coincidence of her and her friends being in the right place at the right time to make that find. However, the girl tied up in the dumpster behind the restaurant was not related. The fact remained that all of her friends were there for that find and the man she was staying with ran the place. That combined with everything that happened with the car thefts and kidnapping was too much to all be luck in Felicia's book. Her momentary feelings of guilt were once again forgotten.
"Anyways, that's real interestin'. Sounds like the story y'all, not yinz, would tell yer folks," Mouse remarked circling back to her explanation about how she and her friends had ended up on the backroads near the farm. "Well maybe not you, Miss Higgins. You seem a bit older but I have it on good word yer shacking up with an older man. Some of them others, though looked like they was out passed their curfews. It ain't my turn, though so that ain't my next question. Reckon yer up..."
Shelley wanted to ask some of her follow-up questions, but she decided to get a bigger and more important question in early, in case Mouse decided to clam up, or ended the interview early because she wasn’t willing to answer one of his. “So for my next question, I’d like you to describe your experiences between the time you fled the house you and Jerry tried to break into and the time you were apprehended last night. What all did you do, and why?”
"So, as we left off, we had gone to that house to steal a car out of the garage. Instead of just hotwiring the sum bitch, Shit-for-brains decides to go inside through the door leading into the house. I reckon the keys was hanging on a peg or something in the kitchen. Reckon someone inside heard the racket and came to investigate. Shit went downhill and the kid took off."
Mouse paused again for a moment before continuing. He was staring Shelley down again, looking for a reaction or perhaps trying to gauge the girl's fear.
*Tag*
"Alright, so the dip shit managed to lose the key to his ride and panicked and took off. I think the little shit intentionally tossed the key so I couldn't get away in his bug. So I bolted. Cut between houses and made my way through a wooded area a few streets over. I hid out for a bit but kept moving so I wouldn't get caught. I came across a house in another neighborhood. Some dipshit left the garage door up. Lucky for me, not him and his family. The garage door was up slightly, not all the way, but enough I could get under it. The door leading inside wasn't locked. I crept in. The guy's daughter, she was a tad younger than you, was asleep in her bed. I took her hostage and then woke her folks. After tying the family up, I decided to check the news and figure out what the fuck I was gon do next. I think you know how that ended. Why did I take that family hostage? I needed a place to hide so I could figure out my next move."
"My turn," Mouse announced when he stopped the story abruptly. "So, where was your Pontiac? Was it in your boyfriend's garage? What's the story with you n' him?"
Mouse had just asked two questions. If Miss Higgins were smart, she'd tell him where her car was that night and refuse to go into details about her living arrangements. However, Felicia hoped that question did get answered. She was curious about what was going on there herself.
*Tag*
Felicia wondered if Shelley noticed her reaction when she spoke of how they'd met Jerry. The Higgins girl had no idea that Marie had hired him to get the goods on Starla and Tabitha, nor did she have any way of knowing that Felicia had that information. For a moment, Felicia felt guilty. While she wasn't lying to Shelley, since she'd never been directly asked, Felicia realized it bothered her suddenly, almost as if she was ashamed of helping someone cover up a crime. Felicia tried to force her poker face and look emotionless as Miss Higgins continued her story.
“So a few nights later me and a couple of friends were out driving around and we spotted Jerry’s orange bug heading away from town and away from his neighborhood, and we decided to follow to see where he might be going. When he was near that farm, we saw him pull off the road and flash his lights at a semi, apparently letting the truck driver know where to turn. It seemed strange that a semi would be on a rural road like that, but we left because we didn’t want Jerry spotting us. We decided to go back the next night as a group and just drive around the area to see if we could figure out what was going on. We didn’t know about the farm or exactly what was going on there, we just knew something odd was going on in that general area. And then our van broke down on that road that leads to the farm, and then yinz captured us. By the way, ‘yinz’ means the same thing as ‘y’all’; it’s just a contraction of ‘you ones’ instead of ‘you all’. You get that answer for free.”
"Well I do reckon I appreciate that lil grammar lesson there, Miss Higgins," Mouse replied when she explained the meaning of 'Yinz' at 'no charge.' "So a bunch of kids in a van solving mysteries. We apparently didn't find yer talkin' dog unless Buford shot it before bringin' y'all to the house."
*Optional tag*
Felicia was still suspicious about Miss Higgins, but at this point it was obvious that she legitimately didn't know about or have anything to do with the car heist. Maybe that was indeed all coincidence of her and her friends being in the right place at the right time to make that find. However, the girl tied up in the dumpster behind the restaurant was not related. The fact remained that all of her friends were there for that find and the man she was staying with ran the place. That combined with everything that happened with the car thefts and kidnapping was too much to all be luck in Felicia's book. Her momentary feelings of guilt were once again forgotten.
"Anyways, that's real interestin'. Sounds like the story y'all, not yinz, would tell yer folks," Mouse remarked circling back to her explanation about how she and her friends had ended up on the backroads near the farm. "Well maybe not you, Miss Higgins. You seem a bit older but I have it on good word yer shacking up with an older man. Some of them others, though looked like they was out passed their curfews. It ain't my turn, though so that ain't my next question. Reckon yer up..."
Shelley wanted to ask some of her follow-up questions, but she decided to get a bigger and more important question in early, in case Mouse decided to clam up, or ended the interview early because she wasn’t willing to answer one of his. “So for my next question, I’d like you to describe your experiences between the time you fled the house you and Jerry tried to break into and the time you were apprehended last night. What all did you do, and why?”
"So, as we left off, we had gone to that house to steal a car out of the garage. Instead of just hotwiring the sum bitch, Shit-for-brains decides to go inside through the door leading into the house. I reckon the keys was hanging on a peg or something in the kitchen. Reckon someone inside heard the racket and came to investigate. Shit went downhill and the kid took off."
Mouse paused again for a moment before continuing. He was staring Shelley down again, looking for a reaction or perhaps trying to gauge the girl's fear.
*Tag*
"Alright, so the dip shit managed to lose the key to his ride and panicked and took off. I think the little shit intentionally tossed the key so I couldn't get away in his bug. So I bolted. Cut between houses and made my way through a wooded area a few streets over. I hid out for a bit but kept moving so I wouldn't get caught. I came across a house in another neighborhood. Some dipshit left the garage door up. Lucky for me, not him and his family. The garage door was up slightly, not all the way, but enough I could get under it. The door leading inside wasn't locked. I crept in. The guy's daughter, she was a tad younger than you, was asleep in her bed. I took her hostage and then woke her folks. After tying the family up, I decided to check the news and figure out what the fuck I was gon do next. I think you know how that ended. Why did I take that family hostage? I needed a place to hide so I could figure out my next move."
"My turn," Mouse announced when he stopped the story abruptly. "So, where was your Pontiac? Was it in your boyfriend's garage? What's the story with you n' him?"
Mouse had just asked two questions. If Miss Higgins were smart, she'd tell him where her car was that night and refuse to go into details about her living arrangements. However, Felicia hoped that question did get answered. She was curious about what was going on there herself.
*Tag*
"Well I do reckon I appreciate that lil grammar lesson there, Miss Higgins," Mouse replied when she explained the meaning of 'Yinz' at 'no charge.' "So a bunch of kids in a van solving mysteries. We apparently didn't find yer talkin' dog unless Buford shot it before bringin' y'all to the house."
“And undoubtedly you’d have gotten away with it, too, if it hadn’t been for us meddling kids,” said Shelley with a deadpan face. Clearly Mouse’s joke was meant not only to mock her and her friends, but also to intimidate her, especially that last sentence. Shelley felt it was important that she not show Mouse any indication that his intimidation attempts might be working; that would only make it worse.
"Anyways, that's real interestin'. Sounds like the story y'all, not yinz, would tell yer folks," Mouse remarked circling back to her explanation about how she and her friends had ended up on the backroads near the farm. "Well maybe not you, Miss Higgins. You seem a bit older but I have it on good word yer shacking up with an older man. Some of them others, though looked like they was out passed their curfews. It ain't my turn, though so that ain't my next question. Reckon yer up..."
Shelley gaped at Mouse when he suggested that he had it on good word that she was “shacking up” with Gary. She had not been expecting that comment at all. While Mouse prattled on about her younger friends and curfews, Shelley sat there in silence, wondering if people really thought that about her and Gary. She came to the conclusion that, yeah, some people probably did. She had to fight the temptation to ask Mouse if that “good word” came from the guy he called “Shit-for-brains”, the one who’d led him on a wild goose chase to steal her car and the guy primarily responsible for him getting caught. But she figured Mouse would take that as her official question for this round of their back-and-forth interview. To be fair, Mouse had asked a question that he then labeled as “rhetorical” and therefore not to be considered his official question. She could try doing the same; after all, it really was rhetorical. In Shelley’s mind, Jerry was the only one who could conceivably have told Mouse that. But she didn’t trust Mouse to allow it as a rhetorical question, so she didn’t voice it. Instead, she stuck with the question she’d originally been planning to ask.
“So for my next question, I’d like you to describe your experiences between the time you fled the house you and Jerry tried to break into and the time you were apprehended last night. What all did you do, and why?”
"So, as we left off, we had gone to that house to steal a car out of the garage. Instead of just hotwiring the sum bitch, Shit-for-brains decides to go inside through the door leading into the house. I reckon the keys was hanging on a peg or something in the kitchen. Reckon someone inside heard the racket and came to investigate. Shit went downhill and the kid took off."
Mouse paused again for a moment before continuing. He was staring Shelley down again, looking for a reaction or perhaps trying to gauge the girl's fear.
There was some fear. Shelley didn’t like it when Mouse looked at her that way. It stirred up memories of how he’d looked at her while she’d been tied to that chair back at the Farm. But it wasn’t just fear; there was also anger, and maybe a little embarrassment. She was still stewing over Mouse’s claim that she was shacking up with Gary. Her face felt warm, and she realized she was probably blushing. But she remained silent, waiting for Mouse to continue his story.
"Alright, so the dip shit managed to lose the key to his ride and panicked and took off. I think the little shit intentionally tossed the key so I couldn't get away in his bug. So I bolted. Cut between houses and made my way through a wooded area a few streets over. I hid out for a bit but kept moving so I wouldn't get caught. I came across a house in another neighborhood. Some dipshit left the garage door up. Lucky for me, not him and his family. The garage door was up slightly, not all the way, but enough I could get under it. The door leading inside wasn't locked. I crept in. The guy's daughter, she was a tad younger than you, was asleep in her bed. I took her hostage and then woke her folks. After tying the family up, I decided to check the news and figure out what the fuck I was gon do next. I think you know how that ended. Why did I take that family hostage? I needed a place to hide so I could figure out my next move."
"My turn," Mouse announced when he stopped the story abruptly. "So, where was your Pontiac? Was it in your boyfriend's garage? What's the story with you n' him?"
Shelley considered her answer for a few seconds before saying, “In a shopping center parking lot. I drove it there to meet one of my friends when she got off work, and our other friends met us there too with their van. As for the story about me and my ‘boyfriend’…” Shelley made air quotes with her fingers when she used the word “boyfriend”; “…that’s a second question with an answer unrelated to the first, so you’ll have to wait until it’s your turn again. Since we’re talking about my car, what happened to my car keys? I’d kind of like them back.”
*tags*
“And undoubtedly you’d have gotten away with it, too, if it hadn’t been for us meddling kids,” said Shelley with a deadpan face. Clearly Mouse’s joke was meant not only to mock her and her friends, but also to intimidate her, especially that last sentence. Shelley felt it was important that she not show Mouse any indication that his intimidation attempts might be working; that would only make it worse.
"Anyways, that's real interestin'. Sounds like the story y'all, not yinz, would tell yer folks," Mouse remarked circling back to her explanation about how she and her friends had ended up on the backroads near the farm. "Well maybe not you, Miss Higgins. You seem a bit older but I have it on good word yer shacking up with an older man. Some of them others, though looked like they was out passed their curfews. It ain't my turn, though so that ain't my next question. Reckon yer up..."
Shelley gaped at Mouse when he suggested that he had it on good word that she was “shacking up” with Gary. She had not been expecting that comment at all. While Mouse prattled on about her younger friends and curfews, Shelley sat there in silence, wondering if people really thought that about her and Gary. She came to the conclusion that, yeah, some people probably did. She had to fight the temptation to ask Mouse if that “good word” came from the guy he called “Shit-for-brains”, the one who’d led him on a wild goose chase to steal her car and the guy primarily responsible for him getting caught. But she figured Mouse would take that as her official question for this round of their back-and-forth interview. To be fair, Mouse had asked a question that he then labeled as “rhetorical” and therefore not to be considered his official question. She could try doing the same; after all, it really was rhetorical. In Shelley’s mind, Jerry was the only one who could conceivably have told Mouse that. But she didn’t trust Mouse to allow it as a rhetorical question, so she didn’t voice it. Instead, she stuck with the question she’d originally been planning to ask.
“So for my next question, I’d like you to describe your experiences between the time you fled the house you and Jerry tried to break into and the time you were apprehended last night. What all did you do, and why?”
"So, as we left off, we had gone to that house to steal a car out of the garage. Instead of just hotwiring the sum bitch, Shit-for-brains decides to go inside through the door leading into the house. I reckon the keys was hanging on a peg or something in the kitchen. Reckon someone inside heard the racket and came to investigate. Shit went downhill and the kid took off."
Mouse paused again for a moment before continuing. He was staring Shelley down again, looking for a reaction or perhaps trying to gauge the girl's fear.
There was some fear. Shelley didn’t like it when Mouse looked at her that way. It stirred up memories of how he’d looked at her while she’d been tied to that chair back at the Farm. But it wasn’t just fear; there was also anger, and maybe a little embarrassment. She was still stewing over Mouse’s claim that she was shacking up with Gary. Her face felt warm, and she realized she was probably blushing. But she remained silent, waiting for Mouse to continue his story.
"Alright, so the dip shit managed to lose the key to his ride and panicked and took off. I think the little shit intentionally tossed the key so I couldn't get away in his bug. So I bolted. Cut between houses and made my way through a wooded area a few streets over. I hid out for a bit but kept moving so I wouldn't get caught. I came across a house in another neighborhood. Some dipshit left the garage door up. Lucky for me, not him and his family. The garage door was up slightly, not all the way, but enough I could get under it. The door leading inside wasn't locked. I crept in. The guy's daughter, she was a tad younger than you, was asleep in her bed. I took her hostage and then woke her folks. After tying the family up, I decided to check the news and figure out what the fuck I was gon do next. I think you know how that ended. Why did I take that family hostage? I needed a place to hide so I could figure out my next move."
"My turn," Mouse announced when he stopped the story abruptly. "So, where was your Pontiac? Was it in your boyfriend's garage? What's the story with you n' him?"
Shelley considered her answer for a few seconds before saying, “In a shopping center parking lot. I drove it there to meet one of my friends when she got off work, and our other friends met us there too with their van. As for the story about me and my ‘boyfriend’…” Shelley made air quotes with her fingers when she used the word “boyfriend”; “…that’s a second question with an answer unrelated to the first, so you’ll have to wait until it’s your turn again. Since we’re talking about my car, what happened to my car keys? I’d kind of like them back.”
*tags*
"My turn," Mouse announced when he stopped the story abruptly. "So, where was your Pontiac? Was it in your boyfriend's garage? What's the story with you n' him?"
Shelley considered her answer for a few seconds before saying, “In a shopping center parking lot. I drove it there to meet one of my friends when she got off work, and our other friends met us there too with their van. As for the story about me and my ‘boyfriend’…” Shelley made air quotes with her fingers when she used the word “boyfriend”; “…that’s a second question with an answer unrelated to the first, so you’ll have to wait until it’s your turn again. Since we’re talking about my car, what happened to my car keys? I’d kind of like them back.”
Felicia couldn't blame Shelley for wanting to know this even if it didn't advance their interview. It was obvious that she only had one set. It would be costly to get new ones made without an original to copy. Would they have to change the locks on her doors and trunk and the ignition if the keys were not found? It was hard to say what something like that would cost and Miss Higgins didn't seem to have a lot of money.
"Well, the truth is, I don't rightly know," Mouse replied. "I ain't being difficult here. It's the truth! I admit that I had'em but after I fled, that wasn't exactly something that was on my mind. I assume the po-leese has 'em. They did do a thorough search when they arrested me. Perhaps this fine officer right here could tell ya."
The cop standing behind Mouse had remained silent and focused on making sure Mouse didn't try any funny business. "You might ask the desk Sargent on your way out, ma'am. If he had them, they might be in the property room or held with any evidence collected at the crime scene," the officer advised Shelley.
"Well, I'm real sorry i couldn't of been more help there Miss Higgins," Mouse mocked her. "Now I do reckon I am up and I want to hear more about that fella yer livin' with. You are a looooong way from home , Yankee girl. What brings you to Texas? You know that guy or was it a chance meeting along the way? I want to hear all about it."
Felicia had to admit, this was getting to the good stuff with Miss Higgins. She wonder if this would be the question that ended the interview and if she'd share anything good that Felicia wasn't already aware of.
Shelley considered her answer for a few seconds before saying, “In a shopping center parking lot. I drove it there to meet one of my friends when she got off work, and our other friends met us there too with their van. As for the story about me and my ‘boyfriend’…” Shelley made air quotes with her fingers when she used the word “boyfriend”; “…that’s a second question with an answer unrelated to the first, so you’ll have to wait until it’s your turn again. Since we’re talking about my car, what happened to my car keys? I’d kind of like them back.”
Felicia couldn't blame Shelley for wanting to know this even if it didn't advance their interview. It was obvious that she only had one set. It would be costly to get new ones made without an original to copy. Would they have to change the locks on her doors and trunk and the ignition if the keys were not found? It was hard to say what something like that would cost and Miss Higgins didn't seem to have a lot of money.
"Well, the truth is, I don't rightly know," Mouse replied. "I ain't being difficult here. It's the truth! I admit that I had'em but after I fled, that wasn't exactly something that was on my mind. I assume the po-leese has 'em. They did do a thorough search when they arrested me. Perhaps this fine officer right here could tell ya."
The cop standing behind Mouse had remained silent and focused on making sure Mouse didn't try any funny business. "You might ask the desk Sargent on your way out, ma'am. If he had them, they might be in the property room or held with any evidence collected at the crime scene," the officer advised Shelley.
"Well, I'm real sorry i couldn't of been more help there Miss Higgins," Mouse mocked her. "Now I do reckon I am up and I want to hear more about that fella yer livin' with. You are a looooong way from home , Yankee girl. What brings you to Texas? You know that guy or was it a chance meeting along the way? I want to hear all about it."
Felicia had to admit, this was getting to the good stuff with Miss Higgins. She wonder if this would be the question that ended the interview and if she'd share anything good that Felicia wasn't already aware of.
Shelley gave the officer a grateful nod when he suggested that she check with the desk sergeant. Internally, she was kicking herself for having asked Mouse about the keys. She’d known almost as soon as the words left her mouth that it had been a mistake. Obviously he wouldn’t have the keys with him now, and if he’d had them at the time he was arrested the police would have the keys in their custody now, either in Mouse’s personal effects or, more likely, in evidence. She had already planned to ask the police while she was here if they’d recovered her keys, so really she’d just wasted a question. Now it was Mouse’s turn again, and she was going to have to answer his question if she wanted the interview to continue.
She sat quietly for a moment, thinking about how best to answer. She really didn’t want to answer it at all, but the continuation of the interview depended on it. She tried to figure out why Mouse would even care about her living arrangements or her history with Gary, and actually considered refusing to answer for the sake of protecting both Gary and herself. The problem was, Mouse already knew where she and Gary lived (assuming Jerry really had taken him there in search of her car, which she had no reason to doubt), and that was all he needed to know if he wanted to cause them trouble, if and when he ever got out of jail. She didn’t really see how answering the question would make things any worse than they already were, and she decided that Mouse was probably just asking this to intimidate her.
“No, I didn’t know him until I came to Teal Cove,” she said. “When I got to town I didn’t have a job or a place to stay. I met him while I was visiting local businesses looking for a job. He didn’t have a job for me, but he told me he had an extra room that he’d be willing to rent to me, and I took him up on the offer. I’ve been sleeping in the extra room ever since. And you are misinformed about me ‘shacking up’ with him. He’s been a perfect gentleman, and has never once tried to take advantage of me. I’ve never slept with him, and we are not involved in a sexual relationship of any sort. I can only assume you got that false rumor from the guy you refer to as ‘Shit-for-brains’, the one who took you on a wild goose chase trying to steal my car and the guy primarily responsible for yinz getting caught.” Shelley tried to keep the heat out of her voice, but she could still feel the heat in her face and knew Mouse was probably noticing her blushing in anger. She was at least glad she’d gotten to mention Mouse’s nickname for Jerry in her response. How could anyone take seriously any information from a source they thought of as ‘Shit-for-brains’?
“My turn again,” said Shelley, eager to move on. She wanted to ask a more useful question this time. “From what I could see while I was being held captive there, it seems your gang was very well organized, and as it turned out, quite willing to flee their base of operations, the place they referred to as ‘The Farm’, at any sign of trouble. So what were their contingency plans for that sort of thing? Did yinz have some predetermined rendezvous point nearby? How were yinz supposed to meet up again if you lost The Farm?”
She sat quietly for a moment, thinking about how best to answer. She really didn’t want to answer it at all, but the continuation of the interview depended on it. She tried to figure out why Mouse would even care about her living arrangements or her history with Gary, and actually considered refusing to answer for the sake of protecting both Gary and herself. The problem was, Mouse already knew where she and Gary lived (assuming Jerry really had taken him there in search of her car, which she had no reason to doubt), and that was all he needed to know if he wanted to cause them trouble, if and when he ever got out of jail. She didn’t really see how answering the question would make things any worse than they already were, and she decided that Mouse was probably just asking this to intimidate her.
“No, I didn’t know him until I came to Teal Cove,” she said. “When I got to town I didn’t have a job or a place to stay. I met him while I was visiting local businesses looking for a job. He didn’t have a job for me, but he told me he had an extra room that he’d be willing to rent to me, and I took him up on the offer. I’ve been sleeping in the extra room ever since. And you are misinformed about me ‘shacking up’ with him. He’s been a perfect gentleman, and has never once tried to take advantage of me. I’ve never slept with him, and we are not involved in a sexual relationship of any sort. I can only assume you got that false rumor from the guy you refer to as ‘Shit-for-brains’, the one who took you on a wild goose chase trying to steal my car and the guy primarily responsible for yinz getting caught.” Shelley tried to keep the heat out of her voice, but she could still feel the heat in her face and knew Mouse was probably noticing her blushing in anger. She was at least glad she’d gotten to mention Mouse’s nickname for Jerry in her response. How could anyone take seriously any information from a source they thought of as ‘Shit-for-brains’?
“My turn again,” said Shelley, eager to move on. She wanted to ask a more useful question this time. “From what I could see while I was being held captive there, it seems your gang was very well organized, and as it turned out, quite willing to flee their base of operations, the place they referred to as ‘The Farm’, at any sign of trouble. So what were their contingency plans for that sort of thing? Did yinz have some predetermined rendezvous point nearby? How were yinz supposed to meet up again if you lost The Farm?”
Felicia felt at the end of Mr. Gatts's answer that she had wasted a question. However, it opened her up to some good personal information. Of course, Miss Higgins denied there was anything going on between her and the guy she was staying with. Felicia wasn't sure she bought it. It was interesting Shelley had come here with no job prospects and didn't seem to know anyone. She also didn't have any money. Secretly, Felicia hoped that would be the criminal's next question.
“My turn again,” said Shelley, eager to move on. She wanted to ask a more useful question this time. “From what I could see while I was being held captive there, it seems your gang was very well organized, and as it turned out, quite willing to flee their base of operations, the place they referred to as ‘The Farm’, at any sign of trouble. So what were their contingency plans for that sort of thing? Did yinz have some predetermined rendezvous point nearby? How were yinz supposed to meet up again if you lost The Farm?”
"Better to lose the farm then to have bought the farm I reckon," Mouse burst into laughter at his own corny joke.
Felicia couldn't stop herself from rolling her eyes.
"Of course we had a contingency plan and a rendezvous point if things went south," Mouse scoffed. "Sounds like they done did it, too. In case the law showed up and we was able to get away, everyone had a point to meet up. Reckon they went there. All I'll say there is it wasn't anywhere close by. There wasn't any communication or nothin'. You either make it there or you don't. After a day or so, those that didn't make were assumed to have been caught, kilt or deserters. Not a whole lot to that there."
Mouse paused a moment. Felicia was disappointed to the vagueness of Mouse's answer. Maybe that was all there was to it. That seemed unlikely if they were highly organized like Miss Higgins suggested. It seemed there were many follow up questions needed here to dig deeper and get additional information. Now it would be Mr. Gatts's turn again. Would he press Shelley more on how she came to be in Teal Cove?
"So back to me. Tell me more about what lead you all the way to Texas, Miss Higgins. No job, no money and you come clear across the country. They say all there is in Texas is steers and queers. You don't look like a dyke and you sure as hell ain't no rancher. What big opportunity was here or was you runnin' from something... or someone?"
OOC: I'll be gone this weekend from Friday through Sunday and unlikely to post until I get back. Likely Monday or Tuesday of next week.
“My turn again,” said Shelley, eager to move on. She wanted to ask a more useful question this time. “From what I could see while I was being held captive there, it seems your gang was very well organized, and as it turned out, quite willing to flee their base of operations, the place they referred to as ‘The Farm’, at any sign of trouble. So what were their contingency plans for that sort of thing? Did yinz have some predetermined rendezvous point nearby? How were yinz supposed to meet up again if you lost The Farm?”
"Better to lose the farm then to have bought the farm I reckon," Mouse burst into laughter at his own corny joke.
Felicia couldn't stop herself from rolling her eyes.
"Of course we had a contingency plan and a rendezvous point if things went south," Mouse scoffed. "Sounds like they done did it, too. In case the law showed up and we was able to get away, everyone had a point to meet up. Reckon they went there. All I'll say there is it wasn't anywhere close by. There wasn't any communication or nothin'. You either make it there or you don't. After a day or so, those that didn't make were assumed to have been caught, kilt or deserters. Not a whole lot to that there."
Mouse paused a moment. Felicia was disappointed to the vagueness of Mouse's answer. Maybe that was all there was to it. That seemed unlikely if they were highly organized like Miss Higgins suggested. It seemed there were many follow up questions needed here to dig deeper and get additional information. Now it would be Mr. Gatts's turn again. Would he press Shelley more on how she came to be in Teal Cove?
"So back to me. Tell me more about what lead you all the way to Texas, Miss Higgins. No job, no money and you come clear across the country. They say all there is in Texas is steers and queers. You don't look like a dyke and you sure as hell ain't no rancher. What big opportunity was here or was you runnin' from something... or someone?"
OOC: I'll be gone this weekend from Friday through Sunday and unlikely to post until I get back. Likely Monday or Tuesday of next week.
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