Errand Runners

Chapter 28

Judging by the apparent panic spreading throughout the station, Ryker kept his position. The loaded gun was held steady in Nole’s direction, and although he was slightly comforted by the fact that Betty seemed to be free, it wasn’t much of a consolation on his end.

“You think they won’t hear the gunshot?” Nole pointed out in a desperate attempt to stay alive.

“It’s self defense after you murdered my beloved partner,” he sneered unapologetically. “Of course, I’m going to plant your prints on the blade like we did on the knife used to kill the doctor. You left plenty of prints on the scene, so it wasn’t too difficult to transfer them to the murder weapon.”

All the pieces began fitting together, except for the 'we'.

“Did you lure my brother here?” he asked level-headedly.

“You’re brother? You’re still worrying about that sorry excuse for family?” Ryker ridiculed. “That kid came to Central all on his own. He actually went up to the Enforcers and started rambling on and on about past gang crimes. Heck, he even suspected that there was some foul play on our end. I think he could’ve actually caught on to me if he weren’t so fixated on some murder.”

“He’s fixated on it because you framed me,” Nole defended, earning a shove from Ryker.

“A different murder,” Ryker simplified, a look of disinterest cast upon his features. “I think it’s time to end the conversation.”

Ignoring the traitorous Ryker’s request, Nole was stuck on the information that was just revealed to him. Not Murphy’s death? It dawned on him almost instantly.

Mom.

MM... Mom’s Murder.

He’s been investigating her murder this whole time. That’s why he’s so interested in the crime news and gang developments. That’s why he went to the Enforcers. How could I have missed that? He scolded himself for missing something so obvious.

The hammer of the gun was pressed down as Ryker prepared the shot. Uninterrupted by the chaos outside, the man was unfazed by whatever was happening beyond the confines of the room; that is, until someone came storming in.

“Sgt. Ryker!” Hadley shouted, “I’ll handle Vale, you and Bellamy need to…” When her eyes landed on Bellamy’s body, her mouth hung open in disbelief. “Bellamy!” she screamed, rushing to his side. “Ryker, get a doctor!” she ordered, her hands inspecting the slit in his throat. The scene was eerily familiar to Nole.

Despite the command, Ryker didn’t move. “What the hell happened?” Captain Hadley demanded, desperately trying to revive her dead comrade. Neither Nole nor Ryker responded at first, but then Ryker seized the opportunity to regain control of the situation.

“Vale slit his throat before I could stop him.” Ryker faked devastation and helplessness. The phony expression of sadness on his face made Nole sick. A deadly look of anger enveloped Hadley’s face when her eyes landed on the switchblade. Her silence crept on until she could finally say something.

“I’m taking you down for this,” she seethed, not lifting her head from the table. Nole wavered from the intensity in her tone. He had no idea how to go about revealing that one of her comrades is a traitor and a murderer. “You’re a dead man,” she said between clenched teeth.

A wide smirk spread across Ryker’s face and he holstered his gun when he noticed Hadley reaching for her own. The hallways became silent and Nole presumed that the on-duty Enforcers had all exited the building by that point. He wondered about what was causing all of them to protect the entrance. It seemed too soon for Tom and the Paras to have showed up, so perhaps Zane was making a last stand.