One Batch Two Batch Heaven and Hell

Untitled Part 12

 Hours after lunch Layla and Matt made their way to the police station, stopping briefly at his apartment to drop off her belongings.

"Miss Castiglione," detective Blake called out as the pair made their way towards the rear of the building where he and Hoffman were standing, not far from Officer Mahoney.

"So happy to see you decided to stick around town."

"Detective Blake, Detective Hoffman," she greeted both men, "of course I stuck around. Only guilty people run, well that and cowards but seeing as I'm neither a murderer nor scared, I see no reason to tuck tail and run."

Beside her Matt shifted, small lines forming around his eyes just behind his glasses, a tale tell sign of amusement she was beginning to notice.

"Well, Mia. Can I call you Mia?" at his question she gave a small shrug, not caring what he called her as long as it wasn't her real name. "Since," he continued "you have nothing to hide and nothing to worry about then perhaps you wouldn't mind answering just a few more questions before you leave would you?"

"I was under the impression," Matt stepped in, those amused lines now gone from his face, a mask of seriousness now present in his features. " that the district attorney's office had dropped all charges against my client. Unless there's something I'm missing here?"

"Not at all, unless your client has something she would like to tell all of us, the DA dropped the charges sure. That doesn't mean we can't ask her about a few things, like the contents of the bag she was carrying at the time of the murder, or how your file just so happened to vanish from our system right after you all left the building yesterday."

"Ok, we're done here. I don't recall you having a warrant for her personal effects, and unless you're going to try to re-charge my client formally then we're going, we're not going to just stand here while you slander my client with baseless accusations. This unfortunate event has disrupted her life enough as it is, now if you will excuse us I do believe Officer Mahoney has some paperwork for us to sign so my client can get on with the rest of her life."

"That's fine," Blake replied as Layla took Matt's arm and started to move towards a waiting Brett Mahoney, stopping when blake put a hand on Matt's shoulder, leaning in close to him, "I'm sure we'll be seeing you both around real soon Murdock."

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Walking out of the police station with her freedom should have felt like a victory but after the confrontation with the detectives, it felt like anything but. The farther away from the building she and Matt got she tried to collect herself without success.

As if he could feel the tension rising in her nervous system Matt gave her arm a gentle squeeze, his fingers rubbing soothingly back and forth where they rested.

"Take a deep breath," he said quietly as he leaned in, his breath ghosting against her cheek and ear as he spoke, "they're grasping at straws. They're pawns in whatever is going on, tonight, tonight we start getting some answers."

"You're right," she nodded, "so, where do we start?"

"First food, you'll be no good to me if you pass out or if your stomach is growling so loud I can't hear anything," he smirked at her, helping ease some of the tension, "then we head back to my place and do a quick change. I have something you might can wear to help hide your identity."

"Are you telling me you got a buy one get one deal on your leather pajamas?"

"Ha, not hardly. The suit is one of a kind I'm afraid, this is gonna be a bit primitive but should do the job."