Viper House

Not a Snitch

I sat slumped down in the plastic chair. The cuffs were connected to a bar on the table now. They'd put a cup of water and a bag of chips on the table where I could reach them, but the thought of eating anything made my stomach churn. I stared down at the scuffed tile floor.

I hadn't seen Elijah, or anyone, since they'd put me in the room. I knew that they were watching me through the mirror. I knew that somewhere in the building was the rest of my family. My dad would be denying everything. My mother would be sitting silently. Spencer was probably the one telling them everything. We all knew, though, that I wasn't in there to rat out my parents. They wanted information on Julian and I wasn't going to give it to them. I hadn't last time. I wasn't this time.

My body was shaking. My clothes were soaked. The drugs were wearing off. I didn't know what they were waiting for, but I wished that they would just book me and move on.

The door opened and Elijah stepped in with another man. I watched them wearily. I hadn't thought they'd let Elijah in to question me or even to capture me, but maybe they were afraid I'd have gotten spooked if a familiar face wasn't around.

"We've arrested Mr. Deetz," Elijah said as he sat down in the chair across from me. His partner leaned against the wall next to the door. "He won't be getting out of jail for a long time, and it could be longer if you give us your statement."

I rolled my eyes away. "No thanks."

"You weren't the first child he's molested, Rafe," Elijah said. "You may not believe that, but someone else came forward."

I shrugged. "I really don't give a fuck."

He sighed and opened up the file he had. "We started an investigation about a year ago into the drug ring that you're associated with. We've been trying to capture the leader, but he's always slipped out of grasp. I know you probably aren't going to tell us anything, but we really need your help."

I chuckled, looking back at him. "You need my help? I've been so fucked up on drugs lately, I don't even know who you're talking about."

"Julian de la Cruz's father," Elijah said, not batting an eye. "That's who we're talking about."

I didn't look away. "I don't know who that is."

"Look, Rafe, the sooner we get this done, the sooner we can get you to the hospital to get that infected hand taken care of," Elijah said as he closed the file. "We both know that you know where Julian is. We have the burner cell he gave you. We've had eyes on you for weeks."

"Why Christmas?" I asked, frowning at him. My legs were bouncing up and down. I was craving a high. The cuffs were rattling as my hands shook.

"What?"

"Why did you choose Christmas to bust us? Surely you have something better to do with your time."
Elijah shook his head. "We had an opportunity, and we took it. You're avoiding my question."

I shifted in the chair. It didn't matter how much I moved around; I wasn't going to be comfortable until I got a high. I closed my eyes.

"Can I have a cigarette?"

Elijah nodded at his partner, who stepped forward and pulled out a carton of cigarettes. Elijah fixed the cuffs so I'd actually be able to smoke it. My hands shook as the cop lit the cigarette. It wouldn't take away the withdrawal symptoms, but I hoped it would take some of the edge off.