Lure Me In

CHAPTER TWO: The Truth

                   

To Elara, it was perfect, amusing, irony that the police station stank of stale coffee and bad life choices. That didn't stop her nose from crinkling ever so slightly.

            Inside, the walls were a dreary grey colour. Pamphlets hung on the wall, informing the reader of a variety of different topics: drugs, alcohol, teen pregnancy, impaired driving. Three dull, blue chairs were pushed against the left wall. A heavy-looking door took up the opposite wall. In between, facing the front doors, was a counter with thick glass protecting the staff.

            A woman greeted Elara from behind the glass. She was a thick woman, wearing a wool sweater and a big smile. Her peppered hair was tied tightly into a low bun near the nape of her neck. Her eyes matched the station walls and seemed to stare right through her. Elara suddenly felt naked and vulnerable under her gaze.

            "What can I help you with today?" She inquired pleasantly through the small, circular grate. 

            Elara fidgeted under her watch. "Uh – my brother called me from here. I'm here to pick him up." Her eyes darted around. Internally, she scolded herself for worrying; her record was sterile and clean. She couldn't even remember the last time she had broken a rule.

            The woman nodded, poised to type on the keyboard attached to her desktop. "I'll need his full name and your ID."

            "Michael Aaron Rodiek. R-O-D-I-E-K." She rummaged around in her leather purse until she could pull the small plastic license out of her wallet. Elara slid it through the slit in the glass for the woman to inspect. "I'm his sister," she offered.

            Elara watched her scan the screen slowly, and then inspect the identification before sliding it back. She could see her lips purse and wrinkle with thought.

            "He'll have to remain here until a judge can see him. In less than seventy-two hours, the judge may set a bail in which you can pay. It says he still lives with your parents, correct?" Elara stared blankly at her, lost in her thoughts. Her brain ran through all the possible things that Mike could have done to land himself in such a situation. The woman repeated herself, bringing Elara back to attention.

            "With our father, yes. My mother doesn't live with us anymore." If Elara wasn't paranoid enough about getting in trouble for something, it only got worse as the half-truth came out of her mouth. Technically, Mike's papers and identification still said that he lived at home but, he rarely even came around anymore. Elara didn't want to make matters worse by revealing that she really didn't know where he lived or how stable his living arrangements were.

            The woman nodded, "I can take you back to see him if you'd like."

            "I'd appreciate that, thank you," Elara responded, still half-dazed. The woman muttered something about preparing a room for the siblings to talk as she disappeared out of sight.

            When she returned, she opened the metal door and led Elara down the hallway. Some of the doors read 'in use' but, Elara thought the wall had to have been thick considering her couldn't hear any voices. The only thing she could hear was the dull white noise of the fans above and the sounds of their shoes below.

            At the second last door, the woman shuffled Elara in and motioned for her to sit down at the table. She changed the sign to match the other occupied rooms. An officer would escort Michael in at any time now, she spoke before closing the door behind her.

            In the thirty seconds that Elara sat there alone, her brain had gone through more awful scenarios about her brother's situation than she could count on both her hands and feet.