The Fugitive

Chapter 12 Caden Roltin

Caden Roltin was indubitably pleased with his little episode with Alice's foster fathers. The evidence of that pleasure crept up his face and bent his lips into a satisfied smirk.

A sudden burst of tunes filled the air. Swiftly, Caden fished out his cellphone.
"Caden speaking,"

"Mr Roltin, we have captured the girl." A sweaty voice sounded from the other end. "She put up a darn good fight alright. But, she fell unconscious soon enough, because of the wounds she sustained from the car crash."

Caden hummed in acknowledgment
"Good good. I'm assuming the police disguises worked well."

"Yes they did, Mr Roltin. Alice and her companions were certainly fooled."

"Well done. Lock them up at our Frankston Headquarters. I'll meet them there tomorrow."

"Will do, sir."

Without exchanging goodbyes, Caden cut the line with an air of sophistication. He would need to leave tonight, if it meant reaching Frankston tomorrow morning to catch a glimpse of the twins.

Yes... yes. Everything was going according to plan. Caden looked outside the window beside him. Onto the ragged streets of Drenal. Somehow, seeing things this way uplifted him. He was only satisfied when he was superior to people. Anything else and he would dispose of them, promptly.

Alice's mother, Halo, was one of those unfortunately fortunate people who was supposedly superior to Caden. Or perhaps, in Halo's mind, Caden and herself were merely good friends.

"Halo," Caden formed her name on his lips. "I hope you'll forgive me." He smiled sarcastically.
"Is that what you wanted me to say?"

He stared hard at the streets, as though he could somehow evoke a response from that garbage strewn asphalt.

"I'll crush your daughters the same way I crushed you, and your husband. I'll ensure that not a trace of your beloved family will be left when I'm through with Alice and Ashley-"

Caden's ears caught muffled footsteps behind the door of his room. A knock swiftly followed.
"Caden, it's me Officer Dulead."

"Ah, yes Keats. Come in."

The police officer's strikingly hooked nose met Caden's eyes first.
"You talk to yourself far too much." Keats Dulead remarked, seating himself on a chair opposite Caden.

"I wasn't talking to myself, you see. I was addressing Halo."

Keats stopped short. Pretending to be stern he said, "It's never good to talk to the dead. I hope you're well aware of that."

Caden laughed mildly. "Why are you here?"

Keats' initially light-hearted face turned dark, like a huge dark cloud overlapping the sun.
"Alice and Ashley are not the only ones who are alive."

Caden only just managed to digest those words.
"It's the boy, isn't it?" He said finally, his tone creeping with disgust. The aura of satisfaction around him had transformed into annoyance.

"Yes," Keats said slowly, as if prolonging the word would produce some kind of mutual understanding between the two. And it did.
Caden did not look as disturbed as he did before.

"Yes," he aped Keats' words absent-mindedly. "No matter, we'll find him. Just make sure the news of the two kidnapped girls are given a small section in the news. We might never know who'll see it." He lifted his eyebrow knowingly. Keats understood.

"Yes, sir."

Keats Dulead was more than a mere police officer. He was a news reporter, a lawyer, a businessman, a secretary and really anything Caden wanted him to be. But, the one form he permanently assumed was one of a loyal accomplice.

The multi-talented man extracted himself from the chair and headed towards the door.
"Oh yes, and one more thing," Keats said looking back quite suddenly.
"One of Alice's foster fathers committed a blatant murder down in the jail right after you left. He strangled a police officer to death."

"Really now?" inquired an impressed Caden. "What punishment do we have in store for murderers?"

"Death," Keats smiled maliciously.

"Excellent. It's amazing what people do for the sake of loved ones." Caden resumed his search for answers outside the window. Keats closed the door behind him as quietly as possible, leaving Caden Roltin to his own devices.

An unseen tear trickled down Caden's cheek. "I'm sorry, Halo."

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