It Never Rains (But It Pours)

The Goon Squad

Adam sat on a hard chair in an uncomfortable interview room. Across from him sat a couple of stern-looking men in suits. One was Caucasian, had dark hair and blue eyes, and went by the name of Agent Carson Daly. The other was African American with dark eyes and short-cropped hair and was called Agent Usher Raymond. At least they were both nice to look at, especially Agent Raymond. But neither was particularly friendly.

Of course, it didn't help that Blake had come perilously close to getting into a fight with the police who'd come to collect Adam. Once Blake had his arms around Adam, he'd refused to let him go. Adam finally understood why his new friend had been sedated and restrained back at the hospital. Apparently, Adam was the only one he trusted, and the big man was like an over-protective guard dog. Blake had held Adam tightly and all but growled at the officers. The police had been getting more and more alarmed and irritated while Adam had visions of them both being tasered, handcuffed, and tossed into a cell. But somehow, Adam had been able to convince his new pet sasquatch that it was fine for him to go with the police, he'd be alright, and would return soon. That, and physically prying off Blake's arms, had gotten Blake to finally let him go and stop giving threatening looks to the police officers, but he hadn't looked like he'd really believed it. Adam hadn't really believed it, either. But at least he'd kept Blake from outright attacking the officers. Otherwise, Adam suspected they'd both be on their way to an Undisclosed Location right now.

Blake had looked like an abandoned orphan as he'd stood at the doorway, watching as Adam went down the hall with the officers. When Adam had looked back, just before stepping into the elevator, Blake had his fists clenched and looked almost ready to cry. "Go back in the room, Blake!" Adam ordered. "Lock the door and stay there and just wait for me!"

At first, Adam thought Blake would come charging down the hall after him. But instead, the big man's shoulders slumped, his head dropped, and he turned and went back into the room.

Adam found himself slinking out like a deadbeat dad leaving his child behind. Guilt weighed heavily on his shoulders.

The two goons across from him now were certainly looking at him like a guilty man. On the way in, Adam had noticed the black SUV with the bone-shaped bumper sticker that read "I heart big mutts (and I cannot lie)." Apparently, one of these guys was affectionate about oversized canines. It had given him a bit of hope that he might be facing someone with at least a sense of humor. But being a dog lover didn't seem to make either man any friendlier.

It seemed Homeland Security was very interested in what had happened at his apartment. These two agents obviously believed Adam had answers. Unfortunately, Adam wasn't able to offer much information. "I was sound asleep, and then there was this big explosion and I ended up trapped under my bed," he said again.

"Your neighbor, a Jeff Gold?" Agent Daly asked. He'd done almost all of the talking so far. "He told us that you were part of a terrorist cell. He said the explosion came from a bomb you were keeping in your car."

"My neighbor, Jeff Gold, is an idiot and a douchebag," Adam informed him. "I couldn't keep my window open in good weather because I'd get high off of the smoke from all the crack that moron did. He also sings on a regular basis, and I've heard better singing from fighting tom cats. If you haven't guessed, we do not get along. Just last month, he left a bag of flaming dog shit on my doorstep after I threw a rotten egg at his radiator when he dinged my car with his door. We had words, we got into a fist fight, I beat the shit out of him, and he's hated me ever since. That asshole was filming it while I nearly died in a fire. I'm not part of any terrorist cell, and I most certainly did not keep a bomb in my car. Don't you think that would have been pretty stupid? When whatever it was went boom, I was nearly killed!"