Chord ✔️

Chapter 68

My other boss, Bryce, is with Officer Malloney at the police station, and I already know that they've come to an agreement on Pete's behalf. I also know that the police station is now flooded with reporters eager to hear the story of what happened in the Radium Room, and eager to finally unmask the infamous South Bridge Stalker. In about a half hour, Officer Malloney is going to issue a statement to the press. It will read roughly as follows;

Earlier tonight, two young girls and one young man were abducted and held hostage at gun point in a building on Pennsylvania Avenue, formerly known as the Radium Room night club. Two of the hostages were shot by the suspect, and the other was badly assaulted. I can confirm that the suspect was shot dead at the scene and that the three victims are now being treated for their injuries at South Bridge General. We wish them a speedy recovery, and our thoughts are with them at this difficult time.  

For the avoidance of speculation and doubt, I want to clarify that the now deceased suspect has been confirmed as the so-called 'South Bridge Stalker'. Investigations have been concluded and further enquiries are not being made, meaning I can issue the long awaited details regarding the SBS attacks. However, the deceased will not be named at the request of his next of kin. I realise that protecting this mans identity will be frustrating for many, especially those who were attacked by him over the past twelve months, but I can say this: He had a lengthy criminal record as well as underlying mental health issues and substance misuse issues. The motivation behind all of his random attacks remains unclear, however we are confident that he was an opportunistic criminal with an unpredictable personality, and profiling tells us that this can often result in such irrational and seemingly unstructured behaviour.

Regarding the incident earlier tonight, enquiries lead us to strongly believe that the deceased was targeting Chord Moore, son of Patrick and Jamie Moore, who was recently reported to be living in our neighbouring town of North Bridge. The motivation behind this was purely monetary. The deceased abducted friends of Mr Moore and planned to lure him to the Radium Room, however this plan was poorly executed and did not come to fruition. That said, Mr Moore's friends have been subject to a terrible ordeal tonight, resulting in lasting trauma and unneeded injury. 

Tonight's events, while tragic, have brought about the ending to what has been a troubling and unsettling year for this great city. No questions will be taken, and this case is officially closed. I am sure you will join me in wishing Mr Moore, his friends and his family all the best in the days to come and going forward. Thank you for your time.  

So that's what everyone will be told. The press, the people of North and South Bridge, Chord's parents, Jax's parents (Pete has already talked to them and fed them this story), Scar's mom, Chord's friends - Dash, Drake and Ryan. Everyone. The only people who know the truth about Joaquin are the involved employees of MKV Security like myself, the police officers who were involved, Chord, Scar, Jax and Penn. Jess knows the truth too, of course, but she's in police custody so Pete isn't worried about her. The only slight worry is Axel, the boy we would know absolutely nothing about if it weren't for Scar and Penn's eye witness accounts. The police weren't able to find him and Jess hasn't mentioned him, so as far as criminal responsibility goes, Axel has completely gotten away with this. It's frustrating to say the least, but it doesn't mean it's over. We'll look for him after the dust settles, and hopefully we'll find him. 

For now, making sure this story is straight with Chord, Scar, Jax and Penn is what's important. Pete will probably come down on me like a tonne of bricks later for allowing Penn to walk off on his own and then for allowing Chord out of my sight, but I don't care. Pete may be Chord's uncle, but he hasn't spent the time around him that I have since we moved to North Bridge. I've seen such a change in Chord ever since he met Scar, and while I've never had anything against the kid, I didn't like him all that much before. He was my assignment and nothing more, but now? Now, I really do consider Chord a friend. Since he started college and since he met Scar and since he met Penn, Drake and Dash, he's gone from an angry, immature little boy to a man. The girl he loves could have wound up dead tonight, so if allowing them fifteen minutes on their own is going to get me into trouble with my superiors, fine. I'll gladly take the heat later.