Dressed in an orange jumpsuit, Edward Laverne was seated in the middle of the room. Aside from a single chair, a table and small window, there was nothing else to be illuminated by the naked bulb hanging above us. Laverne was reclining back in the plastic chair, his hands lay clasped on the table, a smug smile decorating his lips.
"I'll be right outside." The guard said and handed John something. I watched as the guard closed the door shut behind him, leaving alone with the fiend.
"Miss me already?" Laverne asked, his eyes aglow with mischief.
John pushed me behind his back and didn't waste any time. John walked over to him and something rang as it hit the metal, bolted to the ground, table.
"What's this?" I heard Laverne ask, a hint of curiosity in his voice. Peaking over Johns shoulder, I noticed that John had placed a piece of paper and pencil before Laverne. Laverne's face contorted with confusion as he started at the materials before him.
"Write the words Tango and Sierra." John ordered and Laverne answered by putting his hands in the air, showing the shackles binding his wrists.
"No can do Johnny." He grinned, shaking his hands for good measure, the metal clinking against one another.
"Try." Johns voice sent shivers up my spine.
"And if I don't want to?" He asked reclining back in the chair and in the blink of an eye, John was no longer standing in front of me. Instead, his hand was curled around a doe eyed Laverne's neck.
"You will." John hissed into his ear. Laverne flailed about wildly, desperate to get a breath, but John squeezed harder. For a second I thought John was going to choke him into unconsciousness, but at the last second Laverne shouted out.
"O-ooo-kay!" He wheezed out and John let go of him. Taking in deep breaths, Laverne awkwardly took hold of the pencil and began scribbling on the paper. Walking over, I stared at the paper unable to understand what was written on it.
"He told you to write, not doodle." I said in my most even voice.
"I'll take that as a compliment." Laverne rasped, wincing.
"Write the words." I said crossing my arms.
"My my Johnny, didn't think your woman wore the pants in this relationship." Looking at John, I shook my head. This was just another ploy to rile us up.
"Why don't you just write the words so you can go back to rotting in your cell like the scum you are?" I asked sweetly, which earned me a smile from Laverne and a stoic expression from John.
"That's more like it!" Laverne laughed a throaty laugh and rubbed at his neck. "But sorry I couldn't impress you." He said nodding towards the paper.
I looked at the paper again and realized that the squiggles actually did amount to the words Tango and Sierra. It looked nothing like the artistic loops of the notes that were being left behind at the murder scenes. Looking up at John, his face remained cryptic.
"Write your name." I said pushing the paper back at him.
"I can assure you sweetheart, I know how to write" He said picking the pencil back up, but he wasn't holding it like before. This time the pencil was clasped in his fist like a knife.
"John!" I yelled just as Laverne swiveled in his chair, trying to drive the pencil into Johns leg. John jumped back and grabbed the back of Laverne neck, slamming him into the table. A spew of curses exploded from his wretched mouth as John held him against the table. I grabbed the pencil out of his hand and watched Laverne wither.
"GAURD!" Laverne screamed bloody murder, trying to buck John off of him. I heard the door open and watched as the guard took one look inside and closed the door again. "Pig!"
"Outsmarted by kids." I said seeing his rage build. "Two minors, undermined your entire scheme."
"Shut up!" He yelled, spit flying all over the table.
"But it's the truth. Your filthy hands will no longer contaminate the pool of innocent pool." This gained me an uproarious laugh.
"You need my filthy hands!" He screamed and wriggled in the chair. "You need me!"
"Do we, do we really?" I asked taking a step closer and leaned in. John held his face pressed horizontal to the metal and Laverne looked at me murder in his gaze.
"You wouldn't be here." He hissed. "You need me for something."
"Oh that's where you're wrong." I smiled, an idea worming its way into my thoughts. "You're nothing."
I took a step back and walked towards the door. John let him go and followed after me. I folded up the paper and tried to blackout the vicious slew of curses escaping Lavernes mouth. Without another word, John banged on the door and the guard open it. Even when the door closed shut, I was still able to hear his throaty screams. Not a word was spoken between us until we were outside and in the parking lot.
"Didn't he have to sign documents when he was served with a court order?" I asked thinking back to my days of working with John on the Ride-A-Longs. A knowing smile grew on Johns face and he nodded. Pulling out his cell phone, I watched him press a few buttons.
"Blake, do we have Edward Laverne signature on the court ruling?-yes, okay-what does the signature look like?-exactly what I asked-alright, thanks." John hung up the phone and ran a hand through his hair. "Blake said that the signature resembled that a of a five year old."
Pulling out the paper, I soothed out the wrinkles and together we looking at the scribbles. It did look like that of a child, not a diabolical evil.
"So then Laverne didn't write those letters." I said mulling over the information. "Sam must've lied, but why?
"Lets go find out."
When we got back to my house, the front door was unlocked, but no one was home. Sam was long gone. Letting out a frustrated sigh, I collapsed onto the couch and pulled at my hair. He was right in our hands and we let him go. I never fully trusted him, and I cursed myself for trusting whatever motive compelled me to believe in him in the first place. John sat down beside me and placed a warm hand onto my knee.
"Try to get some rest, I'm going to see if I can get us a lead." He said standing up.
"I'm coming with you." I said standing up with him, but he pushed me back onto the couch, hovering over me. Wrapping my fingers around his shirt, I pulled him down to me, my lips inches away from his.
"I'm just going to call a few people." He whispered, his breath warm against my skin.
"You promised me that we were a team." I whispered back, feeling my body heat up under him.
"That I did." He said and tried to kiss me, but at the last moment I turned my head to the side and his lips brushed against my cheek.
"Are my parents safe?" I asked the couch cushion, knowing my question was selfish.
"He's only after me." John said, holding himself over me.
"Why?" I asked for the hundredth time, still unable to look at him.
"Because I'm the one that got away." Before either of us could say anything, the sound of the door closing broke us apart.
"Sophie?" I heard my mother's voice call.
"In here!" I said, soothing out my clothes and John reclined into the sofa, trying to look relaxed. As soon as she stepped into the room, mom gave out a delighted squeal.
"Sophie didn't tell me you were supposed to stop by today!" She greeted, enveloping him in a hug.
"He surprised me too." I jumped in and mom gave a small nod.
"You'll stay for dinner wont you?" She asked John, who in turn gave me a sharp look.
"John has to get to work." I said.
"It'll be ready in five minutes, I promise!" Mom disregarded my comment and disappeared.
"Can you call your contacts from here?" I asked.
Pulling out his cell phone, I listened to John call multiple numbers, requesting for reports to be filed and answering questions that were unrelated to our situation. At one point he stood up and begin pacing about, shoving his free hand into his pocket. Feeling useless, I patted his shoulder and walked into the kitchen, with the intent of helping mom, but true to her word, food was already on the table. As my eyes gobbled up the delicious looking food, my stomach cheered in approval. Mom herded us to the table and told us to eat while she excused herself to freshen up.
While we ate, John told me about how he asked the precinct to file a missing person report in hopes of someone being able to identify Sam. But, before he was able to tell me more, a shrill buzzing sound interrupted him. As he answered the phone, I watched his face become a mask in an instant. Although I wasn't able to decipher what was being said, the analytical look on his face told me the news couldn't have been good. The conversation didn't last more than two minutes, but the silence that came after putting the phone back into his pocket, seemed to last a lifetime.
"That was Jane." He said looking into my eyes. "This morning, the juvenile facility Sam was detained in put out an alert for a 10-17."
"What's that?" I asked racking my brain for the code, but came up empty.
"An escaped prisoner- Samuel Larsnik, he was reported missing this morning."