ＳＫＩＰ 'ｓ
Ｐ.Ｏ.Ｖ.
Three days later
“PUG! OPEN the fucking door!” I shout rapidly knocking like I want to get my knuckles broken. The heat of the sun burning my eyes together with the sweat after that hell of a bike ride.
“What? Kid, what? What d’ya want?” The door finally flies open. I push my way in and start cleaning up.
“Cops are coming.” I look back at him.
He stares at me, frowning. “What?”
“Well close the door!” I say as I hide the guns in the middle of clothes and throw them in the washing machine. Pug slams the door, but instead of hearing the door click we hear a pained ‘humph’. I stand up as Pug opens the door away from a foot that blocked it to let a bunch of officers come into view.
The officer clears his throat and uses his deepest tone. “Sir, we have a warrant to search the premises. Please step aside.”
Pug makes way for them and stands by the table. “But ‘f course! Come on in!”
The officers enter the hut and spread all around. They rummage through everything and disappear into the darkness of the other rooms.
“Can I ask what’s wrong?” Pug seats his large hands into his pocket as he smiles to the cop standing before him.
“Clear!” We hear another deep voice from one of the rooms.
The officer glances at the room before turning back to Pug. “A woman is missing. Amelia Wilfred. Have you seen her anywhere?” The officer replies as if he’s said that line a thousand times getting out a picture. By the time I get to the table he already has that image back in his pocket. I put my hands in my own and lean on the table.
I can hear her. I hear her muffled screams. I kick Pug with my leg and he starts coughing. Loud ugly coughs, the ones that only a heavy smoker like that old dude can fake. I notice the officer watch me, he opens his mouth to say something before he is interrupted by Pug.
“Sadly not, sir, sorry ‘bout that.”
“You got anything?” A tall man rushes in. His green eyes scan the place before landing on the officer.
“Clear!” The officers shout from the other room. The tall man’s expression falls and I can see his chest rapidly moving up and down. The officer turns to him and sighs in evident exasperation.
“Noah! Noah, you aren’t supposed to get in there!” A black haired man with a light beard runs in after him and pulls him by his shoulder. I look up at Pug, the name definitely not new to my ears, and I see it. The corner of his lip twitching, trying to prevent a smile. The orange-brown haired man pushes the other off of his shoulder and runs to us, his hand fiddling in his pocket. He gets out a phone and looks at its screen before almost shoving it into Pug’s face.
“This woman. This right here. You sure you haven’t seen her?” He pleads pointing at his screen with every word.
“No, like I was just sayin’ to the gentleman right’ere.” Pug no longer fighting his smile, points at the officer before placing his hands back in his pockets.
“Come, Noah, she’s not here.” The black haired man walks up to him again and wraps his arm around his shoulder, hardly reaching it because of the height difference, though not really, and walks him out.
Soft cries escape the wood beneath our feet. I kick Pug’s leg again and he goes coughing. “He’s a smoker.” I smile to the cop. The officer nods at me and looks back at Pug.
“Ey, Noah, right?” Pug raises his head at the men, his smile now wide enough to show his golden tooth. They stop and the tall man looks behind at Pug.
“I really hope y’find her.” His smile is so wide, his thin lips get even thinner showing his narrow yellow teeth with hints of blacks. He pulls up his eyebrows and widens his eyes at Noah, that ugly smile of his getting bigger. Almost enough for his face to open in halves. I scoff at him at look at the door. The tall man, Noah, frowns, words forming on his mouth, but don’t dare leave it. His eyebrows are contemplating on whether to be pulled together or pulled up. He pushes his friend and marches pointing at Pug. “You-”
“What are you doing?! Come now we have to leave!” His friend pulls him back.
“It’s him!” He jumps at us only to be held back by the other’s arms.
“That’s enough, Noah, enough!” He pulls him and stumbles back.
“It’s him! He took her! It’s him!” He keeps jumping at us, but the officers are now also pushing him out.
“Thank you, sir, sorry for bothering you.” The officer taps his hat before following the mad cat and the rest out.
They close the door. Now it’s silent except for two people screaming. The woman, and the man looking for her. My curiosity beats me and I run to the porch. All the cars have left, except one. The ‘Noah’ dude is shouting, but is held in place by the other as he holds the car door open.
“Come on, don’t tell me you didn’t hear that!” Noah shouts waving his arm at the hut. Breathing gets harder and my heartbeats start getting loud. Too loud. The kind that will have them hear it kind of loud. My feet quickly carry me behind the pole. I carry my heart in hand and peek at them again.
Could he have heard her?
“What was I supposed to hear huh?” The man slams his hand on the open door.
“Oh come on! And you call yourself a detective? My wife’s life is in your hands! I can’t believe it!” Noah pokes the other man’s chest his eyes filled with rage.
“What did you hear?!”
“That man’s voice! His accent! Don’t tell me you didn’t recognize it!?”
Pug that fucking idiot.
That fucking double X large idiot.
“So what?! Every Hilly-Billy is Leah’s kidnapper now?!”
“Oh come on! I know that voice! That voice was in the Goddamn call!”
“Noah, it’s been three days since the call. You may have just mixed it up.”
“I can’t believe you.” His pitch raises in disbelief, offended.
“Just get in the car, we’ll talk later.” The detective pushes him inside the car.
“David, please, just listen to me.”
“Get in the car, or I’ll arrest you for trespassing. I will have no further discussions.”
I stride back into the hut and slam the door shut. “Really, man, really?”
Pug looks up to me with complete indifference. “What, kid?”
I raise my lips in disgust. “‘I hope y’find her’!?” I imitate him flailing my arms in the air.
“Ey and what’s wrong with that? Ha?”
I walk to the guns in the washing machine and get them out before that dumbhead decides to wash them. “He almost fucking found you out that’s what’s wrong!”
“Well he didn’t. So what’s the fuss for eh?”
I sigh and dial Boss. He’s got some news to listen to.
He won’t be fucking happy.