15 My debt 2 (2/2)
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A child looking pitiful and dirty and a man dressed in black with a recent bandage on his right hand were facing each other.
They were in a large room, also entirely black, with a tinted plexiglass window integrated into the wall behind the man in black.
The child was tied to the table by handcuffs barely small enough to restrict him, and before him was a cardboard bag with food that he couldn't reach.
”You can play the tough guy as long as you want, we have all the time. I give you water so that you don't die but for the moment nothing forces me to give you food. All you have to do is talk.”
The child didn't seem at all impressed by what he was told, for him, sooner or later it would be they who would crack and this although his belly hasn't stopped gurgling for several days.
”You know, that can take several weeks before starving to death? I think I can keep up another 1 or 2 weeks.”
Psychologically, the closest to imploding was the man in black.
Violence was prohibited during interrogations, but there, he was really tempted to use it.
”Do you think you are so important that we won't let you starve? Think about who you are and you will understand why what you are asking is ridiculous!”
Previously, they had tried to deceive the child by promising him what he asked for with false official documents.
They didn't understand who they were dealing with until he demanded the assistance of a lawyer to recognize the authenticity of the document and a copy of the recording of the interrogation room.
The only thing he hadn't tried with him was the violence and he knew no one was behind the plexiglass window to see him do it.
Before he could even try anything, a woman stormed in the interrogation room.
”Get out of here! I'll take care of him!”
With the door open, he saw his partner waiting outside with another agent he didn't know.
”What the hell is this, Jessica?!”
”Don't argue and go out Murphy. I'll explain it to you.”
He got up from his seat, after all, he was not unhappy that someone else was taking care of this kid.
He was going to go out when the woman called him.
”Pass me the keys to his fucking handcuffs!”
She might be 6 or 7 inches shorter than him in size, but he felt that it was better not to take the risk of angering her further and gave her the keys without arguing.
There were only Lana and the child in the interrogation room now.
”I can't believe these assholes used food deprivation to torture you! Besides that, they didn't even let you take a lawyer! Don't move.”
A tinge of surprise and respect could be seen in his eyes at the sight of this woman who had just defended her.
She approached him and took off his handcuffs, she expected him to throw himself on the bag which was now at hand, but he did nothing.
”What's going on with you? You can eat, go ahead.”
”No.”
She couldn't believe her ears.
'What kind of kid is going on a hunger strike voluntarily?'
”Eating is not urgent for me, I want to solve my problem first.”
'His English is perfect... It almost looks like he comes from an English speaking country.'
”Don't play fools, eat, we'll have plenty of time to talk about it while you do it.”
”I thought you were different, but it looks like you are looking to save time like all the other agents who have spoken to me during the past 4 days.”
”Ah-ah! You have a lot more in common with your father than I thought.”
By telling him that, she wanted to see his reaction to get an idea of their relationships.
She didn't expect to provoke such a reaction in him.
”Never compare me to this person.”
'He looks at me like I'm the worst person in the world, it's not a hatred that can be simulated.'
”I'm sorry. I was told you wanted to negotiate, what do you want?”
'His informations are invaluable, what can give them so much trouble?'
”My grandfather's last wish was for me to come here and live in a normal family. That's all I want.”
'I understand why they couldn't agree.'
”It's impossible... You would endanger the family you will be in if we did this. The only thing we can do is change your identity and protect you, but your life will be anything but normal.”
Oddly, the child smiled at her.
”At least you're honest, thank you. But it's either that or nothing, sorry.”
'He's not a bad boy, he just had no luck in life... No one will ever reach out to him because of his father.'
”Are you alright Madam?”
'It's not inevitable, maybe I can help him.'
”Lazar?”
”Yes.”
”I am a single woman and I live in a messy apartment in downtown Boston...”
”Where are you going with this?”
”I spend most of my free time playing video games or hitting bars with my friends...”
”Uh...”
”Anyway, what I want to tell you is that I'm far from perfect and that I would probably make a horrible mother...”
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Behind the plexiglass window, Spencer was beginning to fear what Lana was going to say.
Agent Murphy and Lorence were already convinced of Lana's madness, but there she was reaching new heights.
”Is that your partner?”
”Oh shut the fuck up! It's difficult enough like that!”
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Lana had finished her monologue on all the reasons she was anything but responsible.
”This is the best I can offer you. I can adopt you and sign a paper within the hour declaring that you are my son, you can live an almost normal life with me. But so that they let you go and to keep you safe, you have to tell them everything you know.”
He didn't answer and had an odd expression on his face, which allowed Lana to realize all the absurdity of what she had just said.
”Uhhh... Sorry, I should never have said...”
”It looks fine to me.”
She hadn't expected this response at all.
”What!”
”You are weird, but you are also a good person, that's fine with me.”
He threw himself on one of the tuna sandwiches in the bag. Lana took this for a sign that he trusted her.
She had just realized the reality of the situation.
Her mother was wrong, she wasn't going to end her life childless.
She turned to the plexiglass window and started to shed tears.
”SPENCER! CALL THE ADOPTION SERVICE! I'M GOING TO BE A MOM!”
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'Damn! What do we pass for Lana!'
”Are you all like that in Boston?”
”We don't kidnap children at least!”