FicWad

Stokes and Bramall stood in the warehouse office where Bronx had been held; the empty car seat still in the corner. Pete was seated on a broken-backed chair and slumped over the desk leaning on his arms. The detectives had questions, so did he in fact. Ironically, most of them were the same.

“I told you what happened,” he insisted. “Ash escaped and I beat up Houseman when he said he was going after her.”
“You beat him up? You?” Stokes raised an eyebrow. “He’s over six foot and twice your build.”
“That psycho had my baby! Do you have kids, Detective Stokes?” Pete asked meaningfully.
“Yeah, I got two boys. And, yeah,” he nodded his understanding. “I’d do anything to protect them too.”

Pete nodded feeling that Stokes at least empathised with him, even if he didn’t believe him.

“So, you said you were knocked unconscious?”
“Look, it’s all a bit fuzzy. I can smell that stuff again, they…”
“What stuff?”
“Some sort of drug, on a cloth. I’m pretty sure they knocked me out,” he frowned as the pain in his jaw and head conspired to confirm his thoughts. “But, I guess he wanted to keep me out. What about the other guy?” Pete queried.
“The other guy?” Stokes raised an eyebrow at the fact that Pete had mentioned him without being prompted. “You mean the guy we found strangled in the meat locker?”

Pete looked up, his eyes full of disbelief. Forming words with his lips but no sound emerged; Pete was the very picture of bewilderment.

“Strangled?” Pete’s closed his eyes tightly as something occurred to him for the first time. “Am I under arrest here?”
“It’s very possible,” Stokes replied checking his watch. “Question is, is it just you, or both of you?”
“Both! You mean Ash? No way, man! We’re the victims here! It’s Patrick you want to find.”
“We’ve had him in custody for three hours.”
“That’s not possible,” Pete shook his head. “He was here… I think.”

Pete dropped his head into his hands once more, fighting the confusion that ate away at him. Whatever the drug was they had used on him, it had certainly made the last half hour of their attempted escape a hazy memory.

Stokes stepped to one side to discuss the unusual string of events surrounding the case.

“This just gets weirder,” Stokes shook his head. “By all accounts, they’re pretty close, but he’s saying it was Stump, but if he’s right and he was here, he’d have to be in two places at once.”
“Add to that the finest piece of acting ever, or a genuinely confused reaction. I’d say your hunch was right… but I don’t know how!” Bramall agreed. “Unless, do you think he’s snapped or something? You know, normal one minute, crazy the next?”
“Doesn’t explain how he can be here and at the station,” Stokes mused.
“Wentz isn’t sure about that and his wife doesn’t remember seeing him.”
“Yeah… okay, let’s get a shrink to see him, see what he comes up with. But I still think we should look for another angle, I’m just not buying it.”
“We’ll do both.”
Stokes nodded. “Let’s get him back. See what you can dig up on Stump too.”

*

Andy closed his eyes; the constant steady beeping from the monitors around Joe’s bed, forming a pattern his own heart matched. He was falling asleep; it had been a long and exhausting day.

“Andy?”

At first he thought he was dreaming, the voice was so faint.

“Andy?”

Finally opening his eyes as he heard the voice again. Looking up he could see his friend’s head partially turned to face him, his eyes half open. He still looked very pale and the attempt to talk only seemed to drain him more.

“Joe!” Andy cried, elated. “Are you okay? I’ll get a doctor. Oh God, we thought…”
“No!” Joe cried weakly, trying to extend his arm to stop Andy leaving.
“No, I’m not going anywhere, Joe, I’m just gonna hit the call button.”
“P… Patrick…” Joe stammered.
“It’s okay, we know,” Andy growled angrily.
“Is he safe?” Joe asked quietly, confused by Andy’s reaction.
“Safe?” Andy queried. “He’s been arrested, if that’s what you mean?”

Joe’s brow furrowed; Andy had misunderstood. He could see the anger in the drummer’s eyes. Andy was deeply loyal to his friends; nobody, but nobody could hurt them. The idea that one of their own could do anything so evil had shaken him to the core. But, of course, it wasn’t true.

“No, Andy, Patrick’s in danger, maybe we all are?”
“Patrick tried to kill you!”
“It wasn’t him,” Joe fell back on the pillow exhausted as the door opened. “It’s like he has a twin.”
“Doctor, Joe’s woken…” Andy turned and gasped with surprise as he saw what appeared to be Patrick holding a gun on him. “How? Who are you?”
“Looks like I just got here in time,” Matthew smirked. “I heard on the radio that he was much improved. So, I thought to myself, better get round here and finish the job.”
“Who are you,” Andy demanded a second time.
“I’ll take that to mean you know I’m not Patrick, but Joe was right, I am his twin.”
“Twin?” Andy shook his head. “He never mentioned…”
“I don’t think he knows,” Matthew shrugged. “Doubtless our beloved parents neglected to tell him about his brother, kidnapped almost at birth.”
“If you’re his brother, then why are you doing this? You’ll kill him!”
“Oh! I do hope so!” Matthew snapped back in reply to Andy. “Do you have any idea how difficult it was to find you?” he chuckled. “Not so difficult as it turns out. It might be public knowledge that Patrick’s been arrested, but apparently not that he, or rather I, had the Wentzes under lock and key and, of course, I still have his cell phone.”
“Had? What did you...?” Andy began asking nervously, barely wanting to know the answer.
“You know what? I’m not a Bond style evil genius and I don’t feel the need to reveal all my plans to you. But clearly leaving someone to die doesn’t work, so I’m going to make sure this time.”

Fishing in his pocket, Matthew pulled out a silencer and began fixing it to the end of the barrel of the gun.

Andy’s brow creased deeply There was no escape, no weapon in easy reach; he’d be cut down in moments. There really was only one chance. As Matthew fixed the silencer into place, Andy prayed that it would be enough of a distraction.

Lunging forward, Andy reached for the gun.