Couch is absolutely awful. It's hard like a sack of rocks, sitting on the ground on this point would be a better option.
Honestly this couch looks like something from the latest home decor magazines and matches the whole home vibe really well. But whoever picked this couch, did it only on appearance basis without taking into account that someone will sit on it.
And it is a shame because shit looks expensive. I thought that the more you pay the better quality you get. Now I see it's not always a universal truth.
Shadow also has a miserable look on his face and squirms quite a bit too.
Well, at least I don't have to suffer alone. His sour face makes it somehow more bearable for me. It's true, suffering loves company. This at least is still a universal truth, so my world outlook won't collapse at least for another day.
"Sure, we can talk about kidnapping but I don't know if I can tell you anything new. I really didn't see any assailants or anything like that." I say.
Shadow squirmed on the couch a little bit more and when he found the most comfortable sitting position for himself, he seized my sight with his assessing laser eyes.
Not laser like steel melting ones but the metaphor ones. Now that I think about it I never heard what powers Shadow has.
"Don't worry kid. You just answer what you know. No sweat." he sounds really authoritative here, without even raising a voice.
Constant goofing around and buddy-buddy demeanor lead me to forget this man is a hero who kicks bad guys asses and uncover criminal mysteries on the daily.
Was this whole friendly demeanor only to make me lower my guard. Being friendly and then switching to aggressive investigation mode is a classic cop interrogation tactic.
'Alex, don't be silly. Moms cautionary tales from work made you paranoid. Why would the hero be this shady?'
"Sure." my voice sounds in fact not sure at all.
He stretched his hand on the back of the couch, entrapping me a little bit in place. At least it feels like it for me.
"Okay, so let's start from the beginning. On the day of kidnapping did anyone follow you?"
This takes me aback. Why would someone spy on me in a random attack scenario?
"I didn't notice anything like that." I shake my head in objection.
"Did you have the impression of seeing a certain brand of car more often? Maybe some unknown face shows up in the crowd frequently enough for you to remember it?
To answer this specific question I have to think a bit longer. But nothing of this sort shows up in my memories.
"No, at least I don't remember anything like that."
"Okay, so tell me in detail what led up to the moment of kidnaping."
Time for the embarrassing part. Gosh, here I go.
"I was running from school and when I was like two blocks from my house someone took a knife to my throat and threatened he would cut my throat if I did not comply."
"Wait. But why were you running."
And I hoped I could gloss over that.
"I was running from Jackson."
I know I'm being difficult here with the vagueness of my statement but it's a sore spot for me. Please, cut me some slack here Shadow.
"Who is Jackson?"
Ugh…
"He's my bully." I say it so quietly I can even barely hear myself.
But of course Shadow hears me without the problem. Maybe this is his superpower. Super hearing or he can read from the lips.
"Oh! Would Jackson have had some connections with kidnapping? Maybe he's dealing some narcotics in school for quick cash?"
Pfff…yeah, sure. Jackson is not the mastermind type and the last person in need of the money.
"No way! He doesn't have to deal. His parents are loaded and have connections everywhere in the city."
On this admission he made a knowing face.
"Spoiled rich boy free to rule mere peasants in the school? I know the type."
And what the hell! This is a perfect description of Jackson. He even goes around with head held so high, like some royalty!
"Pffff..ha,ha,ha..You hit the nail on the head with this description. He even has his pack of attendants reincarnated as school jocks ha,ha,ha.."
"So why do you let him bully you?"
My guard was down and he sneaked up on me with this question.
"Aaa..uh..he told me if I ever ratt him on again my mom would lose her job…how do you know about it?"
Even my closest friends don't know. Teachers and even my mom genuinely think that one intervention did its job in stopping bullying.
"Lucky guess and knowledge that more than a half of bullying cases go unreported." He shrugged nonchalantly.
So I spilled beans on my best kept secret because he had a lucky guess. I…I don't even have energy to get mad.
"Let's go back to the topic. Jackson has nothing to do with my kidnaping."
He looks like he wants to press this topic more but my gloomy face must have deterred him for now.
"Sure pipsqueak, so you've been running and then came man with the knife?"
"Yeah"
"Did you see him or did he sound characteristic in some way?"
I reply in my head what he said and a cold bite of blade on my neck.
"Could not see him, he held me from the back. He sounded like an older man. He had a swiss knife."
And this description probably could fit thousands of people.
"You're doing great, kid. So now tell me what he did next?"
Memories come flooding back and I feel like I'm again in that moment. My body began to tremble involuntarily. But I was prepared to push through anyway, however Shadow surprised me. From who knows where he fished out the stuffed koala and pushed it in my hands. I was slightly embarrassed to be treated like a kid but it helped so I didn't refuse.
"He said his peace and I didn't resist so he pushed me when he wanted me to go. It happened so quickly but I think the alleyway with white van was really close. It took not even a minute to get there. Then the door of the car opened and he pushed me inside. Then someone stuck a needle with some drudge that put me to sleep."
"Were there other people in this van?" He asks.
"Yes."
"How many? Did you remember how they looked?"
"I think I counted five or four. I'm not sure. They all wore masks but had different clothes. One was wearing a plaid shirt, and there was a person in a cartoon t-shirt and that's all I remember."
Shadow leaned in closer.
"Are you absolutely sure about this description?"
Why does this interest him so much? These are some pretty common clothes. It's essentially a dead end lead…
"Yeah, I'm sure."
He stood up and went to the table on the opposite side of the room. Picked up some folders and came back on the couch.
"I have something I need to show you." he sounds grave.
"Okey?"
What I'm agreeing upon? Is this some NDA so I won't talk about this place and things they told me?
"Okay, Peepsqeek I will show you some photos."
They were photos of people lying on the ground. They look like they are wet. Shadow folded photos in a way I couldn't see their faces. There is a man in a plaid shirt, and a man in a cartoon t-shirt.
"Did you recognize this clothing?" Shadow asked me.
"Yeah, this is what people in the van were wearing. Where did you catch them?"
Shadow straightened himself to his full sitting height and took photos from me.
"This morning their bodies were fished out from Cobalt Channel. All of them were shot in the head."