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“Hmmm… I dunno.” She paused for a moment, returning his smirk. “We should play a game, love. Truth or dare?”
She knew she was unlikely to get anything out of him with a silly game like this, but it was an opportunity to probe him for more answers. He definitely knew what she was up to— she had no doubt about that— but if she wanted him to tell what he knew, she was going to have to push him harder.
Mercy lifted her glass to her lips. “And don’t chicken out on me, alright? It’ll be fun.”
Well, this was a very middle school idea. However, it had been a long time since Magnus had played truth or dare, probably not since high school. Man, he had been a different person back then. For one, he had hope. But he was also much more gullible than current Magnus. However, he knew his limits. If the game got out of hand, he always had the option of leaving. Besides, he doubted Mercy was dumb enough to use it to straight up ask him if he had committed the murders. Fine, why not play?
He snorted. "Are we in middle school?" he asked, taking a sip as well. "It's a bit juvenile, but what the hell, I'll play." This would probably be stupid, but he was fine with stupid. He would just have to make sure that she didn't try any dirty tricks. Luckily, Magnus was sober enough to anticipate that this game might not just be light-hearted fun. It would take a lot more alcohol to actually get him drunk. Buzzed was good, though, it kept his mannerisms loose enough while keeping his mind mostly sharp. He was confident that he could come out of this alright.
Mercy didn’t know how to go about this. She could straight up ask him about the crimes, but that would be much too straightforward on her part. Plus, this wasn’t an official interrogation, so it wasn’t likely that she would get him to ever speak to her again. She could try and encourage him to get more drunk, but that wouldn’t work… would it?
“Pssh, middle school or not, we’re still doing it.” She playfully nudged him. “Since you think it’s so dumb, you get to start.”
He rolled his eyes, giving her a slightly annoyed look but starting nonetheless. Magnus cleared his throat dramatically, partially for fun and partially to give him a moment to think before asking the question. "Alright then, truth or dare?" he asked, putting his chin in his hand.
This was probably not going to be that exciting, since most of the dares he had done due to this game were about licking someone's shoe or kissing someone. But then again, he hadn't played this game in years. He wasn't sure what he could possibly ask a grown adult to do if dared, but thought about it as he waited for an answer. As for truth, Magnus didn't usually care for the details of other peoples' lives, but he would have to think of something appropriately juicy without being too rude to ask. This was going to be difficult.
Mercy turned herself so she was facing him and sat back against the arm of the sofa. She noticed the annoyed look he was giving her, so she smirked back at him. This was going to be interesting.
“Hm… dare.”
She figured he would ask her to do something stupid like most people do when they’re playing this game, but it didn’t matter. This game simply served as a gateway to ask him more questions surrounding the crime scenes, nothing more. She would just have to figure out how to do it without looking suspicious.
Magnus tried to think back to the dares he had done in high school because of this game, and whether any of them could possibly apply right now. Most of them were stupid, childish ideas that would just be awkward if he used them now, but perhaps there was something that he could use? Maybe she could do something embarrassing? But what was embarrassing? Jeez, this was harder than he thought.
"Okay…" he began, stalling for time as he thought. "I dare you to drink a smoothie made out of the first three things I see in your fridge." Yeah, still pretty high school, but at least it wasn't 'lick your shoe' or 'kiss the hottest person in the room.' Magnus could have done worse.
“Ew, Magnus, really?” She laughed softly and stood up. “Well, I guess it could always be worse.”
With a roll of her eyes, she got up and left for the kitchen. Soon, she came back with a brown smoothie in her hand. She chugged it down and, while she did gag many, many times, she managed to keep her dinner down as she finished up the smoothie.
Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, she glanced over at him. “Alright, love, truth or dare?”
This game went on for a little while as they dared each other to do anything that came to mind and kept all their truths surface-level questions. Mercy did dare him chug a bottle of alcohol once, in hopes of getting him more drunk, but she knew she would eventually have to bring up the murders again.
“So, Magnus.” She leaned back against the sofa, messing with the rings on her fingers.
“Why exactly did you come up to me that night in the bar?”
She knew he had told her that it was simply because he found her interesting, but part of Mercy struggled to believe that. She had strong suspicions that he was a criminal, and part of her also believed that he was an expert strategist. Was there some altering motive behind him approaching her?
Magnus blinked, a bit taken off guard by the question. Sure, it wasn't too surprising, given that they were playing truth or dare, but it was a bit different from the other silly questions they had been asking until now. Not only that, but he could have sworn that Mercy's gaze intensified after asking it. Was she hunting for a compliment? No, she wasn't the type. Perhaps she was trying to figure out his true intentions. Some women really seemed to want to vet him out before he could so much as have a real conversation with them (which, fair), and maybe that's what Mercy was trying to do? Somehow, though, he suspected she had an ulterior motive. And for once, he wasn't just acting on his natural suspicions of everyone, but a very specific suspicion based on her earlier comment and weird energy tonight. He didn't like it.
He raised his eyebrows. "Well, you were staring at me," he said with a chuckle. "And you're pretty, so I wanted to see what that was about. Plus, you're more interesting than a lot of the people I usually end up spending time with." And that was basically it. Originally, he'd had no way to know if she were a cop, or else he likely would have avoided her instead of getting himself tangled up in this. But then again, he never did seem to do things in his best interest.
A sudden thought occurred to him. Had she watched him out of suspicion? He had just assumed it was because she was into him, but had she had her sights set on him from the very beginning? Was she just trying to get him to confess to his crimes? He may be on the edge between tipsy and a little drunk, but he could think clearly enough to gather that. If anything, the alcohol was making him more paranoid. Thankfully, he had enough self-control to hold these thoughts inside of him, but his motions had slowly gotten less controlled, including his facial expressions. He tried to reign himself in. No, he would give away anything. He had practiced to make sure that even drunk, he could hold his own and act mostly normal, just in case something came up during a night of drinking. He was about at his self-imposed limit too. If he drank much more, he would cross over into being properly drunk, and he would not let that happen.
Hm. Well, he seemed to be telling the truth. Maybe he didn’t have an ulterior motive. After all, she had been keeping tabs on this man for months, and he always seemed to have some sort of strategy for everything. She would’ve figured that he had a reason for meeting her, but it seemed like she was wrong. He only approached her because she was pretty and interesting which, she had to admit, was a bit flattering. But she couldn’t think about that now. She had to stick to the task at hand.
“Aww, you thought I was pretty? Well, I gotta admit, I thought you looked somewhat handsome.” She smiled and winked at him, taking another sip of her drink. “Truth or dare.”
She settled back in the couch, watching him for a few moments. She didn’t think she would ever get him to spill any of his secrets, but he was starting to look a bit more drunk. Maybe she just had to push harder.
Magnus had stopped taking sips of his drink several minutes ago, recognizing his limits and avoiding going overboard. He was starting to think that Mercy was trying to get him drunk, with her daring him to chug more alcohol and seeming pleased when he drank more. It was a bit suspicious, perhaps creepy, even. Still, if he dwelt on that too long his suspicion would obvious, and then neither of them would get anywhere. No, he wanted to hide his suspicions of her, because if he were a normal civilian, he'd have nothing to worry about. So he did his level best to get into that headspace.
Her comment did flatter him, though, if he were honest. He was loathe to admit it, but flattery did work on him. It always had. He couldn't help but preen if an attractive person took an interest in him. He pushed that aside for now, though. He had to focus. Had to act like a normal person here. He didn't want to choose dare in case she tried to make him consume more alcohol, because he was done with that for the night. Which only left him truth. Great. At least he was an amazing liar. He didn't think he would get this far in the assassin world unless he was cool under pressure. Those who weren't usually ended up six feet under.
"Truth," he said, breathing out a sigh. This game was beginning to stretch on. "Do you mind if I get some water real quick?"
Mercy messed with the rings on her fingers, getting the slightest bit anxious. She was running out of time, and she was sure Magnus thought she was being incredibly suspicious. He would probably never contact her again, and while she did have enough information against him to have him arrested, she didn’t want that. She needed his help. She decided it time to simply get straight to the question, no more funny business. After all, she wasn’t here to accuse him of murder, but to ask him for his assistance.
“Yeah, yeah. Sure. But wait just one second.”
She leaned over and picked a set of files off of her table, shuffling through them. “Okay, I’m done with all these games. Look, I know your suspicious of me, but I’m not here to interrogate or arrest you. I need your help.” She dropped on of the files in front of him, revealing a symbol on the front. “Recognize this gang symbol from anywhere?”
Magnus stared at her. What was she playing at? Surely this was some sort of test. If he said no, he would be lying and therefore more suspicious. If he said yes, wouldn't that seem a bit suspicious for someone who was just a "normal person?" Why did she need his help? Couldn't she just get any lowlife and ask them the same questions? What did he know that she cared about? Or, more accurately, what did she know that he knew that she cared about? It was confusing, the situation being flipped on its head like this.
He supposed he didn't have much choice here, since she clearly knew more than she was saying, and he didn't want to have to pretend that he didn't at least have some idea why she was suspicious of him. Maybe this really was a sort of olive branch? Or maybe it was a trap. Either way, Magnus would have to be careful here. Still, he figured his best bet was to tell the truth, and she asked him how he knew, he could make something up. He was a gifted liar, and great at making shit up, the second part of that especially good when he was a little drunk. His lying skills, not as much.
"Yeah," he answered, giving a short nod. "I've seen it before." Good, keep it vague. He could work with this. Probably.
She raised an eyebrow, searching his face for a moment. How curious. It wasn’t often that one her suspects told the truth. She knew he had been involved with the gang somehow; after all, she had been tracking him for months. But to what extent, she didn’t know. Some of the things he had stated in interactions even led her to believe that he might not have the best feelings towards the gang. That’s exactly why she was there, talking to him today. If he was enemies with this gang like she thought he was, she could possibly convince him to help her take them down. She needed him with his insight into the criminal world, and he needed her for her police background and tracking down infamous criminals. It could work.
“What do you know about the gang this symbol belongs to?” she asked.
She needed to keep the questioning calm. She wasn’t accusing of anything or even bringing up the murder, she simply wanted to know his feelings about the gang. Once she deciphered them, she could decide on her route from there.
Jesus, was she trying to get him to implicate himself? Not that he had any love for that particular gang, or really, gangs in general, but it was weird that she had suddenly started asking him these questions. Then again, she'd made that comment about his appearances at multiple crime scenes earlier, so it was possible this was what she had wanted from the beginning. Maybe the real reason she didn't outright accuse him of anything or arrest him was because she wanted him to answer her questions about the gang. But why was she so interested in them? Was she really sincere about needing his help with this?
"Why are you so interested in this gang?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "There are plenty of gangs in the city, so why ask me about this one in particular? You don't think that I'm in some sort of cahoots with them, do you? Because let me tell you, they've done some pretty fucked up stuff." This coming from an assassin might be the pot calling the kettle black, but still. At least Magnus had only taken out the people he was asked to, people who were largely not good people in the first place. This gang had gone after completely innocent people, and while Magnus was hardly the morality police, some of the ways that the gang killed people were downright brutal. Not to mention there were rumors they used torture to get people to talk. Magnus may be an assassin, but he was never cruel with it. He tried to kill his marks as quickly and cleanly as possible. Anything else was ensuring suffering.
“No, Magnus, I don’t think you’re in cahoots with them. In fact, I think the opposite,” she answered. “And as for me, I’m interested in this gang because I’ve heard things. Rumors of what they’re planning on doing. The gang grows in numbers every day, and every day, more and more people are killed by them. Hundred, Magnus. Hundreds. And the government is too afraid to hold any of them accountable. That’s why I need you.”
She hesitated, wondering exactly how much of this information she should be sharing with Magnus. He was a criminal, after all, and he could easily go and share this with his criminal friends. But something about him made her doubt that he would do that. Besides, this was her last chance to convince him to be on her side.
“I know about your criminal history. I know about the things you’ve done, but that’s not why I’m here. I’m here because you, unlike thousands of others criminals, hate this gang, and if I’m not wrong, you want to take them down. I could help you. We could the perfect team. You, with your knowledge on criminal activity, gangs, and whatnot, and me, with my police experience. I know how to track people down. We could get rid of this game, Magnus, or at least put a halt to what they’re planning,” she said. “Now, if you hate this idea, okay. We can go on with our night, talking and laughing like nothing ever happened. I’m fine with that. But I want you to think about what I said. Think about all the people who have been brutally murdered because of this gang.”
Magnus highly doubted that even if he disagreed to this deal, they could go on as if nothing happened. So she had an ulterior motive the whole time. That made his stomach sour. So she'd lied to him, hoping that if she played her cards right, he would just fall in line? But the truth was that he did hate the gang, and he did want to take them down, but he didn't trust Mercy. Not after that spiel. However, she made a valid point. This was something they both wanted.
"I hardly think we could go on with our night regardless," Magnus responded slowly, sizing her up. She was clearly a lot better at this than he had given her credit for. Maybe he would have to stop underestimating cops. He had gotten away with a lot, though perhaps that was more due to Mercy's motives than his own skill. "My question is, what do I get out of this deal? If I help you, will you just arrest me as soon as we finish?" He wasn't about to aid someone who would dispose of him the second he was no longer useful.
Mercy felt the mood immediately shift in the room after she said all that she needed to say. Gosh, he must’ve hated her. Here she was, laughing and flirting with him, knowing her end goal the entire time. To get him to help her with an investigation. She knew he must’ve hated her for that, and to be honest, she didn’t blame him.
“Look, Magnus, I’m sorry. I understand you must be ticked right now. But, just so you know, I meant everything I said to you. I genuinely like you as a person, and…” She paused. Like him as a person? Really? She was saying this to an assassin, a person who killed people for a living. “And, if you help me with this, I won’t arrest you. I swear. You’ll get that gang off your back, and not to mention maybe some cash as a prize.”
"Am I allowed to think about it?" he asked, leaning back and crossing his arms. Her apology helped a little bit, but it didn't really change his attitude. She couldn't make him feel better about her lying to him the entire time by offering a small apology. And despite his question, he figured he probably didn't have another choice in the matter. If he said no, would Mercy just arrest him on the spot? Best case scenario was that she let him go until morning, when the cops would actively be looking for him and he had to escape and relocate yet again. It all sounded like a huge inconvenience, no, more like he was backed into a corner here.
Sure, he hated the gang and wanted them off the streets, as much for his own sake as anyone else's, but he did not want to just fall in line after Mercy's trickery. He had some dignity. God, this night was sure teaching him a lesson.
Think about it? This whole time, Mercy had been trying to play nice with him. Sure, she hated lying to him and using their obvious connection to lure him into her trap, but it was better than putting him in handcuffs and interrogating him for hours upon end. But let him think about it? Sure, she would likely let him think about it during the rest of the time that they were together which, with how this was going, wouldn’t be long. But she needed an answer before she left. He could easily slip out in the cover of the night and leave, and it could take years to find him again.
“Yeah, whatever. You can think about it, I don’t care. But it doesn’t really matter whether you say yes or no.” Her gaze sharpened slightly. “There are other police on this case, Magnus. I’m the only person standing between you and them, and they would love to toss you in prison and give you the death sentence.”
She often acted stern as a police officer, but she hated acting this way with him. After all, they were both going to be working on taking this gang down together, and she didn’t want him to despise her the entire time.
“But look, you gotta understand where I’m coming from. Do you think you would’ve said yes to this if I walked up to you and asked you outright? No. I had to develop a connection with you first,” she said. “I felt bad about it, but this investigation is more than just my feelings. People are dying, Magnus. Innocent people.”
So she was playing the hero card here, huh? Acting like she and the other police were so high and mighty trying to save everyone? He had seen his fair share of power hungry people just using that sort of thing for fame or money, pretending to give a shit about others to look good or gain respect. Was she trying to appeal to his conscience? Still, it wasn't as if he could argue against helping innocent people, since the gang's killing of those who were completely uninvolved with them made him angry too. They had done objectively horrible things. However, he had seen police officers turn a blind eye to inexcusable things before, so he had no love for the police as whole. Even if they were trying to do the right thing, the system was horribly flawed in the first place.
But Magnus didn't actually have a choice, did he? The moment he started to have any sort of objection to being used like this, Mercy was quick to remind him of that. At least he would be able to get this gang off the streets, assuming things worked out. Maybe that would make the whole working with police thing worth it. Maybe.
He sighed, running his hand over his face. "Fine, whatever, I'll help you."
“Good. I figured you’d come around.”
Gosh. Now she actually needed a drink. She got up off of the couch and walked to the kitchen before she later returned with a glass of wine.
She sat down on the couch beside him, but she didn’t dare to glance over at him as she sipped the beverage. She knew she was likely on the road to becoming an alcoholic, but her job was tough. Not like that was any excuse, of course, but when she signed on to be in the police force, she wanted to help people. Not make them hate her. Of course, he was a literal murder, so why should she give a crap about what he thought?
She placed her wine glass on the table before she took out her bun, letting her blonde waves flow over her shoulder. A part of her figured she should get up and leave considering how awkward their interaction had gotten, but something else in the back of her mind encouraged her to stay for a little longer.
Magnus continued to sit there apprehensively, though he had to admit that the alcohol did take some of the edge off. Part of him wanted to get absolutely trashed and just try to forget about everything. About his life and all of the events that had led him here. He was a not a good person; he knew that. He didn't think he could become a good person at this rate, and most of him was beyond caring. He would just get this job over with and then fade into the shadows, moving and changing his name so the police would have a lot more trouble tracking him.
"I'm glad," he said sarcastically. "If it's alright with you, can I leave now?" He didn't really fancy spending more time with Mercy after that interaction. Maybe he was throwing a little bit of a tantrum, but he was also tipsy and fed up with life.
(( They’re just gonna hate each other the entire time and I’m here for it 🤣 ))
Mercy couldn’t help but roll her eyes. He was acting annoyed and sarcastic towards her, but yet he was the one who ruined people’s lives for a living. If anything, she should be upset with him. But hey, at least he agreed to help her. With a lot of coaxing, that is.
“Please, be my guest,” she replied, using the same hint of sarcasm he had used with her. “But please, for goodness sake, get an Uber. You’re going to kill yourself trying to get home like that.”
With that, she stood up and began to clean off the table. He would definitely despise her after this, but at least the other officers would be happy. Maybe this time they would be a bit more appreciative of all her hard work.
“And I’ll text you tomorrow, so don’t block my number. I’ll need it so that I can text you when and where to meet me. We have a lot to discuss.”
She took one last look at him before she headed into her kitchen. This man was going to make her lose the little sanity she had left.
(sorry about the wait!)
He sighed, watching her go before pulling out his phone to call an Uber. He just wanted to hibernate forever. How had he gotten here, into this life of being an assassin? He figured things had really gone downhill during college. Magnus had never been great at school, and he was sure that this job would be a one-time thing to help him get through it. And then he had ended up dropping out to pursue being an assassin.
Of course the full truth was a lot more complicated and nuanced than that, but it was the basics. And now he was getting dragged into this. He kept wondering if he could have avoided it, but since Mercy apparently already knew about his crimes, he figured that no matter what he couldn't have avoided the police forever. Part of him was still considering just running for it. Unfortunately, Mercy did have a good point–the gang was hurting innocent people, and despite Magnus's very broken moral compass, that obviously wasn't a good thing. Not to mention that he had personal beef with that particular gang as well.
(( You’re all good! ))
After he walked out the door, Mercy walked up to her window and watched in silence as an Uber pulled up. When she’d first applied to be a police officer, she thought she would be doing traffic stops and some open and close investigations. She never imagined that she would be teaming up with an assassin to take down a full fledged gang.
With a sigh, Mercy left the window and began walking up the stairs to her bedroom. This was definitely a mistake. Magnus could easily betray her and tell his buddies what she up to. Heck, he could’ve been lying about his allegiance to the gang. Maybe he actually was involved with them, and they would now take her out because she knew too much. Well, there was no turning back time now, so Mercy decided to get some rest and deal with the consequences of her actions tomorrow.
The next day went fairly normal. She got up, went about her normal routine, and headed to work. For most of the morning, she tried to push away the thoughts of Magnus and the gang, and she held off from texting him for as long as possible. But, even with her hesitation, she knew she would eventually have to schedule a meeting with him. So, around lunch time, she went him a quick text that simply read, ‘Meet me at the coffee shop on Wilchester Avenue at 6 tonight. I booked us a private room there.”
Once she made sure the message had been delivered, she let out a sigh and slid her phone back into her pocket. She wasn’t looking forward to this meeting, but she knew she couldn’t procrastinate on it. This gang was a threat, and she wasn’t sure how long she had until they struck.
At six, the time they were supposed to meet, Mercy headed towards Wilchester Avenue and parked her car in a parking lot nearby. She walked over to the coffee shop and swung the open the door. She could smell the faint scent of coffee beans in the air, and somehow, it made her already pounding headache even worse. She had a rather difficult day at work, and she was definitely not excited for this meeting.
Magnus did not sleep well that night, barely dragging himself awake the next morning. He didn't have any "work" to do today, so he merely spent the day trying to get some more mundane tasks done. His place needed a serious cleaning, and Magnus happened to be the sort that stress cleaned, so he worked on that for the day. As he worked, he got a text, and his stomach dropped as he realized who it was from. He supposed that he was doing this now. Working with a cop. God, he hated this. At least it was for the greater good…? He tried not to chuckle. Like he gave a shit about that.
But he had said he would help, and he figured that while he could run, it would be easier not to. Besides, a weird part of himself almost felt like this would be some sort of atonement for his past crimes. He shoved that part down even deeper, frowning. At least if he went along with this he would be able to relocate and truly escape without being hunted down, like he had been for some time, apparently.
He replied to the text with an affirmative answer, and at the designated time he showed up to the coffee shop, gazing around in boredom as he waited for Mercy to show up. He spied her walk in, looking a bit disgruntled, and he cleared his throat, waving her over.
As Mercy walked into the coffee shop, she took out her tight bun and fixed her hair with her hands, trying her best to look a bit less disheveled and more professional. She was done trying to flirt to Magnus— after all, he likely had no interest in her since the night before— but she still wanted to look presentable for their meeting.
She immediately noticed him at a table alone and walked towards him. “I see you’re not nearly as flirty as you normally are. To be expected, I suppose,” she said. “I booked us a private room in the back. Follow me.”
She waited for him to gather him belongings before she led him to the private room in the corner of the restaurant. It was a fairly small room with a long table, chair, and a window looked out at the cars in the parking lot. After she made sure her partner was situated, Mercy left, and soon came back with a cup of coffee.
“Alright, time to get down to business.” She sat down across from him, spreading her files out on the table. “Magnus, I don’t know how much you know about this gang, but they’ve become one of most dangerous gangs in our city. We’ve had many criminal cases where they’ve been involved, and the number is growing by the day.”
She ran a hand across her face, her exhaustion clearly showing in her eyes. “Their gang… well, it’s much more organized than the other gangs we usually deal with. From the information I’ve been able to gather, they have a man at the top. Their ring leader, if you will. He has seven men in control under him, twelve men in control under the seven, it goes on,” she said. “I think if we can take down the twelve men and the leader, we can take the gang down from the inside. After all, most of their commands come from the leader or his twelve associates. However, the problem is that no one knows where these men are, not even their own gang members. They keep their identity a secret, and they cover all of their trails. However, there are a few gang members that have information that could help us. And I know where they live.”
Mercy leaned back in her chair, her chin leaning against her knuckles. “But before I continue, I would like to know something. What do you know about the gang, and, if yo7 don’t mind me asking, what’s your connection to them?”
Magnus sighed. Might as well get this over with. She was right that he was being decidedly less flirty than usual, in equal parts because he was still irked and because he was simply not in the mood. The lack of sleep had not served to make him any less grumpy. He listened as Mercy talked about the gang, nodding every now and then to show that he was paying attention. He did know that the gang was secretive, though due to that he didn't know a lot of the specifics.
"Isn't that why you wanted my help in the first place? Because I have ties to them? Yet you don't even know what they are." He chuckled derisively. Yeah, Magnus was being an asshole, but he didn't particularly care. Now that all of his crimes were in the open, this must be more like what Mercy had expected, right? Might as well give up the guise of acting like a decent person now. He studied her, trying to see if that elicited any reaction, before continuing. He supposed it didn't really matter whether she reacted or not, he just wanted to see her get frustrated and annoyed with him, since at least he could have that small pleasure. Magnus did quite enjoy pissing off those he wasn't fond of, especially the ones who were too bound by their own stupid moral code to get back at him.
"My connection with these guys goes back a couple years," he admitted after another moment, leaning back in his chair languidly, as if he didn't have a care in the world. "I had a target on this one guy. Real bad dude. He'd been extorting and blackmailing people for money, though he wasn't keeping it for himself. Turned out that he was a member of the gang itself, a mid-ranking one, and he was giving a lot of the money to the higher-ups, but the whole process was so secretive. Could barely find out much about this guy before I went to go do the job. However, when I got there, he was already dead. His computer was wiped, there was no trace of anything incriminating. Turned out the gang killed him before anyone else could, found out he was bragging about his criminal activity and got rid of him once he turned into a bigger risk than they were willing to keep on. It was some real shady shit." He shook his head, remembering how surprised he'd been at the whole affair.
"I didn't hear much about them for another several months, until I noticed a few missing persons cases that seemed pretty sketchy, so I did some digging," he went on, putting his arms behind his head. "Turned out one of my contacts was an ex gang member for a different gang that worked with them from time to time. He'd had to go through a crazy amount of hoops and stay under the radar just to avoid having a hit on him himself. Even then, he had to constantly live in the shadows. Anyway, he told me about some of the fucked up shit this gang was doing. Extortion, blackmail, kidnapping, murder. And that was just off the top of his head. Before you ask to meet him or something, the guy's dead. Gang found him and killed him a couple months ago. Can't say I know much beyond that. Any contacts I've had that would have that info are either dead or deep in hiding. Haven't spoken to any of 'em in months."
(hope that made sense lol)
(( Mhm, it did 😁👍🏻👍🏻))
Mercy couldn’t help but tick her jaw at his first comment, and she resisted the strong urge to roll her eyes. She knew he was trying to get under her skin, and while she tried to keep it from bothering her, it did. Especially when he questioned her investigation.
“Mr. Helvig,” she said, trying to keep the irritation out of her voice. “I want to remind you that you have no idea of all the information I have on this gang. And I wanted your help because of your contacts and your ties to the criminals in the area. Nothing more.”
Mercy leaned back in her chair and stayed silent for a few moments. This was a trick she had learned all throughout her policing career; stay quiet, and they’ll talk. She used it often, and it wasn’t long until he spoke more about the gang.
She quietly listened to his story about the gang and their numerous crimes, deep in thought. The story was interesting, but not so helpful. She knew he had to have more information on this whole issue. There were likely secrets he was hiding from her. Secrets that she would have to discover on her own. However, even if his ties to the gang didn’t serve as any help to the investigation, she knew that he did have plenty of contact with other criminals. Criminals that may know more information about the infamous gang.
“Interesting…” Mercy took out the pictures of three men and laid them out before him. “While this gang does keep most of its dealing under wrap, I did manage to get the location of three of them. I want you to come with me to where they’re staying and… well, help me get information out of them to put it lightly.”
“The first man is who we’ll start with. I’ve learned that he owns a nice hotel outside of town, and he’s often seen out in the bar at night. If we can get him away from the crowds, we can properly interrogate him,” she said. “The other two won’t be so easy. The second man is mostly only seen lingering around the more… criminal ridden sides of town. He never stays in one place for two long. The last lives quite a ways away from here, so we’ll have to drive out to find him.”