Chapter XIII: Larry is Detained

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to my friend Nicole, who has restored my faith in this story, and in this series. Thank you Nicole!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Detective Miklos and Officer Dancescu approached the Officer assigned to watch the interrogation room door.

"How long's he been in there?" asked Miklos.

The Officer glanced at his watch. "Six hours in the cells, about two hours alone in the room."

"How's he taking it?" asked Dancescu with a laugh.

"He's bouncing off the walls in there," replied the Officer. "He pounds on the door about every thirty seconds."

As if on cue, there was a frantic pounding from the other side of the door.

"Please," said Larry's muffled voice from inside the interrogation room. "You don't understand! I can't stay here. You've got to let me out!"

"You see?" said the Officer. "He's stir crazy already. Should be ready to confess to anything."

"Thanks," said the Detective. "We'll take it from here."

The Officer unlocked the door, and Dancescu shoved it open. "Sit down!" he yelled at Larry.

Larry was in mid-pound with his shackled hands. He quickly backed up to the table that was bolted to the floor and the light plastic chairs which were the only notable features of the drab room. He sat in one of the chairs obediently.

Miklos crossed the room and dropped Larry's cane on the table before sitting. "Look at what we found," he said, watching Larry for a reaction.

Larry looked at his cane, but decided to ignore it. "What time is it?" he asked.

Miklos looked at Dancescu and shrugged. Sometimes these tricks worked, sometimes not. He turned his attention back to Larry. "Don't worry about the time," said Miklos. "You, my friend, have lots of time. I'm thinking twenty years to life."

"What are you talking about?" said Larry. "I haven't done anything. Please Detective. There are things you don't understand. I can't be here. I need to get out, and right now!"

"Well, let's talk about things I don't understand," suggested Miklos, settling back across the table from Larry. Dancescu remained standing, just over Larry's shoulder.

Larry sighed in exasperation. He held up his hands. "Can you maybe take off these handcuffs?" he suggested.

Miklos looked over at Dancescu. "Can you maybe take off the handcuffs?" he asked in a voice so relaxed that it bordered on boredom.

"Sorry, I don't have a key," Dancescu smiled.

Miklos raised his hands, palms upward and shrugged. "Sorry, no key. I kinda like seeing you this way, though. You should probably get used to it."

"At least tell me what time it is!" Larry yelled.

"Now look!" yelled back the Detective. "This attitude isn't going to get you very far in prison!"

"I need to get out of here tonight!" said Larry in frustration.

"Why you got a date?" laughed Dancescu. "With that pretty little blonde I bet. What is she to you, your accomplice? Maybe we need to question her."

"You leave Gwen alone!" Larry yelled. Then, realizing his temper was not helping things he changed tactics. "You've gotta understand. The moon will be up any time now."

"Oh, is that what this is about?" asked Miklos. "Dancescu, it's a full moon tonight! This guy's not a killer, he's a romantic!"

"Yeah, real sweet," agreed Dancescu.

Larry sat back in frustration. He ran his hands through his hair and looked at the night through the one window in the room.

"Okay, so we've had some laughs," said Miklos. "Now it's time we asked you some questions. Why'd you do it, Talbot?"

"Do what?" asked Larry.

"Don't get smart!" said Dancescu from behind Larry's shoulder. "You're not smart enough to get smart!"

"Why did you kill Steve Frank?" yelled Miklos, pounding on the table.

"I didn't kill him!" Larry yelled back. "He's my friend. I would never want to kill him."

"We have eye-witness testimony that you threatened to kill him minutes before he disappeared!" yelled Miklos. "And dozens of people witnessed the scene you made when some gypsy woman pleaded with you not to kill him!"

"I never threatened to kill Steve!" Larry replied in shock.

Miklos opened his notes, found the correct page and read in a voice without emphasis: "Witness Report. And I quote, 'He said "I'm going to kill you, in about five minutes." Then he threatened him with a stick, with some kind of heavy metal thing on the end.' We've got three eye witnesses that say the same thing. Strange, how he was dead five minutes later with his blood all over your walking stick here."

"But that's not what happened!" Larry cried out.

"So help us out here," suggested Dancescu. Larry just sat with his arms folded, refusing to say anything more.

"Okay," said Miklos. "Let me fill in the gaps, connect the dots. So you and the girlfriend are walking through the woods. She gets scared by a big dog and runs away. The stupid dog goes home, leaving you alone on the path when Stevie boy shows. You two get into it, probably over how to split the money from the drugs you're smuggling..."

"What drugs?!" yelled Larry. "None of this happened!"

"Maybe it's not drugs," conceded Miklos. "Maybe he's after your girl. You don't like that, do you Talbot? So you take a swing at him. But he gets in a few swings of his own. So you pull a knife..."

"What knife? I don't even own a knife!" Larry tried to defend himself.

"Don't interrupt!" Dancescu yelled directly into Larry's ear.

"So help us out here, Talbot," said Detective Miklos. "Tell us your side of the story. You didn't mean to kill him, did you? Maybe he stumbled into the knife? Maybe you just accidentally got him in the throat?"

Larry said nothing.

"No?" said Miklos. "But you did slit his throat. Then you dragged him into the woods to die. Maybe took a few last swings at him with this walking stick to make sure the job was done."

"If I did all this then why didn't I have any blood on me?" Larry asked.

"We've got your red sweatshirt," said Miklos. "It looked fine initially, but we found it was covered with the victim's blood when we had it analysed. Your pants were likely so soaked you had to ditch them, together with the knife."

"It was the wolf!" Larry cried out. "The wolf was covered in Steve's blood! I fought with it; of course I got his blood on me!"

"Oh yes, the wolf." Miklos paged through his notes. "The wolf who attacked you, robbed you, beat you with his fists and a rock, and then took your pants, but otherwise left you unharmed. The wolf with the 'undisclosed motives'." Dancescu laughed as Miklos continued. "I hope that's not your defence."

"Wait!" said Larry, suddenly realizing he had proof. "I'm the one who reported Steve missing. I'm the one who told you where to look for him, on the path by the carnival. That's where you found him, right? Why would I send you there, if I was the one who killed him? Why would I do that?"

"Aha!" shouted Miklos. Larry just looked puzzled by this. "Classic mistake, Talbot. You did it precisely so that you could ask 'Why would I do that,' just to make yourself look innocent! Except by pointing it out, it no longer proves your innocence."

Larry just shook his head. "You're crazy," was all he could say. "I think I want a lawyer."

Miklos stood and walked to the door. "If that's the way you want to play it. We'll get you a lawyer, Talbot. I'm feeling more sorry for your lawyer at this point than I am for you, though."

Miklos rapped on the door and it opened. Dancescu left, followed by the Detective.

"Please," said Larry. "Just tell me. What time is it?"

Miklos looked at his watch. "Eight-thirty. We'll be back soon." Miklos left, leaving Larry alone in the room.

"You're just going to leave him in there with that cane?" asked Dancescu once the door was closed behind them.

"Sure," said Miklos. "I saw this on Criminal Minds – American TV! Let's see how an hour or so with the murder weapon covered in his friend's blood affects him."

/\__/\     O

| -  - |

 \ Y /

Larry walked over to the one, small window in the fourth-floor interrogation room and looked out. The window overlooked a parking lot, with a fence separating it from a row of buildings in the next block.

He had looked out this window at least a dozen times already today, and tried to open it half that many times. The window was held down with a huge bolt screwed tight into the frame. The window itself had thick, wire-reinforced glass. No one would be breaking through it without a sledge hammer, wire snips, and a big box of band-aids. The door was locked, there was a posted guard, and a hallway filled with police. There was no way Larry was getting to the gypsy carnival.

Larry reached out toward the window, but instead of grabbing the window latch, this time he grabbed the window casing. His fingers crunched through the bottom of the frame, and he brought his fingers back in surprise. In his hands he held crumbling splinters of wood. The window casing of the old building was crumbling.

Larry grasped the window with his shackled hands, lifting as hard as he could. The heavy bolt wobbled slightly. It was covered with several coats of paint which began to crack. Larry worked the window up and down; the bolt coming up a little further each time until finally it burst free, pulling splinters of wet, rotten wood with it.

Larry pushed the window open. Glancing back at the table, he ran back to get his cane and then climbed out onto the narrow ledge...

"What the...?" said Larry in surprise, suddenly finding himself back in the interrogation room. "No way am I climbing out the window!"

Except it was eight-thirty. He had only ten minutes to get to the carnival.

Larry reached out toward the window and grabbed the window casing. His fingers crunched through the bottom of the frame. When he looked at his fingers he found they held crumbling splinters of wood. The window casing of the old building was crumbling.

Larry grasped the window with his shackled hands, lifting as hard as he could. The heavy bolt wobbled slightly. It was covered with several coats of paint which began to crack. Larry worked the window up and down; the bolt coming up a little further each time until finally it burst free, pulling splinters of wet, rotten wood with it.

Larry pushed the window open. Glancing back at the interrogation room he remembered his cane. If he might end up facing a werewolf, he would definitely want to have that. Larry went back for the cane and then climbed out onto the narrow ledge.

"Okay, so now what?" Larry asked. The vision only seemed to get him this far. He was on the fourth floor, on a narrow ledge, handcuffed. What kind of vision was this that would leave him stuck out here?

Larry decided the best idea would be to get back in the building, through another window. He carefully moved along the ledge until he reached the next window over, presumably another interrogation room, but maybe it wouldn't be locked or as closely guarded.

Larry looked for some way to open the window. There was no handle on the outside. He rapped on the window frame, hoping to loosen it. Bending down carefully he placed both hands on the glass, and tried to push the window upward. Crouching down on the ledge, face and hands forced against the glass, Larry finally noticed Miklos, Dancescu, and a couple of others standing in the room on the opposite side of the glass watching him.

Two of the policemen ran to the window, trying to force it open, except it was bolted firmly. Larry stood and shuffled along the ledge to get out of the policemen's view. Miklos dashed out into the hallway.

All the windows were bolted! Larry couldn't get back in the building. He shuffled to the end of the ledge, which was as far as he was going to get.

"Stupid vision!" he screamed.

Miklos looked out the window which Larry had opened and pulled his gun.

"Give it up Talbot!" he shouted. "Get back in here before you get yourself killed!"

Larry looked down. Four floors below there was a garbage dumpster. He jumped, and fell...

Miklos looked out the window which Larry had opened and pulled his gun.

"Give it up Talbot!" he shouted. "Get back in here before you get yourself killed!"

Larry looked down. Four floors below there was a garbage dumpster.

"Oh, hell no!" screamed Larry. "No, freaking, way!"

He jumped, and fell...

"Okay, okay! G. D. stupid visions!"

Larry jumped, and fell. One and a half seconds later Larry felt the most jarring pain of his life as he crashed into a dumpster filled with garbage that barely cushioned his fall.

Larry stood and climbed over the side of the dumpster into the parking lot. He looked up at the fourth floor. Miklos was still at the window, holding his gun. Larry then experienced a pain far worse than falling four floors into a dumpster as a bullet ripped into his shoulder.

Larry collapsed to the ground in pain. Fortunately, he collapsed behind the dumpster so that Miklos was unable to put more holes in him. Unfortunately, one hole seemed to be about all he could take. Larry was able to make his way around to the side of the building under cover, but barely.

"Stupid, stupid visions!" he yelled as he limped down the alley at the side of the police station, clutching his bullet wound and attempting to hold back the bleeding. "You couldn't say 'step to the right Larry!' You couldn't say 'duck Larry!' Maybe 'Someone's going to shoot you Larry!' Ahhh, dear God that freaking hurts!!!"

Larry emerged at the front of the station. Looking around, attempting to devise a plan, he noticed Gwen driving past the building.

"Great plan," Larry said to himself. "Have Gwen drive by at the exact second I need her. I should have thought of that myself."

Larry stepped out and flagged Gwen over. He opened the car door and dropped into the seat beside her, exhausted.

"Larry!" shouted Gwen happily. "Did they let you go?"

"Not exactly," said Larry, lifting his shackled hands in order to show her his bleeding gunshot wound. "Please drive."

Gwen sped away from the scene as Miklos came running out the front of the building, too late to stop them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: Well, that wasn't so difficult! Now Larry just has to get to the gypsy carnival in under ten minutes and perform a werewolf curse removal ceremony he's never seen before in only two minutes, all without dying from blood loss or getting eaten by a werewolf and with the entire Bistritz police force hot on his tail!

So what do you think? Is Larry better off with his flaky visions? I'm not sure they've done him a lot of good this time!