As the moon was nearing its highest point in the sky, Vin's office was abuzz with full drinks and elated faces. Vin, Joe, and Ben sat around the desk and celebrated their bloody victory, burning their way through a bottle of fine scotch as they did. But, despite the jubilant occasion, the smile was significantly lesser on the face of Ben Scallazi, and the alcohol only seemed to enhance his sorrows.
"Why such a long face, Benjamin?" Vin noticed his friend's frowning expression. "This is a happy night."
"Its Rain," Ben explained. "She wasn't ready for that, not by a long shot. I tried to tell her, I damn near pleaded with her to leave. She almost died out there, and saw the kinda shit that haunts a person."
"That explains her bit of a meltdown," Vin smiled, his words slurring. "She certainly wasn't happy on the trip home. Although I suppose I don't blame her, God only knows what she's doing upstairs right now."
"I don't wanna think about it," Ben replied.
"She say anythin' to you?" Joe inquired. "She didn't say a damn word on the way back, she say anythin' to you ever?"
"She said," Ben paused, "she said she wanted to go. She said she needs to go home."
"Well, what a wonderful revelation," Vin said excitedly. "Her family will be absolutely thrilled, I'm sure."
"You're kiddin' me, right?" Joe scoffed at the two of them. "She can't leave, especially not now."
"Why not?" Vin wondered. "She's done her job. She did Delicate Rain, named it too, and sold it to a good enough degree. Shit is selling like the flu shot now."
"We kinda owe it to her to let her leave," Ben agreed. "We said she was free to go after she did that. She did that and then some."
"Yeah, go somewhere other than home," Joe pointed out. "She can't just go back home no questions asked. If Rain goes back home, its gonna be a disaster for us."
"How do you figure that?" Vin asked.
"How do you think?" Joe retorted, pointing a twig-like finger towards a television on the wall. He grabbed the remote off the desk and turned the TV to the eleven o'clock news, which was nearing its halfway point by now.
Any remnants of smiles anybody had disappeared when they realized what was looking back at them through the screen. A reporter stood on a thin country road, talking loudly at the camera. But they paid no mind to the broadcast, the trio were too drawn to the background. It was the cow barn they were at just hours earlier.
"Shit, they found that quick," Vin groaned. "How'd they do that?"
"We shot off a fortune of ammo out there, somebody had to hear," Ben figured, not taking his eyes off the screen.
"See, she can't just leave," Joe exclaimed. "She saw all of that, everything. We'll get the damn electric chair for that shit, man!"
"Nobody uses the electric chair anymore, Joe," Vin explained pointlessly.
"We gonna get somethin' anyway, you know that," Joe went on. "If she goes home, I give it three days before she spills everything she's got. We can't let her go home, we'll be dead men if we do. Everything we did tonight will be useless, we'll all go down anyway. Somethin' else has gotta happen."
"Something else?" Vin raised an eyebrow.
"Don't tell me you're suggesting what I think you're suggesting," Ben sneered, seeing what Joe was getting at with his vague statement.
"What else do you see to do, man?" Joe replied. "We ain't got any other options at this point. We gotta do what we gotta do."
"Don't give me that bullshit," Ben spat before turning to Vin. "You can't honestly be floating that idea. That's not the only option, and you know it!"
"It's the only option that will assure anything," Vin responded calmly. "But it doesn't have my vote. We should think over other options before we speak about that again."
"What other option?" Joe wondered angrily. "There ain't no other option, Vin."
"She can lie," Ben observed obviously. "That's the other option. She'll lie, which she'll do in a damn heartbeat. How do we even know she'll have to lie? Cops could just toss her in the tank for thirty days and slap her on the wrist and call it all done."
"I doubt that'll happen," Vin reached for the remote and turned up the volume on the news, which was now back to the news desk and running a story on Rain. Her photograph graced the top corner of the screen.
"The search is still going for Rain Phillipa, a local teen who is believed to be a runaway," the anchor explained to the camera. "Rain has been missing for nearly two weeks now and the search for her is growing. Hundreds of volunteers are searching high and low all around the greater Kansas City area searching for any sign of the teen. Meanwhile, police have received thousands of tips about the possible whereabouts of Rain Phillipa. More recently, Rain's parents released a statement in which they said they're hoping to find their daughter within the Kansas City metropolitan area..." it was at this point where Vin muted the television and turned back to his colleagues.
"You see," Joe said almost proudly, "she ain't just gonna get off free. She's gonna get grilled about where she ran off to. And when that happens, she'll crack, no matter how she feels about us. The cops will make her squeal the second her story changes, and she's just a damn kid. Her story's gonna change real fast."
"She'll stay strong, she will," Ben assured confidently. "We gotta put some faith in her. We certainly can't kill her. She'll lie, she'll keep her story straight."
"So says you," Joe scoffed.
"Its the most innocent option," Vin sighed. "But its not a sure thing, not by any means. There is only one sure option."
"You're not siding with Joe, are you?" Ben was appalled. "You can't possibly tell me you want her dead."
"I'm not saying that," Vin corrected. "I'm not for killing her, but simply asking her to lie is chancy."
"Damn right it is," Joe blurted. "If she spills, we're getting it for dealing drugs, manufacturin' drugs, not to mention killin' God knows how many of those KC Devil fuckers. We're dead if she says a word."
"She won't talk," Ben said nervously. "She won't say anything. She'll lie. Trust me."
"I think its best we all sleep on our thoughts," Vin rose from his seat and wrapped around the desk, heading for the door. "Think on your thoughts gentlemen."
"Where do you stand now?" Joe inquired at his boss.
"Killing her should not be our go to option," Vin replied, his hand on the door handle. "It should be a worst-case scenario."
"It shouldn't even be an option," Ben retorted.
"Sleep on your thoughts," Vin repeated before finally heading out the door and beginning his journey home.
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