Tiny Tim полностью

“Contradictions?” I asked surprised. I really couldn’t imagine which part of their stories could be contradicting each other.

“Yes. Could you give us your version of the events first?” he asked carefully. I didn’t have a problem with it, so I told him what I remembered without reservation.

“ ... Then, while one of them was holding Logan, another one came towards me and reached for his weapon. That’s when the fight started and we didn’t talk much more. The surveillance tape will tell you more than I could from that point onwards.” I concluded my story.

“Hmm. You see, your brother, Logan, insists that he doesn’t know the three men.” the sergeant told me, with an appraising look to gauge my reaction.

“No way. He clearly recognized them first and tried to run, so he also knew about their intentions.”

He just kept looking at me, like he wanted me to elaborate on that. So, being the law abiding citizen I was, that also smelled an opportunity to fuck over the infallible Golden Boy, I did. Whatever Logan had gotten himself into, I felt no sympathy towards him, and certainly no loyalty. So, I also felt no need to lie to the police for him!

“Look, my brother and I don’t get along that well. In fact, the less we have to interact with each other, the happier we both are. So, I don’t know what’s going on in his life. I don’t have the faintest idea who these three men are, or why they were demanding money from him. But not only were they very sure about who he was, they even recognized our sister, and called her by her name without any of us telling it to them. That would be quite the coincidence if these three were looking for another Logan, who looked just like my brother and also had a sister called Ava. Did you find out who they are?”

“Not yet. They didn’t carry any IDs and refuse to talk so far. We will keep you informed if that should change. Thank you for your time, Mr. Brown. Have a nice day.” he said, before leaving me alone in my office again.

I sat there for another hour, mostly browsing the internet without a goal, learning about the aerodynamic properties of cows, but also trying to not think about Logan’s crap. Finally I got hungry. I locked up, got in my Jeep, and found a pizza place that’s open on a Sunday. I knew the kid behind the counter from school.

“Holy fuck, man! What happened to your face!?” he asked while sporting a big grin. This seemed to be more exciting than concerning in his opinion.

“I got hit. Amongst other things. A big pepperoni pizza with cheese in the crust, please.” I explained, eager to leave again.

When I finally got my food, and had just turned towards the exit, I heard a camera shutter go off. Looking up, I saw the kid from school quickly hide his phone with an embarrassed look on his face. Probably a slow news week in school again if he felt the need to take a picture. I just rolled my eyes - or at least the one that wasn’t swollen shut - and left.

First I drove back to my apartment and picked up a few clothes. If I had to stay at their house again, I’d also need my laptop. I couldn’t survive without a computer. I packed my sports bag and enjoyed my pizza before reluctantly making the hour-long drive to the house.

I was now faced with a dilemma. Should I announce my arrival and be then forced to interact with the family, or should I try to sneak in and risk walking into yet another family orgy? I decided to try the latter option and just bail as soon as I heard the first moan. Entering the house as quietly as I could through the backdoor, I even managed to get upstairs without anyone noticing. When I got closer to ‘my’ room, however, the sounds of a woman crying emanated from the parents’ bedroom.

The door was slightly open, so when I got closer, I could see Claire and Aaron sit on their bed. While Aaron looked like he simply wanted to be somewhere else, Claire’s appearance had declined significantly. Her eyes were already puffy when I saw her in the hospital, but now she looked positively devastated.

“ ... gone!” Claire cried.

“Sooner or later, he has to show up again, honey. I can’t believe he just left the hospital on his own after they told him he needed care!” Aaron remarked with a hint of annoyance.

“He hates us, Aaron! And I can’t blame him! That’s why he left.” Claire said, and started sobbing again.

“He doesn’t hate us, honey. We’re just...” Aaron started, but it seemed like he himself couldn’t come up with any other explanation for whatever they were discussing before I started listening in.

“Yes, he does. Why shouldn’t he? We were totally focused on Logan and Ava, and completely lost sight of him! I can’t believe we were so consumed in the sex, we simply forgot about one of our children! Two years in a row we forget about his birthday. And when we go looking for a gift to make up for it, not one of us knows anything about his interests. Or what’s going on in his life. Or...”

“Honey, we’ll fix this. We just need to start spending time with him.” Aaron tried to comfort her.