Overdue - Chapter 10

I woke up to the phone. It was Lachlan.
"Hey sorry to wake you up." He appologised. I searched for the clock.
"Shit its 9:05. I gotta go to work Lachlan..."
"I'm already there. The detectives want to check the Library. We've closed it for the day. Come in at 11, ok." and with that he hung up. I went back to sleep.

It was 11:15 when I got to the library. It was busy, full of cops. Lachlan met me at the door.
"Look like you got enough sleep. Great." He was incredibly chirpy.
"How much sleep did you get?" I asked
"Didn't go to sleep. Night shift I get off at noon" he smiled.

I went to the office. By now Karl would know all about it and I'd either be chewed out or fired, hopefully I'd be fired. When I walked in Karl was at his desk going through a list with a woman who I deduced was the plain clothes detective.
"Craig!" Karl was smiling. "Look you should have told me first, but going to the Police as soon as you found the drugs was a good decision." I was gobsmacked. I couldn't believe it.

What had happened?

I joined the police searching the library for other 'Mule Books'. Mindy had printed out lists of the books not taken out for more than six months. This widened the search a lot and it gave me time to think. Someone had told Karl a fib and I knew who did it. I found him at the door about to leave.

"Lach why did you tell Karl I found the drugs yesterday?" I was as serious as I could be.
"It was Mindy's idea. She didn't want you to lose you job. I gotta go sleep." He waved goodbye. Was it possible he really was a nice guy.

"Mr Harper?" asked a voice from behind. It was the plain clothes detective.
"Craig will do, Detective?" I enquired.
"Coughlan." She replied. "We need to talk about Rat." She ushered me into the reference room. "I hear you gave Proust an earfull last night." She chuckled. It was nice to hear laughter.
"I was tired and I'd had enough of asking questions. I've been under a lot of pressure latley." It was easy to talk to Coughlan. The fact she was rather good looking didn't hurt either.
"We need to know where Rat is. The others think if she was going to call someone she'd call you." her tone was polite yet demanding.
"Is that all Proust wanted last night. Crap I feel like an idiot." I slapped myself in the forehead.
"Yes we thought it was better to ask you after you'd had a sleep. So do you know?" she smiled. I realised she was playing with me, but it didn't matter the answer was the same. I told her I didn't know. I also told her to check Rats parents but Coughlan said she already did. I went back to the book search.

Each book was searched it didn't matter wether it was thin or thick, old or new. It was good to have some help but some of the cops didn't understand the dewey decimal system. I've always found it hard to believe that some people cannot put a book in its right place. So most of the day I was shelf reading and making sure the books were put back in the right order. At the end of a very tiring search the books were all in perfect order. It was a librarians dream.
"Now do we let anyone in tomorrow?" I asked to noone.
"It does look better than ever." added Mindy. "We should have a drugs search every month."
We both laughed.
"Look Mindy. Thanks for getting Lachlan to tell the fib." I smiled.
"It was nothing."she smiled. "You did the right thing, in the end."

As I walked home I thought about a few things. Where Rat went too, Lachlan being a nice guy, and what did Mindy know. "You did the right thing, in the end." Could she.. Nah! Lachlan told her thats how she knew. But where was Rat? And who rang her before she left?

It was those thoughts that kept spining around in my head. I wasn't really thinking about where I was going and I ended up at Mephisto's place. He wasn't home. I went into Rats room and sat down on the paint cans again. Where was she. The cops wanted to know, they asked about Ms. Lola too. I wished I could find out why they were intrested in her. Then again why was I intrested in Rat. Cause she was a freind, cause I couldn't find her, cause I thought she was in danger. It was probably all of the above and maybe one more, but I couldn't think about that. Anyway who did I think I was, I wasn't a cop, or a detective. Kil said it I was a librarian.

So I went home. Kate wasn't home. The place was empty, which was really strange cause Kate didn't leave the house till after dinner. As I was trying to piece it all together the phone rang.
"Mr Harper." It was Coughlan. "We need you down at the station, we think we've found Rat."

Overdue - Chapter 9

I got to the Police station and found to my dismay that the officer on duty was Mindy's Lachlan. Sargent Mitchel as I found out was quite intrested in my story. He took the containers, especially the not so full one. My story was recorded and he told me I'd have to stay at the station.

"You can't leave until the night detective has decided that your free to go." Lachlan explained. "Sorry." He sounded like he meant it but I really didn't want to believe that he was a nice guy. I was allowed to phone a friend and tried to get both Kate and Mephisto, they were elsewhere or with each other. After two hours the Night Detective, Proust arrived.

He'd been dragged in to work late at night and obviously wanted to get back to doing what he was dragged away from.

"Interview with Craig Harper commenceing at 10:45pm. Present are Detective Proust and Sargent Mitchel. So you found the drugs in the library?" began Proust.

"Yes." I answered. "In a book that had its pages cut out so it could hold the containers."

"And when you found the book and the drugs you put them in your bag, then you forgot about them. The drugs were found by friends of yours who consumed them all except for the few that were saved by.... Mephisto?" Proust looked at me as if this was a joke.
"His real name is Brad DeSouza." I said "He calls himself Mephisto, its his art name."

"He really calls himself Mephisto." winced Proust."Ok then you and.." Proust paused again.

"Rat went and found the guy who was looking for the drugs after you found and forgot them. Right?"

"Right. Rat and I went in her car." I began but Proust interupted.

"Her car!" exclaimed Proust "Rat is female? Tell thats just her art name."

"No her real name is Rattus. She had it changed legally from Faith." I replied. Proust's jaw dropped when I said that. But I decided I should continue retelling my story. "So we went to the cafe he works, umm worked at. They gave us is address and we saw his flat. While we were there the lady who lives in the flat opposite Ms.Lola told us about what happened to Cameron."

"Ms.Lola hey." Prousts eyebrows flicked when he said Lola. "What did she tell you?"

I told Proust about what Ms.Lola said and that she asked who we were and why we were looking for Cameron.

"What did you tell her?" asked Proust even more intrested.

"I lied and told her I was looking for Cameron for his parents, that I went to the same church as them. Which was true but they hadn't asked me to look for him. I also called Rat Storm. She accepted that and let us go. Is she involved?" I asked.

"Nothing I can tell you now Mr. Harper. But if you could wait here I'll get back to you. Interview terminated at 11:14pm" And with that Proust and Lachlan left.

They didn't come back until 3am. They asked me if I knew where Rat was. I told them I didn't know.
"The others think you know where she is. Her brother doesn't know much of anything."
complained Proust.

"Mephisto's here?" I asked.

"You sure you don't know were she is. Everyone thinks the two of you are an item. Most girls call their boyfriends, don't they." Proust was angling for some more information. I really didn't want to talk about THAT moment with Rat, again.

"We haven't been an item for years. Then after dealing with Ms.Lola we get back to my place and she jumps me. Well you've talked to everyone so you should know all of this." I left 'that' moment out. "I really don't want to talk about it. After that Rat left in her car. Mephisto said someone called her the next morning. It wasn't me." I folded my arms and attempted to stare manly.

"You sleep with a girl and you don't call her the next day?" Proust was adamant he'd gone all nasty cop on me. "Or do you have a "open relationship" with Rat." Proust even did the qoute hand signal for open realtionship. I hate that. I was tired, I was trying to do the right thing. I held myself. For two seconds.

"Ok nothing happend between us.' I snaped. "Do you really need to know that because of all the stress I was under I couldn't perfom the task required. Do you get that or do I have to choose a suitable double entendre for you to understand what I just said."

"You finished." asked Proust. He had that you can't shock me I'm a cop look. Damn that look, it worked way too well.

"Yes I have. Can I go now? I have to work in a few hours." I asked. I'd worn myself out and now I wanted to go home.

"You'll be home in an hour." replied Proust. And he was right.

Overdue - Chapter 8

I rang Mephisto.
"What are you ringing for?" He sounded confused.
"Pardon?" I asked.
"I thought you called earlier. Rat got a call this morning packed her good stuff. And took the car." explained Mephisto.
"It wasn't me." I explained. "I got taken for a ride by Kil."
"Wow he didn't kill you." He sounded impressed. "What happned?"
I told him.
"Well I reckon I'd forget a fair bit if I had Kil drive me out of town. But I don't know where Rat is." Mephisto paused. "So are you going to tell the cops?"
"Yeah." It hurt saying that. "But I'm gonna need the evidence."
"Gee I don't think anythings left, but you can come over and try." Mephisto didn't sound too confident about finding anything. But I had to find something, anything.

I got over there and just as Mephisto said the old customer care car Rat drove was gone and her room was a mess. Well that wasn't that much different. I had to find the book she was using it in a piece it wasn't in her room. It was weird being in there without her, I wondered who called her. I had a hunch it was Kil but why? I came prepared I brought gloves. I knew the only room that got cleaned regularly was Rat's.

I risked a fair few diseases doing this, what with the occasional syringe and more used condoms than I ever want to see again. After I got through the lounge, the kitchen and the two studio spaces my result was one empty film container. I went to start on the bedrooms and the one bathroom and Mephisto wasn't happy about that.
"Hey the bedrooms of limits. People have their private gear in there." He was quite adamant, which for Mephisto was more than surprising. But I wasn't in the mood for arguing, my life was on the line.
"Meph, if I don't have enough evidence I wont get the cops believing me. And if I don't get their protection I'm dead. And if the guys dealing the drugs think I'm enough of a threat they'll definately be comming to find out what you know. So its not just my arse on the line its yours and everyone who took those pills. So don't go saying this privacy shit, becuase theres more on the line for me than knowing whose doing what." I didn't yell but Mephisto looked downcast and thought for a while.
"Wait here" he said and he walked off to the bedrooms upstairs. He came back and sheepishly handed me the other film container. I shook it and it rattled.
"I know. I let you clean the place and I had some left over. But its really good shit." He winced waiting for my wrath. I just shook my head.
"I'm telling Rat what you did today." My reply was worse than yelling or even hiting him. There's nothing worse than a sisters wrath, well maybe a mothers guilt trip. So I left Mephisto to stew while I went to find the piece that Rat made the with the book.

When I got home Kate was having her morning coffee, at 6pm.
"Oh my where have you been?" she asked. "You look like you've been thorough hell and back."
I certainly felt that way but I knew if I didn't get to the cops with all of this I'd be finding out if Hell was all I was told it would be. I asked Kate about the piece Rat made with the book.
"Gee I don't remember her actually finishing it. If its not in the studio or her room I reckon she took it with her. She doesn't like leaving her pieces till she's finished."
I left Kate to her coffee, and went to clean myself up. Then I went to the police station.