Conversation · Titus Hardie

"Me and Evrart talked. He promised you'd cooperate."

"I'm going to take off now." [Leave.]

"Okay, I talked to Klaasje. Now I need to talk to Ruby."

"Why?" He leans back and regards you with curiosity.

"I'm going to level with you. She's the next link in the chain that leads me to the mercenary's killer."

"Sounds like you're making her a suspect in this. Not on my watch you're not."

"Ruby's one of us. We're not gonna throw her under your Moralintern steamroller, fuck that shit!"

"And fuck you too, moral-f*g!" He throws a glance at Titus as the last syllable leaves his lips. The big guy sighs.

"Ruby is missing. If you hide from the police in a murder investigation you become a suspect. You know how it works, guys."

"That's not nearly enough. I don't wanna be rude, but we kinda have our own thing going here. Unless you got a sound theory implicating Ruby I think you should just take off."

"I think we'll keep sticking around, Titus. You'll be surprised at how quickly a theory presents itself if you keep looking."

From the corner of your eye you see a little bird fly into the bush -- right behind the window; behind Titus' back.

"I think we'll keep sticking around, Titus. We haven't even talked to the company rep yet -- we should do that," he turns to you. "She's on the pier I believe... northwest."

"Maybe the Wild Pines has help to offer if they won't? Maybe not. Either way -- we'll have a case against your Ruby soon enough."

No. How about you keep sticking around? Look around -- find the company representative, see what they have to say? Maybe the company will help? Then get back to this.

"That's nothing, that's just legalese. You don't even have a sound theory." He crosses his arms. "I don't wanna be rude, but we're trying to get some R&R here. Think you could fuck off now?"

"She is missing, and if you hide from the police in a murder investigation you become a suspect. That's how it works, guys."

"I have seen her in a laudanum-induced delirium. The paranormal instinct whispers her name into my ear."

"I suspect she killed the victim -- that's why."

"Sounds like you wanna push this steamin' pile of shit on anyone -- and now you've picked Ruby. Well, not on my watch you won't."

"A civil war is brewing and the only way to prevent it is to solve the murder. That means talking to Ruby."

"Because she's your real leader."

"You're coo-coo, cop." His smile hides a flash of anger. "I'm the only man responsible for this unit -- get with it, or fuck off."

How many times must I tell you...

"Yeah, fuck off!"

"Look, I need to pin this on someone and I've decided to pin this on her."

"Wh-why would you say that?" He turns to Titus. "Ruby is just the next logical link in the investigation. If we can talk to her we can eliminate her as a suspect."

"Oh, you need a scapegoat?" The tension leaves Titus' voice. "Why didn't you just say so to begin with, buddy? Here, have Glen here!"

"Hey, I don't... oh, okay..." Glen bursts out laughing. "Yeah, take me!"

"No, man," Eugene raises his hand. "Pin it on me and frame me good, mister Law!"

"Stop it. This is a waste of everyone's time." She sounds agitated. "I think we have already established that you're not going to single anyone out."

"She is a suspect in another case I'm investigating. A drug smuggling."

"I want to go over a few things regarding Ruby's disappearance again."

"Yeah, what?"

"Guess what? I've connected you to the local drug trade."

"I talked to Joyce. The merc you hanged -- his friends are coming for you."

"Klaasje says she wasn't raped."

"Fuck!" The big man's eyes and veins bulge. "I knew that fucking whore couldn't be trusted!"

A whore, huh? A lot of that going around lately. From the mouths of distressed men. Whatever the case, you've hit a nerve. He's angry -- no, more than that -- he feels betrayed.

"For the record..." she steps in, forcefully. "Titus Hardie did not explicitly specify the victim as a whore. Nor did he say anything about trusting her."

"Oh, shut up and stay out of this, Liz!" He turns back to you. "He raped her. He was out of his fucking mind. You have no idea!"

"She's just in denial, asshole. You don't understand the traumatic experience. She's shutting down. And she doesn't fucking trust you."

"Yes, she's crazy, you know," the rat-faced man says carefully. "A crazy-bitch -- you know the type. She's fucked up."

This is a diversion. Stay on track.

"I did think that, yes -- that she's a little crazy..."

"Listen. She wasn't raped." The lieutenant's voice is beginning to betray his agitation. "The witness' statements were very clear."

"Lawman..." he says through clenched teeth. "... I am at the end of my goddamn rope with you. I fucking told you not to push her!"

His hands become fists.

"And you went and pushed her." Something breaks in him. He takes a step closer and says: "I am going to... fucking..."

...hit you -- duck!

"TITUS HARDIE!" Her voice rings through the room like a warning shot.

Success. Titus backs off. Fists down, everybody.

Goddamn no one tells you to put your fists down!

"Evrart personally sent me to take care of this. If this goes south we'll all be in the shit -- but you, Titus Hardie, are going to be buried. Am I understood?"

When she's angry, she emphasizes the s. It gives her voice a strangely hypnotic quality. Her lips barely move as she speaks.

Frankly it's a bit terrifying.

Someone has to rush in to break the tension. The second in command.

"Look, copper." The tattooed man snaps his fingers to get your attention. "We know the dead fuck was a rapist and a killer. We got him confessing to it on tape."

"Show it to him, T." He turns to Titus, who's still breathing heavily. "What's the harm, right?"

"Here, jerkwad!" He slams an audiotape on the table. "Listen to this shit, and then come back and tell me the Soldier of the Apocalypse was an innocent man."