Conversation · Titus Hardie

"What Kim said."

"Fuck you..." The man can't believe what he's hearing. "First he says she murdered him -- now she's a fg* too? It's a lie!"

"C'mon, guys. She hangs out with you meatheads. This cannot come as a surprise."

"Yeah -- no. Ruby's got more balls than a ball pit. You'd have to be an idiot not to..." He looks around. "Guys, I'm not the only one who knew, right?"

"Apparently she had a thing for Klaasje."

"A thing? You mean..." He tilts his head to the side and falls silent.

"Let's not get into it, it's needless sensationalism."

"No-no," he squints at you. "Let's get into it -- what did she say?"

"Really, nothing."

"She didn't tell you shit." He shakes his head. "If she did, it was lies."

"Maybe she killed him because she thought it would curry favour with you?"

"You had expressed -- on occasion -- your dislike of the mercenaries' presence in Martinaise, right?"

"Whack someone in my district? That doesn't curry much favour with Titus Hardie. She has to know that..." He rubs his chin and looks out the window.

It's the kind of chin-rubbing men -- often leaders -- do when they think of punishment.

"Maybe it's all part of a leadership challenge? Against you, Titus."

"There's no fucking leadership challenge." A flash of rage; he calms himself. "Just when I thought you were taking this seriously, cop, you put your head in your ass."

"Man, now he's just throwing shit against the wall to see what sticks."

"Okay..." The lieutenant steps in. "We've ruled out infighting. That's how this works: by exclusion. Remember, all we need to do is rule Ruby out too. That's all this is."

There's a bit of truth in there for Titus to react so brashly. He does not like his authority questioned.

"There's no fucking leadership challenge, here." A flash of rage; he calms himself. "Get your head out of your ass. This is serious."

"A little thing -- Ruby had these posters in her truck. Old movie stars."

Titus's gaze meets yours: "Yeah, so...?"

"Nothing. They where just there."

"Don't take me wrong, I love to stare at broads on posters, but we're talking about a murder here."

"The people on the posters -- were all women. One looked exactly like Klaasje."

"Well yeah... what do you expect? She wasn't a fg, of course she had babe-posters everywhere. You should see my* fucking shack. Tits literally all over the place."

This one's going into some kind of insane death spiral to preserve his version of the world.

"When Klaasje came downstairs -- Ruby appeared to know that something was wrong."

"Nah, man. That's just Ruby. She's got shit under control," the man explains. "That's her whole thing. That's why she's so good."

"Plus, man, it's like female intuition you know. Women talk to women." He peeks at Titus. "Which is sorta why we need someone on the team who they talk to."

Eugene wants a woman on the team so they can do their job. That must be hard. Half of Martinaise is female...

"Yes." (Roll your eyes.) "Female intuition. That's what it was. You're right Eugene."

"Yeah..." The man seems unsure of himself.

"Wishful thinking has no place in a police investigation," the lieutenant tells Eugene, his voice mild but firm.

"A more serious consideration -- that you wish to avoid -- is that she knew what happened, because she did it."

He knows he's avoiding the more serious implication -- and so does Titus.

"Yeah -- exactly. Why not, man?"

"Yes, she's just got her shit together. That's how she knew."

"Yeah..." The man seems unsure of himself.

"Wishful thinking has no place in a police investigation," the lieutenant tells Alain, his voice mild but firm.

"A more logical conclusion -- that you wish to avoid -- is that she knew what had happened, because she did it."

"Yeah, some people have their shit together. What's wrong with that?"

"Or she knew what happened, because she killed him."

"Not so useful." Titus looks at Alain, then Eugene.

"Fucking hell..." The blond man is in some kind of anguish that makes him stare into his garlic bread bowl, intently.

Betrayal is not painless. Even a doubt of it hurts.

"All right." He nods. "Keep talking. I'm getting a bit curious about some things myself."

"T, we're not seriously considering it, are we?!" He almost gets up from his seat. "Ruby wouldn't do this. Why would she do something like this?"

"All right, cop." He nods. "Keep talking. I'll tell you when I've had enough."

"T, we're not seriously considering it, are we?!" He almost gets up from his seat. "Ruby wouldn't do this. Why would she do something like this?"

(Show them the antique rifle.) "There are weapons like this just lying around in Martinaise."

"That looks antique -- a Belle-Magrave..." He takes the gun, inspects it and hands it back to you. "It's inoperable. Where'd you get it?"

"There's a cellar under the bookshop. It was hidden there -- with others just like it."

"Twenty, maybe thirty rifles, Titus. Also broken -- but still, there were too many. And there must be other caches too."

"Goddamnit, we need to close that dump down for good."

He nods to it. "It's a god damn breechloader too -- find one that works and you got a military-grade weapon -- that shoots jacketed ammunition." He shakes his head.

He sees it -- this is coming together -- he must.

"Okay, I see your point -- there are guns lying around." He shakes his head. "Dammit, I thought we'd found all the old spots. Why was that still there?"

"We just missed one. Ruby doesn't know this place boss -- just these cops, diggin' up shit."

"Also inoperable?"