Chapter 22: The Key to All Lies

Dr. Wellington's Office, Medicity Hospital, Approaching Sunset…

Roselyne's gaze lingered on the door way through which a disgruntled Crane walked out. She turned her eyes towards Dr. Wellington who sat with a somewhat tired look.

"You told him about Hector?" asked Roselyne.

Dr. Wellington simply sighed, "I mentioned it in passing, never did I think he would search out Hector for this."

"You threw Hector to the lionz," said Roselyne with a chuckle.

"I didn't throw anyone to the lions," retorted Dr. Wellington. "I didn't even know there were lions involved, Maddox…that man did it all by himself."

"If Hector figures out the tail in all thisz…" said Roselyne, imagining the consequences with a wry chuckle.

Dr. Wellington shook his head with a wry smile, "I'm not too worried about Hector, him I can reason with…I'm more worried about that police officer, after what he's done to you, Gustave and Hector, he seems a tad too unreasonable."

"It iz underzstandable," said Roselyne. "Considering someone contracted hit out on hiz head."

"Damn it all," said Dr. Wellington, suddenly cussing.

"Are you really going to help that doctor escape?" Gustave asked, his voice still hoarse and low.

Dr. Wellington nodded, "If he can still find me tomorrow morning then yes."

"You think he won't get past the next twenty-something maybe less hours?" Gustave asked.

Dr. Wellington shook his head, "I don't think he will, not with what he's done."

"You are banking on the polize figuring out what he haz done?" asked Roselyne. "It seemz like a far-fetched espérance…hope."

Dr. Wellington chuckled at Roselyne's accidental translation to french and then leaned further back on his chair, setting himself in a very comfortable and relaxing position.

"You say this police officer got to the end with Hector from just the assassins that was sent after him, I have a level of confidence that he'll see to the end of this as well," said Dr. Wellington.

"He has an alibi," said Gustave frowning.

Suddenly the pieces clicked in Roselyne's mind, "That waz the woman I saved."

"Oh…you know Maddox's alibi?" asked Dr. Wellington interested.

"Yes, when I arrived to see the polize officier, she was there," said Roselyne nodding and then distastefully added. "Domestic violence."

"He was there then?" asked Dr. Wellington with a grin and Roselyne nodded.

"Well then it's all but confirmed, he will get to the bottom of this," said Dr. Wellington and Roselyne looked at him slightly puzzled. "You see, Maddox works in the pediatrics division and the woman, domestic abuse survivor, there should be no reason she should come anywhere near him unless it is for her child but from the alibi he gave it can be confirmed she didn't consult with him about her child and so well the case is fairly open and shut, my guess is that he used someone else's story or alibi…or something along those lines, a competent officer should be able to figure out at least this much."

"They really jumped the gun then, with that arrest," said Gustave with a shake of his head.

"Considering all that's happened, they needed to jump the gun, before everyone crucified them," said Dr. Wellington with a shake of his head. "People were dying left and right, fires were being constantly set."

"Do you know what, Dr. Crane did…or doesz?" asked Roselyne as she narrowed her eyes. "The man seemz juvenile at best, six children murdered, I would kill him myzelf."

"It is distasteful," said Dr. Wellington. "I however do owe him favors, he covered me on the days I could not attend school due to my ah…peculiar condition."

Roselyne's eyes widened and then she nodded, "I see, does he know then?"

Dr. Wellington let out a laugh, "Oh god know, no he does not know," he then sighed. "You know, I do pity him."

"He could have become a great doctor," Dr. Wellington continued. "He had the talent for it, his heart however was not there, it is a shame but he probably didn't even realize who or what he was going after when he set that contract on that police officer."

"He iz not part of the Ninth Order," said Roselyne.

"An individual mage then?" asked Dr. Wellington furrowing his brows.

"Perhapsz, I need to find out more," said Roselyne. "He iz a man of mysteriesz."

"Aren't we all," said Dr. Wellington letting out a chuckle. "Anyhow duchess, I wish you good fortune and all, please do get back to me, if you find out about this peculiar, individual, I myself am a little interested in him now."

"Is there nothing you can do to fix my throat?" Gustave asked.

"Nothing, unless you want a surgery," said Dr. Wellington. "Just take the medicine I prescribed, put some ice on it and then carry on with your day, a surgery on a carnomancer of all things, sounds ridiculous."

Gustave nodded, looking a little irritated.

"I'll see you doctor," said Roselyne standing up. "Take care of Hector."

"I will my dear…I will," said Dr. Wellington.

Soon after Roselyne and Gustave left the hospital leaving Dr. Wellington to contemplate his own future, wondering if on the chance that Maddox made it out the other, end would he still stick by his promise to grant the man safe passage and possibly risk making a new, unknown and powerful enemy or enemies.

***

East City Hospital, Approaching Sunset…

The pain had finally receded and Jerome could finally stand from his chair, bones cracked across his body as they came to adjust to his new found strength. If previously his strength was only at the limit of around four humans' worth then now it had risen up to at least eight humans' worth, this was of course his own conservative estimate or average. He walked up to the main reception of the East City Hospital and pulled out his badge.

"Hello, my name is Jerome Hall and I am a senior constable at Trade City East Police Station, east circle," he said greeting himself to the somewhat busy receptionist who immediately looked up as soon as she heard his title.

"How may I help you sir?" she asked.

"I'm looking for Reyhana Rostami, she was admitted to this hospital as a domestic abuse victim," he said. "If you could point me to where she is currently that would be helpful."

"Yes, sir, just a moment," the receptionist turned to her computer and typed in somethings and moments later she turned back.

"She is admitted in the general ward, if you just head left through those doors, someone will point you the right way, additionally there are signs on the walls as well," she said and he nodded.

"Thank you for your help," he said.

He turned and walked through the double glass doors she had pointed, pushing it open and entered a sterile smelling corridor. He looked at the signs, various arrows, leading to different wings, one of them pointed him in the direction of the general ward and he took the direction and walked towards it. As he appeared at an intersection he checked for signs again and followed it, finally appearing in the general vicinity of the general ward. As he was slightly lost and looking for the way, a nurse went to push past him with a trolley and he quickly stopped her. She looked up at him, somewhat annoyed and he let out an innocent smile.

"I apologize," he said and then he took out his badge once again. "My name is Jerome Hall and I am senior constable, I would just like to be pointed in the direction of a woman named Reyhana Rostami, the receptionist said she was in the general ward."

The woman immediately turned several shades more respectful and nodded. She reached underneath her trolley and pulled out a clipboard.

"The name was Reyhana Rostami, you said?" she asked him and he nodded.

She looked through the clipboard, "Ah…found it."

"Where is she?" he asked.

"She's on bed 302," she replied, second room down from here.

Jerome nodded after carefully understanding what she had said.

"Thanks for you help," he said with a smile and then put his badge back as he walked towards the 'second room down' and the double doors were left open. He entered to the attention of the people immediately near him on the beds. The room was large and expansive and there were numbers to side of the bed. He nodded at a couple of patients as he walked by and he spotted the woman and her child Haitham before he would, their bed number. Haitham was situated to the side of her bed on a chair and he had phone in his hand, possibly playing a game or something. She herself was turned away from him, lying on her side, possibly sleeping. With slow steps he walked up to their bed and Haitham looked up from his game.

"The police!" he exclaimed and those were the words that made her turn around.

As soon as Reyhana Rostami saw him, she paled a little and tried to get up. Her head was bandaged several different ways that she looked more like a mummy but regardless he pulled a chair from a bed nearby and dragged it to her bedside, pulling it across, he sat down.

"Reyhana Rostami?" he asked and when she didn't say nothing, he himself confirmed with a nod. "I never did get your name, the first two times we saw each other."

"Officer…," she said trying to sit up again but he gently pushed her down.

"Please, you don't need to get up on my account, I'm simply here to ask you a few questions," he said. "After which I will leave and you will be free to sleep."

She nodded and Jerome let out a solid smile.

"You were the alibi for Dr. Maddox Crane?" he asked and she nodded again.

This time he let out a smile that did not quite reach his eyes, "Do you Mrs. Rostami, know the punishment for giving a false statement to the police?"

She paled even further and winced, possibly in pain but slowly shook her head.

Jerome let out a dry chuckle, "I don't know either, but the point is, there is a punishment, you see Mrs. Rostami this is a job we do to keep the people safe and if the very people we try to keep safe lie to us, how are we supposed to do our jobs."

He looked at Haitham who seemed slightly afraid at this point and he winked at the boy, "Could I trouble you to get me a cup of coffee, Haitham."

At that his look turned a little unsure, he looked between his mother and Jerome and finally when his mother nodded he got up off of his chair and put the phone down on the table near him and went off, presumably to get coffee. Jerome watched him leave through the door along with his mother. He turned back only to see Reyhana was still looking at the doorway.

"Don't worry Mrs. Rostami, your son is only going to get coffee," he said. "Now, how about we have our discussion."

"I…I don't understand," she said and Jerome shook his head as he lowered his head and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Don't play with me, Mrs. Rostami," he said. "You gave evidence of Dr. Maddox Crane's innocence, false evidence I may add and thanks to that we arrested an innocent woman who nearly got killed."

"I…I did not such thing," she said, a little stubbornly and he sighed.

"Mrs. Rostami, I'm not someone you want to lie to," said Jerome. "I don't know what Dr. Crane did to get you on his side, whether it be threat…or a bribe but I assure you what you did for him will not hold up in court."

He noticed her eyes fluctuate at the word threat and he immediately understood that Dr. Crane had indeed threatened Reyhana Rostami, he did feel sorry for the woman, she just couldn't get a break anywhere, at home it was her husband and at the hospital it was the doctors.

"I…I-," she started but Jerome cut her off.

"Whatever you're going to say better be the truth," he said, there was a hint of warning in his voice. "Whatever Dr. Crane threatened you with, I can do a hundred times worse, trust me."

Her eyes widened at his blatant threat, though he felt sorry for her, he didn't much care about it at this moment. He needed the truth and he needed Dr. Maddox Crane, those two took priority at the top of his list, what Reyhana Rostami felt came out very low, low enough that he didn't really give a damn.

"I'm a cop Mrs. Rostami, one way or another, the truth will come out," he said. "Better it be you willingly giving it to me than me forcibly taking it from you."

"I, I-," at that point tears came to her eyes and he closed irritated as he let out an annoyed sigh.

"Don't cry," he said, a little too harshly but it didn't help, the good thing was that she wasn't really making any noise, she was holding it in.

It was a good thing that Eckhard was doing such a good job of suppressing his emotions because if that was not the case, he would walk away right now, or hug her whichever felt better to him…most likely hug her.

"Explain to me, how when you explained it, it was to Dr. Anisha Maria and when it came out the other, the shoe fit Dr. Maddox Crane," said Jerome. "He threatened you didn't he?"

"Yes…," she finally said nodding, tears freely falling and when started speaking, she said it all. "Haitham…he said he would kill Haitham, that he had killed those six children and also a police officer and that I couldn't trust them to keep me and my child safe."

Jerome nodded and then grit his teeth, the man despite being a little mad had some intelligence to him, enough to temporarily outsmart him.

"He'll kill Haitham," she said again clenching her bedsheets and Jerome took in a deep breath as he looked at her without much emotion on his face.

Jerome finally said, "No, he won't."

She looked at him at that, her eyes still red and tears still glistening, "He killed those six children."

"He may have killed more people," said Jerome nodding and she paled further if that was even possible. "But he won't kill anymore, this is it."

"You're going to arrest him?" she asked.

"We could have done this sooner if you hadn't created a false witness for his innocence," said Jerome with a snarl, one which she recoiled at.

"I'm sorry," she said.

Jerome got up to leave, he was done here, he had gained everything he needed.

'Eckhard, you recorded that entire conversation right?'

<>

Jerome nodded and as he was about to walk away, he turned towards the woman who seemed to have at this point lost a portion of her life.

"You don't need to worry," he said. "You'll be safe, so will Haitham, rest and be prepared to come to court if necessary, you have to refute your statement to the police, Dr. Crane won't trouble you anymore."

Reyhana seemed to regain a little life at that and he walked away from her. As he came out the ward he nearly bumped into Haitham who was carrying a paper cup of coffee. He was a little surprised, he didn't think the boy would be able to make one for him, he just wanted the boy out of the way before he laid into the mother but as he narrowly dodged Haitham, the boy stood there and raised the cup up to Jerome with wide eyes. He blinked and then knelt down and gently patted him on the head.

"Thanks for the coffee," he said with a smile and the small boy nodded.

"Will my mother be alright, Jerome?" he asked and Jerome seemed a little surprised at the boy who called him by his first name but then he remembered he had introduced himself to the little one as Jerome…just Jerome.

"She'll be fine Haitham," said Jerome. "Just stay by her side, everything will be alright."

Haitham nodded and then ran back into the ward to sit next to his mother. He took a sip of the coffee that Haitham had apparently made, it wasn't bad. He nodded his satisfaction at the decent cup of coffee and walked forwards, sipping it occasionally.

'Eckhard, is there anyway to find where Dr. Maddox Crane is at present?'

<>

Eckhard offered up his answer, something that seemed like such a chore to Jerome, he would have to go all the way down, Dr. Maddox Crane could have visited several different locations.

'Is there no other way Eckhard?'

<>

Another problem, another solution offered by Eckhard and Jerome let out a smile. Well if the AI was going to do everything and all he needed to do was wait, that was something he could do. The police would also be on Dr. Maddox Crane's case. As he had left in the ambulance, he had heard Roy give out instructions to the officers to visit the various places that Dr. Crane might have visited, there were ways to track down the man. Either way Jerome was adamant that this doctor should not live to see tomorrow's morning sun.