Bailed

Back at the police station, Zinbad and Tanya were released off their handcuffs and thrown into the jail cell. "Ha, this nostalgic feeling! You won't get it anywhere else." Tanya looked around as if she was reminiscing about past events fondly.

"Been here quite often?" Zinbad asked sarcastically, but he was genuinely curious about it as well, even though he was fully aware of the fact that she was a police officer from the background search he conducted on her—asked her mum, that is.

Anyhow, Tanya replied earnestly to the sarcastic comment. "Yeah, but on the other side. First time as a convict." She shrugged.

"Then what's there to be nostalgic about?" Zinbad was not into things like nostalgia, so he didn't get Tanya's thoughts.

"Things, I guess? I don't know either. I feel like I hated this place while I used to work here. Wonder why it feels nostalgic right now..." Tanya answered vaguely.

"How are you two doing?" Billy let himself into the conversation, ruining the mood altogether.

"Fuck off, Billy. I'm in no mood to talk with you." Tanya bluntly replied.

"Neither am I," Billy said as he opened the cell. "It's just that, there is someone really important who wants to meet you."

Tanya wasn't in a mood for any kind of suspense or surprises. "Don't drag it down any further. You could just tell me who it is."

"What's the hurry? We're going there anyway, aren't we?" Billy decided to not speak of the matter until they reached their destination. "Sir, I brought them here."

"Tom Hills!" Zinbad and Tanya exclaimed.

"Hello, Zinbad and Tanya. Please sit." He gestured to them to do so and then turned his attention towards Billy. "And Billy, you can go now."

Billy decided to heed his request and exited the scene. Tanya began talking. "What do you want? Retribution for assaulting your wife?" She accidentally let out a scoff in the end, which she kinda regretted, but didn't apologize for it since she thought that it would add some sort of weight behind her sentence.

"Why will I seek retribution for something that didn't happen?" Tom let out a smile.

"So, you know, huh?" Tanya asked.

"Yea, my wife has quite the temper. You'll have to forgive her for her lapse in judgment, Ms. Rogers." Tom chose to put emphasis on Tanya's name.

Tanya wasn't dumb. She noticed it. "I never told you my full name."

"I have my connections, you see. So, finding your full name's just child's play. A fun fact, I didn't even have to use my powerful allies for this. I just asked Billy over there." Tom shrugged.

"Let's just get to the point then. So, what do you want?" Tanya asked.

"Just as I said before, I want you to forgive Margaret. And as for the gesture of goodwill between us, how about I get you out of the prison cell?" Tom put forth his really favorable deal in front of them.

"Sounds like a good deal!" Tanya was quick to accept it.

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As promised, Tom let them out of the prison cell much to the anguish of Billy, whom Tanya mocked extensively upon their release. It had been just a few hours since they were put in those cells, but somehow those limited hours in prison gave them a new outlook towards life.

"We got off pretty quick! We have to thank Mr. Hills for that." Tanya sighed as she breathed in the fresh air outside like never before.

"So, what are we going to do?" Zinbad was curious about their future plans since they hit a weird dead end due to the Hills family.

But Tanya was reluctant to give up. "Continue with the investigation, I suppose?"

"Ms. Tanya, can I have a word with you?" Tom interjected into their conversation.

"Mr. Hills! Sure, what is it?" Tanya didn't seem to mind his interference since he got them out.

"Here, take this." Tom gave her a parchment with something written in it.

"An address?" Tanya asked upon checking all sides of the parchment, hoping for more clues perhaps.

"It's where my son meets up with his friends. So you could not only question him but the others about Meghan." Tom gave out a pleasant smile.

"Ah, so you knew. But why the help? What if your son's actually the culprit? Wouldn't this be a mistake then?" Tanya questioned Tom's actions.

"Meghan's a good girl. And as for my son, he can't possibly be the culprit, because—father's instinct, I guess?" Tom looked like he deliberately tried to hide some information, but Tanya decided not to question him any further due to all the help she received. But deep in her mind, she knew that she could extract that information from his son if it came to that.

"I certainly do hope that your instincts are right," Tanya said as she let out another one of her sighs.

"Well, time for me to go then." Tom extended his hand towards Tanya as he prepared to depart. Election duties didn't allow him to roam freely.

Tanya got the gist of it as she shook his hand. "Thanks for your help. I feel like you'd make a good mayor someday."

As Tom bid his farewell, Tanya headed back to the car alongside Zinbad, who was in mute the entire time, since he knew that he had nothing to talk about. Zinbad didn't like to talk too much to the people whom he doesn't consider a friend, so you could say that he is of a shy demeanor, even though he doesn't look like it. He cracked open a cold beer that was kept in the chiller that Tanya bought during her "shopping"—Zinbad was quick to catch on Tanya's tendencies.

Tanya accepted the drink and stared at the parchment for a long time before letting a voice out. "21 Bump Street, huh? Pretty sure that it was a church. When did it become a club?"

"Ah, the church relocated into 22 Bump Street. So it's all good." Zinbad explained.

"Okay then, 21 Bump Street it is!" Tanya said as Zinbad revved the engine.

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