59. Decline the Deal

I had already checked the room; there were no cameras, no windows, no mirrors. It should be okay. I had masses of experience and could swing the cup in a smooth motion without losing any drops of my beer.

"Want a drink, grandma?"

I saw the old dragon patting her heart.

"Is there a doctor here?" I asked Ethan, who looked at my paper cup, spellbound.

"I WAS JUST SURPRISED! DON'T CURSE ME, YOU THIRD-RATE MAGICIAN!" My grandma screamed.

I raised my eyebrows and turned to Ethan.

"You have seen. I am innocent. I was in a parallel world, and found out that my victim is very alive there. For that reason, I missed the formal interview with the police. The one killing her was Kenny from the parallel world; naturally, our palm prints are the same."

There was a long silence after I spoke, my grandmother getting her wits together at first, while I conjured up a coke and sipped on it.

"Was your pig of a grandfather there as well?" She looked murderous.

"Pfft. No. Get your priorities right. Haven't seen him, but I saw my mother." I laughed before getting myself a vodka bottle and sipping on it.

"Oh. Your mother." She toned down quite a bit.

"Was she happy to see you ?"

"She wasn't. She should be aware that the parallel-world-Kenny was an imbecile, and she thought I was him." Using my grandmother's insult, I did my best to not make it overly complicated. Not that she gets a delayed heart attack.

My grandmother nodded.

"Once an imbecile, in a parallel world also an imbecile." 

She elbowed the attorney, and pointed at me while looking at him.

"You heard him. Parallel worlds. Now get him out."

Thinking a bit, she followed up with a threat.

"If this leaves the room, your whole family will die an ugly death. Think carefully, young man." Smacking her mouth, she again eyed me strangely.

"WILL YOU STOP DRINKING? AREN'T YOU ENOUGH LIKE THAT CHEATING BASTARD ALREADY?!"

"Mr. Howard. This is…unbelievable. It changes the outcome I had planned for today." Ethan pushed up his glasses while going through his bag and sliding papers to me.

"You see, the state had approached us with a deal. Lifelong imprisonment with the possibility of parole after twenty-five years in prison. You must disclose how you injured the men last time, how you let the weapon disappear, and how the nature of their wounds came to be. Additionally, you would have to cooperate with them in making a few non-life-threatening tests. You would also not get charged with the assault of the men you injured."

I snorted,

"I call that crap of a deal. I would still be a convicted murderer, and I am out of here the earliest with forty-two. I would call that bullshit."

I conjured up an apple and caught it in the air, munching on it.

"Yes…. I would have advised you to agree. If I hadn't seen what you are able to do with my own eyes." 

"HAVE YOU NO MANNERS!" My grandmother again intercepted, and I got her another apple, throwing it to her.

She caught it scarily accurately and was satisfied as she bit in it with her disgusting third or fourth teeth.

Scrunching up my face, I commented,

"It will disappear soon, so chew fast."

"Now…. I would have two suggestions for you. One as an attorney, one without taking my job into account."

My interest was piqued, and I motioned for him to go on.

"As an attorney, I would just ask you to decline this deal and lie low in a hope for a better one."

I nodded as he continued.

"My second advice, and I will deny having ever said this, is that you should continue to show them the unbelievable, injure people as you want, and let them see what you are capable of without showing them how it works. The chances are good that you will be brought to another facility and that more people with more influence will come to the table. People who can give you your freedom back in exchange for insights and tests. The risk is with this strategy naturally higher."

"You mean that they sack me and experiment on me without asking questions?"

Ethan nodded.

"Yes. For that reason, I mentioned to never let them see what exactly you are capable of. If they don't know where to start, the chances of them wanting your cooperation increase significantly."

While my new attorney talked, we both saw my grandmother's foggy eyes staring at the apple that disappeared in wonder.

"Too risky. Just get him out in exchange for the other Kennith." My grandmother was back to track, waving at my attorney in dismissal.

Ethan turned to me, and I shook my head. I told him the facts before he could open his mouth.

"The forest, where the portal to the parallel world was in, had burned down. The police were there already and hadn't found anything."

My grandmother slammed the table before falling silent.

"Then let's just wait and see. Decline the deal." I spoke to Ethan. 

There was also someone promising me that the world would end. So waiting was the only option I had.

"Ah. Isn't it illegal to hold someone in a solitary cell for weeks, without showers, or going outside?" I remembered.

"In your case, it is." Ethan nodded,

"I will take care of it."

"I also want my friends to be able to come again; visitor-rights." If they even wanted to. I could understand if they turned their back on me. That was the worst case, the best case where they were busy with school and would come to visit me with their college admissions the next time. 

No...worst case was that Danny came and cried buckets again.

"I will do what I can." Ethan put the papers with this 'deal' on them in his bag.

"Wait. Let's shake hands." I said, and stood up. 

Ethan looked into my empty hands, hesitantly. I tilted my head and waited with my outstretched hand. Finally, he smiled and pushed his glasses up before shaking my hand.

I flipped the coin.