The top right corners of the newspaper fluttered faintly from the cool air blowing around the room. The purr of the air conditioner created a white noise for the three of them, as Nole read the words over and over. “Young Man Wanted: Kills Uncle of Chief Enforcer”. It took him a minute to realize what the title meant.

“What?” He grabbed the paper, reading its entirety. He brought it within a few inches of his face, as if the issue was its lack of proximity. “Showdown at home of Murphy Maddox, uncle of Captain Enforcer, Jett Maddox, results in homicide. Witnesses at the scene claim the young man pictured is the killer.” Uncle of Captain Enforcer? Murphy never told me. He stopped reading. “They think I killed him?”

Skimming the rest of the article, he read that there were witnesses who’d been interviewed separately and gave the same, accurate story. They must mean the Pents. Nole thought it odd that the Enforcers would trust gang members as eyewitnesses instead of suspecting them, but read on.

He came across a smaller photo of an expressionless man in an Enforcer’s uniform. Flicks of dark hair peeked beneath the hat he wore as the brim’s shadow darkened his already black eyes. The caption read, “Captain Enforcer Jett Maddox claims he will not rest until the murderer is brought to justice.” The article went on to quote the man saying he was “devastated by the tragedy” and “determined to find who killed his uncle.”

When he reached the bottom of the page, he discovered something else. It reported that there was a set of fingerprints found on a bloodied paper towel inside the shack. Nole remembered the night he brought the stranger to Murphy’s place and how he’d cleaned his hands from the blood. Although it wasn’t his blood, the prints would be enough to charge him as an accomplice. The sketch also looked convincingly accurate, so it would only be a matter of time until he was caught.

“They’re pretty confident it’s you,” the old woman remarked, as he slowly lowered the paper to the table. His mind panicked at the situation. “Well?”

“I didn’t kill him!”

“Normally I wouldn’t believe the Enforcers, much less the media, but there are witnesses.” Betty analyzed Nole, waiting for a reaction, but he didn’t give her one. It says all of this happened yesterday, so I blacked out for an entire day. He met the old woman’s glinting eyes. They suspect me, but they could’ve turned me in. So why is she baiting me?

“You know I didn’t do it,” he stated calmly. “Tell me what you really want.” Olivia whipped her head at Betty, who crossed her arms and half-smiled in amusement.

“Quite the deducing skills you’ve got there,” she said, smiling fully now. “You’re right. Zane told us you were awfully surprised to find that doctor dead.” Nole grimaced at the mention of Zane’s name. Although he had saved Suri, he was Nole’s only lead on who Murphy’s murderer was.

“That guy, Zane, he had blood on his hands when I found him in Murphy’s basement.” What Nole was implying made the smile on Betty’s face disappear, and a scowl soon replaced it. Her long slender nose crinkled as if she had suddenly huffed in a rotten smell. Olivia, too, recognized the woman’s new expression and jumped in.

“He was checking the doctor’s pulse,” she chimed in. “You should be thanking him, for-“

“Thanking him?” Nole interrupted. “That lunatic almost killed me in the cellar!”

“Don’t provoke people that are stronger than you,” contended a voice from behind Nole. He turned abruptly, giving him a slight case of vertigo, and saw Zane standing stoically by the entrance. His hands were jammed in his pockets and his enigmatic eyes were downcast, as if absorbing the situation. How long has he been there?

“Stronger? I had just found my best friend-“ Nole stopped himself and struggled to remain calm. The room fell silent with his sudden hesitation. Out of nowhere, Zane scoffed quietly. Furious, Nole took a few steps toward him, but lost his balance and briefly wavered in place. He heard one of the chairs slide against the tiles of the room and before he knew it, Olivia was in front of him.

“Stop it; you’re not fully recovered,” she mediated. Her slightly bent arms were in front of her as she tried to create distance between the two boys.

“That jerk,” Nole began, “has no respect-“

“People die everyday,” he interrupted, suddenly humorless. The silver eyes pierced Nole like a clean gunshot. He couldn’t decipher the intent behind Zane’s behavior.

“That’s enough out of both of you,” the woman declared. “You’re still recuperating, boy. You shouldn’t be picking fights.” She walked to the entrance of the room, bypassing the three of them. “You want to see your sister don’t you?” Her words snapped Nole out of his burning irritation. He strode passed Olivia, glaring at Zane in the meantime, and joined the woman at the door.

She led him down the long hallway in silence. “A word of advice,” she offered, stopping to look at him. “Don’t push that boy.”

Nole was confused by her words before she added, “Even though he didn’t kill your friend, he’s definitely capable of it.” Although she continued walking, Nole stood in place and pondered the words. Capable of it, he repeated. He wasn’t sure if it was a genuine warning or just a scare tactic. Regardless he followed her further down the narrow corridor.

Halfway down the hall, Nole noticed a set of stairs going up and he wondered how big the place was. He was surprised when he saw someone prodding down the staircase; a man wearing slacks, a collared shirt, and a pair of black leather gloves.

“Afternoon, Betty,” he greeted, glancing at Nole.

“Tom,” she replied nonchalantly. “A little warm for gloves, don’t you think?”

“Maybe, but Nova’s got some pretty cold people in it,” he joked. Betty grunted in response before the man went about his way.

“Who was that?” Nole asked.

“A tenant.”

By the time they neared the end of the corridor, a faint noise echoed around them. Approaching the source, Nole deduced it was a voice. Screaming? No, laughing. He paused to listen closely as his suspicions were confirmed. He instinctively plowed passed Betty and found a lone door separating him from the voice. Anxiously twisting the handle, he barged in and saw her immediately.

A broad window lightened a room as large as the entire rooftop where they lived. Two massive couches wrapped around the flat screen television playing in the background. He saw his sister was laughing hysterically at the terrier puppy that hopped around her. At first she didn’t spot him because she was sitting with her back turned, but when her face turned slightly, she noticed him standing there.

“Nole!” She scampered to her feet, the dog in toe, and hugged him full force. The impact almost knocked him over, but he recovered enough to regain his balance. “You’re finally awake!” she exclaimed looking up at him. “Val said you’d be fine, but I was still worried.” She grinned at him, her current expression the complete opposite of the one he’d seen at the shack.

“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you,” he apologized, smiling at her. The situation at the shack felt like history to Nole. “I was just tired.”

“That’s an understatement,” Betty added, finally joining them. “Speaking of which, Valerie needs to do a post check now that you’re awake.”

“Nole you met Betty already?” He looked over at the old woman who stood at the entrance of the room with her arms crossed.

“Um, yeah.” He felt slightly dazed. “We have to go.” He put his hand on Suri’s back, partly to lead her out of the room and partly to keep from falling.

“Already?” she whined, looking down at the dog that was pawing at her feet.

“We have to find Caden.” Caden was now missing for nearly twenty-four hours. Just saying his brother’s name renewed his distress and replaced Suri’s grin with a glum expression. He could tell his mention of their missing brother had saddened her deeply. “I’ll find him.”

Betty let out a loud sigh at his comment. “When you fell over, did you fall on your head? I know you blacked out, but you can’t really be serious about going out there with her.”

“What’s it to you?” he asked, suddenly defensive.

“Nothing,” she snapped. “If you’re gung-ho about having your sister kidnapped by a gang again, go ahead.” Her words were calm and calculating. If she was trying to anger Nole, it was working.

“My brother’s out there!” he shouted, louder than he intended.

“Nole,” Suri murmured nervously, trying to calm him. He was embarrassed by the fact that Suri was comforting him. Betty eyed Suri before meeting Nole’s gaze. He knew what she was thinking. What she wanted to say, but couldn’t in front of Suri, was that Caden could be dead. The mere thought made Nole feel as if his heart had sunk to the pit of his stomach.

Looking away, he clenched his jaw and urged himself to stay calm. Betty was right about him going back out into the city. With his face plastered on the front page and the Pents wanting both information and revenge, he wouldn’t make it alone, let alone with Suri. He had nowhere to go.

“You fool,” Betty cut in, as if reading his thoughts. “Just ask me to stay here.”  

Shocked by her proposal, he was silent. Suri only stared. She didn’t dare interject.

“In exchange, you’ll work for me,” Betty continued. When he didn’t decline, she continued, “You tell me what I want to know and behave according to how I direct you to behave. You’re free to look for your brother, but you follow my orders when I give them. You and your sister will have a safe place to stay as well. I don’t want to hear any questions.” Even though the television in the room was on, all he could hear was her voice. She had him, and she knew it too.

“Why?” he mumbled.

“I said no questions,” she dismissed, taking in a deep breath. “What do you say, boy?” Suri looked up at him, eager for an answer. The voice of reason in his head told him that it was all too convenient. They had just met him, and now they were taking him in? Even with the nagging suspicion, he had no other option. He had to think of the needs of his siblings before following his gut.

“Fine.”

“Yay! Hear that Burt?” Suri exclaimed, removing her arms from Nole to the dog, “Now we just have to find Caden and then we’ll all be together again.” She raised the small terrier above her head and spun around in delight, her locket floating off of her from the force of the rotation. What an optimist, he thought while watching her.

When he turned his attention to Betty, with one of her wicked grins spread across her face, he immediately felt like he’d just made a deal with the devil.

“Valerie,” she called.

“Yes,” replied a voice within the room. Nole swiveled his head to locate the answer, and saw no one at first, but then someone rose from the couch. She had been lying in a supine position while watching television, so he hadn’t noticed her when he walked in. The blonde haired girl stood in place, as if awaiting orders. She held something, but Nole was unable to see due to the couch’s height. He also noticed that she looked to be around his age as well.

“Let me know if he’s clear to work,” Betty directed. “I’ll be upstairs.” With that, Betty dismissed herself.

The dog proved to be a decent distraction for Suri, because she paid no attention to the awkward silence overtaking the room. When his eyes ventured to the girl, she was staring at him intently. With the flick of her head, she motioned for him to join her by the couch, and with no other orders from his new boss, he obeyed.

As he approached her, he avoided eye contact primarily because her staring was relentless.

“Have a seat,” she instructed, her tone indecipherable. He rested on the firm couch cushion as she retrieved a rolling footstool from the center of the matching sectional sofa. She was carrying a first aid kit and it dawned on him that she had been waiting for him. “Lay down,” she commanded with her back turned.

By that point, he had made the connection that Betty seemed to be the one in charge, not just of Zane, Olivia, and the girl before him, but the people in the building also regarded her in respect; at least that’s what he’d gathered from her interaction with the man whom they encountered in the hallway.

He lied down on his back and awaited further instruction as the girl returned with the footstool. Without a word, she sat down and snapped open the kit, fumbling through the materials inside. Nole inspected her with his peripheral vision. Thin wrists were bare beneath the cuffs of the sky blue blouse that matched her eyes. The blonde hair that barely extended beyond her jawline swept passed her ears as she searched meticulously.

“Okay,” she said, finally finding the miniature flashlight. “Look into the light.” She flipped the switch and pointed the ray into his eyes as he did as he was told. He assumed he’d passed her test when she turned it off and placed it back inside the kit. “Follow my finger,” she ordered, extending her index finger and proceeding to move it back and forth within his frame of vision. “Good.”

“What’s all of this for? I feel fine,” he asserted as she withdrew her finger. She then wrapped a Velcro cuff around his arm and measured his blood pressure. 

“You blacked out for an entire day,” she responded, squeezing the plastic orb attached to the cuff. “I have to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”

“Listen,” he began, lifting himself into a sitting position, “I’m fine now.” Her lips formed a thin line as she stared at him. “I was stressed and I hadn’t slept.” She shifted her gaze to the scale on the cuff and let the air flow out of the instrument.

“How did you feel before you lost consciousness?” she asked, unwrapping the instrument and placing it back inside the kit.

“I had a minor headache,” he downplayed.

“And now?”

“Nothing.” Nole was sure her persistent gaze meant she didn’t believe him.

“Alright,” she sighed. “Your vitals appear fine, so I suppose if you’re feeling better, I can clear you; but you can’t leave this place for another twenty-four hours, just so I can be positive.”

“I can’t rest another day with my brother out there! He could be-“ He wouldn’t allow himself to finish the sentence.

Another sigh came from the girl as she reached down from her cushion to retrieve a newspaper. “Look,” she said pointing to the top of the page. Nole’s eyes scanned the heading of the obituaries. He came across a couple of unfamiliar names as well as Murphy’s. “Your brother’s name is Caden, right? He’s alive. There aren’t even any John Doe’s.”

Although he found the news comforting, the fact that his brother was still missing weighed heavily on his mind. “Just stick it out for another day and then you can go; that is, if Betty let’s you,” she smiled.

He knew he couldn’t go against Betty’s deal. He looked over his shoulder to see his sister playing joyfully with the dog. If he searched for Caden without the old woman’s permission, Suri could be put out on the street. I’m stuck, he admitted.

“Alright,” he muttered dejectedly. Her eyes rested on him momentarily as his thoughts wandered to his brother.

“Here,” she interrupted, reaching for her capri pocket. “I found these on you when you were brought in.” She opened a frustrated Nole’s hand and placed Murphy’s shattered glasses in his palm. “I’m sorry about what happened to your friend.”

He examined the worn out condition of the eyewear, thinking back to the day before. Not only was Murphy’s killer roaming the streets, but Nole was the number one suspect. The snap of the first aid kit released him of his thoughts.

“Olivia will come and show you where you’ll be staying,” He noticed she was standing now. Even if it was only a little, she had eased his mind. He grasped on to the glasses tightly.

“Thanks for holding onto them, …”

“Valerie,” she finished, throwing him another smile. “Let me know if your headache returns.” She turned off the television and departed from the room, leaving only Suri’s giggles and the dog’s yelps in the air.

Valerie, he repeated to himself, closing his eyes to think. The name had been bothering him since he’d first heard it. Valerie. Valerie. He snapped his eyes open instantly.

“There’s a woman named Betty. Can you tell her I’m sorry? And can you please tell Valerie… n-never mind.”

It didn’t occur to him when he’d learned Betty’s name, but meeting Valerie had triggered the memory from his clouded mind. The boy I took to the shack, he killed Murphy, and he knows these people.