Taken Chapter 6

Whilst in the car James thought back to when he’d last seen the vile Mr. Harper he was as many top dogs are these days a well presented man. He was a smooth talker and could talk his way into and out of many situations.

         James listened half heartedly to the pop music on the radio and wondered how to approach the disgusting man he was going to see should he go in hard or talk to him almost like a mate good cop or bad cop?

          A good hour and a half later James pulled up at the prison. It loomed over him as he pulled into the car park looking like a monster with its eyes it instantly made him feel nervous. The huge building was completely bricked and white washed with small barred windows and huge over powering walls that had the ever contradicting razor wire perched on top of it like a vulture sat on a tree watching its prey’s life ebbing away waiting for those final moment to take place before it swoops down for the feast. Once inside the prison it didn’t get much better the smell of caged life of struggle and hatred. James was met by a young spotty faced prison officer who escorted him to a waiting room. The white washed wall and banging of gates made him feel like he was losing his own life even though he was only visiting. There was shouting somewhere off in the distance and with his ears pricked to hear every detail James swore he could hear a man screaming. A loud bang behind him signaled the arrival of Derek Harper.

         James stood from the stainless steel seat on which he was sat and turned to face the vile creature.  Before him stood a shadow of the man he had seen just a few months previously. He was stick thin, yellowing for the chain smoking and lack of natural light, His hair hung lank and greasy by his shoulders and he had lost all muscle definition in his stomach and arms. His jaw was awash with stubble and he generally looked un-kept and almost ghostly.

         James outstretched his arm to shake Derek’s hand. Considering the way the man looked he still had a surprising amount of strength in him. Both men slowly sat down on opposite sides of the small wooden table neither wanting to break eye contact with the other. James stared at this shell of a man and something inside him pulled. From the old fading tattoos on his arms to his long graying hair this man looked every bit like his father and James hated it.

“So Derek how have you been?” James asked with as much sincerity as he possibly could.  Derek sparked up a cigarette and sneered. “Stick to your day job inspector, your not a funny man.”  he blew a flume of smoke into the air. James traced the smoke through the empty space in the white washed room watching it swirl anticipating his next question. “ Do you know of Anna Criter Mr. Harper?” Derek took a couple of minutes to answer and James could almost see and hear the old man’s mind working trying to establish a connection. “ Criter… Isn’t that the name of that bastard barrister who got me put away in this dump in the first place?”

“No bad feeling there then?” James said with a smirk. “ Inspector when a single man is solely in charge of sentencing you to your death then you do generate a lot of hate for them. God however made the decision that I should be incarcerated until my dying day and I just have to come to terms with that. So no I guess there is no hard feelings there. Sorry to change the subject Inspector but why are you here? Is it something to do with Mr. Criter? Or are you just fishing?” James stopped for a minute staring at the blank canvas of a wall behind his guest’s head. God the relevance of god. The note said ‘for now just call me GOD’. “Are you a religious man MR. Harper?”

“Inspector please call me Derek and yes I guess I am a little. You see before I was put in this god forsaken hell hole. I saw myself as God. I had the control over who lived and dyed. I was a respected man Inspector as well you know. However things changed in here I might well still be in charge of some things however the real God now dictates everything I do. However if I was released from here I once again would become god.”

“Are you saying if you were to be released you would kill again Derek. Tut tut what will the parole board say when I tell them that?” Derek merely smirked and let out a small but patronizing laugh. “ Inspector I’m a changed man purely on the straight and narrow now I have learned that what I did was wrong and I am bitterly sorry for what I did and have now learnt my lesson” Derek took another long pull of his cigarette and let a large grin occupy his face. James felt angry this man was reminding him more and more of his abusive father but he was determined not to let him get the better of him. “So you don’t know an Anna Criter then?”

“No Inspector I don’t believe I do”

“We have had a letter demanding you be released from prison with immediate effect would your new truth telling Christian self know anything about that?” James tried not to sound to sarcastic but couldn’t help it Derek was really pissing him off and there was nothing he would have enjoyed more than grabbing him by his thinning hair and put his head through the nearest was. Derek could see this fact though and carried on goading the DI with his I know everything smirk and the patronizing tone of his voice that he had got down to a tee. It was a battle of will power for the two to see who could keep their cool.

“I swear to almighty god I know nothing about it sir.” He mocked a cross on his chest and added “ may the good lord smite me where I stand if I am lying” The grin ebbed across his face made his wrinkles and crease mark more prominent and he was starting to resemble a raisin. James had one more ace up his sleeve to wipe that smirk for the old creeps face and it worked. “What about Mr. Green Derek, what are your feelings toward him?” The smile that had enveloped Derek’s face now disappeared as fast as a lightening bolt. The look that replaced it could almost of been scary in the right circumstances. To say he had a face like thunder would have been a great understatement. The look in the man’s eyes was of fire a burning hatred of just the mere mention of that name. the smirk was replaced by a scowl and the creases were now in different places that now resembled a wild animal about to attack. The facial expression only lasted a few seconds but James knew he had hit a nerve.  “In my line of work Inspector you have to appreciate that myself and Mr. Green” he spat the name out with such venom it made James’ heart skip a beat “well I guess you could say we are or rather were rivals.”

“Derek in normal businesses rivals don’t go around killing each others family’s”

“ I didn’t know it was Green’s son” Derek retorted.

“Even so its not normally good business practice to murder people is it? That’s what people get put in prison for how do you expect to run a um.. ‘business’ empire behind bars?”  James was fishing and he knew it but he was hoping he had goaded Derek enough for him not to notice. He had. “ I’m running my business perfectly well thank you Inspector” Derek knew he had made a mistake as soon as he had made the statement he banged his fist angrily on the table and stubbed out the remainder of his cigarette with such force the embers flew everywhere. “So you don’t deny your still running the firm.” Derek just stared at James with contempt in his eyes not knowing what to say. James quickly asked another question not wanting Derek to regain his composure. “Who  did you ask to get you out of here Derek? Why did you take Anna? To get at me? Or was it to get at the barrister? TELL ME!” James sharply got to his feet pushing his steel chair back with such force it toppled and fell to the floor with an ear shattering bang the noise echoed loudly round the room making Derek jump before he had a chance to move James had bent over the table and was looking straight into his eyes not breaking the gaze for a split second.  Derek’s eyes darted wildly like a trapped animal caught in the headlights. “Honestly inspector I don’t know who wants me out of here, I didn’t set this up I swear.” James looked hard into his eyes trying to establish whether Derek was telling the truth or not. As much as he hated to admit it the whimpering voice of this once brave man to the look deep in his eyes told James that this guy probably was telling the truth. But he couldn’t be sure. There were too many coincidences. Everything in his head told him that this man was guilty. From the Inside of his Jacket James’ Phone vibrated and rang. “I haven’t finished with you yet” he sneered and promptly left the room to take the call.