[TXT] April, it's Corrine. My dad... our... Robert... [TXT] He's back in town. I don't know what he wants... [TXT] But I just thought you should know. So you can be prepared.
Once Les realizes he's trapped on the Boardwalk and there's a good chance whatever's going on, is affecting the whole town, he thinks of April. The signal on his cellphone is down, but he casts a spell over the device to open a line of communication to April and just hopes she gets his messages, knowing she probably won't be able to answer him.
The power is out everywhere, isn't it? Trapped in the Haunted House with Corry. We're fine. Stay safe ok? When I get outta here, I'm making a heroic rescue. Or you come rescue me. See you soon...
[txt] It's more what he made me say. There might have been magically influenced gushing on my part. On his end it was more the standard 'if you break her heart I'll break your face' rigmarole. I assume the red eyes were meant to emphasize this. He's a very large man.
[txt] You don't have to talk to him if you don't want to. I'll be fine. I just didn't know you didn't have a good relationship with him, or I wouldn't have made light of it. And you're welcome.
[txt] Want to grab some coffee later? I still need that hug. ;)
After his trip to speak with Corrine Flynn, James returns back to the station with a greasy bag of food---a hamburger and cold fries---and he flops into his desk. He places his gun on the desk and then pulls out his notepad and flips a few pages where he had written down the number Corrine had given him.
April Ross. She was Leslie Parker's girlfriend. He definitely needed to speak with her.
He stuffs a few french fries in his mouth then wipes his fingers on his napkin. Right before he dials he realizes how late it is. Almost eleven. He wants to speak with her as soon as possible, and he decides to give it a try anyway. It's been four days since Valeria. Almost two since Les. They were losing time.
The line rings a couple time and a woman's voice picks up.
"Ms. Ross, this is Detective James Thornton with Siren Cove Police Department. I apologize for calling so late, but I hoped to ask you a few questions about your boyfriend. Leslie Parker."
She hates getting involved with any sort of law enforcement and when the voice on the other end of the phone identifies himself, she immediately wants to hang up. But that will seem more suspicious than anything else, so April just takes her phone into a room where she can have some privacy and closes the door, sinking down into a chair. Les still hasn't been found and she hasn't been able to sleep much and she hates that she's so worried, but there's no point in denying it anymore.
She's terrified for him. And she misses him.
"It's fine," she says. The time doesn't matter, it isn't as if she'll be able to sleep anyway. "What did you need from me? Do I need to come by?" She will, if necessary. She always done better with the police face to face and she's a perfectly capable actress over the phone, but it's always easier in person.
Then again, there isn't much she has to fake in this case.
"No, that's not necessary. It's late, but I'm sure you know time is not on our side in these cases," James says, making a few notes on his pad as they talk. "I just have a few questions for you. When is the last time you spoke with Mr. Parker? Did he seem fine? Was he upset?"
"The day he disappeared around... three, maybe. He called to let me know he was going to meet Corrine that evening, we talked about my plans and I told him I would see him the next day," she says and she's torn, she's trying to decide if she should mention the sirens who had come after her, but she doesn't think they're involved and she doesn't want any police interest focused on her.
Lara would know. She would have to.
"He sounded like he always does," she says. "There wasn't anything out of the ordinary."
Her story matches up with Corrine's. Leslie Parker was supposed to meet with Corrine that night and he never showed up. James knows the man left work around seven. James has eyewitnesses from Watersong that saw him leave. He had even made it home since Corrine says she found the door open, but then nothing.
"Okay," James says, nodding even though April can't see. "Ms. Flynn mentioned that there was some trouble awhile back involving you and Mr. Parker. She said it's possible there could be a group of people after him. Do you know anything about that?" he asks.
She closes her eyes and rubs her forehead, but she supposes she shouldn't be surprised that they know about it. "They weren't after Les, they were looking for me."
And she can be almost entirely honest about this as well, she realizes with a start.
"I was taken away from my parents when I was a toddler because of my mother's drug problem. She died not long ago and left everything to me, but she owed money to people because of her addiction and they came looking to be paid. Les was just unfortunately at my apartment when they arrived and I wasn't."
James thinks there could be more behind this story. Normal people don't
just have people come to their house after them but he has larger issues at
hand.
"Do you have any reason to believe those people are still in town? Do you
think they had anything to do with Mr. Parker's disappearance?"
"I don't," April says. "At first I was worried it might be due to that, but he's not the only one missing, is he? I have no connection to any of the other people who are gone and I haven't been contacted for ransom. I can't see why they would take Les if not for money."
His first and only lead, barely even that, and it was already shutdown. Not that he couldn't still follow up on these so-called people after this woman, but he just doesn't see how it's connected. None of this is about Les Parker. Or April Ross' money. So far it isn't about anything except making people disappear...
Sighing, he tosses his pen back down on the desk. "Alright," he says. "Thank you. I appreciate your time. I might have some more questions for you, but let's wait until in the morning."
"I'll be here," April says with a soft sigh. If she can help, she will, but she doesn't think she'll be able to and that weighs on her more heavily than anything. "I'll have my phone on all the time."
Les is positive that he's the last person she wants to hear from, but finding out that she's left town just hits him in the stomach. She doesn't owe him anything and he doubts he'll even get a response, but he wishes he could make this right. He hesitates before sending the message, but he sends it anyway.
[TXT] Hey, I talked to Caden, and he told me you left town.
Just incase you don't come back for awhile, I just want you to know that I know how bad I screwed this up. You trusted me, and I just wish I could make it right.
You may never forgive me, but I'm still gonna try to fix it. I care about you April, I hope you know that.
This is not what she needs. She glances down at her phone in the restaurant, sees the text is from Les and nearly deletes it without even reading. But in the end she keeps it and looks at it later in her hotel room when she's alone. She shouldn't let it get to her, it shouldn't matter. She trusted him and he screwed it up, that much is true. She doesn't want him to make it up to her.
But it does something to her all the same, seeing those words. Something she doesn't want to think about. She doesn't want to forgive him.
Instead of replying, she just deletes the text and tries to put him out of her mind, but it's harder here, away from Siren Cove. Away from prying eyes. For several minutes, all she can do is sit on the edge of her bed in her hotel room, her phone held tightly in her hands. Then she gets up, brushes her eyes, and fixes her hair.
Les didn't expect her to answer him, but he still must've had some minor hope that she would. Because when the hour passes and there's no return text, he's sad and disappointed, but he stops checking his phone for the message that's obviously not going to come yet.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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[TXT] He's back in town. I don't know what he wants...
[TXT] But I just thought you should know. So you can be prepared.
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[TXT] You did the same for me.
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The power is out everywhere, isn't it?
Trapped in the Haunted House with Corry. We're fine.
Stay safe ok? When I get outta here, I'm making a heroic rescue. Or you come rescue me.
See you soon...
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So, hottie April Ross, are you actually going to give me the ride of my life?
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And I guess you'll just have to wait and see.
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[txt] I would never break your heart. Steal it, maybe.
Don't tell my editor that I'm actually not at all clever or funny.
And I can be very patient.
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[txt] Oh, so I met your father and he apparently whammied/threatened me in the middle of Quill. That was vaguely terrifying.
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[txt 2] What did he say to you?
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[txt] It's more what he made me say. There might have been magically influenced gushing on my part. On his end it was more the standard 'if you break her heart I'll break your face' rigmarole. I assume the red eyes were meant to emphasize this. He's a very large man.
[txt] I think I need a hug.
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[txt] Sorry. He pisses me off.
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[txt] It's okay. My dad took off when I was five and I haven't heard from him since. So I get it.
[txt] And for what it's worth, I give a shit about what happens to your heart.
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[txt] You don't have to talk to him if you don't want to. I'll be fine. I just didn't know you didn't have a good relationship with him, or I wouldn't have made light of it. And you're welcome.
[txt] Want to grab some coffee later? I still need that hug. ;)
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April Ross. She was Leslie Parker's girlfriend. He definitely needed to speak with her.
He stuffs a few french fries in his mouth then wipes his fingers on his napkin. Right before he dials he realizes how late it is. Almost eleven. He wants to speak with her as soon as possible, and he decides to give it a try anyway. It's been four days since Valeria. Almost two since Les. They were losing time.
The line rings a couple time and a woman's voice picks up.
"Ms. Ross, this is Detective James Thornton with Siren Cove Police Department. I apologize for calling so late, but I hoped to ask you a few questions about your boyfriend. Leslie Parker."
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She's terrified for him. And she misses him.
"It's fine," she says. The time doesn't matter, it isn't as if she'll be able to sleep anyway. "What did you need from me? Do I need to come by?" She will, if necessary. She always done better with the police face to face and she's a perfectly capable actress over the phone, but it's always easier in person.
Then again, there isn't much she has to fake in this case.
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Lara would know. She would have to.
"He sounded like he always does," she says. "There wasn't anything out of the ordinary."
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"Okay," James says, nodding even though April can't see. "Ms. Flynn mentioned that there was some trouble awhile back involving you and Mr. Parker. She said it's possible there could be a group of people after him. Do you know anything about that?" he asks.
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And she can be almost entirely honest about this as well, she realizes with a start.
"I was taken away from my parents when I was a toddler because of my mother's drug problem. She died not long ago and left everything to me, but she owed money to people because of her addiction and they came looking to be paid. Les was just unfortunately at my apartment when they arrived and I wasn't."
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James thinks there could be more behind this story. Normal people don't just have people come to their house after them but he has larger issues at hand.
"Do you have any reason to believe those people are still in town? Do you think they had anything to do with Mr. Parker's disappearance?"
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Sighing, he tosses his pen back down on the desk. "Alright," he says. "Thank you. I appreciate your time. I might have some more questions for you, but let's wait until in the morning."
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[TXT] Hey, I talked to Caden, and he told me you left town.
Just incase you don't come back for awhile, I just want you to know that I know how bad I screwed this up. You trusted me, and I just wish I could make it right.
You may never forgive me, but I'm still gonna try to fix it. I care about you April, I hope you know that.
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But it does something to her all the same, seeing those words. Something she doesn't want to think about. She doesn't want to forgive him.
Instead of replying, she just deletes the text and tries to put him out of her mind, but it's harder here, away from Siren Cove. Away from prying eyes. For several minutes, all she can do is sit on the edge of her bed in her hotel room, her phone held tightly in her hands. Then she gets up, brushes her eyes, and fixes her hair.
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