This Devil's Workday: The Foot Comes Down

[x-scorpion.livejournal.com]

Friday up and over, Cammie tries to convince Adrienne for more time. When that doesn't work, she tricks her way into more time.

It was five p.m. on Friday, and Adrienne was waiting at the door to the hotel room with her bag packed, staring at her watch as if she could Deathglare it into making Cammie return. She wanted to be out of Chicago, back in New York, back at Harry's with her coworkers and the people she knew from Snow Valley. Her friends, she admitted to herself. She wanted to be back with her friends, with her work. Fuck, she'd gone soft since arriving at the mansion.

Hearing footsteps approaching from the hallway, she abandoned her useless thoughts and went to the door. "It's about damn time," she said cheerfully when she saw Cammie. "All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go." And fuck, now she was singing.

“That’s great,” Cammie said, “I’m not going.”

"Met the boy of your dreams and are staying to get married and move into a castle together, are you?"

Cammie laughed, “No. I’m not the type of girl that could be happy just being some tough guy’s arm piece. But I’m getting closer, I swear I am.”

"Closer how?" Adrienne asked suspiciously. They'd made a deal! They were supposed to be going home!

“Closer to figuring out just what the fuck is going on here. It’s not normal!” Cammie exclaimed, “There’s a body count here, and I’m thinking it’s a lot bigger than just Amy’s.”

"What are you talking about? Did you find the house? Witnesses? Rumours?"

“Rumors. But rumors don’t come from nowhere. There aren’t any witnesses,” Cammie said, “I get the feeling that generally no one gets away to witness. But really, what if we can take them down?”

"'No one gets away?' Christ you sound like you're in a slasher flick," Adrienne pointed out, getting frustrated now. "Cammie, we've talked about this. We cannot take anyone down. You don't even have anyone to take down. I'm sorry, but Amy was a good friend of yours, and if you go to the police with rumours, they're going to dismiss you as being a fanatic friend grasping at straws to try and find justice for a girl they don't have any sympathy for. They're not going to believe you." Cammie's paranoia over this whole thing was beginning to freak Adrienne out- it seemed like giving Cammie the two extra days to search for leads had done more damage than good, and she wanted to get Cammie back to New York and away from this mess before it consumed her further.

“Which is why we have to do it ourselves,” Cammie said, “Cops here have never cared about what happens to kids like me. I couldn’t go to them if I had a smoking gun in my hand.”

"You're right. You're never going to get them to listen to you. So what 'we' 'have' to do is give up and go back to New York, since none of this is helping your friend anyway."
“Yeah, but they might believe you,” Cammie said, changing tactics.

Adrienne dd a quarter turn and hit her forehead against the wall, exasperated. "Are you asking me to talk to the police for you?" But... home! Harry's!

“They’ll never listen to a street kid, right? I think you’ll have a bit more pull than me. And hey, I promise I’ll go home,” eventually.

Raising her head from the wall, Adrienne glanced over at Cammie. "Really? You'll go home tonight if I stay and... encourage the police to check up on your rumours?" How long could that take? And she could get Cammie detached from this mess now instead of having her tag along and irritate the cops. It would be nice if she was able to help catch the person who had kiled Cammie's friend, too, Adrienne reasoned. "It could be my Christmas good deed for this decade," she mused.

“Yeah, I’m sure Santa will bring you tons of swag, but it works, doesn’t it? You can even take me to the airport and drop me off, after all be cheaper than a taxi.” The taxi she’d have to pay to get back to the parts of the city she had to be hitting.

"It works, as long as you don't expect me to work miracles and have the killer on the six o'clock news for you," Adrienne muttered. "I'll get them to investigate your rumours, I'll stick around here to make sure they do, pay them a few visits with some friendly harassment so they want to get the leads investigated just to get me out of their hair, and then I'm coming home." I'm going to Australia for Christmas whether this is wrapped up or not. "And then this whole thing is done, and we'll never speak of this again alright?"

“Fine. Totally fair,” Cammie said, “I’ll see you at home and be all happy and stuff.” It wasn’t a complete lie.

"Alright," Adrienne nodded, smiling. "Pack your bag. You can tell me more about your leads and what you want me to discuss with the police in the car on the way to the airport."

Cammie nodded the glint in her eyes only slightly more evil than normal, “Whatever you say, boss.”