Doubt (TCoR)

Chapter 5
Inspector Silva was an intriguing man.

Sitting opposite him, alone in the near-empty room, Iva finally had an opportunity to get to know the man who had seemingly taken over as her superior. Chief Inspector Sabra had disappeared, and the only reason Iva had recieved was that she was 'taking a break' from work until she was required.

That didn't sound suspicious in the slightest.

''Just who is this guy? ''Iva wondered, watching the white-haired man take a long sip of his tea. He looked to be in his late twenties - maybe early thirties - and yet he possessed the posture and air of a man twice his age and four times the experience. He must have good connections in the capital, she figured. Either that, or he was just insanely good at his job.

It had been roughly twelve hours since Iva's meeting with Orc. Regardless of his lust for violence, planning and coordinating an attack would still take time. That meant Iva still had a window in which she could act. The question was, what would she do now?

When she had recieved the call from Tyler she had expected a scolding from the chief. Instead, she had merely been summoned by Silva back to the station. He had told her that he wanted her assistance with something, so she could only presume that was the reason why she sitting here right now.

So much for 'when you have time', she thought bitterly, watching in silence as Silva set down his mug and adjusted his glasses, and prepared herself for a detailed interrogation.

"Sorry for calling you here on such short notice," Silva said, with an apologetic smile that immediately threw Iva off guard. "Things are progressing a lot faster than I anticipated."

"Well, that's good," Iva replied neutrally. For better or worse, any progress brought them closer to the end of this policing nightmare. Silva smiled again, this time in humour.

"I wasn't really referring to the investigation into Auriel Aquila's death, although that has seen some development."

Noting Iva's confused look, he leaned forward on the table between them.

"I'm referring to the investigation into your criminal misdeeds."

Iva's surprise must have been obvious, as Silva smiled again at her reaction to the news. Reclining back on his chair just as he had during the meeting, he let the words hang in the air for a few moments before continuing.

"It appears you were unaware. You should know that your colleague Roderick Shields came to me with a very interesting piece of information. Look at this..."

The inspector pushed a paper document across the table, which Iva quickly picked up and hurriedly scanned through.

"That right there is the guest list to the Grenado Cartel's guest list for the Golden Masquerade - the party at which Aquila was killed. You should already know that, of course, considering you were there."

Iva paled. Staring back at her from the sheet was her name - Iva Ravenwood - staring back at her like a death sentence. Before she could summon the will to defend herself, Silva continued with a firmer voice.

"You can imagine my surprise when my men discovered two bodies outside your apartment building. Members of the Grenado Cartel, no less. Gunned down in the middle of the street! After interviewing some of the nearby residents we also told that a green-haired woman was seen driving off with a pair of bikers sporting the symbol of the Malal's Chosen Motorcycle Club. Coincidence? I think not."

Iva could only blink in confusion at the torrent of damning accusations. Did the cartel not deal with the bodies fast enough? Weasel had assured her that the shoot out would be covered up easily - so why wasn't it? Did that bastard lie to her?

The mere thought of her career going down the drain in a heartbeat almost made her burst into tears. But before the black cavern of dispair swallowed her completely, Silva did something unexpected.

He just smiled.

At first Iva thought he just found her situation pitiful, but looking into his eyes more closely, she realised that wasn't the case. They carried amusement, yes, but not malice. For some reason, he just found the entire matter entertaining.

"W-What...?" Iva stuttered, still recovering from having all the evidence of her guilt being dumped on her so suddenly. Silva's smile remained strong.

"No need to be alarmed, Miss Ravenwood. I know you're not guilty. We found your apartment ransacked afterwards, and no doubt you were simply defending yourself from the cartel."

Silva rose from his seat and began pacing behind Iva.

"I read your file, by the way. I find it hard to believe that you would go to your brother Orc for assistance after all these years, except if your life was in danger. You were merely a victim of poor timing, were you not?"

He said the last few words as if he were insisting that it were the truth. For reasons beyond her comprehension, the inspector seemed to be giving her the benefit of the doubt. Even so, Iva quickly realised that such a forgiving attitude would come with a price. And Silva confirmed that when he spoke a moment later.

"I need your help in this case, Miss Ravenwood," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "Your department's so-called 'best detective' is a joke. He's accomplished little besides shifting the focus of the investigation from what's important, to you. After the little fiasco in the meeting, I suspect this to be an act of petty revenge."

He suddenly pressed his hands down on the table and loomed over her.

"People like that are useless to me," he stated emotionlessly. "I need people with talent and knowledge. But in order for me to trust you, I need you to tell me everything you know. Everything."

"Everything..." Iva breathed, refocusing her mind as the fear that clouded it began to disipate. She was reluctant to give up everything she had, but since her interrogator already knew about her involvement, there was no longer any logical reason to refuse his demand. Not to mention that the possibility of losing the lifeline keeping her her job - and probably her out of prison - terrified her beyond belief.

"Okay...I'll tell you..." she decided, noting Silva's nod of reassurance. The man still concerned her, but now she had ran out of options. "But you had best sit down for this. It's a long story."

(More to be added)