Page 38 of All He Sees
As they drew closer, Nicky smelled something burning. She shot Ken a confused look as they barreled into the captain's den, where George Fischer was dropping what looked like money into a burning pile of flames.
"George Fischer, stop!" Nicky shouted.
George looked over his shoulder and gasped. He went to run, but he had nowhere to go. Nicky and Ken were blocking the entrance.
"Walker, put that fire out!" Nicky demanded, holding her gun at Fischer.
Ken ran back and grabbed a bucket of water, then doused the pile. It sizzled as the flames died, revealing a half-burned pile of money. It must have been thousands of dollars.
Fischer stumbled backward, then glared at Nicky. "I should kill you right now," he hissed.
“You’re the one looking down the barrel of a gun,” Nicky said.
Fischer hesitated, then took a deep breath. He looked at the pile of money and turned his head away. "You think you know what's going on, but you don't."
"Then tell us," Nicky said.
Fischer went quiet. Nicky didn't have time for this. She walked right up to him, still holding her gun, and pulled out her handcuffs. "George Fischer, you're under arrest."
***
Nicky shoved George Fischer, wearing handcuffs, into the interrogation room at the Vale police station. He was a tall, hulking man with a grizzled beard, and he hadn't spoken more than a grunt since Nicky and Ken were able to apprehend him.
"Looks like it's just you and me, Fischer," Nicky said. "My partner is working with the police to make sure all your friends--who assaulted two federal agents--get what they deserve."
Nicky directed him to the chair, and George let out another unsatisfactory grunt. Pretending he didn't feel anything, Nicky could presume.
Sitting down opposite him, Nicky tried to meet his eyes, but he refused to look at her.
"Why were you burning the money, George?"
"I don't know what you've heard, but I'm not a criminal," George muttered.
"Then why were you burning the money?" Nicky asked once again. That was Class A guilty behavior.
"That's none of your concern," George said.
"That looked like a lot of money, George. Why would you destroy it?"
"I have my reasons," George said.
"Fine, then," Nicky said. She leaned toward him. "So, tell me about those reasons. I have all the time in the world." She gestured to the windowless, gray box of a room around them.
Fischer frowned. Nicky watched him, waiting for him to say something, anything. But he stayed quiet.
"So," Nicky said, "tell me about the girls you've been trafficking."
"What!" Now, George was red in the face. "I didn't--I don't know anything about no trafficking!"
"You're going to have to do better than that, George," Nicky said.
"I don't have to do anything for you," George said. Nicky watched his eyes narrow, and he glared at her. "You think you're so smart," he said. "I hate to tell you this, but you're not!" He leaned toward her. "You think you can just come onto my boat and make me some kind of villain?"
Nicky shoved George back with her arm. "You assaulted federal agents. Do you think that makes you a hero?"
"They've been looking for me for a long time. I didn't do nothing wrong, and I don't deserve that kind of treatment. Arresting me, throwing me in jail, is abuse!"
Nicky scoffed. "The girl was shoved onto your boat. The boat we just found with hired goons with questionable gun licenses and a pile of money you were trying to destroy. It doesn't take a genius to put together what happened to the girls. So cut a deal and we can go easy or make us do it the hard way and never see the light of day.”
