Nina Clarke: ᴍᴀʏᴏʀ, ᴀᴜsᴛɪɴ ᴛx & sʜʏ ʙʟᴏʙ (commonlaw) wrote in remains_rpg, @ 2015-09-17 20:22:00 |
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Entry tags: | # 2018 [09] september, nina clarke, theodore laberenz |
Who: Nina Clarke & Theo Laberenz. Mentions of Daniela Diaz
When: Backdated to September 5, 5:45PM
Where: Nina's apartment
What: Nina and Theo finally have their IMPORTANT CHAT.
Nina had always presumed that Austin's ability to sustain itself after the dead started walking lay mainly in how close the shelters were to one another. Better for your fledgling civilization if things weren't too spread out, she thought. And it meant that Theo and Dani's walk back to the Capitol took only a few minutes.
She'd been meaning to talk to him for what felt like months, but in all actuality it was probably more like days. Theo was in the APD; he could advise her on whether her paranoia was actually rooted in reality. Nina fully expected him to decline her offer for a cup of coffee, knowing how busy he was with the serial killer case, but she was happy when both he and Dani followed her back to her apartment.
"If you'll excuse us," she told Dani apologetically as she led him into her bedroom -- the only real private place she had in her apartment, now, besides her bathroom -- "Theo and I need to discuss something related to one of my cases."
And then, once they were alone and the door was closed behind her, she got right into it. "Do you know if I'm a suspect in your department for anything?"
---
Theo had decided to live at UMCB until the case closed. It was more convenient for him since he was pretty much a constant presence there ever since he returned and he also wanted to be in close range with Dr. Singh now that she chose to return to the hospital. He could understand where she was coming from, so he didn’t argue with her decision. Instead, he simply decided to be around for her.
It might at least keep the killer on his toes if he was a more permanent fixture. But, despite his choice to stay over at the Capitol, Theo still tried to walk Diaz back to the Capitol every evening after her shift ended. She had guards, but he wanted to make sure she would get there safely. Since she was staying at Nina’s now, he felt more reassured that she would be left in good hands.
He had promised Nina that he would have a chat with her since his return. When she’d brought up coffee, he figured that it was about time they had it. He didn’t know what new lead or evidence would turn up – every single day was either disappointment or an unprecedented surprise – and he wanted to keep his promise before he got swept away again by something new or urgent.
As he followed her into the bedroom, Theo took liberty to explore the interior with a bit of curiosity. He hadn’t been to his apartment since the outbreak, choosing to hole up in his office. It was more convenient for work. Her place made him wonder what state it was in now. Turning around to look back at her, his brows rose at her question. He hadn’t expected that was what she wanted to talk about.
“No, I don’t,” he answered truthfully, one of his hands tucked into his pants’ pocket, “I’ve been busy with my current case, but I haven’t heard of any ongoing investigation into you. Why do you ask?”
---
She and Theo have discussed adjacent topics before. He's well aware of just who her first client was and the notoriety it got them both. But it's not come up ever since then. Six years after the case closed, though, her past is looking to finally catch up with her.
"A few APD men came up to me last month asking some questions." This is nothing unusual in and of itself. It's the details that will make a difference. "They have this theory that the man calling himself the Dog King is the same man as the Austin Cop Killer. A man who, as you know, I thought perished in the zombie apocalypse."
(That will never not be a strange thing to say.)
"They had reason to suspect that he's alive now, and going by the name 'Rodeo.'" She paused then, studying Theo's face as she delivers each bit of information. "And they've been wondering if I've been in touch. None of this is ringing any bells for you?"
---
Theo was well aware of the Austin Cop Killer case. He had closely followed it when it was happening. Who could ignore it? But it was peculiar that Nina was bringing it up after so long. His expression remained impassive for the most part as he listened to her.
It seemed like a lot of strange and unexpected events were occurring ever since he’d left Austin on his expedition to D.C. Why would the department care about an age old case? His question was promptly answered though when she brought up the Dog King. His brows furrowed slightly. Well, it wouldn’t be the most outrageous news he’d heard over the years.
But then she said the name ‘Rodeo’ and something fell into place. So his Hellhound contact was the infamous Dog King. That was new. Savannah had left out that little tidbit when she had informed him of the man, unless she didn’t know it herself. He was going to have to ask her. Maintaining a calm exterior throughout her revelation, he decided that it was better not to disclose he recognized the name until he had further information to go on.
“They haven’t said anything to me,” he responded, shifting in his stance to lean more heavily on his right leg, “but I can check it out for you.” He craned his neck to the side a bit as he stared down at her. “Have you been in touch with him?”
---
Admitting the truth to Theo, that she has been in contact, is the same as confessing to a felony in this new world order. She wants to believe she can trust him, but how far will he take their friendship? How far does hers and Rodeo's go, too, for that matter?
She's never been one for lying, though, and it occurs to her vaguely that she's in over her head on this.
"No," she said, because it was what she'd told the officers and it'd been true before. "But the real reason I wanted to talk to you is that ever since then, I've had this feeling I'm being watched. Like my things are snooped through, then carefully rearranged. I don't know if the Chief is aware but he'd have to be, right? I don't know how high up this would have to go."
---
The Hellhounds had been a pain in the ass for the Capitol since the beginning. Theo wouldn’t be surprised if his coworkers did a little snooping for information on the Dog King, especially given recent events. If James Hawkins and Rodeo were actually the same person, he knew of at least one higher up who would be extremely interested in its confirmation and it wasn’t his boss. But he couldn’t say with any certainty if the APD were involved and, if they were, for what reason they were involved. There could be multiple reasons. “I’ll bring this up with the Chief,” he promised, rubbing the crook of his nape, “but, if they are investigating into you, I think I would have heard about it by now.”
The Chief was an honest and good man, so he trusted him not to beat around the bush. But, since he knew how politics worked, Theo was going to have to do a little sniffing around himself first. “I’m not going to give you any reassurances at this point,” he went on, rocking slightly on the heel of his shoes, “but I’ll let you know if the department has looked into either you or Hawkins. Since you were approached directly, I get the impression that it might have more to do with a possible link between the Austin Police Killer and the Dog King than any suspicion on you, especially if you told them that you had no contact with him. They would have no reason to doubt you, right?”
---
There was a part of of her that balked at the idea of Theo directly bringing up her paranoia with the man in charge. The prospect of being directly investigated by the APD or the Mayor's patrolmen was a terrifying one. But Nina knew she'd continue to be restless until she knew for sure.
"It'd settle my mind some if I knew he was behind the questions," she admitted. "And you're right." (He wasn't.) "But you know how things work, sometimes. Just because you get told 'no' doesn't mean that's the actual answer." (And it wasn't.) "At the very least, it's good to know there isn't some sort of ongoing department-wide investigation into me." She paused again, hands coming up to rest on her hips, before she added: "Do I sound completely insane?"
---
“I know,” he responded, crossing his arms against his chest, “People like to withhold information. But, don’t worry, if they’re really looking into you, I’ll let you know. Until then, try not to overthink it. You have nothing to fear.”
At least she had nothing to fear if she was telling the truth. If she was in contact with Hawkins, Olinger would definitely use her as a means to catch him. But she wouldn’t have to worry about the APD then. She’d have to worry about the patrolmen. He didn’t know if what Savannah had told him about the Grayson Wolfe incident was true, but, if it was, Nina would be inadvertently thrown into a dangerous game. A lot of good men had been killed in confrontations with the Hellhounds in the past – and more recently too. People were out for their blood no matter what it took.
Of course, these were all speculations on an if.
“And you only sound a little insane,” he joked, his lips quirking up.
---
She nodded, his words about fear going in through one ear and out the other. How could they not, when Nina knew she was playing a dangerous game? The two of them had always been good friends, but how would he look at her if he ever found out the truth?
Thank God for Theo's joke. It snapped her out of her mental deliberation; the smile she gave him in return was even mostly genuine. "How about that coffee, then?"