Hearing the result, the group in the library exchanged glances. Locke couldn't help but let out a sigh, shaking his head slowly.
"Pitiful!"
"...Locke?"
Kim, who had tagged along to keep an eye on things—mostly to ensure her best friend wasn't "stolen" by Cindy—heard this remark. she looked at Locke, glanced around to make sure no one was eavesdropping, and whispered, "That sentence reminds me of something I learned in Languages class the other day. I feel like it fits you perfectly."
Locke snapped out of his thoughts and looked at her. "What?"
"The cat weeps for the mouse—fake compassion!"
"..."
Locke stared at Kim. Her voice was low, but her pronunciation was crystal clear. He froze for a second, and then a brilliant, radiant smile broke across his face.
Very good!
Not only will I personally pay for a private jet to send you to Paris, but I'll also make sure to dress in my finest suit just to attend your auction. Even if Jesus Himself shows up, it won't save you.
"Kim?"
"Yeah?"
"When I was buying bourbon yesterday, I won first prize in a hotel lucky draw: a three-day luxury private jet tour of Paris. But Gwen and I are going hunting tomorrow, so we can't make it. Why don't I give the ticket to you?"
"Not going."
"...What?"
Kim flipped her ponytail. "I've already made my summer plans. I'm going to Hawaii with my mom."
Locke fell silent for a long moment, then let out a sigh.
Fine. If the "Paris" plan failed, he'd just have to settle things locally.
Seeing Locke's look of profound disappointment, Kim blinked, suddenly becoming suspicious. "Locke, you've been asking me if I want to go to Paris since last year. This is the third time. I feel like you're plotting something bad."
Locke looked up. "No, I just feel that your appearance, your temperament, and every word you say are so perfectly matched with the atmosphere of Paris."
'If I don't drop you in Paris to experience a kidnapping, you'll never learn what it means to have a loose tongue.'
In all honesty, if Kim weren't Gwen's best friend—if she were anyone else—she wouldn't have survived three chapters in Locke's story.
Kim watched him suspiciously. In the next second, she lifted her seat and scooted closer to Gwen. Once their hips were touching, she whispered to her friend, "Honey, I feel like Locke has some inappropriate thoughts about me. It's dangerous. Just to be clear, you're my best friend, I would never be interested in him. Don't worry."
Locke, his brow twitching: "..."
Gwen, momentarily stunned before shaking her head in wordless exasperation: "..."
Kim's interruption effectively diluted the weight of the news from the federal court. After all, the only reason the news affected them at all was because Nina Bell had been their schoolmate. Now that she was officially branded a vicious terrorist, it was bound to leave a slight impression.
But ultimately, without the label, none of them would have felt even a ripple of emotion.
By the afternoon, the group left the library and found a luxury steakhouse, enjoying a lavish all-you-can-eat buffet. By the time they finished, the memory of Nina Bell had been mostly forgotten.
...
Night fell.
Locke grabbed a newspaper he had just bought downstairs, closed his door, and tossed his coat aside. He poured himself a glass of bourbon and sat on the sofa, unfolding the paper.
The verdict had been announced at noon, and by five o'clock, the New York Times had already printed the details. Locke was curious to know why Nina Bell had only received life imprisonment with no possibility of parole for ten years.
After all, every debt has a debtor! Locke wasn't exactly fair in his distribution of "rewards," but he made sure that when the avalanche hit, the mastermind was the first to be crushed.
Nina Bell had intended to cause Locke's social death through racial discrimination. Naturally, Locke's return gift was equivalent: physical death. It was a perfect application of the principle that every action has an equal and opposite reaction.
Locke's "gift package" had been tailor-made for Nina. In that file, she was the mastermind. The others were merely sinners beneath the avalanche. No snowflake is innocent in an avalanche, and the same applied here. Since Nina's family and the group of youths followed her lead to enjoy the "benefits," they had to bear the consequences together.
Yet, Nina Bell only got life.
Locke was curious about the reasoning. The New York Daily News provided the answer.
The first reason, naturally, was her age. But that wasn't the main factor. According to the article, it appeared the District Attorney's office had reached a plea deal of sorts. After the trial, facing the prospect of the ultimate penalty, Nina Bell's parents announced they would not appeal the verdict.
This meant that before long, they would be taking their final journey in the "happy chair."
Clearly, the parents had traded their own lives and their right to appeal for leniency for their daughter.
Furthermore, after two months of interrogation, the FBI had likely realized this might be a case of a wrongful conviction based on planted evidence. But admitting a mistake was out of the question, admitting they were wrong was impossible.
"Hmm." Locke stroked his chin, nodding to himself. "That's likely it."
The Bureau knew something was fishy. To avoid any complications, they struck a deal to pin the "mastermind" label on the parents. As long as the primary suspects confessed, the "evidence from heaven" became undeniable fact. This would remain a landmark case that brought glory to the FBI.
"Heh."
"Playing the devoted parents, are we?"
Locke snorted, setting the paper down and sipping his drink. "I just hope they aren't planning an Impure World Reincarnation."
Locke knew the Bell family practiced Voodoo. Judging by that secret grimoire, they weren't fakes—they were the real deal. And since Voodoo borrows power from Hell, pulling off some sort of soul-return or resurrection wouldn't be unheard of.
More importantly, when Locke had been at their house planting the evidence, he had seen their Voodoo altar. They were clearly practitioners, not theorists.
But... Locke stood up and stretched.
Even if they did return from the dead, so what? If demons from Hell started running around New York, it wasn't Locke's job to clean it up. At this point in time, the Sorcerer Supreme was still alive and well.
If the sky falls, there are taller people to hold it up.
Sleep! He had to get up early tomorrow to head to the airport with Gwen's family for their flight to Mingo County, West Virginia.
...
The next day.
Locke appeared punctually beneath Gwen's apartment. As it happened, he ran right into Helen's parents—Gwen's grandparents.
They lived on Long Island. They had come over because, as agreed, George, Helen, Gwen, and Locke were going away. Naturally, the three background character younger brothers needed to stay with their grandparents. While those three didn't take up much space, it would be poor form to leave them entirely unsupervised.
Facing his little brother George Jr.'s desire to go along, Locke shrugged helplessly. He explained that he was only going because George Stacy wanted to prove himself; otherwise, George wouldn't have brought him. After all, everyone knows whose side a daughter takes when her boyfriend is around.
Originally, George had planned to take Locke out and come back alone. Unfortunately, Helen had seen through his "dark plot." Worried about her future son-in-law's safety and her daughter's happiness, she had sacrificed the little brothers to keep the peace.
Soon, the youngest brother was picked up by George Jr., and they climbed into the grandparents' car.
"Bye, Grandma!" Gwen hugged her grandmother. "When I get back, I'll bring over whatever Locke hunts for you, I promise."
Locke, standing next to her, blinked.
'What's the situation? I haven't even caught anything yet, and the spoils are already being distributed?'
Grandma smiled warmly. "Good. When the time comes, we'll clear out the backyard for a barbecue."
Gwen nodded vigorously.
As for Grandpa, he gave George a look of mild disapproval before turning to Locke and nodding with significant kindness.
A moment later, after the grandparents drove off, Locke noticed that George—who had just been smiling at his in-laws—now looked at him with an equally cold expression.
'What does this have to do with me?'
Locke felt he had finally discovered why George always looked at him like he was a thief. It turned out George had gone through the exact same thing himself.
But... it wasn't scientific. If George knew how difficult it was to deal with a father-in-law, why couldn't he change his ways and be the kind father-in-law of Locke's dreams?
Sigh. When will this cycle of vengeance end?
Locke sighed inwardly.
***
Read 40 Chapters early on P-atreon.com/Redestro666