By the time the policeman’s speech ended, I’d already planned on several places I could lodge lockers where they’d have no idea how we’d got them there. It’s possible that I may have missed the point of his speech somewhat. The students began to file out from the assembly room after being dismissed. Tony and I made our way to the door.
“Mr Wills, if we may have a moment of your time,” Mr Saunders voice boomed across the hall.
Both Tony and I stopped and turned to see Mr Saunders standing off to one side with the two police officers.
“I’ll wait here,” Tony declared.
“No, you go on.” I nodded to Tony. “I’ll catch up.”
“Perhaps, Mr Ward, you should go to class. As tragic as it is to break up the greatest comedy duo since Huey and Lewis, I think we can manage without you,” Mr Saunders instructed dryly.
“Sir, that’s one dude! He sang a bunch of songs in the ‘80s,” Tony declared.
“Well done, Mr Ward, but everyone knows that – that’s old news,” Mr Saunders replied dryly.
“That was very nearly a joke, sir!” Tony drawled.
“Tony!”
“Yes, sir.”
“Go away.”
“Tony likes his ‘80s rock,” I said as Mr Saunders led me into one of the study rooms.
The two policemen remained behind, obviously conversing with each other.
“Clearly,” Mr Saunders replied. The policemen hadn’t entered the room yet.
“Devon, I’m not sure what the police want with you and quite frankly I’m a little surprised. I never picked you for the troublesome type.”
“The police want to talk to me?”
Saunders just nodded. “Just answer their questions honestly and everything will be okay,” he advised. “I’ll just go see if they’re ready for you.”
“Okay, sir,” I was actually kind of glad he was there, which was a first for me.
Something wasn’t right here.
When the policemen arrived into the room they were all business. The more senior of the two placed a picture on the table and looked at me. Mr Saunders placed himself behind me leaning against the wall. I had no idea what he was still doing here.
The photo on the table was a picture of Vin.
“Do you know who this man is?” the policeman opened.
I shook my head, but it must have been obvious that I was lying as I saw the policeman’s eyes narrow with suspicion. He looked at his partner who shrugged.
“Fine,” he continued with poor grace as he stomped over to the chair and sat down, putting a manila folder on the table between us.
“Mr Wills is it?” he confirmed, double checking on the page in front of him.
“Yes,” I replied. My mind was racing. I had no idea what I was going to tell them. I obviously couldn’t tell them the whole truth.
“Where were you last Friday?”
“School, sir,” I replied straight faced as my stomach tied itself in knots.
“Friday evening?” he amended sternly.
“With friends,” I replied simply.
“Did visiting these friends involve using the train at all?”
“They’re in the city, yeah,” I replied.
I wasn’t prepared to overtly lie to the police yet, but I obviously couldn’t tell them everything. I just wasn’t sure what I could tell them and what I couldn’t. I resolved to tell them as much of the truth as I was able. This was exactly the situation that Renee had warned me about.
“What time did you take the train?” the officer questioned.
“Late afternoon, straight after school,” I replied easily.
“And did you return that evening?”
“Yes.”
“At what time was this?”
“I don’t know, it was rather late.”
“I get the feeling that you’re not being as cooperative as you could be,” the policeman warned as his voice went a little frosty.
Before I could answer his partner pulled a second photo from the manila folder and swung it around to face me. It was another photo of Vin; however, in this photo you could just make out my profile in the background. It wasn’t the best photo, but it didn’t take too much imagination to figure out the other figure in the photo was me.
“Is this you?” he snapped, pointing at my face in the photo.
“I think so, I’m not sure,” I stammered, hoping that there were no better photos of the event. I had no idea how I was going to get out of this one.
“It’s from the security footage of one of the Glen Waverley night trains,” the officer informed me.
“Are you planning on arresting Devon?” Mr Saunders cut in immediately, preventing me from saying anything.
“Well, no,” the officer stated, “we’re actually more interested in the other person in the other photo.” It was at this point that his partner leaned forward and spun Vin’s photo around to face me.
“You know who he is,” he declared. “I can see it from your face.”
“Look, I’m sorry. I really don’t know who he is,” I lied. “He was on my train, and just went nuts and started breaking things.”
“I got off at the next station, after he started going berserk,” I finished lamely. This was kind of true.
“There was extensive damage to the carriage,” the officer prompted.
“Once he started smashing windows I decided to leave,” I replied.
“Did he have a weapon or something that he was smashing the windows with?” the partner asked. I was beginning to hate that partner.
“I didn’t see one. To be honest I didn’t really want to get that close,” I replied.
“Fair enough,” the first officer commented. “Understandable.” The second interjected.
“And he just let you go?” the second officer pressed. “Only it looks like he’s talking to you in this photo.”
“He was talking to me,” I replied. “I wasn’t really listening though, I thought he was drunk and I was trying to ignore him.”
The policeman nodded and took some notes in his book.
“Then he just went berserk and started smashing things. I decided to leave the train shortly after that.”
Again the policeman took notes in his infernal notebook. In the action movies they never seem to show you how difficult it is to lie to the police. The plucky action hero always has the right lines and dialogue. It was much harder in real life.
“He was involved in an altercation with one of the train line security patrols at Mount Waverley Station, but you wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”
“No, I got off before there,” I replied.
“They were quite badly hurt,” the officer continued. “Hospitalised. One may never walk again.”
He continued as if reading the phrase from his notebook. I sat in silence as the ramifications of this hit me. This was my fault. I had stirred him up. I was the one he was after. He had only taken his ire out on those guards when I fled. I had even hoped that the security guards had picked him up. I’d just never imagined that this would happen. I chose to say nothing. After all there was nothing I could say.
“You have no comments to make regarding that?” the second officer pressed.
“I wasn’t there!” I protested loudly. “I never saw any security guards!”
“Yes, but you know who this man is!” the officer demanded, curtly jabbing his finger at the photo of Vin.
“No,” I repeated. “He was just some maniac on the train – I’d never met him before.”
“I don’t think we’re getting anywhere here,” the first officer cut back in. “Look, Devon, we’re just trying to find this man. He has seriously hurt some people and this is really the only clear shot we have of him.”
“I understand that,” I began, “but to be honest, I’ve been trying to forget that night.”
“Understandable,” the first officer replied. “However, anything you remember may help us track him dow
n before he hurts someone else.”
“Okay,” I replied in a soft voice.
“So, if you remember anything else, anything at all, you’ll call us? I’ll give you my card.”
“Yes, sir,” I promised as the officer passed his card across the table.
“Then I think we’re done for now,” the first officer concluded. “Thank you for your time, Devon.”
I nodded back to them as both Mr Saunders and I got to our feet. The first officer collected the photos from the table and slipped them back into the manila folder.
“Devon, wait here. I’ll see our guests out,” Mr Saunders ordered as he moved to direct the policemen to the door.
After several minutes Mr Saunders arrived back into the room and closed the door.
“Thank you, Devon, I realise that this couldn’t have been easy.”
“No problem, sir,” I replied, mocking a tip of the hat motion to him.
“Stop making light of this, Devon. You were assaulted by what was obviously a drug-addled maniac. This isn’t something you can just shrug off with a laugh.”
“I’m okay,” I protested. “I really am.”
“Well, you seem to be,” Mr Saunders replied. “But if you find you have trouble sleeping or anything, the school can recommend a good counsellor.”
“I think that’s a little extreme, sir,” I replied.
“I think we can drop the sir now, don’t you, Devon?” Mr Saunders commented dryly.
“Sure, okay,” I replied.
“Look, Devon, what you went through can’t have been easy. But it’s important that if you remember anything about this man you inform the police. You’ll do that, won’t you?”
“Yes, sir, of course,” I replied.
A look of wry humour crossed his face at the use of the word sir again.
“Sir,” I began tentatively. This was new ground for me.
“Yes?”
“Thank you for being here with me, I really appreciate it.”
“Don’t mention it,” Mr Saunders replied simply. “Now, you’d better get to class.”
Tony was waiting for me when I got out of the assembly room. I noted the look of resigned displeasure on Mr Saunders face as he spotted Tony waiting for us. He didn’t comment but just waved his hand in the direction of the door.
“What was that about?”
“An overdue library book,” I replied flippantly.
“Seems extreme.” He chuckled with a grin.
“The school is taking a hard line on overdue fees.” I chuckled.
“What was it really about?”
“I’ll tell you later. This really isn’t the place to get into it.”
“Sure.” Tony shrugged. “I wanted to talk to you anyway. Are you sure about telling Sarah everything?”
“Yeah,” I replied. “I don’t really have much choice now, but it’s something I probably should have done earlier.”
“Thanks, man, it’s been difficult keeping this from her.”
“Yeah, I can imagine,” I replied.
“What was going on with Saunders? He doesn’t usually joke around like that.”
“I’m not sure,” I replied, “but he was being awfully nice, uncharacteristically nice.”
“Yeah, freaks me out,” Tony replied.
“Anyways, I’m in here.” I finished, gesturing towards a class that had already started. Tony gave a mock salute to me as I joined the class.
The remainder of the school day went relatively quickly and it didn’t feel that long until I was waiting apprehensively at the oval.
I didn’t have to wait too long before Tony and Sarah made their way over to the where I waited at the edge of the oval and the basketball courts. Tony had a basketball casually held under one arm.
“What’s the basketball for?” I asked as they got close enough.
“For a small demonstration.” Tony replied.
“He wouldn’t tell me either,” Sarah replied glumly.
“Devon is going to show you something now. I don’t think you’d believe what we’ve got to say without some form of proof.”
Tony casually threw the basketball at me.
“Okay,” Sarah replied, a little lost, “whatever this thing you two have been scheming has to do with sports?”
“Not even a little bit.” I grinned.
I had an idea of what Tony had in mind and to be honest it was kind of clever. I doubted Sarah would believe us unless some display of the power occurred and this seemed as good a way as any.
We certainly wouldn’t appear out of place on a basketball court throwing basketballs at the hoop. Provided that no-one paid undue attention to what we were actually doing, we should pass unnoticed. We made our way onto the court and moved towards one of the basketball rings.
“Right, Devon here is going to throw that ball through that hoop,” Tony explained, gesturing towards the hoop as if he were some stupid stage magician.
“That’s really not that impressive,” Sarah replied. “People do that all the time.”
“He’s going to do it from the other end of the court,” Tony finished.
“Shit man! I can hardly see the hoop from the other side of the court!” I protested.
“Just shut up and do it,” Tony replied with chuckle.
I ran down to the other end of the court. It was located just behind the ring on the far side. I’d never really realised how long a basketball court actually is. With a flick of my wrist I looped a thread of mana around the ball and very gently lobbed the ball in the direction of the hoop at the other end. I didn’t even really have to aim and it only took some minor correction to cause it drop with ease through the ring on the other side into Tony’s waiting hands. I wandered back up the court to where Tony and Sarah were talking.
“Well, that’s all very impressive,” Sarah replied. “But I don’t see what this has to do with anything, unless you’re telling me you’re trying out for the school basketball team.”
“What are the odds that he could do it again?” Tony pressed.
“I dunno, not good I’d say. That looked pretty difficult,” Sarah reflected.
“What if I were to tell you that the odds are one hundred per cent?” Tony asked. “And that he’ll do it every time?”
“That’s what one hundred per cent means, dumbass,” Sarah replied briskly, “but I’d have to say that then there’s obviously a trick to it then. He’s cheating somehow.”
“But I can’t see how he’d be cheating,” Sarah continued thoughtfully.
“Do it again,” Tony ordered.
“Christ, man, can’t I just do it from here?” I complained.
“Same shot,” Tony replied forcefully, taking a quick glance around the court. It was fortunate that no-one was really paying us much attention.
I returned to the other side of the court and repeated the shot. Sarah’s face took on an expression of incredulity as I sauntered back up the court.
“How did you do that?” Sarah asked as I got close enough.
Tony cut me off before I could answer the question. “Okay, now he’s going to balance the ball on the edge of the ring,” he called, throwing the ball at me.
“From here? Or do I need to walk up and down the court again?” I grumbled with poor grace.
“From here is fine,” Tony nodded.
Without even really setting myself I lobbed the ball up into the air and caused it to take a ninety degree change in direction to rest gently against the rim of the hoop. Sarah gave a startled yelp at the sudden change in direction of the ball and her eyes narrowed with suspicion at the ball. It was just sitting there appearing to be perfectly balanced on the edge of the ring. In reality, however, my mana thread was holding it in place, but of course Sarah couldn’t see that.
“That’s… unbelievable,” she whispered. “How are you doing that? Is there a magnet in the ball or something?”
“Pick a direction,” I ordered.
“What?”
“Clockwise? Counter clockwise?” I prompted.
“Um, clockwise I guess,” Sarah replied, confused.
I gently made a sweeping motion with my fingers and caused the ball to begin to slide around the rim of the basketball ring.
“Err, that’s counter clockwise,” Sarah commented dryly, “but I get your point.”
“Oh, sorry.” I grinned, reversing the direction.
“Okay, so you’ve got a remote control ball or something,” Sarah replied.
“Nope,” I replied simply as I let the ball fall back through the hoop.
I brought it into my outstretched hands again by changing its direction from straight down into a ninety degree loop to lump into my hand with a satisfying thumping noise. Sarah had watched as the ball zipped past her face with an expression on her face that bordered on hysteria.
“How...?” was all Sarah managed to get out before she trailed off.
I simply turned my hand over so that the ball was resting in the palm of my hand and with a slight flex of my hand caused the ball to lift slowly from my palm. Sarah’s expression narrowed and she ran her fingers through the air around the ball. It tingled a little bit as she ran her fingers through the mana thread. I noticed that there was some disruption to the mana thread as it happened, but it soon stabilised.
“This must be a trick ball,” Sarah commented, her face taking on an analytical pose as she examined the ball.
“Okay,” I replied, feeling a little like a sideshow magician revealing a trick. To be honest I was enjoying this more than a little bit.
“You pick the object then.”
“Something small preferably,” Tony cut in, still glancing around the school yard. Fortunately, most people were focused on going home and weren’t really paying us much attention.
Sarah removed a small notebook from her bag and I latched a mana thread onto it before she could offer it to me and gently caused it to rise from her hands. Sarah gave a small yelp and pulled her hands away in fright as the notebook began to float of its own accord.
Mage Catalyst Page 32