“It’s okay. It’s been a long night for you, too. Want to talk about it?”
She stared into space, looking shattered. “I thought he was dead. He’s my little brother – I’ve always looked out for him. I’m a doctor, for God’s sake, but there was so little I could do for him out there in that bus shelter. I couldn’t draw attention to where we were hiding, and I couldn’t see anything as it was so dark. I did my best, but I was sure he was going to die.”
“You did well. He’s still alive, and there’s every chance he’ll stay that way.”
“I thought I should call an ambulance, take him to a hospital, but he told me he’d rather die than go back to his houder.”
“He’d have been arrested and charged with absconding and breaking his contract,” Josiah said. “If he’d survived, he’d have had the medical bills to pay, too – which would have added years to his contract. I can see why he didn’t want you to take him to a hospital.”
“But for him to be so desperate!”
“Why don’t you fill us in on what happened – from the beginning,” Josiah prompted.
Alex knelt beside Sofie and offered her a plate of sandwiches. She took one gratefully and managed a few bites, which helped restore some colour to her pale cheeks. Josiah sat back in his chair. It was only now the drama was over that he realised he ached all over and he was exhausted. It was 4a.m., and in a few hours, he’d have to face George Tyler and Esther Lomax at their worst. Thinking about that for a moment, he grinned. They’d have to face him at his worst, too. Good luck to them. He was at his most dangerous when fighting for someone he loved.
After a few minutes, Sofie began to talk. “Sem – that’s his real name – I told Elsie he was called Hendrik in case she was working for a bounty hunter. Anyway, Sem called me earlier this evening. He was allowed to call me every month from the factory where he worked, and at first, he seemed to be doing fine – he was just pleased to be out of the work camp, I think, but he did enjoy the work he was doing to start with, anyway. Lately, he’d sounded unhappy, though, and he mentioned his supervisor was bullying him. Sem's lovely, but he's autistic and sometimes gets overwhelmed when he's tired or upset. He can't help it, but his supervisor thinks he's being difficult on purpose. I put in a request to visit him, but it was denied. He missed our last call, and I’ve been so worried about him. Then, tonight, he called and told me he’d tried to run away… but the supervisor stopped him and he had a knife. There was a fight. Sem’s no good at fighting. You’ve seen him – he’s not big or strong. He’s a gentle soul at heart.” She broke off, her voice croaking.
Alex pressed the mug of tea into her hand again, and she took a sip. “Hot, sweet tea – just what the doctor ordered.” She shot him a grateful smile then continued. “Sem managed to get away, but he knew he was badly hurt. He didn’t know what to do, so hecalled me. I was at home at the time, but I ran back to my office to grab some medical supplies.”
“Ah.” Josiah winced. “And then you were about to go to him when I called you into the rec room and made you answer my questions. I’m so sorry, Sofie. I had no idea.”
“Well, you were the last person I’d have told, frankly.” She gave a little laugh. “I had no idea you are… whatever it is you are.” She waved her hand around vaguely. “I mean, you are so very much, so very decidedly, the indiehunter.”
“I loathe that name, although I have to admit it’s been a good cover over the years.” Josiah shrugged.
“I thought you hated us.”
“No, I hate the system, not the people forced to work in it,” he told her firmly.
“I misread everything you said. I saw it only through the prism of what I thought I knew about you. How you chased that poor young man – Bram something – around the country, giving all those daily bulletins… You seemed so determined that he was guilty, just because he was an IS.”
“It was a useful diversion while I gathered the evidence I needed to trap the real killer.” He showed her a picture of a smiling and sunburned Bram. “This is him now in Italy. I got him out of the country after the fuss had died down.”
She gazed at the picture for a long time, smiling. “I’m glad. I worried about him so much.”
“What happened after you left Inquisitus?” Alex asked.
“I had to take a few buses to reach Sem, and I wasn’t entirely sure where he was - his call to me was so garbled. It all took such a long time. I don’t have access to an Inquisitus vehicle outside of work hours, so I had no choice but to use the buses and they were so slow. I found him eventually, in that bus shelter. It was dark and wet, and nobody had seen him, but I couldn’t lift him to take him anywhere, and he was too badly injured to stand. I didmy best with my limited medical supplies, but I could tell it was no use. I begged him to let me get him to a hospital, but he gave me a piece of paper with Elsie’s name and nym on it. I wondered why he hadn’t called her himself, but he’d only had enough money to call one person, and he’d called me. I’m his big sister, you see. He always did turn to me when he was in trouble.” She gave the smallest of smiles, then continued.
“I thought he’d die out there, and I wondered what I’d do with his body – how I’d explain it to Director Lomax. I promised her I’d always behave properly, that I wouldn’t bring Inquisitus into disrepute. She took such a chance on me. She’s sponsored me for years, and she paid for my medical degree – I owe her so much.”
Josiah sat back, mulling that over. He’d been so busy fighting his own crusade that he hadn’t stopped to think that others were also doing their bit in very different ways.
“I can’t tell you how grateful I am to you for helping me – us – tonight, Investigator Raine,” she said humbly. “And please accept my apologies for my former hostility.”
“Call me Joe – and no apologies are necessary.” They exchanged warm smiles.
“What now, though?” she asked anxiously. “What happens to Sem now?”
“I’ll get him out of the country somehow,” Josiah assured her. “He can stay here until he’s well enough to travel, but I should warn you… I shut down the escape network earlier today as I’m expecting to be investigated by someone with very deep pockets. So, it won’t be easy.”
“I understand.” She glanced at his forehead. “Is that where the very long story comes in?”
“It is.” He grimaced. “Alex – why don’t you tell her – it’s your story more than mine. You can be honest with her. I think, given the circumstances, we must all agree to trust each other.”
Sofie listened silently as Alex told her about Solange and his mission to bring Tyler to justice. He told her everything, right up to Tyler showing up at the house with his goons earlier in the evening.
“I’m sorry,” she said, resting her hand on his arm when he’d finished. “I know Joe thinks I’m hopelessly naïve about the IS system, but I’m really not. I know it’s not ideal, but I also know it was my only way out of the work camp, and it worked for me.”
