💯 Story Challenge
Wringing Out The Truth
№14 — He found her heartbroken and terrified at the bottom of a bottle. She knew what was coming. No white knight to save her from the shit she was in. Banning needed the truth.
Frank's knuckles itched. He wanted to smash things, but he was trapped. Stuck sitting in the Cadillac Lounge, a dive bar for every night worker with a coupla bucks, listening to Cheryl sob.
He couldn’t press her, not here and not the state she was in. This wasn’t the kind of place to have any defenders of damsels in distress. But he didn’t need a knife in his kidney when someone saw his badge.
“Sal was such a good kid,” said Cheryl, her thick mascara running, tears forming dark rivers down her gaunt cheeks.
Frank nodded and took a swig of his whiskey. He glanced at the clock, but didn’t give a damn if he was on duty or not.
“I remember this one time she hauled me up for doing… my business, you know, straight-laced little thing, full of spunk,” Cheryl said, shaking her head, bleached blonde tresses fluttering. She fell silent before she continued, a sob rippling through her shoulders.
“She gave me a talkin’ to, an’ let me go, saved me the hassle of getting back from the station. She honest-to-God tried to talk me into a better path.”
“That was Sal.”
“She weren’t dumb though, she knew I what I was, but she had ideals, you know?”
“Yeah, Cheryl, I know.”
“She didn’t deserve what happened.”
Banning’s ears perked up, burning for info and his gun, a heavy weight on his heart. “You see what happened?”
Cheryl nodded her, her lips fell into a red smudged upside down U. She wiped away snot with the back of her hand. “God dammit, I did.”
Her breathing grew ragged. Gasping and fumbling, she grabbed her own drink and downed the contents in one burning gulp. Fresh tears cascading down from moon-wide eyes.
“Frank, I was finished a trick and having a little taste you know of our barter deal, just a bit to keep me on my legs. I was keeping it casual, so he didn’t see me when he was looking around.”
Frank tried not to loom, his knuckled itched and cracked as he squeezed his glass.
“It was a good score, I didn’t want anyone seeing me, and taking — “ she frowned and look around the bar, “nevermind that, I saw him moving the body. She was dead already, I think, but she weren’t cut up yet.”
“Go on,” said Frank, forcing the words out through a clenched jaw.
“I knew something was up, but even bundled up, I seen it were her. I couldn’t leave, like I was in a dream, pulled along like. Maybe it was the drugs, but I just couldn’t I had to know.”
Frank’s eyes burned, and he nodded for her to continue.
“Frank, I did see his face, when he was getting stuck in the sick bastard. He did things, I got nightmares now. I haven’t been able to sleep since, he’s gonna come for me next Frank.”
“He won’t. I’m gonna stop him hard. Who did you see?”
Cheryl shook her head.
“Tell me, darlin’. For Sal. I need to know who to kill.”
Cheryl looked a Loud Betty, then up at me, hope blooming in her bloodshot eyes, “It were Max Vittone. Sick fuck.”
“The heir to the Vittone crime family. Shit, are you sure? ”
Cheryl nodded. Frank dropped too much money on the bar, squeezed her shoulder, “Thank you.”
Detective Frank Banning knew he was a dead man. There was no way around it. He stepped out in to the stinking rain, let it wash and sting his face, and trudged toward his fate before he sobered and came to his senses.
Next Chapter:
💯 Story Challenge (14/100)
A simple challenge to kick-start a new year; 100 stories in 100 days, at least a 100 words long using Unsplash Instant as my muse.
This Serial Fiction use prompts from February Theme: Love/Hate
Chapter List:1: Loud Betty is Silent Tonight2: In Search of Sal’s Redemption (prompted by The Beast)3: Wringing Out The Truth (this story prompted by The Beauty)4: An Old Fox Chasing Hawks (prompted by The Betrayal)5: Loud Betty Screams One Last Time (prompted by The End)