Rue: Web of Deceit - Part 27

Criminal Activity

Needing more evidence to prove that Ava isn't isn't who she says she is and to find out about her criminal dealings, Rue decides to call in her favourite detective and perform a little expionage.

“Hey,” Rue starts, their shoulders tense as they continue, “I’m going back to That woman's apartment tonight for another ‘lesson’, I want to see if I can find anything there…”   The fridge door shuts with a clatter as Doug stands upright, clad in his cosiest dressing gown with a small roll of ham hanging out of his mouth. He quickly chews and swallows, smiling like a kid caught stealing chocolates from the cupboard, "Thought you said the place was empty?"   “As far as I could see, yeah,” Rue agrees, “but I didn’t exactly go around rummaging through drawers and cupboards, so who knows what she’s hiding. I just… I can’t shake the feeling that she’s bad news, and I don’t think that’ll go away until I find out exactly what she’s up to.”   "So you're gonna go look through all her stuff, eh?" he says, leaning against the nearby wall, "And what're you hoping to find? I doubt she's got her evil schemes written down in a convenient notebook for you to rifle through."   “If there’s one thing I’ve learned in the past few months, it’s that there’s always something to find,” They say with a determined expression, “It might not be a notebook of evil schemes, but I’m sure if I keep digging, something will come up eventually.”   "Alright, Kid. If you say so," he says, knowing better than to question Rue when they've found themself a mission, "Need a lift down there?"   ''That'd be great, thanks.'' They say, giving him an appreciative smile.   Glancing at the clock on the wall, Rue realises that for once, they have far too much time in the day, and it leaves them with a restlessness that they're unfamiliar with. Between being sick and getting experimented on, they had only felt bored a handful of times growing up, and never quite in the same way. Even after The Railyard Raid, they'd been too busy fending for themself.   Try as they might, though, they cannot seem to focus on anything except for the upcoming appointment: they reread the same sentence in their book about eight times before giving up on it, they spend what feels like hours pacing the flat, and they frequently check their phone for any new messages, either from Detective Upton or from Rani.   Eventually, their prayers are answered, as Alec is finally able to get back to them by about two in the afternoon, "A case from 05? I mean, I was barely in senior school by then, but I can have a look in some of the department's archives. What's this about?"   Despite having waited for a message all morning, Rue jumps when the notification pings. They awkwardly fumble with the phone for a moment before reading the text and formulating a reply.   ''Two kids went missing from Salanas Central Primary School, Adam and Gina. Police called off the search in May 2005. Was a woman named 'Grace Foster' ever investigated?''   "Ah. That'd be the jurisdiction of the Salanas police department. I'll see if I can't get them to send some stuff over. Just give me a little bit."   ''Thank you, appreciate it.''   Rue takes a sip from their drink, frowning when it doesn't taste quite right. They look down at the mug to see the problem, letting out a frustrated groan when they realise that they have, in fact, made a hot chocolate without heating up the milk. Unable to use their powers with Tara and Doug milling about the flat, they place the mug in the microwave, pressing the button a few times and watching it lazily spin around.   Another hour or so passes by without much action, before their phone buzzes once again with a follow-up message from the detective, "Hey, Rue. Pretty bleak case you've got here. Looks like Miss Foster was questioned at the scene the day the kids went missing. Apparently she'd been helping chaperone the fateful school trip, but didn't really give them any useful information. She was the first person to report them missing. Apparently she'd taken the two to the bathroom separate from the group, and they wandered off."   “Wandered off, my ass…” Rue mutters, gritting their teeth. Reading about the missing kids only further solidifies their belief that Ava is dangerous, as well as their determination to find sufficient evidence against her. There is no way they can let this woman get closer to Rani, not if they can help it.   “Thank you.” They send to the detective, erasing the conversation shortly after.   After another forty minutes, Rue walks up to Doug, their keys in hand. “Any chance we can leave a little early?” They ask, “I’d like to have a look around the area beforehand.”   Doug sighs as he puts his dusty copy of Gravity's Rainbow down and casts a look in their direction, "Yeah, alright Rue," he says with disappointment etched onto his face, "But you owe me one."   “Sure,” Rue shrugs with a frown, a little perplexed by the look of disappointment. They wait for Doug to put on his shoes, watching him carefully. “Have I said something wrong?”   "Nah," he says as the pair begin putting on shoes and coats, flashing them his best reassuring smile, "Just interrupted a good part of my book. That's all. Now, you gonna give us directions to her place?"   ''Ah, sorry about that.'' Rue says, grinning sheepishly. They follow Doug through the door and down the stairs, giving him the address as they get into the car.   The drive over to Ava's apartment was quiet, with both driver and passenger feeling somewhat tense about the situation as a whole. It's only as they pull up that Doug speaks again, "I have to get going pretty soon, but did you want me to hang around for a minute, in case of trouble?"   Rue hesitates for a moment. Having Doug there as backup would definitely not be the worst thing, but at the same time, they would be a lot more cautious using their powers with him nearby.   ''Ah, it's fine,'' They say finally, undoing their seatbelt. ''I already owe you for dragging you out of your book. Besides, if there really is any trouble, I've got my phone on me and you know where I am now," Rue points out apartment number 302, offering Doug a smile with a level of confidence they're not quite feeling, ''Who knows - maybe this is all just in my head, and the worst thing that happens is that I suck at maths.''   "Well, we already know that's the case," he says, chuckling as he prepares to depart, "But as a wise man once said, 'sucking at something is the first step towards being sorta good at something.'"   ''Which book did you get that from?'' Rue snorts, opening the door to exit the car.   "Not a book, unfortunately," he says as he puts the car into gear, "The immortal words of Jake the Dog, from Adventure Time. Love that show."   ''The d- huh?'' Rue laughs, a little bit of the tension that they'd felt alleviated. ''Okay, we're definitely watching that instead of Judge Judy.''   They close the door to the car and give Doug a small wave before turning towards the apartment complex. Once inside, they sharpen their senses, listening out for the smallest noise. They can hear the telltale sounds of people's lives behind closed doors - a TV show, someone cooking, a couple arguing about getting the wrong type of peanut butter (Rue sides with the crunchy-favouring person).   What they don't do yet, however, is use their x-ray vision, the prospect of doing so making their skin crawl. They know it will help if they want to find any evidence, but until they make it to the right apartment, they can't bring themself to use it.   With just over half an hour left to kill before their agreed appointment, Rue noiselessly climbs up the stairs towards number 302, hoping that Ava might inadvertently reveal something of herself when she's not yet expecting company.   Peering through the wall, Rue can see the teacher, fresh out of the shower with her hair tied up and a towel wrapped around her. Ava is sat at the same table that they'd previously worked at, facing towards the door with her laptop open and a phone pressed to her ear. Much to Rue's frustration, the laptop is turned away from them and they can't see what she's doing, but the tail-end of her phone call comes in loud and clear.   "Yeah, yeah. I know about that one. You'll get it, just keep your pants on," she says, exasperated by the voice on the other end of the line, "But what about the new item? It's a little rough around the edges, sure. But by the sounds of it low-risk, and I could probably get you or one of your clients a discount."   "I dunno..." the voice on the other end of the line is garbled and distorted, but Rue can't help but think he called her Dingo, "It seems a little old for my clientelle."   "Well, perhaps for your personal collection then," she says, leaning back in her seat, "After all, you never know what you'll find under all that grime. Might just get you a diamond in the rough once it's... broken in properly."   "Yeah, I suppose..." the voice returns, "Alright, I'll take it. But I expect a twenty percent discount."   "You can have twenty-five if you give my number to the man in the high tower."   "Deal."   "Alright then," she says, leaning forward again and typing on the keyboard before her, "I'll let you know when and where for pickup."   Although they never actually mention the nature of the merchandise, Rue can hazard a guess, causing the hairs at the back of their neck to stand up, their stomach twisting uncomfortably. They wonder about the man on the phone as well as the so-called man in the high tower.   Pulling their phone out of their pocket, they send a quick message to Detective Upton, “Ever heard of someone called Dingo?”   As soon as they’ve hit send, they bring their focus back to the room, keen to see where Ava keeps the laptop and phone. They watch as she unplugs the device and carries it into her bedroom, placing it into her bedside table before beginning to get changed. Rue looks away before seeing anything untoward, feeling sick to their stomach as they recall what those same corneas had been used to look at before they were transplanted.   They take a moment to calm their thoughts in the hallway, listening out for anyone walking around nearby as they feel their phone vibrate in their pocket once again.   "The Dingo's a name that's come up several times in a few missing persons cases, yeah. What's this about, Rue? I hope you're not putting yourself at any unnecessary risk."   Pursing their lips, Rue sends another message to Alec, ''I haven't got any proof, but I'm fairly sure I'm about to have a maths lesson with the Dingo.''   Before locking their phone and slipping it into their coat pocket, they send the two Facebook profile links to the detective, then delete all messages on their end. They take a deep breath before they walk up to the door, their heart racing as they knock and wait for the woman to answer.   To be continued...