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The memory hits me with a sense of realisation. Carrie brought him because she was fond of him, like a son. I see the kid as her blood, her son. It explains my distant sense of responsibility. It also explains my father's similar feelings.
"We went to the hospital to see Gavriil, but the police were there." Porter brings my mind back on the subject at hand.
"Oh no. Porter, where are you?"
"I'm at the hospital with two very nice detectives."
"And I am on my way to you." I hang up and look at Caeo. "I need you to sort this out."
"You two clean this mess up and do something with the bodies." Caeo walks towards me. "There. Sorted."
"I'll drive. You call your dad." Caeo pulls out his keys and heads to the car. I'm right behind him.
"Who was stupid enough to take Nico to hospital?"
"Porter was."
"Oh, I know that. But Nico didn't walk there."
"No. I believe Freddie drove." My bitterness is clear, while I can forgive Porter, Freddie should have known better.
"You think he knew what he was doing?"
"Yes," I confess. Porter wouldn't have realised the implications. The police were looking for Nico because of his fingerprints on the gun. I didn’t tell them we'd found him. How could I? We know Nico is innocent, but we can't tell the police that. Porter wouldn't have thought about those implications if Nico wanted to go. But Freddie knew.
As I reach the hospital, I leave Caeo to park and I run on in.
Reaching Gavriil's bedside doesn't reveal Porter, but it reveals why the lad needed to come. Gavriil is covered in a white sheet. His machines are no longer running.
"The boy shouldn't have seen what he did," the voice of Kelsey calls. He sounds like a man who needs a cigarette but picked the wrong week to quit.
"Apparently his timing was perfect," I sigh, turning to find the detective waiting for me against the wall. "Where is he?"
"We have no idea. I was hoping you would bring him in with you."
"I meant Porter. In regard to Nico, I have no idea where he is."
"I'd rather take you to Porter than bring him here. With the…"
I follow the detective's gaze to the body and agree to follow him with a smile. He is quite a compassionate man considering the wrath he deals to any of my men caught on the wrong side of the law.
"This way please." Kelsey leads the way to where Porter is waiting in a quiet relative’s room, cup of tea in hand.
"Knox! I'm so sorry." My boy jumps to his feet, nearly losing the slop that passes for tea in this place.
"It's fine, Porter. Say nothing." I only hope he hasn't already said anything damaging.
"Oh, this one knows the drill well," Kelsey praises. "He hasn't said a word to us. Just asked for one phone call to yourself."
"Can I have a moment alone with him?" I question. If Kelsey wants to get shitty with me, he legally could. Porter is now the last man to see the murder victim alive.
"We asked him who he was with. We suspect it was the missing boy, Nico. But this young man insists it was Gavriil's son."
"Well, he doesn’t know anything then." I give the man a nod and walk over to Porter.
"Porter Ellis is squeaky clean and free to go. Don't leave the country, we may have more questions." With a nod, Kelsey walks away. This is the blind-eye I've come to expect from the man, ignoring things that mean the world to me, but nothing more than paperwork to him. Getting him to leave Nico alone won't be so easy. But right now, my focus is on saving Porter.
"You were stupid, and you didn't think. There, that's out of the way. Now, tell me what happened."
