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Ella asked, ‘Anyone to verify those claims?’
‘No. I live alone.’
Ella tilted her head, analyzing him. The solitude he mentioned was evident in his world weariness ‘No neighbors? No staff?’
He smirked. ‘Neighbors? This isn't a residential area, Agent Dark. And staff? Haven't needed any since the digital age took over. VHS tapes aren't exactly flying off the shelves.’
There was a cold silence as Ella weighed up her options. She caught Ripley’s eye, and her expression said exactly what Ella was thinking. With no alibi and a solid connection to Ginny Mathers’ murder, they had to arrest him.
'Mr. Mathers, I'm sorry, but we need to talk to you at the precinct. Could you step this way, please?' Ella reached into her pocket for her handcuffs. Meanwhile, Alex had frozen on the spot, eyes widening just a fraction. He looked at Ella, then at Ripley, and his gaze darted towards the back room.
The tension was palpable, the atmosphere charged. Ella knew that the next few moments were critical. Ripley, seeing Alex's gaze move to the back room, began moving towards his potential escape route.
‘Easy now, Alex. We just want to ask a few questions.’
He swallowed hard, eyes darting between the two agents. ‘I didn't do anything,’ he muttered, his voice shaky. ‘I've just been here, minding my own business.’
Ella tried to keep her voice level and calm. ‘If that's the case, then you have nothing to worry about. We just need you to come with us, answer a few questions, and we'll sort everything out.’
But Alex’s panic was evident. ‘You don't understand. It's not that simple.’ His voice became frantic, fear dogging every word.
Suddenly, with the agility of a man half his size, Alex bolted towards the back room, shoving past a stand filled with DVDs, scattering them in his wake.
The adrenaline came thick and fast, supercharging Ella’s nervous system as she leaped into action. Ripley was hot on his heels, the sound of tapes toppling and aged racks creaking filling the air as the agents quickly closed the distance. As they neared the back room, a mess of wires and old movie equipment met them.
Ella yelled, ‘Stop! Alex!’ But he didn’t listen, disappearing through the curtained doorway. The curtain billowed as they pushed through, revealing Alex’s living quarters – a small room cluttered with old movie paraphernalia, film posters, stacks of DVDs and a bed covered with faded linens. The room had a heavy, musty smell, mixed with the scent of old popcorn and stale cigarettes. A small kitchenette was set to one side, with a half-eaten sandwich resting on a plate.
She could hear Alex’s rapid breathing and footsteps ahead, and suddenly, a rear door flew open, filtering sunlight in narrow beams. The daylight blinded Ella, causing her to squint as she adjusted to the sudden brightness. She was out in a long alleyway that ran behind a number of old stores, and not only did Alex had a good head start, but he’d surely know the layout much better than the agents.
Ripley was still hot on Alex's heels, her agility impressive as she pursued the blur disappearing down the alleyway. Alex made a mad dash towards a tall chain-link fence, desperation in his pace, driven by a rush Ella had seldom expected.
Ripley quickly caught up, and they were only a few steps behind Alex as he reached the fence. For a moment, it seemed he'd hesitate, but he began scaling the fence with surprising dexterity.
‘Dark, flank right! He'll try to head towards the main street!’ Ripley called out, not breaking her stride.
Alex was nearly over, his shoe catching on a loose wire as he tried to swing his leg over. Ripley was almost at the base, reaching up to try to grab Alex's foot, but he managed to kick free, losing a shoe in the process. With a final push, he dropped onto the other side of the fence, stumbling slightly before regaining his footing.
Ella changed her course, aiming to cut Alex off at the pass. Her shoes pounded on the cracked asphalt as she passed down a slot between two of the old buildings, out onto the main stretch of road. As Ella rounded the next corner, she spotted the entrance of the old grocery store. With its broken glass panes and faded signage, it stood as another relic of the past. And, to her surprise, she saw Alex making a beeline for it, pushing through the half-hinged door and disappearing inside.
She followed on his trial, gesturing to her fence-scaling partner to join her. Ella stopped at the entrance to allow Ripley to catch up.
‘Be ready,’ Ella yelled. ‘He's cornered now. He might be more desperate.’
Ripley nodded, tightening her grip on her pistol. ‘You take lead. I got your six.’
Ella reminded herself of the old adage that only guilty people ran. Guilty of what? Ella didn’t know, but she was going to find out before morning was out.
The two agents entered the store with caution, a piercing bell announcing their arrival. It was as derelict inside as it looked from the outside, with old wooden shelves stocked with products that looked long past their expiration.
‘Alex Morton, show yourself,’ Ella called.
Behind the dusty counter, a clerk appeared from a back room, then held up her hands in surrender as she spotted Ella’s pistol. Ella gestured for her to disappear to safety.
Ella edged inside, checking every direction. An aisle on her left seemed promising. Faded cans of soup and boxes of cereal lined the shelves, and it led to what looked like an old butcher’s section at the back. To her right, an old pharmacy counter was lined with dusty bottles and tinctures, its adjacent aisle leading to what looked like an old office or storage room.
‘You go left, I’ll go right,’ Ripley said.
Ella grabbed her partner’s arm. ‘No. This guy’s a runner. Block the exit.’
