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As he turned around, the door swung open with a creak that seemed to groan from the depths of an ancient forest, revealing a human monolith. Frank Butter's silhouette filled the frame, dark and imposing against the light of his spartan living room. He was a titan clad in denim and flannel, muscles bulging even in repose.
“Hi, Frank Butter?” Finn asked.
“Who wants to know?” he asked in a deep voice.
“I'm Finn Wright, working with the Home Office and...”
“Whose in the car?” he said pointing past Finn to Amelia. “Are you police?”
“Well... Eh...” It was rare for Finn to feel any intimidation at the sight of another man, given his stature. This was one of those rare times.
“What's she doing?” Frank asked, pointing at her again.
She responded in kind and got out, probably knowing that Finn was in need of assistance, and walked up to where Finn and the mountain of a man were standing.
"Frank Butter? I'm Inspector Winters with the Hertfordshire constabulary," Amelia introduced herself crisply, stepping forward. "We need a moment of your time."
Frank's eyes were granite, cool and unyielding. "I don't do moments with the likes of you," he rumbled, his voice resonating like thunder rolling over hills.
"Two people are dead," Finn interjected, holding the giant's gaze with a steady, unflinching blue. "Lily and Thomas Richmond. Ring any bells?"
"Stew, Denny!" The bellow carried beyond the threshold, summoning forces hidden from view. Two figures emerged, each one as colossal as Frank, moving with the heavy certainty of landslide. They framed him now, three sentinels of flesh and bone.
"Leave now, or we'll have trouble," Frank warned, a tinge of anticipation coloring his words.
"Trouble isn't on our agenda today," Amelia countered, her tone even but edged with steel. "We want you to come with us for questioning."
"Arresting me?" There was a hint of amusement in Frank's voice, a challenge flickering in the depths of his steely gaze.
"No arrest—just a conversation," Amelia replied, her stance unwavering even as she assessed the trio before them with the tactician’s eye of a chess master contemplating the board.
"Unless you've got evidence," Frank shot back, the corner of his mouth ticking up in a semblance of a smirk, "I think it's best you leave."
Amelia exchanged a glance with Finn, a silent exchange of resolve and intent. They wouldn't be deterred—not by size, nor by the veiled threats that hung in the air like the aftertaste of lightning.
"Frank," Finn began, his voice laced with a casualness that belied the tension simmering in the air, "you ever hear the fairy tale about the three giants who got outsmarted by a cunning little—"
"Save your breath," Frank's deep voice interrupted, the words rolling like thunder over the landscape of rusting car parts and creeping ivy. His expansive arms folded across his chest, a living barricade. The brothers behind him shifted, their heavy boots crunching on gravel.
Amelia peered at them through wary eyes. "We could do this the easy way, or—"
"Or what?" Stew rumbled, his eyebrow arching in a challenge.
"Or we find something else to bring you in for," Finn retorted, eyeing the assortment of vehicular detritus scattered around the cottage. He knew how to play the game; he'd danced this dance before, always one step ahead, even when the music turned sour.
"Like what?" Denny's voice was gruff, his stance aggressive. "You've got nothing on us."
"Public disturbance might suffice," Finn offered, the corner of his mouth twitching upward. “And I reckon some of these cars you've parked out here, half stripped, might not exactly have been acquired legitimately, am I right?”
"Thinks he's funny, does he?" Frank's face darkened. The air thickened with the scent of imminent violence, an electric current that buzzed against Finn's skin.
“Actually, I was a comedian in a former life,” Finn said. “Would you like to hear a joke? It's a brilliant one. It involves the mother of three giants. Well, she's working the streets and...”
Without warning, Frank lunged forward, seizing a rusted car bumper from the ground. It whistled through the air, aimed squarely at Finn.
"Watch it!" Amelia cried out.
With reflexes honed from years in the field, Finn sidestepped, feeling the rush of air as the metal narrowly missed him. His fist shot out, connecting with Frank's midsection—a satisfying thud resonated, but the giant man merely absorbed the blow, unfazed.
