Clara (Eighteen of Twenty)

I had her left arm in cuffs, linked to the AC unit. Gathered up the folders she dropped on the roof when she landed. Deke's stuff and some poems. Asked her why, out of all the stuff she coulda taken, she took them poems. She turned her head, pouting like Tinkerbell. It'd been a long time since I read poetry. Read it outloud, tried to make heads or tails of it, but I was always too much of a slob to get poetry. Better people tried to get me to understand it, couldn't do it.

Lissa was leaning against the AC unit, shaking her head, not saying a word. She kept trying her arm against where I cuffed it to the AC unit. I told her it was time to cut her losses, and she might get a lighter sentence if she told us where Clara was. Nothing.

Dara came up to the roof, yelled over the edge asking if I was OK. I told her I was fine, and she needed to search Lissa's apartment right now. I also yelled the poetry at her, but she didn't get any code out of it.

Went back to Lissa, crouched beside her, told her she had everything to lose and nothing to gain. She still said nothing. I pressed Joan's barrel to her temple, made my voice husky, asked her again where Clara was. She went crosseyed a second, told me to shoot her. We sat there a few seconds before I backed down.

She laughed real bitter, so did I. Lissa asked me what time it was. Figured it was around 12:20. Looked at my watch, showed her it was broke. Said it didn't matter. Besides, I didn't have evidence.

I told her maybe I did, maybe I didn't, but I knew she was forging those reports. She'd get fired at least. Lissa said it was fine, she was tired of dealing with slobs day in and day out. Dame was getting me good and mad. I punched the AC unit and she yelped. Left a dent an inch deep in the side.

I asked her why she did it. She told me she didn't know what I was talking about, she might or might nota done anything, but if she did, it woulda been for money. Lissa said I probably knew what it was like not to have money.

Told her there were times I got tempted, but I didn't get stupid cause I mighta felt greedy. What were you gonna do when the money was gone? Couldn't give in.

She turned her head, said I didn't understand. I didn't tell her I did.

Dara came running back a few minutes later. Said she'd checked Lissa's computer, she had a map to a warehouse, only the map didn't make sense.

Dara yelled at her, said she shoulda cleared her internets cash [Internet browser cache. I'd gone to her browser, checked for the most recent map site, cycled through her various saved maps, and this fit the bill. -Dara].Told Dara to meet me on the ground.

Lissa wailed at me, said the cuff was too tight, and she wasn't gonna go anywhere with her busted ankle. I told her she shoulda thought of that before she jumped. Dames.