Page 37 of Dissension

“…Paxton Brooker knows about the Torture House and has been profiting off the pain and misery of others for a very long time.The Dark Mirageclub is just the pleasant front, the place to test the waters of potential victims. There’s always someone with a kink that’s looking to go further, to go to the abyss. I would know; he subtly invited me to it when I mentioned I was looking to explore my sadism deeper-”

“You’re a sadist?” The interviewer’s voice is less distorted.

An uncomfortable pause. “There are few who can suffer as deeply as I’ve fantasized about making someone suffer. There are rules in theDark Mirage. For the safety of those involved, you understand. Brooker mentioned to me that he knew of a place that would allow me to go ‘all the way’. I admit, I was intrigued by the prospect. It sounded too good to be true. I didn’t think there would be people so willing to undergo true torture…”

“What does ‘all the way’ mean to you?” The interviewer asks darkly.

A dry, muted sound of amusement. “I don’t think you want to know. You might not understand.”

The uncomfortable silence returns. “What proof do you have that he offered this opportunity to you?”

“Papered, signed proof. He was going to have me work there. It was part of an NDA. The pay was better than it was at theDark Mirage. I was terribly tempted.”

“What did you do?” The interviewer sounds vaguely disgusted.

“I declined. I had a bad feeling about it, especially after Farrah Vincelli disappeared and returned to her shoddy apartment with a payoff, looking worse for wear.”

“Farrah Vincelli? The other witness who was murdered? A former member of the sex club?”

“The very same.”

The distorted interview ends, going back to the news reporter who starts babbling on about the horrifying developments, and what sort of sick people are hanging about the city-

For a few moments, Kara can only stare blankly at the tv screen, trying to digest all that she just heard. She dials the first person she can think of.

“I just saw the news; is this for real? They’ve found someone willing and able to pin Paxton Brooker?” Kara asks urgently when Detective Ray Wellis picks up. “Why didn’t you tell me? How long have you known?”

Ray is nearly silent on the other side of the phone, but she can hear his soft exhale, something weary in nature. He might be smoking. “It’s a recent development. We’re already scrambling to understand how this got leaked, the tape is supposed to be locked down. The press having it already is going to fuel fires and we haven’t been able to investigate far enough.” A silence follows. Then, “This case goes deep and dark. I didn’t tell you not just becauseI can’t, but because I don’t know if I can trust you.”

A rock plummets in her stomach, her throat working, feeling vaguely hurt. It turns into an ugly spike of red in her chest. Her voice is tight with restrained anger. “What the hell does that even mean, Ray? I’mnotthe enemy here, I’m from the original case against Paxton Brooker for Debra Mills. I want to see him go down more than anyone-”

Well.Maybe not more than the people who have actually been impacted by his dark, sleazy ways…

“You aren’t the enemy, Kara.” Ray sounds like he’s crashing down from too many energy drinks. “Don’t take it that way. This is a sensitive situation. We’ve already had one witness get her head lobbed off. We can’t afford to have this one get hurt too. This could be our last chance to tie this to Brooker.”

That softens the blow a bit. “Is the DA going to take this to court?”

“Let’s just say Paxton Brooker is likely to be under arrest soon. Don’t you mention that to anyone though. We’re still fighting the Feds getting involved. We don’t have true confirmation that this walked beyond State boundaries.”

Holy shit. Despite her desire to see the bastard go down, something just nags at the edges of her mind. “You said you didn’t have time to dig into this yet. How do you know this is real? What if itisn’t?”

“We’ve been given relevant documents with Paxton Brooker’s signature on it-”

“Could that be forged?” Kara asks suspiciously.

A pause. “We don’t believe it is. There’s too much evidence against Brooker that paints a damning picture. But sure,” Ray concludes. “It’spossible. That’s why we didn’t expect this to get leaked, we needed more time to investigate.” He pauses then. “Don’t say any of this to anyone. Just. Keep it to yourself. Please. Especially not to your client.”

Ah. That’s the real reason he doesn’t trust her. Dieter.

“You know my client isn’t even implicated in this,” she replies numbly, too exhausted to fight this conversation again.

“He might not be on the stand yet, but that doesn’t mean that he won’t be. Bittingerisn’ta saint, despite what his donations to various charities say.” There’s the sound of a siren going off in the background of Ray’s audio and for a moment, he sounds distracted, talking to someone else. Probably his partner, thatdry-as-a-bone Collins. “I’ve got to go, Kara. Be careful, alright? Things are getting strange in this city.”

He hangs up before she can even say goodbye.

Sitting there on her couch, Kara’s mind churns slowly, replaying the disguised voice of the witness over and over in her head. Something isn’t adding up. Mentioning Paxton Brooker as the one to try and invite them to the Torture House? That’s not how ‘X’ made it sound. ‘X’ made it sound like a hostess at the club tried to reel her in. The other oddity is that ‘X’ called it The Room.

Kara frowns. Why would this witness be different from ‘X’? Is it because Brooker was offering them a torturer’s position? That is if Brooker truly did do as the witness claims. It seems appallingly bold, to make such an offer. Too obvious, too blunt.

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