As if afraid the police wouldn’t believe her, Maisie Lynch ignored Ivan Warren’s attempts to stop her and pointed at lody Sumrs, shouting, "Last night, we argued with her in the stairwell. She didn’t just hit my boyfriend—she pulled a gun on us! I saw it perfectly clearly. That was absolutely a real gun! Not a replica!"
"Officers, lody Sumrs is illegally in possession of a firearm! She’s a nace! Arrest her, disarm her, and expel her from the community! Don’t let her hurt innocent people!"
After she finished speaking, Maisie Lynch turned her head and stared angrily at lody Sumrs, as if lody were her mortal enemy.
On the way to the Ergency Office, Maisie Lynch had already thought everything through. ’Things have co to this; there’s no turning back. If I’m going down, I’m not letting lody Sumrs have it easy!’
That’s why she’d chosen to report lody Sumrs for illegally possessing a gun. ’Even if it kills , I’m taking her down with !’
From the mont Maisie Lynch shouted that she wanted to cut a deal by exposing a cri, Ivan Warren had been pretending to try and stop her from talking.
While gesturing as if to cover Maisie Lynch’s mouth, he shouted, "Maisie, stop spouting nonsense! Do you have any idea what kind of world this is? Can we really afford to ss with soone who has a gun? Aren’t you afraid they’ll retaliate? Don’t bring that kind of trouble on us!"
He said all that, but his hand never actually covered Maisie Lynch’s mouth, allowing her to finish everything she had to say.
Last night in the stairwell, the gun in lody Sumrs’s hand had terrified Ivan Warren. After he’d fled ho, scared out of his wits, he discovered... he’d actually pissed himself.
There was a dark, wet stain on his suit pants, and they reeked of piss.
Ivan Warren felt utterly humiliated. After changing his pants, seething with sha and anger, he sat on his bed and began to agonize. ’Should I call the police and report lody Sumrs for illegally possessing a gun?’
He’d heard from a colleague that you could buy guns and ammunition on the black market, but the prices were steep and it was hard to get access. You needed an introduction from a connected acquaintance to even make a purchase.
After all, dealing in firearms was a capital offense; sellers had to be extrely careful about screening their custors.
That being the case, Ivan Warren just couldn’t figure out how lody Sumrs, a woman who had only graduated two years ago, could have the connections to buy a gun.
He had asked Maisie Lynch, who, as lody Sumrs’s forr roommate, knew her background fairly well. Maisie had told him lody was just an ordinary girl who grew up in the countryside, from a single-parent ho no less. Her mother was a simple rural woman who made a living from local resources, in fishing and forestry.
’Soone from a background like that couldn’t possibly have the connections or the funds to buy a gun on the black market!’
Ivan Warren racked his brain. The only explanation he could co up with was that lody Sumrs must be trading sexual favors with so underworld kingpin.
This thought sent Ivan Warren into another spiral of indecision.
’If I report lody Sumrs, will I just be bringing trouble on myself? Will that underworld boss behind her retaliate?’
While he was caught in this loop of indecision, Mr. and Mrs. Sutton ca to his door.
Mr. and Mrs. Sutton said they had witnessed the argunt between him and lody Sumrs in the stairwell. They claid they had a way to get lody driven out, as long as Ivan Warren and Maisie Lynch cooperated with them in putting on an act.
Ivan Warren was ecstatic after hearing Mr. and Mrs. Sutton’s plan. He would use them to do his dirty work.
’If this works, I can get my revenge on lody Sumrs without getting my own hands dirty. Mr. and Mrs. Sutton are the masterminds, after all.’
’And if it fails, it has nothing to do with . I’m not directly involved, so no one can pin it on !’
Now that Maisie Lynch was reporting lody Sumrs for illegally possessing a gun, Ivan Warren was happy to see it happen. ’After all, I *did* try to stop her! If so gangster boss really does co looking for trouble, I’ll just hand Maisie over!’
’In short, none of this has anything to do with !’
Just then, lody Sumrs spoke, shattering Ivan Warren’s delusion.
lody Sumrs looked at Maisie Lynch with a speechless expression. "Who told you my gun was illegal?"
Maisie Lynch glared at lody Sumrs and shouted, "Don’t you try to deny it! I have 20/20 vision! I saw it crystal clear!"
Maisie turned to the officers. "Officers, search her! Go search her apartnt! I guarantee you’ll find it!"
Maisie thought bitterly, ’Go on, search lody’s apartnt, just like they searched mine for that down jacket! Let her feel that sa despair!’
lody Sumrs silently watched Maisie Lynch, whose eyes were red with fury. ’I really don’t get it,’ she thought. ’Why does she hate this much?’
’...What on earth did I do to her?’
Despite Maisie Lynch’s furious glare, lody Sumrs’s expression remained perfectly placid. "No need to search," she said coolly.
Then, lody Sumrs reached into her pocket and pulled out the handgun.
The move caught the other four people in the room completely by surprise. Mrs. Sutton audibly gasped.
As she watched lody Sumrs hold the black handgun, which glinted coldly, Maisie Lynch trembled. A chill crept up her spine, as if lody might pull the trigger at any mont and send a bullet into her body.
The instant lody pulled out the gun, Ivan Warren scrambled behind Maisie Lynch. The mory of wetting himself the previous night surged back, and he felt a desperate, familiar pressure in his bladder.
Seeing the fear reflected in Maisie Lynch’s pupils, lody Sumrs smiled. "You an this?" she asked gently.
With that, as if to give Maisie a better look, lody even took two steps in her direction.
Startled, Maisie Lynch stumbled backward. Her voice trembling, she cried out to Officer Tristan Tanner and Officer Sean Pierce, "Officers, you see that? She really has a gun! Quick! Take her down before she hurts soone!"
lody Sumrs watched Maisie’s frantic display and silently rolled her eyes. She handed the gun directly to Officer Tristan Tanner, who was standing to the side, and said, "You already know this, but my possession of this gun has been approved. I’m not carrying it illegally."
Officer Tristan Tanner took the handgun and inspected it. It was indeed the registered, serialized weapon. He understood. He handed the gun back to lody Sumrs and turned to Maisie Lynch. "She is not illegally carrying a firearm," he stated. "Your report is invalid."
An astonished look spread across Maisie Lynch’s face. "That’s impossible!" she blurted out.
Ivan Warren looked up at this, his voice trembling as he asked, "Wh-what right does she have to carry a gun?! She’s not a governnt official!"
Officer Sean Pierce ignored the question. He slamd a hand on the table and snapped, "That’s enough! Stop causing trouble! The accusation has been dismissed. Now, let’s deal with you lot!"
Officer Sean Pierce first pointed to Mr. and Mrs. Sutton, his face grim. "You two hired actors, fabricated evidence, filed a false report, and frad an innocent person. You are the masterminds of this incident! And after being caught, you refused to admit your guilt, trying to squirm your way out of legal punishnt with pathetic excuses. That is a desecration of the law!"
Officer Sean Pierce’s voice, laced with anger and authority, instantly tensed the atmosphere in the room. The color drained from Mr. and Mrs. Sutton’s faces.
Then, Officer Sean Pierce pointed at Maisie Lynch. His tone was severe. "And you," he said. "As an accomplice, you are not blaless. You knew full well this was a sham, but you chose to take part in it, colluding with them in their performance, giving false testimony, and obstructing an official investigation. Your conduct is just as egregious!"
At his words, Maisie Lynch bit her lower lip, tears welling in her eyes. She bowed her head, unable to et Officer Sean Pierce’s gaze.
Officer Sean Pierce continued, "If you are unable to get the victim’s forgiveness, then we will have no choice but to find you guilty. In that case, you will most likely be expelled from the community!"
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