after providing ben with a cup of hot tea , a pair of slippers and an old brown sweater with a couple of buttons missing, and installing him in a comfortable armchair - and turning the tv off, so that hoss cartwright was no longer staring down at them - the bearded man listened intently to the tale ben told. he did not interrupt, but nodded from time to time, though he dd not write anything down.
“that is quite a story, sir, quite a story,” the bearded man stated when ben had finished his account. “one of the most shocking i have ever heard. and in my long career in law enforcement, and before that in secret paramilitary groups operating in the gray zones between civilization and chaos, i have heard some shocking stories.”
“in law enforcement!” ben managed to gasp. were his worst fears to come true? was the fellow a cohort of bill wilson’s?
“yes, sir, my name is wade hampton, and i am the chief of police. bill wilson was one of my most trusted officers, and i am sorry indeed to hear that he was up to such nefarious tricks as you describe. however there is nothing for it but to investigate.” chief hampton sighed, and took a small object out of his pocket which ben recognized as a telephone. although he had never seen or used one before his capture by bill wilson, he had seen bill use one on many occasions during his captivity, always when he, ben, was securely gagged and could not call out to be heard by bill’s caller.
the chief punched a single number and held the phone to his ear. “jeff,” he said after a few seconds, “we have a code blue. yes, you heard me, a code blue. at bill wilson’s house.” pause. “you know the drill, meet me at bill wilson’s a s a p.” he put the phone back in his pocket and impassively considered ben.
“you say, mr rogers, that you left bill wilson unconscious in his basement? how seriously do you think you injured him?”
ben laughed weakly, “maybe not as much as i would have liked. as soon as i was out in he street, i was afraid he would come to and come after me.”
“i see.” the chief got up out of his chair. “well, i am afraid you will have to come with me over to bill’s place.” he stared at ben. “i will give you a jacket, but we don’t have time to get you some shoes, those slippers will have to do.”
a sudden wave of tiredness swept over ben, and he thought he would pass out. “do i have to go?” he pleaded. “can’t i just stay here?”
“i am afraid not,” the chief replied in a no nonsense voice. “when this is over,” he added in a friendlier tone as ben struggled to his feet. “we will get you to a hospital, and they will give you a thorough checkup. and a shave and a haircut.”
“thank you,” ben managed to say.
the trip back to bill wilson’s in the chief’s unmarked car took only a couple of minutes.
the front door was still open, as ben had left it when he escaped, and light from the front hall spilled out into the street.
the chief waited for ben to enter the house ahead of him.
“bill!” the chief called. “are you here?”
“he may still in the cellar,” ben suggested hesitantly.
without replying, the chief made his way directly to the cellar stairs, opened the door and looked down in to the cellar’s dim light. he gestured to ben to go down ahead of him.
why? ben thought. in case bill starts shooting? but he obeyed.
bill was still lying as ben had left him. the chief looked down at him and shook his head, but made no move to touch him
“now what?” ben asked.
“we wait for the officers i called.”
“of course,” ben thought. “the ‘code blue’."
even as he thought it he heard voices and heavy footsteps overhead.
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