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jennickels) wrote2022-04-18 09:14 am
Heaven Can't Wait - Chapter 57
Chapter Fifty-Seven - Busy With Work
“What did you need?” Bellamy asks as soon as he arrives in Engineering.
Raven’s expression is grim as she guides him to a corner where some screens are set up around a computer terminal. Kane is waiting for them. “I’ve been going through security footage of the other side of the station, checking radiation levels and stuff. It’s routine.”
“And?”
She taps at the keyboard. “I found something in one of the closed sectors.”
“Found something? Like a radiation leak?”
Raven grimaces. “Like bodies,” she whispers, turning a screen towards Bellamy.
The image on the screen is in grainy black and white, but the unmistakable shapes of five people piled in front of a door are clear enough.
“Where is this?”
“Just on the Grounder side of the station. One of the last lockdown points—junction 17-C.”
A memory prods at the back of his mind. “I saw someone working on this door the other day. He said it was malfunctioning.”
Raven’s frown deepens. She checks something on the computer then looks up at Bellamy. “There’s no record of any repairs on that door.”
Now Bellamy is frowning. Why would Jeff lie to him? Unless he’s part of this group targeting the Grounders. The thought makes him sick. He left Heaven with Jeff.
Is she in danger? If Jeff is siding with Farm Station why would he even be okay with taking in a Grounder child? Unless he has some plan for her.
The thoughts swirl, getting darker and darker until someone squeezes his shoulder.
“Are you okay?”
He blinks up at a concerned Kane then swallows down the bile and turns back to the screens paused over the bodies. “Is there any more footage of this? From yesterday?”
Raven shakes her head. “With all the power outages, recordings are spotty at best. We mostly use the cameras for real-time checks.”
That figures.
Kane takes a deep breath. His arms are crossed defensively over his chest, brow furrowed in thought. “I’ll go talk to Indra and the families of the men—let them know what happened.”
Bellamy nods solemnly as Kane leaves then joins Raven at the monitors. She looks more tired than Bellamy has ever seen her.
“Have you slept lately?” he asks softly.
Raven glares. “Have you?”
Bellamy puts his hands up. “I’m just concerned.”
“I’m fine.”
He knows she’s anything but fine, but accepts her answer because it’s the same one he gives to every question about his wellbeing. Instead, he clears his throat. “You have a tech named Jeff that works in Engineering.”
Raven thinks for a moment then nods. “Jeff Brach.”
“When he gets in, send him over to my office. I need to speak to him about that door.” He glances over to the monitors—the biggest one still showing the dead men.
Raven agrees then limps off to another station to work on something else. Bellamy heads back to his office, his thoughts swirling with conspiracies and theories.
What if Jeff is helping Olsen and his gang of thugs take out the Grounders? Bellamy can’t imagine Nicole being okay with something like that from her husband. But maybe she doesn’t know he’s a sympathizer. Considering how close they looked, he would have to be hiding it well. And if he is against keeping Grounders in Arkadia then why would he agree to keep Heaven? What purpose could he have for her?
Bellamy arrives at his office with only one conclusion—Jeff agreed to keep Heaven simply to cover his tracks with his wife who was all too keen to have another child around. His stomach twists into tight knots as he slides into his chair. He runs his hands through his hair, pulling at it in frustration.
“Bellamy?”
His head jerks up at the sound of Clarke’s voice. She’s standing in the doorway, a fist raised as if she tried to knock already. He probably didn’t hear her.
“I heard you got out. I thought you might come-” She shrugs, looking small and unsure.
The bitterness is still there, but her look of uncertainty gives him pause. He pushes down all the feelings of betrayal as far as he can, but they seem to just get stuck in his throat. He doesn’t know what to say because it never crossed his mind that morning to let Clarke know he was safe. What does that say about our relationship?
He looks away, shame flushing his cheeks. “I’ve been busy with work.”
Clarke comes further in, arms wrapped around herself protectively. She watches him as he half-heartedly grabs at files and tablets on his desk before letting them just fall in front of him with a sigh. What am I even doing? I should just tell her the truth.
Before he can muster the courage, though, Clarke clears her throat. “Do you at least have time to let me patch you up?”
“Huh?”
She picks up the first aid kit still sitting on a side table and gestures at his face. He gently touches a sore spot at his temple, his fingers coming away flaked with dry blood.
“I’m fine, Clarke. They’re old wounds.”
She scoffs. “From last night, no doubt.” She sits with the open kit on the sofa. Waiting.
Just let her do her thing, and she’ll leave. It’s as easy as that.
Bellamy doesn’t believe anything is ever that easy, but he gets up to join her. He spends the next twenty minutes letting Clarke clean and bandage his face and hands. He doesn’t mention the possibly cracked ribs.
No need to make her worry more.
“Thanks,” he mumbles when it appears she’s done everything she can.
Clarke shrugs as she puts things away. Bellamy isn’t used to seeing Clarke so quiet and reserved. She always says what she wants when she wants. The awkwardness between them is painful.
“Have you eaten?” she asks, snapping him out of his thoughts.
“Yes.”
She gives him a dubious look.
“Really. Ask Harper.”
Clarke bites her lip then nods. “Okay. Everyone is coming over to my mom’s place later to eat dinner together and just relax.”
“Everyone?”
She nods. “Raven, Harper, Monty, Jasper, Miller, and Bryan. My mom’s quarters are much more spacious—I thought everyone could use a break from the confines of their tiny rooms. My mom doesn’t usually leave Medbay until late and then she spends time going over stuff with Kane in his office so she won’t be around.”
“Sounds like a party.”
That gets a smile from her. “So you’ll come?”
The tinge of desperation in her voice says everything about the wedge that’s sitting between them, but before he can answer, there’s a knock on the door frame.
“You wanted to see me?” Jeff says, looking mortified at witnessing their conversation.
Bellamy stands up. Right. Back to work. Clarke gathers the rest of the supplies and secures the first aid kit to its place on the wall then skirts past Jeff without waiting for a reply from Bellamy.
That went smoothly.
Bellamy’s mind is reeling as it tries to change gears from dealing with Clarke and their emotional baggage to dealing with Jeff and a murder investigation. He motions for Jeff to take the chair at his desk then sits down, logging into the first tablet he finds.
“Mr. Brach, the other day, you were working in junction 17-C.”
Jeff blinks at him, thinks for a moment, and nods. “The day you were looking for Heaven.”
“Yes.” Bellamy is all business otherwise he might just rip the man’s head off and demand to take Heaven back—damn Indra and her petty vendetta against him.
“Can you tell me about the repairs you were doing?”
Jeff still looks confused, but eventually, launches into a somewhat detailed description that Bellamy only partially understands. He lets the man drone on for a couple of minutes before interrupting.
“According to Raven, there weren’t any repairs ordered on the door at junction 17-C.”
“What?”
Bellamy pulls up the work orders for Jeff’s crew that Raven thankfully sent him without being asked and hands the tablet over.
Jeff glances at the screen then sets it down. “Sometimes we get requests from people, and it’s easier to just get things done than wait for orders. You know how the red tape is around here.”
It takes all of his strength to keep from reaching across the desk. Bellamy takes a few deep breaths. There’s no proof Jeff did anything malicious. Don’t let your emotions get the best of you again.
“So, what I’m hearing is that people complained about the door, and you just decided to fix it out of the kindness of your heart.”
“Well, yeah. There were a number of complaints lodged about that door sticking—actual official requests sent through proper channels—but the orders to repair it never came. With everything going on with the evacuation, I figured they just got overlooked. Time was running out to get everything in working order so I just took it upon myself to finish the work while I had the chance. The rest of the crew was working on the water line.”
Bellamy licks his lips, considering Jeff’s very reasonable account of events.
Jeff hands back the tablet. “Can I ask what this is about?”
“It’s part of an ongoing investigation into the deaths of five men. Found on the other side of that door.”
Jeff pales. “You think I had something to do with that?”
Every fiber of Bellamy wants to yell, “yes,” but he needs to be more objective. “I’m not saying that. I’m just trying to figure out what happened that five men were caught on the other side of a door that had no officially mandated repairs.”
Jeff stands, bristling. “That still sounds like an accusation.”
Bellamy stares back for several seconds before finally taking a deep breath. “It’s really not as long as the door was in working order as far as you’re concerned.”
“It was when I finished with it.”
“And there’s no chance it could have just gotten stuck again?”
Jeff frowns. “It’s possible, but it was working just fine after I fixed it.”
“Okay.” Bellamy stands and reaches to shake Jeff’s hand. “If you think of any other information that might help our investigation.”
Jeff returns the shake half-heartedly before stomping out of the office, obviously not buying Bellamy’s platitudes.
Bellamy slumps down in his chair. I really am not cut out for this job—Kane could have handled that so much better.