Interstate Blues

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Breakfast of Champions

January 18th, 2020
Cañon City, Colorado

Jack's legs bounced up and down rapidly as he sat beside Ash in a cold room with a table nailed to the floor and four chairs. The only other things in the room were a camera in the corner above the door and a pitcher of water on the table with a few cups.

"Stop it, Jack. Just chill." Ash kept his voice low, as he sat back in his chair casually. They'd been in the room for almost two hours alone, and Jack wanted nothing more than to know what was going on and then to pass out for half a day.

"Just chill? Are they planning on keeping us here until we go crazy? We've been here all night."

Ash shook his head, leveling him with a stern glare. "Put your head on the table and close your eyes. Sleep if you have to, but just chill out, okay?"

Taking deep breaths to calm himself down, he did as he was told instead of arguing further. There was no point, really, Ash was right, and he knew it. "Fine. But I'm pretty sure they can only hold us for forty-eight hours without charging us." Laying his head on his arms, Jack focused his energy on calming the room down enough for him to take a nap. It was a lot harder to do when he also had to calm himself down as much as he possibly could.

"Thanks, man. Hey, I'm-"

"Ashton Slayer, it's good to see you again." A tall man entered the room in a flourish, seating himself in front of them before Jack even had the chance to blink. "You can wait out there, Hector." He waved off one of the stoic officers who'd been standing at the door since they'd been shoved into the room hours earlier.

"But, sir-"

"It's fine." He took a sip of whatever hot liquid was in the travel coffee mug he held in his hands. "Sorry it took me so long to get out here, boys. I had some paperwork to catch up on."

"Yeah, yeah." Ash stared at him like they'd known each other for a while. "How's the family, by the way, Hank?"

"Special Agent Henry Walters, Colorado Bureau of Investigation." He introduced himself to Jack, holding out a large, meaty hand. "You're Jack Slayer, I presume. I've heard a lot about you, kid. I see here, you've been arrested with your brother seven times, twice before you were even sixteen, and three times in the last year, alone. Just minor things so far, until now, anyway. It's a shame, really."

"Speaking of which, what are we being charged with? Jacky, and I were just on our way to visit some friends, and you guys dragged us a good two hours out of our way."

Agent Walters sat back in his chair like he was king of the castle, a little smirk playing at the edge of his lips. "Ashton, you know I sorta have a soft spot for you, kid, and I pulled a lot of strings to get assigned your case again. So, let's not start out by lying to each other, okay?"

Ash shrugged, sitting forward in his seat. "Sure, alright. How about you tell me where my brother's dog is? She's a service dog. I asked your men not to take her from him, but nobody's listened to me. Help me out here, Hank, and we'll be as cooperative as you need."

At the mention of Keala, Jack felt his anxiety come back tenfold, saturating the room with the heavy emotion. "She keeps me calm." His eyes darted around the room as his legs started bouncing erratically again.

Agent Walters sat back, eyeing them critically, before he stood up. "I'll be right back." He got up and briskly stepped out into the hallway. Before the door slammed closed behind him, they heard him demanding that the service dog be returned to its owner.

Just barely moving his head to the side, Jack whispered, "Keala's not a service dog. She doesn't even have any of the right documentation."

Ash shot his little brother a sly smirk. "Yes, she is. Mom got her certified for you when you were still in high school. Why do you think the school never hassled you for bringing the dog in? Mom had your psychiatrist sign off on it when Dad first sent her to you, because you stopped screaming from the night terrors when she was around."