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I blew my top. As I see it now, the explosion was mostly fuled by the champagne I'd drunk, but a that point I didn't notice that at all. I was just furious.
"What the hell are you doing, you stupid old..." The rest is unprintable. I'm more of a prude in my writing then my speech.
Leon jumped away from Cindy and, clearly not reconizing me, snarled, "Mind your own business, lady!" Cindy looked shocked and speechless, quite something for her.
"I think it is too my business!" I snarled back. "You're blackmailing my aunt, and I'm not standing for it!"
"Your aunt?" Leon looked bewildered as well as angry. "Cindy, have you set us up or..."
"No need for any explanations," I growled, "I know what you're up to. The only thing is..." I glared at Cindy. "What has he got on you to make you do this with him, Cindy? I know you don't want to!"
"How do you know that?" Cindy almost wimpered, getting her voice back. "I'm a grown woman, I can do what I want with who I want, you're acting like you're the aunt..." Leon scrowled, and she hurried on, "I wouldn't be kissing anyone I didn't want to!"
"Ohreally?" I asked, pronouncing the words as one to get the perfect amount of sarcasm. "Then why were you so upset when you two went to the hotel?" Cindy gasped and Leon growled, but I went on. "And why was he saying you'd lose your job if you didn't..."
"You horrid little beast!" Leon roared. "I know you now! You're that bloody kid who fell in the canal! That's what you were doing down there... You were spying on us!" For a moment I thought he was going to slap me with his armoured hand. Then he burst out laughing. "Well," he went on with a smirk, "I'm sure your darling auntie can tell you all about her lovely childhood. She'll have loads of time now that she dosn't have to go to work any more... Oh yes, Cindy darling, if you need to work around Barton again, the deal still holds. You might need to do more though...the police are more stringent about that kind of thing now." Cindy burst into tears.
Leon started to walk away, and I blew up even more. "You filthy scumbag," I hollered as I ran after him, "what do you think you're playing at? You just stop this..." I grabbed at his armoured arm. "How dare you try to get Cindy fired?"
He turned to me, grinning. "Very easily," he smirked. "I have some information about your aunt that would make GAIA 9 remove her at once if they heard of it...and they will, very soon now. Tonight, in fact...unless you have other ideas for tonight?" He chuckled. "You look very like your aunt tonight...so like her that I might forgive your intrusion if the two of you might accompany me to the hotel..."
"I heard that!" Cindy came running, her makeup running with the tears down her face. "I don't care what you do to me, Leon, but you leave Dawna alone! She's a good girl...she's what I never could be... Please...Dawna, don't listen to him, don't worry about me, he's...he wants...don't do what I've done, Dawna...it'll haunt you for your whole life...and so will he..."
I could see what he wanted, alright. Without thinking of the consequences, I slapped his face, then spat at it to top it off. Cindy gasped, and he turned very red. "That's it!" he roared. "Cindy, you can kiss your job goodbye! Dawna Celeste, you're under arrest for asaulting a law enforcement officer! You'd better come with me...get lost, Cindy!" His armoured hand closed in an iron vise around my wrist.
"No," I said in a voice so calm I surprised myself. Now I know it was the drink talking, but at that point I felt perfectly sober.
"What?" he snapped. "Come along..."
"No," I said again. "If you take me to the police, you're going to be the one under arrest."
"What are you talking about?" Leon laughed. "Listen kid, nobody is going to belive a little slut like you against me." He puffed out his chest importantly.
"Not for this," I said. "For attempted murder. Twice."
"WHAT?!?" Both Leon and Cindy said the word.
"The Sniper was never caught." I surprised myself by saying that. A moment ago, I hadn't had a clue what to say next, but out it came. "Never caught...yet. Will tonight be the night, Leon?"
"Wha...look, kid, I didn't do that, I'm a cop, I'm the Barton town guard...I'm innocent!" Something like panic was starting to show on Leon's face.
"Prove it," I hissed, looking him in the eye. "Prove it. You don't seem to be one of the people with a good alibi...or any at all, for that matter."
"I was guarding Barton..." he stumbled.
"Ohreally?" I said again. "Like you always do? But is there anyone, anyone at all, who can really say that you were in Barton then? You happen to get around a lot...like tonight, eh? Maybe you stopped at the pub, or at Rina's for some flowers...or maybe you took a little trip to Durem with murder on your mind?"
It was Leon's turn to beg now. "Don't have any witnesses...don't eed them...please...belive me...I'm a cop, after all...sorry...please..." He didn't know what to say.
"Ok," I said. "I'll leave you alone...but I want a promise. Get it?'
He nodded.
"You promise me that you will leave both Cindy and me alone from now on. And if you try to get Cindy sacked, or if I find out you've been fooling around with her again..." I grinned at Cindy. "Guess I'll have to ask Cindy how to make a citizens arrest."
There was still one last spark of defience in Leon. "You wouldn't!"
"I would, and will if you cause any trouble. And I happen to have some evidence that would get you in deep trouble about the Snipings...if I come forward with it. Got it?" In fact, I had no evidence at all, but Leon didn't know that, and he clearly had a guilty consience about somthing.
"Yes," he gulped, "I've got it."
"Promise?" I asked.
"Promise," he said, head bowed.
"Then clear out," I growled. He did quickly.
Cindy was gaping at me. "You think he is the Sniper?" she asked in a voice just above a wisper.
"I don't know," I answered. "But he could very well be...and he's antsy about something, that's for sure."
Suddenly she was hugging me. "You freed me, Dawna, you freed me! All these years... And it's over now. I can't belive it..."
I felt very uncomfortable. "Well," I said awkwardly, "we gave him a taste of his own medicine. That's what creeps like him deserve... What did he have on you that was so bad?"
Cindy started crying again. "Dawna...I..." she wispered.
"Nevermind that now. Let's go inside and get your face cleaned up." We started up the steps. "But Cindy...if he bothers you again, or tries to get you sacked, or something, tell me. And how do you make a citizens arrest?"
Cindy burst out laughing. It was hysterical laughter, but at least it was laughter. "I have to admit, I haven't the slightest idea!" she gasped. "Not my field..."