{"id":6824,"date":"2014-04-02T00:00:09","date_gmt":"2014-04-02T04:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gadflyonline.com\/home\/?p=6824"},"modified":"2014-04-02T15:54:07","modified_gmt":"2014-04-02T19:54:07","slug":"checkmate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/checkmate\/","title":{"rendered":"Checkmate"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Checkmate\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cMr. Andrew Gavin. Take a seat. It\u2019s time to talk. It\u2019s time we talk about you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat the hell is going on? I didn\u2019t do anything wrong!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDidn\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI do apologize, Andrew, but we had no choice but to come for you. You left us no choice.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t do anything wrong!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m Detective Bishop, and my partner over there is Detective Queen. We know about last night.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLast night? What are you talking about?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere were you last night?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was at a party for a couple of hours, and then I went home.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow long were you at the party?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI already told you. A couple of hours. Why? What am I being accused of?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou feeling guilty? Is there something that we should know?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo. Now, what am I being accused of?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou were at a coworker\u2019s party last night, were you not?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c I already told you\u2026\u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a girl there. Her name was\u2026 Linda Valor.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah. What does that have to do with me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou liked her. Maybe the feelings weren\u2019t mutual?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLook, last night is a blur. All I remember is going to the party, having a few drinks, and talking to her. That\u2019s it. That\u2019s all I remember.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing else? You don\u2019t remember anything else?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, I don\u2019t. Why? What does all this have to do with me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAll this, Andrew, has to do with murder. Don\u2019t you remember killing her?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo. No! I didn\u2019t kill her!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, you did. You killed her!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t do that. I wouldn\u2019t do that. I would never hurt her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour fingerprints are all over the scene and all over her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t kill her!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSit down, Andrew.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy would I kill her? I liked her. There has to be another reason. Somebody is framing me!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSit down. Now. You should never have joined the program.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cProgram? What program?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRemember that ad you answered a few weeks back? The one about changing your life? Well, you signed up like the other poor bastards, who were convicted of murder.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I didn\u2019t kill her. I remember that ad. It was requesting volunteers for a study done on the meaning of life. I thought it was a joke, but, hey, they were offering five thousand dollars to anyone willing to participate. I responded, but I never heard anything back from them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, they tagged you. They were watching you from the minute that they received your application.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, they killed her?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, Andrew. They made you kill her. Don\u2019t you remember? How did you feel when we woke you up?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNausea. Dizzy. They drugged me. Why? Why kill her?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe she didn\u2019t feel the same way about you, and you can\u2019t handle rejection well.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI would\u2026 I would never do that. You have to believe me. Please, believe me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust like everyone else. All the other ones before you said the same exact thing, and they were still found guilty. The evidence pointed right at them, and it now points to you. Let\u2019s go.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWait, Bishop. We need the last piece of evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLast piece of evidence?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe murder weapon, Andrew. What did you do with it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know. I don\u2019t remember. It wasn\u2019t me! I want a lawyer.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut you said you were innocent? I almost believed you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI am innocent! I didn\u2019t do this!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cReally? Then, why are you shaking?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis isn\u2019t happening. This isn\u2019t real. This is a game, right? You guys are playing with me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou wanted your life to change. I would say that this is a major change.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not what I wanted!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I know how to fix this. That way, we can just close the case on him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you mean? What do you mean by that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCalm down, Andrew.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you, Rourke. Now, let\u2019s get to the heart of the matter.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhich one did you use? Remember now?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIsn\u2019t it obvious from those pictures? It was the knife.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, you confess? You used the knife.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo. No, I didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen, why did you say that? Why did you say that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt sounded like a confession. I say that statement concludes this interrogation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy not the pen?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe pen?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, the pen. It would be a unique way of killing someone. It\u2019s one of those pens with a gold tip. You could certainly carve someone up with it and make them suffer longer than using a knife.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s in the box?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOpen it and see for yourself. I\u2019m curious to know what you put in there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMe?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe found the box lying next to the body. It was originally covered in blood, but we cleaned it up for you. What did you put inside of it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re sure of that, then open it. Unless you have something to fear, or maybe it will prove your innocence.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCan\u2019t you go after the people that put that ad out there? They\u2019re behind this. I\u2019m just a pawn.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat you are, and they put you in play. You took it from there, so now, open the box.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll call the lawyer. He\u2019s going to need one.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know what. I\u2019ll come with you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWait! That\u2019s it! You\u2019re just gonna leave me sitting here! You\u2019re gonna leave me with this box?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWould you like to open it, or do you want to save it for trial?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a shame. Maybe it could have cleared him of all this.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWait! Wait! Wait a damn minute! I\u2019ll open it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s not going to open it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat the hell? It is a Pawn.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you know what the meaning of life is, Andrew?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s to play the game. Congratulations.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re the first test subject to actually open the box. You\u2019re free to go.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat! What about the murder! What about the girl!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about it? It never happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut what if I failed?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou didn\u2019t. Just remember. The game is not over until it is in checkmate, so live your life. Don\u2019t wait for life to come to you. We\u2019ll send you your five thousand soon.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s it? That\u2019s it! I\u2019m nothing but this pawn?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re more than that, but most people\u2026 They are just pawns.\u201d<\/p>\n

Disorientation dragged its nails across an already ragged mind.\u00a0 The heart tried to find peace but battled against itself instead.\u00a0 Lies twisted around truth, and the interrogation remained vivid, refusing to die.\u00a0 A bullet was dodged, remembered as the pawn piece gripped tightly against skin.\u00a0 It was time to go home, time to put this nightmare in the past, but the game was far from over.<\/p>\n

\u201cMr. Andrew Gavin?\u201d\u00a0 The man looked like he was dragged through hell and back.\u00a0 \u201cMr. Andrew Gavin?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat!\u201d\u00a0 He didn\u2019t mean to snap, but he was done.\u00a0 And still, he held the pawn in his hand.\u00a0 \u201cSorry.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t be.\u201d\u00a0 The man continued to sit in the chair opposite the interrogation room.\u00a0 He was dressed in baggy jeans and a loose-fitting navy blue button down shirt.\u00a0 His sneakers were dirty, and his hair was messy.\u00a0 Yet, he looked content like he had found heaven and had all the time in the world at his feet.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m your ride home.\u201d\u00a0 He moved quickly out of his seat and gingerly took the shaken man by his arm.\u00a0 \u201cShall we go?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can get a cab.\u00a0 Thank you,\u201d and he pulled his arm away.<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry, pal.\u00a0 That\u2019s not how this game is played.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe game is over.\u201d\u00a0 He flinched as this man now towered over him.\u00a0 \u201cIsn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, my friend.\u00a0 The game never ends.\u00a0 Now, shall we go?\u201d\u00a0 The pale man slowly nodded in response.\u00a0 \u201cGood.\u00a0 This way,\u201d and he gestured down the hall toward the EXIT door.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I won,\u201d he stammered.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou won a game, Andrew not the game.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s the difference?\u201d\u00a0 He followed the strange man down the hall.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s just a stupid game.\u00a0 You guys are playing with my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGod plays with your life.\u00a0 Fate.\u00a0 Us?\u00a0 We just screw with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAgain, what\u2019s the difference,\u201d but his response was only a smirk.\u00a0 \u201cGreat.\u00a0 Just great.\u00a0 This is your car?\u201d<\/p>\n

The strange man patted his white Honda with pride.\u00a0 There were dents alongside it, and it looked like it went through hell and back.\u00a0 Yet, it was still standing, and the strange man popped into the driver-side, revving up the engine.\u00a0 And Andrew rode shotgun.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s been through hell like you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo I see.\u00a0 Do you know where I live?\u201d\u00a0 The man shot him a look.\u00a0 \u201cOf course, you do.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t get your name, friend.\u00a0 What do I call you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cKing.\u00a0 Call me, King.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course like the other two,\u201d and he hit the back of his seat as the man fired down the road.\u00a0 \u201cTake it easy.\u00a0 Jesus.\u00a0 What time is it anyway?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAbout seven in the morning.\u00a0 Just in time for the morning commute,\u201d and he drove toward the bridge.\u00a0 \u201cThe game never ends.\u00a0 I hope you know that,\u201d\u00a0 but Andrew didn\u2019t respond.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t worry.\u00a0 You\u2019ll be home soon, and you\u2019ll have a nice, fat check for all your troubles.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t care about the money.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure you do.\u201d<\/p>\n

A red car moved into the left lane and now drove parallel to them.\u00a0 Without hesitation, King stepped on the gas and moved up to the car ahead of him.\u00a0 The red car matched his speed and continued to drive parallel to them, but King didn\u2019t flinch.\u00a0 Finally, the driver in the other car hit the gas harder, cutting off the two cars, and moving back into the right lane.\u00a0 And King yawned in boredom.<\/p>\n

After crossing the bridge, King stayed in the left lane.\u00a0 He drove ten miles over the speed limit.\u00a0 Cars swerved out behind him and cut him off.\u00a0 A few nearly clipped the front of the car, and again, he did not flinch.\u00a0 He merely yawned, and then a truck barreled down on them, blaring its horn.\u00a0 After a few moments, the driver flickered his headlights, and only then did King looked annoyed.\u00a0 But he refused to move, forcing the truck to swerve into the right lane, and then cutting him off as it swerved back into the left lane.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you driving like that deliberately?\u201d\u00a0 King made a left onto another highway.\u00a0 \u201cThat truck nearly hit us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI had to make a left turn.\u201d\u00a0 He glanced over at Andrew.\u00a0 \u201cAnd if he had hit us, he would have been sued along with the company that he was driving for.\u201d<\/p>\n

A blue car drove alongside them.\u00a0 The driver glanced at them and then at the road.\u00a0 He edged closer to King\u2019s car, hoping it would disappear, but to his disappointment, it didn\u2019t.\u00a0 And he hit the gas, trying to cut them off.<\/p>\n

\u201cI tell you, pal.\u00a0 People cannot merge,\u201d and King hit the gas, going toe to toe with blue.\u00a0 \u201cScience must have been a poor subject for the majority because the same matter cannot occupy the same space,\u201d and just as he said that, blue fired down the left lane and then cut them off.\u00a0 \u201cSee?\u00a0 He finally got it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou ever play Chess?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, and I won\u2019t after this.\u00a0 Why?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, you drive, don\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, you play Chess.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re crazy.\u00a0 Are we almost there?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Andrew.\u00a0 We\u2019re almost there,\u201d and King drove onto an exit ramp.\u00a0 \u201cAlmost there,\u201d and he stopped at a red traffic light.\u00a0 \u201cYou going to call that girl?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat girl?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know.\u00a0 The girl from the party?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s none of your business.\u201d<\/p>\n

King stopped at a STOP sign.\u00a0 The car behind him braked, hard.\u00a0 The driver waved his hands up into the air, gesturing at King, who merely shrugged.\u00a0 Then, he looked to his right and then to his left.\u00a0 Just as he went, the car behind him peeled out, nearly hitting them, and then again, braking.<\/p>\n

\u201cJesus.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe stopped,\u201d King replied and then turned down a street.\u00a0 He moved into the left lane with his blinker on.\u00a0 He waited at the traffic light as the cars before him were released, and the ones turning past him came close to hitting the car.\u00a0 He looked more bored than annoyed and smiled at the angry faces, merely shrugging in response.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m in my lane.\u00a0 How about you,\u201d and then the green arrow flashed his way.<\/p>\n

As King turned left, a white SUV flew down the opposite lane.\u00a0 He had the right light.\u00a0 Either he wasn\u2019t paying attention or he didn\u2019t give a shit, and King floored it, swerving the car around behind him.\u00a0 And then the white SUV braked, but King didn\u2019t stop.\u00a0 He continued driving down the road with hardly a look back.\u00a0 \u201cKing me,\u201d he snarled.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid I make him do that?\u00a0 No.\u00a0 He made his move, and so did I.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, you\u2019re playing a game?\u00a0 Is that it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI told you, Andrew.\u00a0 If you drive, then you play Chess.\u201d\u00a0 Andrew just shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cThere are pawns, Andrew, and then there are kings.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, you\u2019re a king?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s my name, and here\u2019s home.\u201d \u00a0He pulled up outside Andrew\u2019s house.\u00a0 \u201cDo you understand?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u00a0 No, I don\u2019t.\u00a0 Why don\u2019t you explain it to me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re all playing a game.\u00a0 We\u2019re all trying to outsmart each other.\u00a0 Whether we are driving or working in an office together, it doesn\u2019t matter.\u00a0 We are trying to win.\u00a0 In our mind, we need to win because if we lose like that asshole back there, then we lose it.\u00a0 And then we do something stupid, and then the game is over.\u201d\u00a0 He popped the locks open.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re either a pawn, Andrew, or you\u2019re a king.\u00a0 Which one is it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood-bye, King.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood-bye, Andrew.\u201d<\/p>\n

King watched the man exit his car.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t get it, but most didn\u2019t.\u00a0 The realization would not sink in until they were behind the wheel, and then they would get it.\u00a0 He moved the gear shift from park to drive, but before he pulled away, he glanced down at Andrew\u2019s seat.\u00a0 A smile crossed his lips, and he laughed.\u00a0 Then, he reached over and placed Andrew\u2019s pawn onto the dashboard.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cMr. Andrew Gavin. Take a seat. It\u2019s time to talk. It\u2019s time we talk about you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat the hell is going on? I didn\u2019t do anything wrong!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDidn\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI do apologize, Andrew, but we had no choice but to come for you. You left us no choice.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t do anything wrong!\u201d<\/p>\n

READ MORE.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":52,"featured_media":6993,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,218,200,219],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6824"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/52"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6824"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6824\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6995,"href":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6824\/revisions\/6995"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6993"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6824"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6824"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6824"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}