Race With a Heart
Chapter 114: Black Clouds are Looming Over Paxton

Chapter 114: Black Clouds are Looming Over Paxton

"What?" Professor Kevin Moore was so surprised that he almost choked on the coffee he was drinking with Lieutenant Sullivan and Paul Denning. "Paxton did what?"

It wasn’t that Moore missed Sullivan’s words. He just couldn’t believe that Steve Paxton had voluntarily and on his own initiative identified the person who stabbed him with the knife.

"Are you so surprised?" the lieutenant was taken-aback.

"Yes. I expected more resistance from Paxton with the police. You know, something like ’I’m tough, I can handle it on my own’. "

Sullivan chuckled.

"You are not as good a psychologist as you thought you were."

"I don’t think I am," admitted Kevin and adjusted his glasses. "But this time I can only be happy about it."

The lieutenant, however, frowned.

"But the striker ..." Sullivan shook his head. "My God, the boy is only fifteen and has already tried to kill a man! And for what? "

Yes, it was really disturbing. Very disturbing.

Three months ago, Steve Paxton heard a woman scream. He courageously ran to help and defended her from the teenager who attacked her with a knife in his hand. The boy came from a good family, it was his first adventure with the police and the lawyer said something about his young age, the harmful effects of computer games and low awareness of the act. The case was over before it began. The prosecutor and judge were merciful enough and the boy got a warning. His parents promised to teach him better and punish him on their own. Punishment, however, instead of teaching him that it is forbidden to attack people, aroused in him a desire for revenge and the boy almost became a murderer.

In such situations, one could not help but wonder whether the law is too lenient for such ’innocent children’.

"The brat won’t get away this time," Moore promised. "I will talk to whoever needs to be talked."

For Kevin, what happened to Paxton was unforgivable. The teenager was forgiven and given a second chance, and in return he committed an even more serious crime.

"Oh! We finally got Rita’s phone numbers! " Paul Denning exclaimed excitedly. "We also have a list of text messages ..."

"What?" Sullivan asked when his younger colleague suddenly stopped. "What did you see there?"

"The last text she sent: ’Your romance with the Mechanic may cease to be a secret. Get 10K cash ready. Today at 9 p.m. ... ’ then gives the place of the meeting. It’s literally a few hundred meters away. Does this text look like blackmail only to me? "

"Call that number," the lieutenant ordered.

Denning obeyed. After a few moments, he shook his head.

"The subscriber is out of network coverage," he announced.

"When was the message sent?" Moore asked with a bad feeling.

The young policeman gave him the information. It was the previous Monday after six in the afternoon. That’s when Steve got a weird text message that made him act weird for a few days, Moore realized in surprise. It surprised him that he thought of Paxton. Is it because of the words ’romance with the Mechanic’? But it had to be pure coincidence.

"Strange," said Denning, wondering aloud. "Mechanic ... Rita’s friend recalled that one of her clients was a driver and that after meeting him, Rita was sure she had found a gold mine. Mechanic, driver, quick and easy money, romance ... It’s just my speculation, but if Rita met the driver and accidentally found out she was having an affair with a mechanic, couldn’t she think of getting some quick money through blackmail? "

"I like the way you think," Sullivan praised him and even patted his younger friend on the back. "We have a perfect murder motive. Ask for an order to disclose the details of the subscriber of that number. "

"Sure." Denning started drafting the document. "Only ..." he added, looking up from the monitor. "It doesn’t make sense though. My theory. Women don’t really become professional drivers, or at least they don’t go for lesbian whores. "

"Also true," admitted Sullivan, who gave the impression that his life had suddenly run out somewhere. "And it seemed like such a neat theory. And what do you think about it, professor? "

Moore chose not to speak on the subject because his thoughts were unpleasantly moving in a direction he didn’t like at all. A driver, a mechanic, a romance, a strange text message ... Everything started to fall into a very ugly whole.

"So far, it’s just a theory," he said reluctantly. "Nothing more. Only with the data of the owner of this telephone number, we will be able to continue the investigation. Your new partner has a lot of imagination though, I must admit. "

"Thank you," said Denning.

"Lieutenant," the uniformed officer called, "We have an arrest warrant for the boy who stabbed Paxton!"

"So let’s go!"

Karl looked at Steve darkly. He looked like a man who hadn’t slept all night due to worries, and the morning brought more problems. There is no need to kid yourself, it was what it was and Steve Paxton, who was lying under the drip, knew it perfectly well. He also knew that he was the cause of these worries, and he felt uncomfortable with it. It’s not like Walton looked at him reproachfully, resentfully. On the contrary, there was worry and concern in Karl’s eyes. That’s why Paxton felt guilty. Like it or not, he brought the trouble to the stable, although he didn’t really made them. He did not start this incident. He didn’t ask for the troubles. Or was Steve guilty after all? If then, at this cafe, he had not interfered in other matters ...

"I’m sorry," said the driver, apologetically. " I brought trouble on you."

Karl didn’t even sigh. He sat down heavily on the stool. Steve knew he didn’t blame him for what had happened, which added to his remorse.

"The doctor said you already know," Walton asked the driver.

"That’s why I’m sorry," Paxton smirked.

Yes, he knew. He knew even without a doctor’s notice that he would be excluded from racing for a few weeks. He didn’t seem to be really seriously injured, and paradoxically the knife wound was not the biggest problem, but two cracked ribs did. With such strong overloads, with such sudden braking as when driving on a track, his cracked ribs can snap at any moment and puncture the lung. No doctor will agree for his start in the races in such a situation.

Steve had expected this news, yet it was a shock to him. During Hannah’s illness, racing was the only thing that kept him sane.

"How are you?" Karl Walton asked with concern. "I’m not asking about your physical condition, but you know ... And don’t try to be strong in front of me. I’m not Martin. "

"I don’t know," he admitted shaking his head. " Weird."

It was absolutely true. Perhaps the best word for what was happening in his head was the word ’weird’.

"I know it’s only temporary, but still ..."

Accidents can happen. That is why he entered the track that season, replacing a friend who broke his leg inadvertently.

Only Paxton’s situation wasn’t an accident. What happened to him was the deliberate act of a man who wanted to harm him. People can have enemies, okay, Steve, who had a lot on his conscience, knew that only some people could go through life clean, and he was definitely not one of those people. But to be attacked, almost killed because some rich brat as punishment for his own mistakes could not go to Switzerland? Paxton will live, of course, but his exclusion from the competition for a month cost him a win this season. And it was this season that he cared about the most, because for the first time Steve wanted to fully embrace life and enjoy it as much as possible.

But he wasn’t allowed to achieve this happiness.

It was really hard to believe that everything that happens to him this season is just a coincidence.

"I want to transfer you to our hospital," Karl announced, "so that Larissa can have you close ..."

Steve didn’t reply, just looked down. He knew Karl meant well that Larissa treated him like a family member, but he didn’t want to be under psychological supervision, even unofficial.

He didn’t want it and he didn’t need it. People have been stabbed, beaten with clubs and just like that since the dawn of time and somehow managed without the help of psychologists. Maybe because the bonds between people were once stronger and people had the support of family, friends and loved ones?

Three years ago, Paxton felt lonely, but now it was different. There was only Karl back then, but he was part of the problem. Karl was here today, but next to him was Allen, who was the father type, Mrs. Robson, who was like a mother, hell, even Jack, who stubbornly wanted to act like a good big brother and ... Martin. These people now belonged to the same world that Steve existed in, and their presence and support meant more to him than he had expected.

Steve looked at his hand. She did not tremble. The driver took a deep breath.

"Sorry, but I don’t think I need Larissa’s support," he told Walton. "I have someone else."

"Martin?" Karl asked bitterly.

Steve nodded.

"Not only him," said Steve, "but yes, most of all him. Do I owe you an apology for this? "

"Me?" Karl snorted. "Are you kidding?"

"So you don’t mind me seeing him?"

Steve anxiously waited for an answer.

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