Chapter Text

If one could say something positive about being the only private detective in Diamond City, if not the only one of the entire commomwealth, is that Nick Valentine's life was never boring.

A number of people, each one more weird than the previous one, paraded through his office. There were those who sought it when the partner disappeared with all the capital in his pockets. Or when the wife, fed up with the husband showing up every night drunk and without a caps in his pockets, would run away at midnight with the children and the few belongings they had inside a dirty bag. Most of the cases were easy to solve, a few questions to the neighbors and Nick found out the whereabouts of the escapees.

He also had his share of sad cases. Cases in which it was obvious that something horrible had happened to these people, who had not only disappeared by themselves. Nick knew that a case would be sad from the time he saw the bereaved husband, or the parents of the disappeared person, enter the door of his office. He saw it in his way of stooping, as if them were carrying the weight of a fault that didn’t correspond to them. Or he saw it in his tormented gaze, the one that told him that he already knew what had happened, but he wanted someone to confirm it.

Nick had become very good at dealing with those cases. He invited them to his office, sat them in a chair in front of his desk and offered them a drink. When the alcohol had already scratched their throats and started to warm their insides, Nick asked the details of the case.

Step by step they began to shed their story, and Ellie, as the only comforting presence in her life, stood by his side and took notes.

Nick kept quiet and listened patiently to everything they had to tell him, agreed to what they said or denied, and in the end put the whole case together. Investigating those cases wasn’t difficult, he was very skilled and in the end always found the truth. The hard part was communicating the bad news to family members. Nick hated that.

At the end he saw hope, which the family had maintained, faded from a breath in their eyes. He saw anger, pain, impotence and guilt emerge, not always in that order. And he was frustrated that he couldn’t do anything, other than just get paid, offer his condolences and leave.

But apart from these two types of cases, he also had a third type of case; the weirds. Nick couldn’t explain when a case seemed strange to him, he only felt it in his gut. Curious because he was a synthetic and he had no guts.

But these cases were not difficult cases, they were only cases in which nothing seemed to make sense. Sometimes there was a huge amount of clues that didn’t lead anywhere and that seemed to contradict each other. It was so much the amount of detail and information that there was, that Nick was not sure of knowing how much it was fantasy, lie or truth.

Or sometimes it was the opposite and there was no clue or detail. In those cases there was no way to investigate because nobody had ever seen anything.

And the case that was presented to him that morning was one of the weird ones.

When the marriage arrived that morning at his office, Nick wasn’t there. That morning the detective had gone to lean out of the city entrance after a neighbor knocked on his door.

- There's a shooting outside the city. I think they're trying to kidnap someone. -

The neighbor had shouted technically to his face, while moving his arms in exaggerated gestures and fuss. Nick didn’t reproach him for the screams, he had only yielded to curiosity and followed the neighbor to the gates of the city.

So it was Ellie who received them. When Nick came back, after a while finding out what really happened outside and the other neighbors told him the same story, he found Ellie waiting for him, with a raised brow and behind the impersonal professionalism of the discreet secretary.

- Some customers have been waiting for you, Mr. Valentine. -

Nick suppressed a sardonic smile, nodded silently and introduced himself to the new customers. And from the beginning he felt that something was not quite right with that case.

The father was the one who spoke during the entire meeting. He said that his daughter had been kidnapped. Immediately, Nick remembered the incident that had arisen outside the city that morning. It wasn’t certain that it was the same person or the same case, but it was a clue that was worth following.

When Nick asked if there was a ransom note or if it had been requested by some other way, Nick saw how the man's eyes shone in a spooky way.

- No, - He said - they haven’t asked for a ransom. But they kidnapped her. How else could it be for my daughter to leave? -

Nick could think of a thousand ways to answer that question, but it wasn’t his job to judge anyone. He was just a detective.

He agreed with the father and asked him to describe the daughter.

- Tall, dark, with exquisite shapes and pale and milky skin. -

Nick could have raised an eyebrow at the description, but synth didn’t have eyebrows. Even so, he exchanged a fleeting and complicit glance with Ellie, who didn’t lose any detail of the conversation and wrote down everything.

- He is 21 years old and a very bad temper - The man concluded.

Nick had listened to the man and although his story contained many details about the girl in question, Nick was disturbed by the way the man had made his story. He was talking about the possibility that his daughter was kidnapped, but he said it with a freshness and such emotional detachment that had led Nick and Ellie to exchange confused glances.

The man seemed calm and satisfied, and Nick told himself that he looked like one of those parents who don’t care much about the lives of their childs. Some parents in the commonwealth didn’t take care of their children properly. Or maybe it was just the insensitivity of a man seasoned in the brutality of the wasteland, where life was often ephemeral and there was a high rate of deaths, disappearances and homicides. Many crimes were left unresolved, and only those who had the strength or sufficient means could be guaranteed to obtain justice.

"Or revenge," Nick thought, because they weren’t the same, but often one gave more satisfaction than the other.

Ellie had also observed the father and by the time the parents left the office, she expressed what she considered an absolute truth.

- That girl is not kidnapped, Nick. The girl left her house to escape her creepy father. Final point. Do not get in trouble for free. -

And then she had crossed her arms and given him that look. Her look. Ellie's devastating look of "I know what's best for you, and it's not in your best interest to take the opposite."

But Nick had smiled patiently, as he always smiled when he tried to take the contra to Ellie, while putting the old hat on his head.

- Still, I have to take a look, Ellie. - And had gone out the door while listening to the loud sigh that Ellie had emitted.

Nick also felt that Ellie was right, and under normal circumstances he would have rejected the case. But these weren’t normal circumstances. What made them special was due to the long and languid look that the mother of the girl had dedicated to him.

While the husband talked and strutted with that tone of sufficiency of hardened and overbearing male when disengaged his speech of "I have controlled her and she wouldn’t escape", Nick had taken his minutes to observe the reactions of the mother, who had obediently standing behind the husband.

The woman had spent much of the talk staring at the floor at her feet, but at one point, just when Nick had asked for a ransom note, she had looked in his direction. The look that the woman gave him seemed to say that she knew that his daughter was disobedient, that she knew that perhaps she was in trouble, but that she was his daughter, blood of his blood, flesh of his flesh, and the worry of his life.

Her melancholy, pleading gaze had pierced him with a force and ardor that surprised him. She begged him with the passion that only a desperate mother could have. "Give me back my daughter", she seemed to beg him "or at least give me the certainty that she is well".

And he had accepted the case. Not because of the reward the father had promised to give him, but because he somehow felt committed. Deep down he knew where that feeling came from, but before letting the echoes of the past haunt him, he put on his hat and left the agency ignoring Ellie's protests.

The scene that had disturbed peace in the morning had arisen a few steps from the entrance of Diamon City. On the ground, on the pavement ruined and cracked by centuries of oblivion, lay the empty hulls of percussioned cartridges.

Nick look at them for a moment, watching and not watching at the same time. He didn’t have to think much to be able to deduce what had happened there. But his mental processes were entertained in something else. Past and present were oneself for Nick at that time. His eyes looked at the cartridges, but his mind had traveled 200 years before, to another crime scene, to another daughter, to another expectant mother who had to listen to the tragic news.

Suddenly Nick felt old, very, very old.

He looked up at the sky, calculating that the half day hadn’t yet arrived and that the light would last much longer. Even beside him, a city guard moved, approaching him. Nick was aware that the city guards liked to approach him to get the details of the case. Everyone in Diamond City knew that Detective Nick Valentine only left the city when he started a new case of disappearance. And they all felt a generalized morbid curiosity to know every last juicy detail of the case.

Nick knew that this was human nature; want to know a lot and not want to do anything.

- We hear the shots in the morning, Nick. Maybe at 8am or earlier, I'm not sure about it. -

Nick leaned toward him, offering him a cigar filter that the guard accepted and brought to his lips. Nick took out his chrome lighter and lit the filter.

- Could you see the shooters? -

The guard took a deep drag on his cigarette, while looking forward trying to remember. Nick waited patiently in what consumed his own cigarette.

- I don’t know, detective. - The guard said after a few moments. - I was standing guard in the northern part, near the tool shop, do you know wich one? -

Nick nodded. He knew which store the guard was referring to.

- As soon as I heard the shots I came running with the rifle ready to help, you know you're never too cautious. Once a group of mutants assaulted us and caused much damage. -

Nick looked north, to the place the guard had pointed. He estimated that there were about 200 yards away, maybe less. If the guard had run at full speed, as he said, it was likely that he would arrive in time to see the suspects involved in the shooting.

- When were you there yet were the shooters? -

The guard nodded with an inaccurate nod, which gave Nick the assurance that he hadn’t seen anything.

- When I arrived, they were running away. They ran to the south. - The guard moved his hand to a place that Nick placed between there and China. - They had a girl with them. -

Nick puffed on his cigarette before asking.

- Could you see her clearly? Could you describe her? -

- I don’t know, detective. I think ... I don’t know. She was a normal girl, very thin, with short black hair. I only remember her laugh, because she laughed while shooting. -

Several doubts settled in Nick's mind. What the guard said only contributed to increase his doubts about the case. Nick leaned over and offered the guard another cigarette.

- Who was here when everything happened? -

The guard looked straight ahead and squinted, trying to squeeze out his memories.

- I not sure, I think Mattew …? -

- The one on guard was Derrick. -

Nick turned to face the voice that had interrupted the guard. Although it wasn’t necessary, since he would have recognized her anywhere. Piper Wright. The celebrated and intrepid reporter contemplated him a few steps away.

- Derrick was on duty at the post when the shooting started. -

She repeated and Nick smiled at her. The guard looked at both of them and decided to leave, not believing it convenient for him to be seen in the company of the reporter.

- What is your interest in the case, Piper?

Her eyes flashed for a moment and Nick told himself he had eyes of a predator. Beautiful, elegant and dangerous. This is how Nick described her. But he reminded himself that he was also vulnerable, decent and terribly young.

Piper approached, waving her notebook in the air, in a gesture that Nick couldn’t pinpoint if it was out of outrage or heat. He decided that it must be because of indignation.

- A shooting is provoked at the gates of the city, probably because of drugs or something more murky. Here! So close to the city that people could see from the bleachers. And there's also the matter of that girl's disappearance. -

Nick told himself not to be so surprised that Piper was aware of the disappearance of someone in the city. After all, knowing things was what Piper's work consisted of.

Piper flipped through her notebook, looking for the place where she had written the girl's name. When he found it, she looked at Nick.

- Darla. - She said in a low voice, so that only he could hear her. - An innocent girl has been kidnapped inside the city, but our dear mayor insists on saying, time and time again, that nothing bad happens in the city. And he wants us to believe him, as if we were some kind of stupid mass that swallows those hoaxes. -

Nick didn’t see any hint of fun in Piper, nor did he see the arrogance that often tarnishes the eyes of those who think they are very clever, nor the joy one would expect her to feel from having found the next article for her newspaper. No. Nick saw something else. He saw the dark concern of those who are aware of the danger that lurks in every corner and nook. Pipper seemed to yell at him, "When, Nick? When will I be the one running across the Commonwealth looking for Nat, praying that she will not appear naked and dead in a dumpster; and at the same time begging to at least find her body? "

Nick wished he had enough strength to turn around and send Piper back to the safety of the city walls. But he couldn’t fight against her determination. Piper's ardent look of challenge disarmed him. With a simple gesture of his metallic hand, Nick discarded the almost consumed cigarette and beckoned her to come closer.

He knew Piper wouldn’t leave, because she needed to get involved in the search for the truth so she could stay calm and sane. And Nick understood. For the demons themselves corroded his insides at night, while he lay contemplating the roof of his house.

When will it be the day someone close, someone dear, disappears? Who of your neighbors will be next? Those questions were the ones that plagued him at night. The palpable and raw fear of never seeing those important people in your life, and having to continue without knowing what happened to them, where they are, or even knowing if they will ever see each other again. There was never anything left, not even a gravestone to cry.

That's why Nick smiled relieved every morning when he saw Ellie enter the agency door. And he was grateful to be able to spend another day of his life next to his special person.

Piper approached him, raising the notebook, ready to write down the details.

- Have you interrogated Derrick? - Nick asked, earning a shrug from Piper.

- He’llnot talk to me. McDonough has forbidden all guards to share any information with me. He has threatened to fire them from their post and expel them from the city along with their family. -

Nick smiled and withdrew the battered pack of cigarettes from his long coat again. He put one on his lips and handed the pack to Piper. She shook her head and he put away the cigarettes again.

- McDonough is a political animal. - Nick said, while he turned on the filter. - Everything is fine with him, while he and his powerful friends are fine. - He took a deep drag on his cigarette, under the watchful eye of Piper. - But it doesn’t matter. The guard will tell us exactly the same as the evidence we have before us. -

Piper raised an eyebrow, Nick exhaled a puff of smoke and smiled. His bright yellow eyes clashed with her chestnut eyes and Piper realized that, although Nick smiled a lot, he didn’t do it with fun. His smile was that of someone who has contemplated loss, ruin and despair, and yet has found the strength to move forward.

Nick pointed at the floor and Piper looked down. At his feet were scattered several cartridges percussed. Nick crouched down and she imitated him.

- We can follow the trail of the caps and get an idea of several things; where they came from or how many they were or where they went. Just observing the way the caps were left on the ground. The guard says that they came from the north and that they fled to the south. But the caps tell us a different story. -

Nick looked up, Piper taking notes at full speed.

- They came from the southeast. Someone was chasing them and they reached them here. They had to stop for a moment for some reason. Maybe a friend was hurt, although I don’t believe it because there is no trace of blood. Maybe they were carrying something and this changed hands to mobilize it better. They fought, but none were injured and they were able to continue their journey. They went north. -

Piper let the tip of her pen slip smoothly through the paper, writing it all down.

- What would they be doing in the south? I thought that is the territory of gunners and reaiders don’t usually venture so much into their territory. -

Nick took another drag on his cigarette.

- Yes, it's territory of gunners. But I don’t think our friends have gone that far south. I think they came closer, like the Mass Pike tunnel. And I don’t think they were raiders either. -

Piper looked at him again and Nick thought he saw a light of understanding in her eyes.

- Why are you so sure they were not raiders? -

- You said it yourself, Piper. This looks like a drug business. A work of territory dispute. But I don’t consider that there is evidence that indicates a group of raiders. I would bet on the Marowski guys. -

Piper hesitated. Her big brown eyes narrowed in doubt.

- But ... so far from Goodneighbor? -

- Goodneighbor is not far as you think. It may not be an easy walk, but we practically have them in the backyard. And then there is the question of the weapons that they used.

Nick saw Piper write something in her notebook, then looked at him and leaned toward him. Nick continued.

- The most common weapons in the commonwealth are 10mm guns or pipes guns. These use .308 ammunition. But the cartridges on the ground are .45. Of the caliber used in the submachine guns, which are the type of weapon preferred by the slag that is dedicated to traffic in Goodneighbor. -

- And how does Diamond City fit in with the disappearance of the girl? -

Nick leaned toward Piper. With his left hand he touched the edge of the worn hat, in a gesture that Piper had seen him do countless times. He wondered if Nick was aware of that movement every time he had to talk about something that made him uncomfortable or deeply unpleasant.

- It’s very likely that they took the girl as a victim of human trafficking. In the vicinity of Goodneighbor there are several bars that offer that kind of service. -

- The working girls. -

Piper looked at the infinite, remembering the air of sadness and oppression he felt when visiting the brothel for the first time. She couldn’t say how many of those girls were there by their own will, by necessity or forced. The only thing she was aware of from the moment she set foot there was that she felt his life was in danger. She didn’t really know why, because she really didn’t run an immediate danger, at least the danger was not so explicit. But she couldn’t shake the feeling of danger, and it persisted even after leaving.

Nick looked up at one of the city guards who was passing by them. Piper also followed him with her eyes, both silently mired in their own reflections.

Was Piper who broke the silence.

- I can’t understand why they would risk taking someone from Diamond City. Why risk being persecuted? -

Nick took another drag, his eyes scanning the trash bins and the crumbling structures.

- Because they knew they would not be persecuted. -

Piper looked at him, considering the question. She ran a hand over his notebook, thinking seriously and then nodded silently.

Shee looked up at the sky, while mentally shuffling some names. Maybe Nick wasn’t so wrong and all that violence had been fermenting inside the peaceful society of Diamond City.

- But who, Nick? Who could be involved with the Goodneighbor trafficking gangs? -

Nick got up, adjusting his long coat. Piper imitated him. When she got up, she felt dizzy and staggered. Nick held her by the shoulders.

- Search in Diamond City. Ask questions and touch some doors. Disturbs some people to find the truth. Ask who has been moving more money than usual, who has been spent beyond their means. Those things are hard to hide. -

- Okay. I'll see what I find out. -

Nick gave her a half smile.

- Just be careful, Piper. You know that McDonough has you in his sights. Try to go unnoticed. -

She nodded, closed the notebook and put it in her pocket. She turned her head to see Nick, but Nick had already started walking north.

- Where are you going, Nick? -

- I'll go to Goodneighbor to see what I can find out. -

- What do I tell Ellie? -

Nick stopped for a moment, hesitating, but he moved forward again. Piper stared at his back for a moment until Nick disappeared completely. She stood there, looking in the direction in which Nick had gone, thinking of so many things, considering the options and wondering who and why would want to disturb the relative peace in which the city lived. She wondered if people didn’t realize that they already had enough with the terror that caused the institute, as well as being doing that to their neighbors.

She reviewed the faces, stories and scruples of the inhabitants of Diamond City, speculating on the suspects and making a list of people of interest. He went mentally one by one the houses, discarding people. A lastname was taking strength in her mind.

She wondered if it would be possible, and answered to herself that there were no doubts.

Latimer. Mr Malcom was an important businessman, fully aware of his importance. She didn’t doubt that Mr Malcom had his hands in illegal businesses, but she didn’t think it was so stupid as to involve the place where he and his family lived. But his son was another story. Piper shifted the weight from one leg to the other. The figure of Nick had long since disappeared among the buildings.

Piper suddenly felt very nervous, and she wondered how long it would take Nick to get to Goodneighbor and when would he come back. She also wondered what kind of things Nick was hoping to find out at Goodneighbor and if he would be safe.

A horrible feeling of fatality had settled in her chest and she didn’t understand where it came from. She turned slowly and looked at the marked path that would take her to Diamond City. Everyone in the city felt safe, protected by a wall, but she always known that danger also nested within the walls. She wondered how much time was left until the situation exploded and how many of them would stay alive to tell about it.

She looked down and contemplated the tip of the worn boots. She knew she was being fatalistic. There were still many people in the commonwealth who did their best to help others, like Nick. And Piper knew that Nick disliked him when she looked grim and conspiranoid.

She took a deep breath, holding it in his lungs and then expelled it, then composed her best smile as an adventurous journalist and headed to Diamond City.

There were a couple of questions she wanted to ask Nelson Latimer.