A True Connection

They escort him to a cell and get him to remove his shoes before pushing him in forcefully. Ryan sits on the bench inside and waits.

Three hours later, the sergeant comes down and unlocks the door. "Your solicitor is here," he says like he's bored of his own voice.

Ryan gets up, puts his shoes on, and then follows the sergeant to an interview room.

"Ryan, come in and sit down. Are they treating you okay?"

"I'm sorry, you are?"

"Oh, I am Matt Huntley. I am part of the firm that Rose's Uncle Ken owns and works with."

"And that firm is MacBride's, right?"

"Yes, now shall we get this sorted and you out of here?"

"Yes, please."

"First, I have been instructed to ask you one question before I agree to take this on. Have you done any of the things in the accusations that you are being charged with?"

"I haven't had any accusations put to me, but I assure you I have never stolen anything in my life."

"I guess that covers all the implied charges...Right, in that case, we better get our interview out of the way. I will advise you not to answer any questions unless I think it is okay and not a trap." He gets up and taps on the door. "We are ready for you now." He sits back down. "So you are the guy that has taken Rose off the market. They tell me it has caused a lot of upheaval in the Macintosh house."

"It's the reason I am here," Ryan says.

"Mmmm, if you can prove that, then you could do a lot of damage."

"I'm not sure I can either way, but I will have to talk with Rose before anything. If I cause too much of a rift, it could affect us."

The door opens, and the two detectives who arrested Ryan walk in. "Mr. Lock, oh, and Mr. Huntley. This is a rare privilege. What brings you back to our neck of the woods." Detective Woods says. He's smiling with his mouth, but his eyes tell another story.

"Detective Woods, long time no see." Matt Huntley says.

"This fine young gentleman is Detective Rigby," Woods says, introducing the other detective. They sit and look at Ryan. "Right, Mr. Lock. We will be recording this interview," he adds as he unwraps two magnetic tapes. "Apologies about the archaic technology, but the refurb hasn't got to this part of the site yet. We are going digital soon." He puts the tapes in and starts them running. He introduces himself and all the relevant information--date, time, who's in the room, and why they are there. Once he is done, he takes a breath. "Ryan, can I call you Ryan?"

"Yes, I have no problem being called Ryan," Ryan answers.

"Good, Ryan. We have been informed that money has disappeared from accounts that only you have been working on. What do you know about this?"

"Nothing," Ryan answers.

"You have nothing to say, or you know nothing."

Ryan looks at his solicitor, and he nods. "I know nothing about it."

"Come on, Ryan, these are accounts you had control of." Detective Rigby says.

"Obviously not if someone is taking money out of them. I was in charge of a hundred-odd accounts that were showing a loss when I got hold of them. I turned them around. I was never even sure that these accounts even existed; I thought that it was more than likely a live simulation."

"Right."

"Yeah, right. I'm surprised to hear a company such as MCT is allowing students loose on real customer accounts."

"As an Employee of MTC, you must have known they are real."

"I'm not an Employee. I'm there for work experience."

"Wait a minute," Ryan's solicitor says. "You haven't signed any employment contract with MTC. Not even a first-refusal agreement?"

"No, nothing. That's why I thought it was a simulation. When the accounts got to a certain point, they disappeared from my account."

"That affects your charges. You will have to restate the charges and release my client unless you rearrest him. You have arrested him under corporate law. He is not an employee of any corporation."

The detectives look at each other. Stop the interview and leave the room.

"I suppose you don't have any records of what you did?"

"Of course I do. I am very meticulous when it comes to keeping records. I keep both written and digital. I have every investment I made, what time I made it, and all my login details."

"Can you let me have them if the police haven't got them?"

"You can have copies. I need the originals for my accounts."

"You have personal accounts?"

"Yeah, at MacBride's," Ryan says with a smile.

Matt laughs. "What are you up to?"

"Not sure, but it's six figures from five hundred invested."

"Shit, no wonder Ken is so keen. I'm guessing they will come back and un-arrest you and then arrest you again either today or let you out while they regroup. Either way, I don't think this is over, but it makes it more interesting."

"Maybe for you, but you weren't handcuffed and dragged out of a building for the world to see. I've never had so much as a parking ticket before," Ryan says.

Detective Rigby walks back in. "Right, Ryan, we are going to unarrest you and release you to reappear in two weeks. Is that okay?"

"Not really. I have found this very traumatic and upsetting. I don't even know how it has affected my girlfriend and University place. If this has affected my degree, I will be suing the police for tens of millions. If my career is affected, I will be looking for restitution."

"Are you threatening us, Mr. Lock?"

"No, I'm telling you that you better get this right. My estimated salary for the next ten years is over ten million, so imagine what a career will cost."

"Ummm, a minimum of fifty million for someone like Mr. Lock," Matt Huntley says with a false smile.

The detective's smile drops, and he swallows hard. "You are free to leave," he says.

Ryan is led back out to the front desk, where the sergeant is waiting with his belongings. The sergeant goes to comment, but the detective shakes his head, and he's stopped before his mouth opens.

"Ryan, are you okay, baby?" Rose says as he walks through the door.

"Dada," Sophia calls when she hears her dad.

"Yeah, I just hope this hasn't affected my University place, Rose. What is the problem with your parents?"

"They like to be in control; well, Mum is the worst. She has controlled my life in every way; she even put a trace program in my phone and had it cloned. Getting pregnant was her worst nightmare. I don't think she foresaw me falling in love the way I did."

"Hello, So-So, come and give Dada a hug," Ryan says. "They weren't happy when they learned you had transferred your account to your uncle's firm." Ryan scoops So-So up, and she hugs her dad and kisses him before squirming in his arms to get down again.

"I bet, I wish I were there," Rose says.

"Your best mate was. I think she's got something to do with it."

"I think you are right. I have made a couple of calls today, and it looks like all the information I got about you originated for her. Also thinking back, she was the only one with a key to my house at the time and took your note."

"I don't get it. Why?"

"Oh, that's easy. If she can't have you, no one can. I just can't believe Emily would go so far."

"Christ," Ryan says in disbelief. "I don't get it."

"What?"

"Why me? You are all way out of my league, and here we are."

"I think you underestimate what us girls want in a man. Even Sicily says that she sees you as different from every other dirt bag man. She sees the way you look at me and only me. She reckons that even if she walked past you naked, you wouldn't notice even if I wasn't there."

Ryan raises his eyebrows and then nods in agreement. "Here," Ryan say, handing Rose his phone.

"What?" Rose asks.

"Press play."

Rose listens to the recording of Ryan's encounter with her parents. "Oh Baby, I'm so so sorry."

The weekend is a little tense as the couple try to come to terms with their problems. Matt Huntley comes around to reassure them that everything is in hand and takes all the paperwork and memory stick with everything on.

Ryan walks into the University and is stopped at the door. "Ryan, can you come with me, please," Mr. Webster says as he sees Ryan walking toward his first class. Ryan swallows hard. He was afraid of this.

They sit and wait. There's a knock on the door, and the student rep walks in. "Ryan, it has been brought to our attention that you were arrested on Friday at MCT."

"Yes, Mr. Webster, but I have done nothing wrong and am confident that I will be exonerated of all accusations."

"That's all very well, but.."

"But nothing with all due respect, Sir. If you suspend me at this crucial moment of my degree, it will be punishing me for something I haven't done. It might affect my degree grade and then my entire life."

"Yes, I am aware of the implication, but from what Miss Emily Clarkson has said, you have been caught with your fingers in the till."

"I'm not sure you can trust a word that comes out of that girl's mouth, Mr. Webster." Ryan puts his hand in his pocket and hands him the card that his solicitor gave him. "I've been told that if you have a problem with me being here, then I'm to give you this card and ask you to ring the mobile number."

Mr. Webster looks at the card, and his eyebrows raise. "I am going to talk to Ken Macintosh from MacBride's?" he picks up his phone that's on his desk and dials the number. "Hello, Mr. Macintosh. I have Ryan Lock here and have been asked to phone you before we make any major decision concerning the problem at MTC."

"Good morning, Mr. Webster. We have been going through Mr. Lock's paperwork and saved data. It is taking a while because Mr. Lock records everything he does. From what we can tell, other than the guy being a genius, he hasn't done a single thing wrong. The most interesting part is the computer log. When the money was transferred out, Ryan was nowhere near the building. In fact, twice, according to their records, Ryan transferred the money out at the same time as buying a coffee and sandwich eight miles away. There are too many holes, and I think this has been done to ruin his reputation with you and any prospective future employer." Uncle Ken says.

"Oh, ummm. I don't know what to say. Maybe we should hold off on any actions until the investigation is over."

"I think that would be wise."

"Okay then, Mr. Macintosh, we will wait and see. Thank you, and I hope to hear from someone soon. Goodbye." Mr. Webster hangs up and looks at Ryan. "Okay, Ryan, we will wait and see; hopefully, it will not cause too much disruption." Mr. Webster looks at the student rep, who hasn't said a word.

The two students get up and make their way out. Once outside the door, Ryan blows out a breath that he is holding. He thanks the student union rep and then walks to class. There's an amazed look on Emily's face when Ryan walks in and sits at the first free seat he can find.

******

Ryan walks into the police station with his solicitor. They aren't sure what is going to happen and wait by the sergeant's desk.

"Mr. Lock, thank you for coming. This won't take long, so if you can both follow me, we can get started," Detective Woods says.

Detective Rigby is already in the room with a stack of papers in front of him. "Ah, take a seat, gentleman," he says.

"Okay, I'm not going to beat around the bush. Since Mr. Huntley brought us a copy of your records, we've changed the focus of our investigation. We can see you have been meticulous with all your bookkeeping. We just have a couple of questions."

"Is my client going to be charged with anything today?" Mr. Huntley asks.

"No, and if your records are complete, I don't see any reason to pursue him. We just need to clarify that your records are complete, and we need to know what the other account is?"

"Yes, I gave my solicitor everything I have done, and the other account is my account. I have invested money for myself. I didn't want to hide that in case you came across it and wondered where the money came from. You have a clear history of all investments I made, and they will mirror the investments I made at MCT." Ryan looks at his solicitor, and he nods approval.

"Excellent. I have taken the liberty of writing out a statement to that effect, and if you sign it, we can enter it as part of any further investigation."

Matt Huntley takes the statement and reads it. He hands it to Ryan to read. Ryan reads it, and it just states that the evidence he has handed in is a true statement of his investments. "I think it's a bit vague," Mr. Huntley says.

"My only worry," Ryan says. "I don't know what you received, so I have to trust that nobody has interfered with my evidence." The detectives look at each other and then at the solicitor. Ryan feels there is something wrong, so he says, "I don't think I will sign this at the moment." The two detectives lose their smiles and get up and leave the room. "Did I do the right thing there?"

"Yeah, they can't do anything, and I think that was their way to make their bosses happy. I must say, something doesn't seem right."

"Yeah, I get....." Ryan stops when Detective Woods comes back in.

"Okay, Ryan. That will be all for now. If we need any more, we will get in touch with Mr. Huntley here, and he can bring you in."

Ryan and Matt get up and walk out after shaking the detective's hand before leaving. "That went well," his solicitor says.

"Speak for yourself. I still have this hanging over me. I'm lucky I have Rose's uncle on our side."

Ryan gets home to his usual greeting from Sophia, but a tense atmosphere. As he walks into the living room with Sophia in his arms, he is greeted with an unexpected sight.

Rose is sitting, not looking happy. Ryan walks up to Rose, and she stands and greets him with a kiss. "Hey baby," Ryan says. Then he turns to the other two people in the room. "Mr. Mrs. Macintosh," he says.

"Ryan," Mr. Macintosh says. Ryan can see the disdain Mrs. Macintosh has on her face for him. As they sit, Sophia stays with her dad; she doesn't seem to like the two people opposite.

"So, what do we owe this visit to?" Ryan says, thinking how inarticulate he has suddenly become.

"I didn't tell them where we live, baby," Rose says quickly.

"I know, baby; I guess they must have had us followed and then waited until they knew I wouldn't be home."

"Very good, Ryan," Mrs. Macintosh says, speaking for the first time. "Before you came in a little earlier than we thought, we were trying to persuade Rose to go back home."

"Persuade?" Rose almost shouts, startling both Sophia and Ryan. "You were ordering me home, and like I said before, I am old enough to decide where I want to be. You need to get into your head, mother, that you can't control me anymore."

"We will not support you living with this....this convict. You run the risk of alienating yourself. None of your friends will visit, and what about your sister," Rose's mother says.

Rose rolls her eyes. "Mother, you know that the charges that Ryan has against him are a figment of your imagination."

"Really? How can you be so sure that he didn't take this money?"

"Because I know he's not that sort of person. He doesn't need to take other people's money; he makes enough for himself," Rose says, dismissing her mother's words.

"Rose,"

"Mother, you are the one running the risk of alienating yourselves. All my friends have visited me here, and I talk to Clare all the time. The only reason she hasn't been here is because of the position it will put her in. The only reason you have even bothered with me now is because I have met and fallen in love with someone you haven't pre-approved of."

"That's a little unfair," her mother says.

"Unfair, unfair?" Rose says, getting upset. "How many times did you visit me over the last three years? How much support did you give me through my pregnancy? When was the last time you invited me for dinner? And I'm not talking about one of your social dinners to look good....." Rose waits for an answer. "I want you to look at Sophia."

Mrs. Macintosh looks at the little girl who's hanging on to her father and trying to hide from her. Rose gets up and turns the TV on. She gets her phone, links it to the TV, and plays the video of their last visit to Ryan's mothers house. They are in Rose's Range Rover, and Rose is videoing Christmas.

"Hey, So-So," Rose is heard to say. "Where are we?"

"Gamma, Gamma," she says, getting excited.

"That's right, Grandma's house." Sophia's door opens, and Ryan's mother is there.

"Gamma," Sofia shouts.

"Hello, So-So," Ryan's mother says. She unbuckles Sophia and gets her out, and the two hug and kiss. "Happy Christmas, So-So," she says with both of them smiling.

"Kissmas," Sofia says, jigging up and down.

Rose pauses the video with the clear joy on the two ladies in the shot visible.

"You just made that video to hurt me," Rose's mother says, obviously moved by the video.

"No, Mother. I made the video to document Sophia's first Christmas with her dad."

Sophia looks at her dad, puts her index finger on Ryan's lips, and says, "My Dada," and then she kisses him.

"Mum, I showed you that to show you the difference. Sophia doesn't even know who you are. I had tried to get you into her life, but you made every excuse."

"That's not true," her mother says, disgusted with Rose's words.

"Okay, Mother. Why did you miss her first birthday?"

"Umm, I had an appointment with my podiatrist."

"Oh, your foot appointment was more important than your granddaughter."

"Well...."

"Well, nothing, Mother. You have no excuses. You even had a month's notice." Rose looks at her phone again and finds the video of Sophia's first birthday party.

When she presses play, the sounds of Happy Birthday reverberate around the flat. This time, the picture is of Rose and Sophia surrounded by friends.

Then the phone turns, and Mrs. Macintosh gasps. "Clare," she says.

Sophia turns toward the TV. "Aunty Care," she says, pointing at the TV.

"Yes, So-So, Aunty Clare," Ryan says to his daughter's delight.

"Mr. & Mrs. Macintosh, I don't think you fully understand the implication of your actions," Ryan says. "There is a little girl here full of love for the world. It's up to you if you want to be part of it."

"Is that a threat?" Mr. Macintosh says with venom.

"Oh, for Christ's sake, Father. Ryan and I have talked about this, and even though you have done what you have done, Ryan still wants Sophia to know both sets of grandparents."

"He's just doing what you ask him to, Rose," her mother says condescendingly. Ryan laughs and shakes his head in disbelief. "I don't see what's funny."

"If you must know, it was Ryan who wanted to give you a chance. I was the one that wanted to cut all ties."

"What?" Rose's dad says.

Rose's eyes are filling up. "I've just had enough of your meddling. You deliberately keeping me away from Ryan was the last straw. The lies and deceit we have found out about since we got back together makes me want to not know you."

"But, Rose, we were only looking out for you," Mrs. Macintosh says.

Ryan has stood up and is holding Rose and Sophia in his arms. He looks over at Mrs. Macintosh. "I think it's time you went. If you change your mind and want to be part of our lives, let Clare know. It won't happen overnight, but we will not close the door.

"You just want to keep Rose's inheritance alive," Mrs Macintosh says.

"Believe what you want, but I know your company's structure, so you know how stupid that statement was. Now, can you please leave?" Ryan hands Sophia to Rose and escorts Rose's parents out of the door. "Personally, I think, with the way Rose has talked about her upbringing, it doesn't make a difference at this time if you just leave and we don't hear from you again. The choice is yours, and the door is always there. If you do want to be part of your grandchildren's life, then you need to be there for them and not when it's convenient."