Winston held his gaze. Blinked. Licked his lips. Opened his mouth. Hesitated. Swallowed. Coughed. Finally responded, “The hardware store?”
“The hardware store?”
“Yes.” Winston’s head bobbed. “That’s where she gets her stuff.”
“Is that code for something?”
“No? Just the hardware store.”
Nova cringed inwardly, even though it was mostly true. She did get a lot of the items she used for her inventions from a local hardware store.
“Any specific hardware store?” asked Adrian.
“Hmmm.” Winston seemed to consider this. Then, “Nope. She likes them all.”
“Maybe,” said Oscar, leaning forward on his elbow, “you could mention just one by name. Just to get us started.”
Winston’s lips stretched thin and he shrugged. “I don’t know. Ask her.”
Thankfully, his eyes did not shift back to Nova when he said this, though she could only imagine the restraint he was using to stay focused on his inquisitors.
“How about the names of any connections she might have had in the city,” said Adrian. “Can you think of anyone she might have made contact with once the Anarchists abandoned the subway tunnels? Anywhere she might have gone?”
Winston looked down at the table, and he seemed to be giving actual consideration to this question. Finally, truthfully, he started to shake his head. “I don’t know where they would have gone.”
Adrian massaged his temple. “What about any other locations Nightmare likes to frequent? Any favorite … restaurants? Stores?”
Winston could not prevent his eyes from darting to Nova this time, though he quickly shifted them over to Ruby, then back to Adrian, as if to make up for the slip. “Rooftops?” he suggested.
Adrian’s shoulders sagged. “Any particular rooftops?”
“I … I don’t know. Honestly, I don’t.” Winston leaned forward, and his baffled face took on an edge of desperation. “I don’t know where she is. Truthfully. I have no idea.”
Adrian briefly closed his eyes. “It’s all right, Winston. We’re just trying—”
“No, it’s not all right,” said Oscar, slamming his fist on the table. “It’s obvious you know something, and we’re not leaving this room until you tell us what it is!”
Winston frowned. “They said we only had fifteen minutes.”
“That—” started Oscar, holding up a finger. Then he deflated, clearing his throat. “—was actually true. But still, you can tell us what you know now, or we can come back and do this again tomorrow. And the next day. And the next! We’re not giving up until you tell us what we need to know, so start talking, Mr. Pratt, or else … or else I will make sure that you don’t get any tacos! Or, um, whatever it is they serve prisoners around here.”
Adrian dragged his hand down the side of his face. “Okay,” he said, “listen. She betrayed you. She literally threw you out of your own hot-air balloon and left you to be captured by your enemies. Right? You have no reason to protect her. Whereas, if you help us…” He hesitated, and Nova could see him struggling to find something he could offer to Winston, something that wouldn’t break any of the Renegade codes. “I’ll see about … I’ll see if we can get you some books or something.”
Nova pursed her lips, knowing that this bribe wouldn’t get him far, and Winston’s expression looked more confused by the offer than anything else. “Books?”
“Or … I don’t know. Magazines? A deck of cards? Something to keep you entertained. It’s got to be boring in that cell, right?”
Winston’s eyes seemed to brighten. “Can you bring me a painting set? And a new marionette doll?”
Nova’s shoulders tightened. No. No. He couldn’t be swayed by them now.
“Uh … I’ll have to get that approved by my supervisors,” said Adrian. “But … I could ask?”
The hunger in Winston’s eyes was inescapable, and for the first time Nova felt bad for how she had given so little thought to Winston since his arrest. He must not only have been bored, but lonely. Not that she could have done anything to help him, but … she could at least have spared him a thought.
“What was the question again?” said Winston.
“We want to know if there are any places Nightmare frequents,” said Adrian. “Anywhere she might have gone.”