15% of readers voted for option A: Luke should stay and start talking to Governor Baines and hope Bryce doesn’t knock any more teeth out. The more Luke talks to Baines to closer he can come to figuring out what’s going on and how Jack Holley is involved.
85% of readers voted for option B: Luke should opt to be interrogated by the Cobbler and hope he doesn’t end up with nails in his feet. The Cobbler may be a deranged lunatic but his history with Luke could be his only chance to escape.
***
Casper Pitt stepped into the interrogation room where Luke was being held. Luke swallowed hard, oblivious to the taste of his own blood. He had forgotten just how nuts "the Cobbler" was. Seeing him again brought it all back.
The Cobbler was even thinner than Luke remembered -- which was to say he now paper-thin -- and his skin appeared stretched too tightly over his skeletal frame. He wore nicer clothes now than he did as a member of Luke's crew, but he still wore the same black-rimmed eyeglasses which were a severe contrast to his pasty-white skin.
The Cobbler flashed a toothy grin as he walked to the corner of the room and placed a metal case on top of the crate. Luke felt sick. He had heard stories of the sort of toys Casper Pitt kept in his case.
Sure enough, the Cobbler popped open the latch to the case, being sure to stand to one side so Luke could see everything he was doing. The Cobbler looked at Luke once more with a thoughtful look and then back to the case, as though considering which knife he should use to carve a turkey.
Despite his best efforts, Luke actually groaned as the Cobbler drew an eight-inch metal spike from the case. The Cobbler carefully inspected the spike in the faint lamplight, effectively prolonging the psychological agony that Luke was facing. It was now or never.
"Casper," said Luke, his mouth suddenly very dry. "Casper, it's me - Luke Haggert!"
The Cobbler stopped his inspection and turned his head slightly and peered at Luke from the corner of his eye.
"Remember me?" continued Luke. "We used to work together. You were in my crew. The Pocket-change Gang. Remember?"
The few seconds of silence that followed seemed to drag on for hours. Finally though, Luke could saw a glimmer of recognition in the the mad man's eyes. Ever so slowly, he returned the metal spike back to the case.
"I remember," said the Cobbler. Luke released the breath he hadn't realized he had been holding and his shoulders sagged in relief. He remembered! Luke's relief was fleeting.
"It's been a regular Pocket-change reunion these past couple of weeks," said the Cobbler. Luke barely heard him as he watched Casper pull a twelve-inch spike from the case. "Just the other day I had a meeting of sorts with your old right-hand man, Jack Holley."
"He was never my right-hand man," corrected Luke, his loathing for Holley outweighing his good sense to keep his mouth shut. The Cobbler ignored him.
"And I just came from my weekly visit with the McMurchy Brothers upstairs," he continued. "Weren't they part of your little parade too, Haggert?"
Under other circumstances, Luke would have been much more interested in news about Julian and Andreas McMurchy. But as the Cobbler approached with the metal spike in hand, Luke found himself distracted.
"I think I'll take my time with you," said the Cobbler, crouching down to remove Luke's boots. "For old times sake."
"You know what, you freakin' nut job?" said Luke as the Cobbler tugged at his left boot. "I kind of had other plans."
What the Cobbler failed to realize was that when Bryce had knocked Luke to the ground earlier, the left leg of the chair cracked (which was luckily masked by the sound of Luke's skull cracking on the floor). Once strong kick finished the job and Luke's foot found itself free of its bindings and square into the Cobbler's waiting face.
The Cobbler went down in a heap, the metal spike clattering across the floor. Hopping on one foot over to the Cobbler's case, Luke reached in with his hands still tied to the chair. Moments later he grabbed hold of a long curved bladed, the function of which Luke had no desire to learn. Though the angle was awkward and mobility restricted, Luke finally managed to saw through the ropes and free his arms. Untying his other leg, Luke freed himself completely from the chair.
Luke put his ear to the metal door and listened for anybody beyond. For the moment it appeared his little ruckus had gone unnoticed.
What should Luke do?
Choice
Cast your vote for one of the options in the poll section at the top of the page.
Option A: Grab the Cobbler's keys and get as far away as possible as quickly as possible. If the Governor is a guest there, then the place is sure to be swarming with soldiers.
Option B: Try to find his old crew members, the McMurchy Brothers and help them escape. Never leave a Pocket-change crew member behind!
Option C: Grab the unconscious Cobbler and try and escape with him over Luke's shoulder. If the Cobbler had a meeting with Jack Holley recently, he will be able to tell him where to find him.
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