“We’re not to blame for what Coil did,” Grue told me.
“We sure helped it happen.”
Hm. Starting off strong with two opposing opinions. Taylor thinks that because the Undersiders blindly took money to do something that helped their boss do something they didn’t know about, that something is on them. I’m inclined to agree, but only partially – most of the blame is on Coil, but the Undersiders have some culpability as willing henchpeople.
“There was no way we could know what he was really doing.”
“Because we were complacent, not paying attention. Because of that, and because we assisted Coil in distracting the capes, Dinah has been held captive for what, three weeks? Almost a month?”
The only reason they didn’t know is that they didn’t try to know. They were content with taking their reward without thinking of what kind of consequences they were enabling.
“Almost a month,” Tattletale echoed me.
I looked at Tattletale, noted how she was refusing to look anyone in the eye, and I had an uncomfortable thought. “Did you know about this?”
I don’t think she did. Her behavior since she paled in the last chapter has seemed surprised and disgusted, even before it became clear to her that Taylor figured it out.
“I-” She stopped to give a little sigh and briefly make eye contact with me before staring back down at the ground. “I had an idea, sort of. I didn’t think it would be this ugly. It’s hard to explain.”
Ah, I see.
“Try,” I spoke, my voice hard.
“She disappeared from the middle school near Arcadia the same day we robbed the bank. Obviously, Coil wanted to ensure the Wards weren’t close enough to interfere, probably why he was so keen on us doing the bank job, after I suggested it. I made the connection, after. I just didn’t think – Nothing he said or did led me to think it would be a serious kidnapping.”
She figured out they had enabled the kidnapping, but wasn’t prepared to see Dinah being drugged and abused like we saw in Coil’s basement.
“What else could it be?” Grue asked her.
“Her uncle’s one of the mayoral candidates in the election this Summer, you know that? I knew Coil was putting a lot of value on getting hold of her, I thought maybe he was kidnapping her to use her to ransom for the uncle’s campaign funds, or to get the uncle to drop out of the race in a more direct play.
I wouldn’t characterize this as a “non-serious” kidnapping, but it does seem less… permanent and abusive.
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