THE MOMENT
"Wait...," Dagny had the time, but never the interest to learn about law. Despite that lack of knowledge, the current situation didn't feel right. "You're my lawyer, you're not supposed to be suspicious of me, right? I feel like even if you are, you definitely shouldn't tell me!"
"I am your lawyer," the lean gentleman, Goose, nodded. It was only their 2nd meeting, and despite Dagny’s reservations, he absolutely looked the part of a put-together lawyer. It wasn't even that hard to take him seriously when he introduced himself; he gave his name without any sort of hint that he recognized the whimsy associated with the moniker. "And simply because I carry my suspicions about your case does not mean you are the focus of that scrutiny. There's quite a bit happening here that doesn't seem to add up," Goose said. "It has become very apparent that you weren't entirely forthcoming for our first visit, and it's caused me quite a few headaches trying to solve a puzzle with incomplete information."
Dagny didn't have anything to lose. In a way, he would be glad to get the secret off his chest. Even if no one believed him, and he ended up on Death Row, it would be nice to share it with someone. He didn't even know if he could be killed with the Death Penalty, and it would be helpful to have someone halfway ready for that possibility. He took in a deep breath and let it all out in preparation. It was going to be a hell of a story, and he wasn't looking forward to painfully proving his immortality.
"The victim is actually an old identity of mine from decades ago...," Dagny said. He wanted to get it all out in one go before the inevitable flood of questions. "...I'm immortal and I take up new identities from time to time..," he said.
"DAMNIT!" the straight-laced Goose that Dagny had come to know slammed his hands against the table in anger. "I FREAKING KNEW IT!" he yelled as he stood up in a hurry and knocked on the door to be let out. "I'm not mad at you, wait here," he said. The door opened and he dashed out in a hurry.
The confusion was surprisingly distracting. Dagny ended up waiting over three hours, wondering what the heck happened and why Goose was so upset. Finally, the gentleman came back in with his calm demeanor once more on display.
"You know, you could've saved me a lot of trouble if you'd been honest the first time," he chuckled warmly as he crossed the room. Dagny didn't know what was happening as Goose encouraged him to his feet.
"You're free to go," he gave Dagny a shiny chrome business card with his name and, 'Chroma Corp.' on it. "If you ever need similar services, or anything at all really, just reach out to Chroma Corp. We help out unusual folk, immortals, fae, whatever," he shrugged as he patted Dagny on the shoulder.
"Wait... what?" He'd spent a month in a jail cell, and by that point he expected his release to be far more formal. "I can just... walk out? Why?"
"You didn't do anything," Goose shrugged with a smirk.
"I know that... but... how do they know that?"
"There's no body," Goose nodded. "It's a key detail they were trying to gloss over. It bugged me, but I couldn't figure out why. Now that we know you're immortal, and it was one of your previous identities, it was easier to cut through their red tape lies."
"Wait, lies?" That was a genuine surprise. "What lies? About me??" he asked. Goose nodded again.
"Do you know someone named Charlie?" he asked.
"I don't know, I'm sure I've met one or two over the years," Dagny shrugged. "Why?"
"He sure had something of a vendetta against you. He worked his way up the police ranks just to frame you. The whole thing was kind of a shoddy plan, considering he didn't even plant a fake corpse."
"Against me?? Why???"
"No idea," Goose shrugged. "But, a lot of immortals find it easy to hold a grudge. You could've slighted him unknowingly anytime in the last couple of centuries, and you'd never know it. It takes a few centuries just for them not to be so self-centered," he chuckled.
"Wait.. HE'S IMMORTAL TOO!??" Dagny was shocked, but Goose smiled and nodded.
"See? You're still in your early years too, huh? You have to be to go around thinking you're the only one."