I saw the lights a block away, and my gut told me they were at Milton’s house. I slowed and had to come to a stop a good hundred yard because of all the cars parked in the street. There was two ambulances, four police cars, and easily twice that in unmarked cars. Officers were taking directions from people in suits, the FBI had control of the scene.
I got out of my car as I noticed Zee standing by his. He turned and our gaze met. I headed for him, only to be stopped at the perimeter.
No one stopped me, they were all too busy seeing to the wounded and searching the debris that was the front of the house, but I felt deep down I didn’t belong there. I no longer belong in a crime scene. I wasn’t a cop.
Fuck, realizing that hurt.
I swallowed the pain and headed for Zee. I might not belong here, but I had to talk to him. He finished his conversation as I got close. The other agent, a athletic jaguar, glanced my way then she left.
“What happened?” I asked.
Zee eyed me. He had his work face on. “You should not be here Denton.”
“I know, but I have to know what happened.”
“The people here were attacked,” he said. “What are *you* here? What is your involvement with these people?”
“I got this address in relation to the murder of my client.”
“The man you needed my help identifying lives here?” “I don’t know, but he had the phone number of the owner.
Have you come across a briefcase?”
“No one has mentioned one to me yet. Why would you be interested in something in this house.”
I hesitated. I wanted to tell him everything, but I couldn’t. “It’s mine. It was stolen from my client.”
“How was it yours, if your client had it?”
“I didn’t want to take it.”
“Why?”
“I can’t tell you that.”
The deer sighed. “I love you Denton, you know that, but you are beginning to try my patience. Even if it is here, it will be part of the investigation. I can not just hand it to you. Once we are done, bring me evidence that it is yours and I will turn it over to you.”
I grabbed hsi arm as he headed away. “Zee, you don’t understand, they’ve killed for it. You aren’t safe if it’s in your possession.”
Zee looked at my hand. “Please let go of me, Denton. I have work to do. If you feel like explaining what is going on, come to our home after work.”
I released him. He’d given me his terms. I cursed under my breath. I hadn’t even confirmed it was here. Maybe who ever had attacked had it now.
Zee talked to the jaguar, and pointed to me. Great, I was getting thrown off the site by my best friend. Before she reached me I turned and headed to my car. I’d been so close.
“Denton!” someone called as I crossed the perimeter. I
looked up toward the voice. A lion was waving at me by one of the ambulance. I gaped when I recognized him.
“Frank?” I joined him, his white silk shirt was ripped and bloody, as were his jeans, but he wasn’t hurt anymore. That must have confused the paramedics. “What are you doing here? I thought you were still home.”
“We got in yesterday.”
“We?” Then I noticed the other lion being fussed over by the paramedic. He had his shirt off, and she was applying a sealing gel to the shallow cuts on his chest. By the smile on her face she was relishing doing it.
“What happened? Who attacked? Why are you even here?”
“I don’t know who, it happened too quickly, someone smashed in the door then all hell broke loose.”
I looked to Fred. “Are you okay?”
“He’s going to be fine,” the paramedic said, “he’ll just have to take it easy for a few days to make sure he doesn’t tear the gel.”
“I would have been able to take care of this myself,” Fred replied, almost growling at her.
“I can’t let you leave until I’ve made sure you’re fine. You could get an infection, then your family would sue us for not doing our job.”
“I’m not going to get an infection.”
“Just let her work,” Frank said. “We’ll take care of the rest later.”
“Why didn’t you tell me you were in town when I talked to you yesterday?”
“Ahh, yes… well….” Franks looked everywhere but at me.
“He couldn’t,” Fred said. “He shouldn’t even have taken your call.”
“Why not?”
“Fred,” Frank warned.
“I don’t care. You weren’t suppose to know we were here. We got in, I was going to do what I was here for and we were leaving.”
“What were you here to do?” and why wasn’t *I* suppose to know about it?”
“Don’t say another word Mister Odinga,” someone said with a Spanish accent.
I turned to the speaker, a thin man in a white suit, of a specie I couldn’t identify. His face was rodent like, almost like a raccoon, but thinner, and without a mask. The fur I could see was dark sand in color, and his tail was ringed.
“Go fuck yourself Santiago. The only reason I’m here is because my dad owed you, but you never said this involved my friend.” Fred looked at me. “I didn’t know the briefcase was yours until I saw it.”
“Why are you here?” I asked.
“Do not say a word,” Santiago repeated.
“Shut up,” I ordered. “I’m going to deal with you in a minute.” The… whatever he was, glared at me.
Fred sighed. “They brought me here to open your briefcase.”
“How did you know it was mine?”
“Everyone knows about the Stenton briefcase. It’s a legend of sigil writing. No one has been able to force it open in almost eighty years. They wanted me to break its magic.”
I was angry. My property had been stolen, and now someone had aimed to force it open. I turned to Santiago, instead of unleashing it on my friend.
“What the fuck is wrong with you! Didn’t it ever occur to you to fucking ask me to open it? You didn’t have to kill people for it!”
The paramedic gasped.
“I did no such thing. Don’t you dare talk to me like this.”
“Like what? Like you’re a criminal? I have news for you. You are one. That briefcase isn’t yours, it’s mine. You have no business trying to open it.”
Santiago scuffed. “You? You think you deserve the secrets that are in it? You’re nothing but a child playing at being an adult.”
I grabbed him by the collar and lifted him off the ground. “I don’t fucking care what you think. I’m the Elder Stenton, that means it’s mine. I want it back.”
“We can’t give it back, Elder Stenton,” A new voice said. I glared at him. He was a little taller than the man I was holding, the same species and wearing an identical white suit, but his accent was almost non-existent.
“Why not?”
“Your law enforcement people already took it away. It was part of the things they found and, how do you say? Bagged.”
I dropped Santiago with a curse.
The younger version of him smiled at the nervous paramedic. “Why don’t you come with me, Madam. I think you need to take a nap in the front of your vehicle and forget about all this.” He took her hand and lead her away.
“He can make people forget stuff,” Fred said as I watched them.
“He better not try it one me,” I growled. I fixed my gaze back on Santiago. “I want you out of my city the instant the FBI is done with you, and you better not even think about coming back here, because I am going to make you pay for the two men who died because of you.”
He straightened. “You think you can scare me, child? I am from Ecuador, I deal with rebels and military leaders every day.
You are nothing.”
I got in his face and smiled. “I’m the guy who is going to open the briefcase. When I do I’m going to know all your little secrets, you really want to piss me off more than you have? Because I’m sure I’ll find people who will love to know what they are. I’m guessing you like pissing off people, You must have a lot of enemies within the Society….”
Concern registered on his face and he took a step back. “You will not get it back any time soon. Your legal system is slow, filled with red tape.”
“But I am going to get it. You remember that.”
The younger Santiago returned, all smiles. “She will sleep for a few minutes. When she wakes, she won’t remember any of us.” He gave Fred a sad smile. “I am afraid that means you also.”
“Fine with me.”
I looked at him, felt for his power and got a sense of sucking, of things being siphoned away. I thought about tapping it and making them forget about me, the briefcase and whatever else I had to, but I didn’t know how it work, As angry as I was,
I didn’t want to cause them damage.
“Take your father and leave my city.”
“No! We are not leaving!”
“Listen to me. I’ve told you what’s in store is you keep pissing me off.”
“That is not why we must stay.” The young Santiago said.
“She took my younger brother.”
“Who did?” I asked, trying to see if he was making this up.
“The… woman thing who attacked the house. Her servants caused the chaos, but she took Luis. I tried to stop her, but she was immuned to my ability.”
“That explains why he isn’t here,” Frank said.
“So there were three of them?” I asked.
“Yeah. Juan, Luis and their father.”
Like I didn’t have enough to deal with already. Fuck this, it wasn’t my problem, except for them staying. Damn it, this wasn’t my problem. Hell, they didn’t deserve my help. I glared at he older Santiago. “I’ll make you a deal. I get your son back and you forget about me. You leave once I hand him over and I won’t cause you any problem.” I couldn’t leave some kid in the hands of a killer.
“You expect me to believe a Stenton. You already betrayed my family once.”
I opened my mouth to speak, but the Juan spoke first.
“Be reasonable, father. He is clearly not like the others of his family. He offered to help. Will you let Luis be the price of your hatred for something this cheetah had nothing to do with?”
The old man huffed and said something in Spanish before walking away.
“I apologize for my father, he is set in his ways.” He offered his hand and I shook it. “I hope your offer to help is sincere. If you are planning to use my brother against us, you
will find that my anger is very destructive.” I nodded.
“You two,” Juan said to Fred and Frank, “Come.”
“No, they’re staying,” I said.
“They work for my family.”
“Without the briefcase, what work am I suppose to do?” Fred asked.
“Your father will still owe his debt.”
Fred shrugged. “That’s between you and him. All I know is that I’m no good to you right now, so I’m sticking with Denton and helping him getting Luis back.”
Juan nodded. “If you do that, I will seek to convince my father that the debt has been paid.” He left us.
I waited until he was out of sight. “You two, go to
Martin’s place.”
“Shouldn’t we go after Luis right now?”
“I don’t know where he is.” I paused. I hadn’t really tried it yet, but I’d gone over the Phrase a few time, it should work. “Actually, can you get me something of Luis? Blood, cum, of even fur should work.”
Fred and Frank looked at each other. “There might be some stains on the bed,” Frank said. “But it’ll be a few hours old.”
“That shouldn’t matter. Stay here until the FBi’s done, then get it, and then go to Martin’s place. I’ll join you there once I’ve taken cared of something.”
I looked around for Zee, but I couldn’t see him, or his car. I did notice Magdalene at the edge of the crowd. I headed to her as I dialed Raphael.
“Denton.”
“Raph, the FBI has the briefcase.”
“How did they accomplish that?”
“Their case intersected with us. I don’t know why yet. I know someone there and I’m heading there to do my best o convince him to give it to me, but just in case, you should have someone ready to discretely take it form theme.”
“I will be ready when you call.”
I hung up, grabbed my sister’s arm and pulled her to my car.
