Legendary Detective at the World's End (Volume 1) (11 page)

   “You don’t think…” he questioned with hesitation growing in his words.

   “Most likely.” Kirin nodded.

     As they looked at each other with a slight tension building around their vague words, Lee stepped forward, having heard most of their conversation but missing the wordless understanding between them.

   “Hey,” Lee said. “What are you talking about?”

     Jake turned to Lee. “You were here?”

   “Yeah,” he nodded his head. “Lace told me to bring you guys inside, but never mind that, I don’t like this tension around you guys, what are you talking about?”

   “N-Nothing… I think.” Jake hesitated.

   “No,” Lee said with a worried face. “Something is definitely wrong, and you don’t want to tell me, which makes me think, which makes me think of the worst…” he said with his mouth trembling as he let his words roll out of his mouth.

   “You’d be right then.” Kirin said unmoved. “The worst has happened, for you that is.”

   “Don’t tell me that.” Lee said shaking his head. “Don’t tell me… Don’t tell me that.”

   “Yes…” Kirin said unmoved by his hesitation to listen. “I’m afraid our friend Davos is more tenacious and clever than our straightforward Mr. Kray. He seems more methodical in his approach to surviving the death sentence him and his crew have made for themselves after impersonating as a Union front. I think he would take all the appropriate measures to insure his safety.”

   “Meaning?” Lee said clenching his teeth.

   “Meaning that he could go after the things he wanted and use them against us, his supposed robbers.”

   “We didn’t rob anything from him!” Lee shouted nervously.

   “He won’t see it that way after we exposed his supposed leader and skipped out on the carnage afterwards.”

   “T-Then what will he do?” Lee asked, even though he was afraid of the answer.

   “He’ll take her, simply. That was the goal of his gamble with you whether you betted yourself or a cow. Regardless, he planned on weaseling his way into taking the young girl Jade you cherish so much. And now that all has been lost, I’m afraid he will do so anyways. Or I might be overthinking it.”

   “Which is it?!” Lee shouted with his impatience growing.

   “Well, I’m inclined to go with my first hunch and say yes.” Kirin said throwing back his head casually. Lee darted backwards and ran into the shop behind them. Jake, hesitant to walk away from Kirin, grabbed him by the arm, pulling him along as he rushed towards the shop.

   “Whoa… what are you doing?” Kirin said.

   “Making you take responsibility.” Jake replied as they entered the shop while Lee shouted uncontrollably at Lace for the keys to the jeep.

   “Calm down.” Lace said. “What are you going on about?”

   “I need to get home now, I need to get back now!” Lee said without any context.

   “What he’s trying to say,” Jake said interrupting. “We’re afraid Davos might be plotting to abduct his younger sister. At least that’s what our detective just figured out for us.”

   “Really?” Lace said standing at a bar beside folded chairs. “And why am I supposed to care about some unnamed girl in some distant part of the city?”

   “Because it’s your fault she’s in trouble!” Lee said grimacing. “It was your dumb robbery that started all this.”

   “And your detective’s words that triggered him.” Lace rebutted coldly.

   “Then let’s make a deal.” Jake said stepping in between them while dragging the disinterested Kirin along with him.

   “Deal?” Lace said pulling out a bottle and glass from a cupboard. “What sort of deal?”

   “You want talent for your young group, well here he is,” he said pushing out Kirin. “Take him…”

   “Hey,” Kirin said adjusting his coat. “Don’t I get a say in this?”

   “No.” Jake replied annoyed.

   “Hah,” Lace said pouring out the brown liquid contents of the bottle into a glass before taking a swig to the background screams of his injured friend in the kitchen. “You see,” he said gulping down his drink. “I don’t want just talent—I want dedicated friends, just like my pal Yared in the back getting a bullet pulled from his chest. I need people willing to take bullets for this cause. And I don’t think your detective friend is a person like that.”  

   “Hmm…” Kirin looked on with intrigue. “You’re a revolutionary man then?”

   “No, I’m a business man, it just so happens revolution is on sale. This island has come a long way since the Great Shift a few hundred years ago. Disaster is fading and mankind is on the rise again. With us finding our place again, people are finding less of a need to be stalked and controlled by the Nobles or the ‘Sheltered’ families I like to call them. While we fought against disaster, they hid in the shelters with all our spoils from past generations. Who do they think they are for crawling back on the surface and claiming what we fought for as their own?”

   “Who cares?!” Lee groaned.

   “I do.” Lace said unaffected.

   “Big idea’s there?” Kirin smiled. “And I’m interested to see them happen, at my leisure, of course.”

   “You see,” he said raising his glass. “He’s not the type of man for this cause.”

   “Lacey!” Kathy said emerging from the backroom with bloody gloves on and a surgical mask. “Just take them.”

   “I don’t want—”

   “A little girl is in trouble, right?” she said interrupting him. “What if that was me or Janey? Would you want to listen to a tired speech about your stupid revolution then? Or would you want to go out and help us?”

     Lace hung his head low at her words.

   “Now go!” she shouted out to a disgruntled Lace who pulled out the keys in his pockets as he placed his glass down. “You heard the Lady.” He said walking towards the exit.

     Lee clenched his fist. “Finally.” He said following Lace as he exited the building and hoped into his Jeep. Jake watched as they left and then turned to a listless Kirin who looked around the room, letting his eyes roam the somewhat ragged restaurant they occupied. Annoyed by his complete lack of interest, he grabbed hold of his arm, letting his strong grip wake Kirin out of his lethargic daze.

   “Ow!” Kirin said turning to Jake. “What are you doing?”

   “Waking you up. Now come on, let’s go.”

   “Okay, okay.” Kirin said as Jake pulled him along, ignoring his agreeable words. Rushing out the door, they approached an already running jeep. As they reached it, Kirin squirreled his hand away from Jake’s grip and ran to the other side of the jeep.

   “Shotgun.” He shouted out as he slipped in the open passenger seat beside Lace in the driver’s seat. Lace turned to a somewhat stunned Jake as he looked on at Kirin with surprise by his sudden enthusiasm.

   “Are you coming too?” Lace asked.

   “Yeah.” Jake nodded as he opened the door of the back seat and slipped inside. As soon as he did, Lace pressed down on the accelerator, driving out of their parking space and turning around, speeding through the Lower City Sector. They blew past the dilapidated buildings and impoverished shantytowns that made out the Lower-end of the city.

     Lace shook his head in disbelief as he glanced at his environment. “To think this was the Main Sector a hundred or so years ago.”

   “Three cheers to development.” Kirin said rubbing his hand on the leather interior of the jeep. “You see, that’s what I don’t understand about your revolution for sale, DJ. This development is all thanks to the ‘Sheltered Nobles’ who hunkered down without sunlight for years. I mean, even this humming electrical car your driving is powered by the free energy technology from a Noble Golden City. Don’t you think you’re being a hypocrite now?”

     Lace glanced at the excited expression Kirin gave him after he asked the question.

   “Who cares?!” Lee said aggravated. “Can’t you drive any faster?!”

   “Well,” Lace said. “I’m trying not to crash, so blame me if you will for respecting the limit a curve brings.”

     Jake pulled on Lee’s shoulder. “Cool off, she’ll be there.”

     Lee begrudgingly sat back in his seat and sighed heavily as a stressful look wore in his eyes with every passing second.

     With things calming down inside the jeep, they finally made it out of the shantytowns of the Lower Sector and back into the tall stone architecture that made up the Downtowns Sectors high quality infrastructure.

   “Like passing between the past and the future.” Jake whispered while gazing at the startling changes in their environment.

   “You know,” Lace said looking at Kirin who was staring out the window. “It’s not what they’ve done, it’s about what they’re doing.”

   “Hmm…” Kirin turned and looked at Lace.

   “Who do you want creating your world? Someone that knows you or someone who’s forgotten you?”

   “Haha…” Kirin laughed. “Interesting.”

   “We’re almost here.” Lee said sitting up from his seat, pointing towards a corner of the street to turn to. Lace obliged, turning the jeep in the direction Lee was pointing. As they approached a row of buildings, they could see a crowd gathering on particular building’s foot. Drawing closer to the building, Lee could see its crown glowing with a fiery orange light that burned throughout the base of the building. Lee gasped at the sight before shouting.

   “Jade!” he yelled as Lace slowed down the car. Neglecting his attempt to park, Lee jumped over the side door of the jeep and onto the pavement where he ran as fast as he could towards the burning building.

      Jake looked on in panic. “The top floor, that’s where he lives.” Jake said.

     Jake patted Lace on the back. “Stop the jeep.” 

     Lace immediately stopped in the middle of the walkway, letting Jake hop out and rush towards his friend.

     Jake, nearing the fiery mess of a building and the crowds standing by it, had his mind running through the many scenarios himself as to what may have happened. Cutting through the crowd of onlookers, Jake reached the foot of the building where Lee knelt down in horror as bits and pieces of stone hit the ground around them.

   “Why?” Lee said with tears running down his eyes. “Why is this happening? Everything was in that building, everything.”

   “She’s probably not inside.” Jake said. “Think about it. Davos wanted her alive, he wouldn’t harm her. He’s simply trying to make you think she’s gone.”

   “But isn’t she?” Lee lowered his head. “How am I supposed to find him? He’s long gone by now.”

   “Not exactly.” Jake said looking back to see Kirin and Lace walking over to them.

   “We have strong allies.” Jake said tapping the shoulder of Lee, making him turn and look at Kirin and Lace as they approached.

   “How are we supposed to find him?” Lee asked them both.

   “Well,” Kirin shrugged his shoulders. “I differ to the smuggling DJ here. You deal in all goods, don’t you? Sometimes even in the trafficking of people.”

   “No, never.” Lace said with authority. “Kathy would never allow it. But I do know of the people that deal in those circles.  The Underground doesn’t deal in flesh, but we do deal in information, so we know all about that trade, especially their hidden auction spots.”

     Lee stood straight up. “And which spot do you think he will go to?”

   “About an hour before sunrise, right?” Lace said looking at the faded stars under the blended light of the natural fires and unnatural glow of the street lamps. “And from this location,” he continued. “There’s only one place he’ll go to, the warehouses by the old pier and lighthouse.”

   “Hmm…” Kirin nodded his head with interest. “I’ve never been by the beaches.”

   “Hey,” Lee said standing up. “We’re not going there for sightseeing, were going to save my little sister, you understand? So none of the… the wild things you do.”

   “Haha.” Kirin laughed. “Where would you be without the wild things I do?”

   “In the exact same place.” Jake said.

     Kirin smiled before falling into deep thought for a moment. Reaching a conclusion in his mind, he nodded his head. “Yeah, you’re right. I think you would be. But now is when I make the difference.” Kirin said skipping away towards the jeep along with the slow stroll of Lace.

   “C’mon.” Jake said to Lee, grabbing his attention long enough to refocus it. They then rushed off towards the cab of the jeep where they jumped inside.

   “Let’s go!” Lee said slapping the side of the jeep, calling for a quick ride out of here, which Lace obliged with the quick shifting of gears as he pushed down the accelerator and burnt the tires out while they sped off into the sleeping night sky. In a blur, they moved between the tight spaces of the Downtown Sector streets with blood rushing through their veins as the urgency of the moment fell upon their minds and hearts with every wild turn and cut through narrow passages. They were going somewhere with uncertainty shading all their opportunities for successfully saving this missing young girl. Even so, no one declined the impossibility of doing just that. If they were right, they were entering a place hostile to the watchful eyes of strangers, as their deeds called for secrecy from the City Guards and all those searching for missing loved ones. The sort of place calling for such secrecy would also be armed and ready to protect such a hidden thing. With these heavy disadvantages, they still sought out this place of high means and low morals.