Legon Ascension (47 page)
“What?” Alison asked.
The CSI held up the device. “There’s Vis residue here.”
“Vis?” Sean asked.
The CSI rolled his eyes. “Yeah, Vis or magic; it matches that of a Werewolf.”
A cold feeling crept into Alison’s veins. “Are you sure?” she asked, her voice a little weaker than normal.
“Sorry ma’am, but I’d say so.”
* * * * *
Sean Hughes shook his head. He hated magic. All it’d done was cause problems since it’d come out in the open three years back. He leant over, picking up a blood-soaked wallet from the floor. He flipped it open in a gloved hand and read the victim’s name.
“So why did the big bad wolf attack Mr…William Lanner here? He sure doesn’t look like Red Riding Hood, now does he?” Sean asked the CSI.
The CSI scowled, Sean didn’t care for CSIs either; they were all just geeks on power trips as far as Sean could tell.
“I don’t know detective, I guess that’s for you to figure out, now isn’t it,” the man said icily.
“Thanks, we’ll be on our way,” Alison said, giving Sean a look. “Let’s walk the house.”
She led him away, both of them looking around for any clues they could find.
“Ya know, maybe if you weren’t such a dick to the folks in the lab they might not hate you,” she said. “Just sayin’.”
Sean snorted. “Yeah, I know I shouldn’t be so hard on them, but those nerds just get on my nerves. I never liked the smart kids.”
“Really, that’s what has you so on edge? Hmm, and to think I thought it was because magic was involved,” Alison said.
She was dead on, but he wasn’t going to admit it. Instead he walked into the kitchen of the house, the back door ajar. Another geek was dusting for prints but Sean would be surprised if they found anything of use. A month ago Sean had been forced to sit through a lecture about magic; about Wolves in particular. They didn’t leave prints, not due to any skills per se but because they didn’t have normal fingers. He walked out the back, trying to find anything of use but couldn’t. They gave a few orders to the CSIs on site and he turned to Alison.
“Shall we check out the car?” he asked, bored.
Alison agreed and added, “Did you catch a ride down here?”
He said he had and followed her to her car. Mr. Lanner’s car wasn’t far away. Sean tried not to bother the nerds as they worked and went to the trunk of the car and looked around.
“What do you think it was looking for?” Sean asked, looking into the trunk, the fabric was torn apart, metal was turned up in areas. He leaned in, Alison next to him, looking at bent metal. “Man, what kind of freak can do that?”
“Bright side is maybe it cut itself on something tearing the car apart,” Alison said.
Sean breathed out, the lab would find more but he said, “We have to tell the Sergeant about the magic.”
Alison looked serious for a moment, “Rock, paper, scissors?”
Sean won, sparing him from having to tell Sergeant Montoya that the department would need to contract with witches and wizards. But he could hear the Sergeant swear, even with the phone to Alison’s ear.
“He sounds chipper today,” Sean noted.
Alison smiled brightly. “Yeah the picture of joy, we have to go back in when we are done here, Sergeant said not to follow any leads until he contracts with Mages.”
“I hate magic,” Sean complained.
They spent a few more hours getting anything done they could before having to leave. Sean sat in the passenger seat as Alison drove down Colfax back to the station. Alison stopped on the way back to get another cup of coffee.
“That junk will kill you, ya know,” Sean pointed out.
“How is coffee going to kill me?” she asked with a chuckle.
“OK, so for most people it wouldn’t but you drink what, like a gallon a day?” Alison opened her mouth to respond and shut it. Sean laughed, “Ha! Yeah, what you got to say to that one?” he taunted.
Alison smirked, “Whatever. Like you’re one to talk.”
“What? I don’t even drink coffee,” Sean said.
She pointed at him, “But you have enough product in your hair to style a beauty pageant! That junk must be soaking into your brain.”
“Really? That’s the comeback? I use too much hair gel? Wow, it’s a good thing you’re good at catching killers because comedy…not happening.”
They continued to talk trash as they entered the station and made their way to their floor. They came in the office laughing and for just a moment forgetting the morning. That changed when they entered the office. Everyone was silent, all either standing or sitting, looking at the Sergeant’s office.
Inside, the Sergeant was talking to a girl with brown hair and thin features. Sean came up next to someone he didn’t know. “Is that the witch?” he asked.
The man’s face reddened. “Yeah that’s it,” the man said softly.
Sean looked at the woman; she glanced out into the office from behind glasses. She looked uncomfortable.
* * * * *
Heidi Decor looked out of the office window at the gathered police officers outside in the neat rows of desks. None looked happy to see a Mage in the office. She turned back to Sergeant Montoya. He was a little short for a man, maybe 5’7” and in his early fifties, his hair short black bristles. His dark eyes looked up from his paperwork. She focused more Vis into her glasses, reading his emotions. Fear, anger, curiosity and even awe were visible. Fear and anger were the strongest emotions. Part of her figured he wanted to kick her out. She didn’t blame him, normal humans had only known about Mages for a few years. Most people still hung onto their silly superstitions, and after all, her kind had killed many people in the recent years. No, she didn’t blame him or any of them for not wanting her around.
The Sergeant looked out his window. “No one wants you here,” he said as a matter of fact.
She looked out again using Vis this time, true no one wanted her there. She saw murder in the eyes of one man and wondered if she shouldn’t have taken Gabriel up on his offer to come with her to the meeting.
“You requested a Pactum, not us,” she pointed out, not letting her own fear color her tone. She could affect the Sergeant’s emotions, she could affect everyone’s but that was against the Pactum.
“Pactum?” he asked.
“Yes, the Pactum or contract, if you will; it’s our agreement. You requested this meeting, didn’t you?” she asked.
“The mayor thinks whenever magic is involved in a crime we should contract wizards and the likes,” he hedged.
“Mages, we are called Mages and it’s not magic; it’s called Vis. Your mayor is right, Werewolves are some of the most dangerous Mutari. But be that as it may Sergeant, you contacted the North American Pactum Guild and requested this meeting. If you do not want to contract with us, you are not obligated to do so.”
He waved his hand. “Like I said I don’t have a choice, now in our Pactum here it says that we owe you half upfront in gold or silver minted bullion. Do you want that now?” he asked.
She frowned. “Don’t you want to talk the terms of the Pactum?” she asked.
He shook his head. “Nope, now do you have something to take this with?” he said dumping a handful of coins on his desk.
Heidi placed the coins in a velvet pouch and then looked out at the people in the office again. Cops or not, some of them would like to hurt her, and Mage or not she was no Paladin; she couldn’t take them. No, she wasn’t going to add any more incentive for them to hurt her.
“My people will take it tomorrow,” she said.
“People? As in more than one?” he asked, not looking happy.
“Yes people, as in two of them. Your Pactum is with Gabriel, and his sister Faith will be assisting him.” She stood. “Now, I think I should be on my way, thank you for your time Sergeant.”
He walked her to his door and pointed the way back to the elevators. She made her way across the office, fighting the urge to panic as she received cold glances. A portly man standing next to a rather well-groomed one stepped in her path just a bit. She stopped. His emotions were boiling.
Before the man could speak, a woman with long brown hair came forward. “My name is Detective Kaur, let me show you out,” she said, leading Heidi safely through the office.
* * * * *
Alison Kaur walked the Mage out of the office before turning back to find Sean. She found him standing with the man who had blocked the Mage.
“What was that?” she demanded.
“What?” the officer asked.
“Are you trying to get us a bad mark with the Pactum Guild?!” a different voice said.
Alison turned to look at Steven Lee, the head of the crime lab.
He went on, “What was your plan? Take a swing at a Mage? What would that do?”
“I wasn’t gonna do nothin’, besides who cares if we get a bad mark with this guild of theirs?” the man said puffing up.
“I do!” Sergeant Montoya’s voice rang. “Don’t be stupid here, people, Denver is one of three cities contracting with Mages on a regular basis. The Mayor’s office has made it clear we aren’t to screw this up! Now Hughes and Kaur get in here,” he said closing the subject.
Alison walked into the Sergeant’s office with Sean in tow.
“You’re going to have two Mages with you tomorrow and until you solve this case,” the Sergeant said.
“Sir…” Sean started.
“I don’t want to hear it Hughes, we don’t have a choice. I don’t like it either. Any questions?” he asked.
“What is their role?” Alison asked.
“They are here to protect you from other Vis users only; they won’t assist or get in your way. You don’t even have to talk to them if you don’t want to, got it?”
“We are getting babysitters?” Sean asked.
The Sergeant changed tack, sitting down and motioning for them to do the same before he spoke. “Look…I’ve talked to other departments with experience with Werewolves…and you two are my best people. This year Denver has already lost four people to Wolves alone. I’m not happy about the Mages being here, but I have to admit they could be handy to have around.”
Sean calmed down. Alison knew that Sean was a bit of a hothead but he deeply respected the Sergeant as did she. “We won’t mess up sir,” she said.
“Yeah I know. OK, what do you have so far?”
Sean spoke, “One victim, a William Lanner, friends knew him as Billy. He was a white male in his early thirties. He was a CPA with a clean record, other than that we don’t know yet.”
“The victim’s car was ransacked and the killing took place a block away, so I think it’s safe to assume this wasn’t a random act of violence,” Alison added.
The Sergeant looked off into the distance. “No, it’s not. Let me know when the drug screen comes back. I want to know why a Wolf was after this guy and looking around in his car.”
“What are you thinking, Sarge?” Sean asked.
“Well, from what we know Werewolves don’t attack at random. For centuries Mages have kept them along with all the other magical races in check, but now that magic is in the open…and, I don’t know about you, but having a Werewolf as an enforcer sounds like a good plan to me.”
“Right sir,” Alison said.
They talked for a while longer before they were dismissed. Alison spent the rest of her day profiling William Lanner’s life.
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About the Author
Nicholas was born and raised in Denver, Colorado. He didn't want to write until October of 2007. While he was driving around with a friend and said "hey, I wonder if I can write a book." So he thought he would try and write outline and see what happens.
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