Burning Monday: (Dane Monday 2)

by Liggio, Dennis

  Jameson rubbed his forehead, trying to fight off the oncoming headache. It all sounded like insane fantasies which he'd normally discount, but he had been inside a giant robot with Dane, so he choked back his scoffing dismissal and tried to work with the information. "And which of these... incredible events might I already care about? And why shouldn't I consider you a person of interest in them and haul you in?"

  "I wasn't in Riverside when the serpent attacked," said Dane. "I was in Chinatown... I was investigating the fire - but I arrived after that happened, so that wasn't me either. I was in Asher when the serpent attacked there, though."

  "Wait, what happened in Asher? And why is it destruction always follows in your wake and it's never your fault?"

  "I wouldn't really call it destruction," said Dane. "Let's call it a minor street inconveniencing. A few cracks in the asphalt in the parking lot of an abandoned building. Not even worth mentioning! Nobody's going to notice! It's fine! In fact, forget I mentioned anything!"

  Jameson rubbed his temples again. "I really wish I could bring you in on public nuisance charges and make it stick."

  "Do you really want to deal with all that paperwork?" said Dane. "I mean, I know I'm around when the stuff happens, but that's why I'm there! Wouldn't your case all be circumstantial?"

  "I think your whole life is circumstantial," said Jameson. "Maybe I can convince a judge that the public would be better helped by you being locked away. Of course, then probably the jail would be destroyed."

  "I'm just trying to help," said Dane.

  "Sometimes I wonder if we need your kind of help," said Jameson. "If others could see what you do up close..."

  "I do have my own videographer now," said Dane, nodding his head over to wear Abby sat in a booth with Will Voss. "She posts videos when she has them. She has quite a fan base from what I hear. Of course, most people still don't believe it."

  "I've seen some of it in person and I still don't believe it," said Jameson. "What chance does anyone else have?"

  Behind them in the booth, Abby and Will were having a private conversation, boyfriend to girlfriend. Both Jameson and Dane knew about their relationship, but there was a general unspoken rule that it was never brought up by anyone. The two men at the bar turned a blind eye as the couple talked.

  The two had sat down and held an awkward silence for the first minute. Will's face went through a variety of facial expressions as he figured out the best way to say what he wanted without conveying the wrong message. He was struggling with his own feelings himself.

  "So..." said Abby, prompting him. While she liked seeing him, he was the one who suggested they talk privately.

  "What are you doing here?" he said.

  "What are you doing here?" she countered.

  "Doing my job," he said.

  "As am I," she said, leaving the challenge in the air.

  "But I work for the government, it's what I'm supposed to do!" he said. "What you do is... is..."

  "Yes?" she said, ready for him to say what she knew he meant but he should never say. That her job didn't matter. That she wasn't prepared for danger. That she should be kept in a tower and guarded by knights.

  "Let's start over," he said. "Can we start over?"

  "Sure."

  Will talked slowly, trying to feel out his way without immediately starting the conflict. He was not good at this. "I guess let me say that while it's good to see you, I had something... resembling dismay... when I saw you here."

  "Why?" said Abby.

  "Because this is a dangerous place. The Rebels are dangerous."

  "It's my job," reminded Abby. "I end up at dangerous places."

  "I know, I know. I respect what you do."

  "Do you?" she interjected, being confrontational.

  "I do," he said warily, "but the Rebels are very dangerous. I'd rather you not have anything to do with them."

  "You can't tell me what I can do," said Abby.

  "I know, I know, and I'm not telling you what you can or cannot do," he said, making a retreat.

  "Because you know I'd break up with you if you started dictating my life," said Abby.

  "I also don't want to be that guy. But..." he said, trailing off. His eyes quickly shifted to the bar where Jameson was taking a call.

  "Always the big but," she said with a sigh.

  "I worry about you. I care for you, so of course the idea of you getting hurt..." Will paused. "I don't like it."

  "I worry about you too," she said.

  "I know. We both can get into dangerous situations. But here with the Rebels... This isn't just one of Dane's crazy adventures, Abby. You're not chasing robots or some completely made up crap like that. These men are killers! The Rebels are organized crime. I don't want you involved with them!"

  "The stuff we do is not completely made up crap!" she said indignantly, starting to stand.

  "I'm sorry," he said, grabbing at her wrist to pull her back down. He grabbed a little more tightly than he wanted and her eyes went wide in anger. He let go and held his hand in the air to show no threat was intended. There was a long moment where she glared and he tried to show it was an accident. Finally she slowly sat back down. "Look, I'm sorry. I'm... I'm not good at this part. I'm used to being the one in danger to make things safer for everyone else. I know I have no right to tell you the same, but I'm not altogether comfortable with it sometimes. More so when it overlaps with my danger."

  "I accept what you do," said Abby. "You don't think I worry? Remember when you told me about that shootout last month? I was up worrying about you for a week, even though you didn't tell me until after the fact."

  "You were up worrying?" said Will. "You never said anything!"

  "Because I knew we'd have a conversation like this," she said. "I can't stop you from being you. I have to deal with it. Maybe you should think about doing the same!"

  Abby stood up abruptly and went over to the bar. Dane looked at her and saw that her face was flushed with emotion. He choked back a "Trouble in paradise?" comment and instead suggested she have some coffee.

  "I'm too antsy for coffee," she said, Will slowly coming over to the bar and standing next to Jameson. "What's our next move? Do we go after the bikers?"

  Dane shook his head. "We've rattled their cage, I don't think we need to keep on them. Let's see what happens from here. Besides, Jameson ran them all off. I have no idea where we can find them now."

  "Didn't you slip some tracking bug on them or something?" asked Abby.

  "Did you see me slip a tracking bug on them?"

  "No," said Abby.

  "Did you ever know me to actually have a tracking bug?" said Dane.

  Abby flared her nostrils in frustration. "No."

  "While I have to admit that's an excellent idea and I'll ask Jaya to cook something up, alas, I have don't have one."

  "Then what is our next move? Sit here all day until they come back?"

  "We have something bigger to check out," said Dane, nodding to the television above the bar before finishing off his coffee. Jameson was likewise finishing his cup quickly and standing up.

  The television was set to the news. Channel 5 anchor Tug Johnson was narrating over images of fire. The headline at the bottom of the screen said, "ARSON IN CHINATOWN!" There were various shots of the burning building.

  "The Thousand Hands," said Abby with certainty.

  Jameson cocked his head in interest while Dane nodded. "Here's the most important part coming up."

  The television flashed to a mostly intact wall. Tug Johnson went on how it was an unknown message from the arsonist. Abby recognized it as the sort of thing attracted Dane's attention. Written on the wall with fiery lines was a message, once in English and once in traditional Chinese:

  WHERE ARE YOU FEI ZHANG?

  ...There's Fire

  Dane and Abby hitched a ride with Jameson and Voss. Jameson couldn't deny that they were also going to Chinatown, and failed to come up with a compelling reason wh
y Dane and Abby couldn't ride with them. Will and Abby sat in the backseat with each other awkwardly. Neither one had wanted to sit next to each other, but Dane and Jameson assumed they would want to sit together and Dane had taken the front seat. During the journey, Dane tried to change the radio settings no less than seven times, each time getting his hand swatted by Jameson with increasing ferocity.

  They arrived with the setting of the sun. The orange sky was filled with dark smoke from the fires that had been put out by the New Avalon Fire Department. The streets were clotted with emergency personnel, their vehicles, and many onlookers. A few doomsayers had joined the crowds as well, holding up their poster board signs about the end of the world.

  Jameson parked nearby and let local law enforcement know about his vehicle. He walked with purpose toward the police barriers, ignoring his passengers. Along the way, Dane had told him what little they knew about the Thousand Hands of Fire. Jameson wasn't particularly interested in hearing about an ancient occult society from China. He took the Red Heaven triad mention with a little more interest, but he wasn't otherwise entertaining Dane's ideas or suggestions.

  None of them knew who Fei Zhang was or what those words referenced, but Dane swore it must be important. Jameson and Voss were less convinced. Abby simply shrugged, expecting things to become clearer soon, as they often did.

  Jameson and Voss showed their badges as they walked past the police barrier, the officers parting for them like the sea. As Dane and Abby attempted to follow, the officers crashed back together like waves. One put his hand out to stop them: "Authorized personnel only."

  "We're with them!" said Dane, pointing at Jameson.

  The officer called out to Jameson. "Sir, are they with you?"

  Jameson took a look back and grinned. He shook his head.

  "Sorry, you'll have to wait here," said the officer to Dane and Abby, blocking the way.

  Dane and Abby stepped away from the barrier. "That's just great," said Abby.

  "I'm considering taking Jameson off the Christmas ham list," said Dane.

  "I'm shocked," said Abby sarcastically. Dane gave everyone who helped him Christmas hams for the holidays, something not a single one of them was ever thrilled about.

  "You're right, who am I kidding? That's not the holiday spirit at all! I can't be that mean! Besides, it's still spring. I may not be mad come December."

  "What are we going to do now?" said Abby.

  Dane looked at the police barriers and the chaos beyond. Because of the twists and turns of the streets, they couldn't even see the buildings in question, only the smoke that came from them. But the streets and alleys looked full of emergency personnel.

  "Sneak in?" said Dane.

  "If we got past the barriers, we'd still get kicked out for not having a badge or a uniform," said Abby. "I know you're used to going toward the KEEP OUT signs, but I don't think we'd last even a minute near the building without someone grabbing us."

  "We could steal a uniform or badge!" said Dane before shaking his head. "No, not our style. Also nothing to steal on this side of the barrier. We'd have to get on the other side of the barrier to steal things to get us on the other side of the barrier. No hand of glory this time and frankly, I don't think it's worth it. I could use the Enochian Omnitool and we could go through buildings, but we don't know which ones have back doors and if the police have those blocked off. I'm willing to try, but even I think that's a poor idea. Do you have any ideas?"

  "Maybe we can get to one of the roofs of these builds and see what visibility we have?" said Abby. "Maybe we could see where the fires were. That would be something and the police wouldn't be able to stop us. Though the buildings around here are not very tall."

  "But that doesn't get us up close and personal with the wreckage!" said Dane. "I like to be up close and personal with wreckage."

  "We might not have that chance for quite a while," said Abby tiredly.

  "And they'll have stomped all over my mystery scene!" said Dane.

  "Sure, it's your scene, not Jameson's or any of the investigative bureaus of the New Avalon area," said Abby. "Maybe we need to follow another lead. Maybe we should get another lead."

  "I'm always a fan of waiting for the universe to provide me a clue," said Dane.

  "As much as you think it goes that way, the universe doesn't work like that," said Abby.

  Dane's phone started ringing. He smiled at Abby.

  "It shouldn't work like that," said Abby.

  Dane answered his phone. "Hello?"

  "Dane, have you see my husband?" It was Meilin.

  "Have I seen him? Isn't Wong with you?" said Dane, looking at Abby, searching her face for some info, since last Dane had heard Wong was at Abby's. Unfortunately, she frowned.

  "No, he walked out. He's gone!"

  "Slow down," said Dane, unaware the irony of him being the one to say that. "What exactly happened?"

  Meilin took a deep breath. "We were here in Abby's apartment, making sure to stay inside as much as possible and avoid going back home - just like you wanted. I've been cleaning her apartment - have you seen how she lives? Husband had been watching television. A news report went on about the fire... the Wu family's wonderful home. Have you heard?"

  Dane looked over his shoulder at the smoke and the emergency cordons. "Yeah, we're aware."

  "A terrible thing, I hope they got away safely! Husband and I talked about how dire things were, but were glad we had a place to hide for now. Who knows what would be happening if we were at the shop! Since we were both agitated, I went to make tea - a good cup of tea calms all nerves! Good wisdom there! Husband stayed watching the news for any other info while I did the best I could with Abby's terrible tea kettle - do they not teach young people to buy worthwhile tools anymore? I was still trying to make a decent cup of tea with her horrid appliance when I heard the door slam. When I looked into the living room I found Husband gone. He does not answer his phone, he sends no word! Did you call him for help?"

  "No, I haven't talked to him at all!" said Dane. "We've been busy and we've just now started looking into the Chinatown problem... you wouldn't have any new info on that?"

  "Husband is the better person to ask," said Meilin.

  Dane sighed. "I figured that. Look, we'll keep an eye out for him. I'm worried too, especially with this fire. But we need you to stay where you are. Abby's is safe. The last thing we need is to find Wong but then lose track of you. Please, stay there."

  There was some dismay in her voice. "I don't like it, but I understand. Please find him!"

  "I will," said Dane, ending the call and turning to Abby. "Wong's missing. He ran out when he saw all this on the news." He immediately dialed Wong's phone.

  "Anything?" said Abby, watching Dane listen to the rings.

  "Voice mail," said Dane. "Hey Wong, it's Dane, everyone's worried about you because of your disappearing act. Give me a call when you can!"

  "Where would he go?" said Abby, but her mind was already churning with ideas. Without deciding to, she turned to look away from the fire, across the other half of Chinatown to a familiar street.

  "Yeah, I had the same idea," said Dane. "Let's check Wong's shop."

  All attention was focused on today's arson, so the rest of Chinatown was eerily quiet aside from the sirens and noise in the distance. While Abby could suggest this was because everyone was off gawking at the fire, some other part of her felt like there could be another reason. Two fires in two days. The residents of Chinatown were collectively holding their breath, wondering when the next shoe would drop and if that shoe would be on fire.

  On the hidden side street of Wong's shop, it was even quieter than the night before. Where the night before the arson had been new, still smoldering, now the street was dead, the cold afterlife of the attack. The burnt building no longer smoldered and the major pieces of debris had been cleaned, but the street still showed signs of the attack. Windows were still black with scorch marks and gray from caked ash. T
he scent of fire and building materials consumed in the all-devouring fire hung in the air. Walking on that street was traversing the grave of a dead inferno.

  Wong's shop still had a CLOSED sign and no lights were on. When they had gotten Wong and Meilin to leave the shop, Dane had gotten the spare key, in case he needed to use it for his investigation. Wong hadn't been fond of that idea, suggesting Dane just use his Enochian Omnitool. Dane didn't want to mention that the Omnitool sometimes didn't work for an unknown reason, and instead noted that since Wong had been considering running from town forever, Dane managed to convince him that his shop was the least of concerns. And if Dane could solve the case by poking around in the shop, it would be worth it. Wong eventually relented and gave him the key.

  Dane pulled out the key to open the door, but when he touched the handle, he realized the door was unlocked and slightly ajar.

  "That's never good," said Dane. Abby nodded, deciding silence was a good idea.

  Inside, the shop was dark, but neither Dane nor Abby thought it would be a good idea to turn on the light. The stained windows let in a meager light from the street lamps, making the shop a place of shadows: looming aisles of glassware, curling forms of Asian artifacts, and a cloying mélange of spices in the air. They crept across the room slowly, heading toward Wong's counter and hoping to enter the back room. From there they could take the stairs to Wong and Meilin's living quarters. They thought this was the most likely place Wong would be. But they couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

  Despite the attempt at stealth, Dane was inherently clumsy, especially in a darkened room. He knocked into a shelf with his elbow. A glass jar on it was unsettled, but did not fall. Instead it began to wobble precariously back and forth, the sound of the unstable glass loud in the silent room. Dane and Abby looked at each other in the shadow, Dane's face pale, Abby attaching palm to face. With surprising grace, Dane caught the jar and set it right. The store was once again silent, but if there was anyone in the shop, they had heard it.

  There was a noise to their left. It was not loud but instead subtle, like the breath of the wind or a foot sliding an inch across the surface of the floor. But in the dead silence made tense by the absence of the wobbling jar, it sounded like a bullhorn. Dane and Abby froze and peered into the gloom. Unfortunately, they saw nothing, just the impenetrable darkness. They had almost thought they imagined it, but then they heard a similar noise past the counter. A moment later they heard another noise behind them.