Hell, In a Troy (Lopez Time Book 2)

by Phillip S. Power

  Detective Tran, standing in his old living room, glanced at the rather high end décor but spoke about the topic at hand.

  “So, Stodermier may have been telling the truth?”

  Leslie scowled but her healer friend cleared her throat. It was a bit weak sounding but there was a nod to go with it.

  “Yes. It doesn’t make it good or right. It… Well, by human law, she probably hasn’t broken a lot of them. Small things, since mages always do that. Our nature kind of forces that to happen. We certainly don’t pay taxes to the authorities correctly. Most of us influence traffic flow patterns to our own benefit as well. Regular police tend to be pushed around more than would be approved of, if they knew about it.”

  Troy got that part. They were different beings with unique abilities.

  “There’s no law against the last one, yet. Pay your taxes, though. That one is real enough. If you live inside a society, you’re part of it.”

  Which reminded him to do that himself, on the vampire side of things. It was about time for that. Troy had been extra good though and given about a third of his money to the federal government as well, since he was in law enforcement. It didn’t get him that much in life but hopefully it was the right thing to do.

  Thinking for a bit, he kind of bobbed in place. It was a lot of motion for a dead person. After a while, everyone turned to look at him.

  “That’s the big issue here, isn’t it? It’s clear that bad things are happening but we don’t have a legal way to go after these people. Even the murders they’ve done, which clearly, they did… That isn’t something we can prosecute. Human laws and courts can’t deal with magic. There are no provisions for it. As law enforcement, we can’t do anything about it, given that.” He stopped then. “What about under mage law?”

  Both of the mages did the same thing, which was shrug. They didn’t speak, or inform him about how mage law worked, using their expert insider knowledge. Finally, he just had to stare at them. They didn’t get what he was going for.

  “Do you have anything? I mean… Has she broken any laws that you know of? Things I might not think of because it was about magic? Compelling people is illegal, right? Forcing them to commit crimes like attacking other people? Murder via magic?”

  There was a nod, from the younger woman. Her hair was well cared for that day, and looked a bit lighter than the day before. There was a hint of magic around her head, which probably explained that part. It looked nice on her, he had to admit.

  “Can you prove it? Any of it? Even for mages, that’s the heart of things like this. We can’t hold her responsible for what anyone else did, either. Human law is different that way. Mages hold to personal responsibility to a much higher level than they do. Even if she ordered deaths, the blame would be on those who did the killing. It takes a full investigation to show that things like that draw back to a specific person. Magical lines have to be proven beyond a shadow of a doubt, because we use magic all the time, for everything. It would be too easy to fake a line back to someone else. That means the burden of proof is very high. No one wants to be the one to go up against a god, or that god’s crazy followers, which is also going to be a factor here. I doubt that we could get a real investigation for what’s happened, if other people weren’t willing to put themselves out front to take the backlash from it.” There was no nod to the fact that she used to be in that insane god worshiping group herself.

  Troy didn't speak about it out loud but he knew that stopping The Children of Baphomet wouldn’t be that hard. He could go and find them alone, then simply kill them all. It wasn’t allowed, though. Not with the job he had at the moment.

  It was a real catch-twenty-two. If he quit his job and became Troy the vampire line walker and embassy worker again, there was no reason for him to be involved with the whole thing. Except that they’d tried to kill him. They had killed a boy that was linked to him. Clem. If he kept his job, then allowing that kind of thing, them being executed, was pretty illegal. Murder was against the law, all the time. Even if it was kind of needed for the greater good.

  That meant, given who he was at the moment, that a certain vampire needed to be a bit cleverer, if he were going to stop these people. That wasn’t even taking into account the idea that Baphomet was planning a comeback tour. From the sound of things so far, that wasn’t going to be completely comfortable for everyone.

  For one thing, people kept hinting at the other gods. Troy didn’t love the sound of that. If he wanted the world to be filled with douchebag gods, he would have still been one himself. The god of lonely women everywhere.

  The joke wasn’t a great one, even if it made him smile.

  Oh, it might not be some kind of Cthulhu-esque hell on Earth that was coming back. It might not even be that bad for some people. The trouble was that everyone so far had told him that this particular old god wasn’t a kind being. Even Cheyenne, the devoted woman of faith, didn’t seem that enthused about the being she’d thrown in with. If that could be trusted at all.

  “Oh… hey. Is Baphomet trapped in Wyoming? Near Cheyenne? I mentioned that, and she said it was a good guess. Actually, I just said Baphomet was in Cheyenne.”

  It had made sense at the time. That didn’t mean it was correct.

  Nevi looked away. Then, after a bit, she nodded.

  “The cage of eternity is there. In Cheyenne. The problem… Baphomet isn’t the only thing inside. She wants to be free but even she doesn’t wish for the others to come back into the world. Otherwise we could have simply broken it open, long ago. I think that in her desperation to be free, Baphomet is weakening on that idea. It would mean sharing power in this world.”

  That slip, saying we, was interesting but Troy didn’t call the woman on it.

  “Thanks. Can we get map directions? It’s on the compound there?” That had been in the Vatican file on the group.

  So had the address. It sounded bad, even inside his own head but double checking the whole thing suddenly seemed like a good idea to him. He didn’t want to think of Nevi or Leslie as lying to him. They were his people, after all. Literally. They were hiding in his home, which meant that they belonged to him now. What it didn't mean was that they were going to tell him the truth about everything.

  They didn't have a map there, since the internet had been shut off. That had happened about a year before, when Troy moved out of the area. He had money but wasting it still felt wrong to him. It probably always would. Being undead didn't make you frugal but most of the older people, the Council, were like that. Life had simply shown them all how to save money. Being poor had given that lesson to him, personally.

  Still, Nevi had the address memorized, having lived there for years and they gave a good description of how to get there. Even of the cave complex at the back, in the woods, where the mystical cage was accessed. Not, he noticed, any kind of description of what that looked like. Denise tried to get that out of them, and it just didn't come. As if they couldn’t find the words for it. Not even descriptions, like glowy or dark. They just sat there and shook their heads.

  Troy could kind of see that, he supposed.

  “So, you go into a cave, that has trees all around it, then you encounter an indescribable thing that has trapped gods inside of it?”

  Nevi, oddly, smiled then.

  “Exactly. At least if Cheyenne is there with you. The cage is in Cheyenne. She has to be there physically, in that cave, for it to work. At least if anyone else wants to meet with the trapped gods. It’s a special ability she has. Finding beings like that. Other things are in there, as well. It isn’t the only thing like it in the world. Once, gods and monsters walked the world freely. Playing with it… It’s a mistake. We should leave it alone.”

  “I agree. Anyway, we need to get back. I’ll check on Avery?”

  Leslie seemed pleased then.

  “I called the shop, a while ago. She seems to be doing very well. No one is coming in but… Can you blame them? The store is open, which is a lot
for her to do for strangers.”

  Given that she didn’t even know the people involved, it really was.

  The bridge he was holding let Denise and himself get back to the office instantly. That part was really handy, even if it had taken about forty minutes to set the whole thing up in the first place. After he took it down, which took a few minutes, he grinned.

  “It beats walking.”

  It was also a lot of work, at the same time. Still, it wasn’t line walking, and was good practice for that kind of thing at the same time. Getting rusty wouldn’t help him later. Not that he was going to be doing that. Losing his skills might not even be possible, after all the time and effort he’d put into things. Not inside a few hundred years, at least.

  At five, Denise grabbed her bag and waved at him.

  “Later. I’m hitting the gym now. Honest. So, when I’m all sore tomorrow, you know it wasn’t from doing anything fun.”

  Waving back, he just sat there. Reading for a while. The address and directions Leslie and Nevi Hampton had passed to him checked out with what the Vatican files said. It took finding a good internet connection and a different computer that wasn’t nearly as old as he was but he was able to use Google Earth to look into the situation on the ground. It showed nothing of note at all. He thought he could find where the cave must be but the angles were all wrong when it came to being certain.

  Troy was in the break room for that, on a borrowed laptop, which meant that Santos found him there, on one of her own breaks.

  The officer didn’t glare at him or anything, for some strange reason. Instead she pulled a chair up next to him. She was in uniform, with her side arm on, and had an orange with her.

  “The Chief mentioned that there might be a position opening up on your team. SD.”

  It was the first time that anyone had called it that. SD. Supernatural Division. It was technically the Supernatural Task Force. No one called it that at all. It was too long and sounded like a temporary thing. Troy was willing to run with it, as a nickname. It beat being called the Soup Division.

  “Yep. Interested in the position? It’s different. More like detective work, even if you don’t get the title instantly. Also, we might end up doing a lot of mop up on cases others don’t care about. All the graffiti in town, putting picnics together… That, and stopping ancient gods from being released into the world. That kind of thing. Minor stuff. I can put a word in for you though, if you want to try?”

  She nodded, managing a small smile.

  “Thanks. I… Jainy, she told me the other day that she’s a mage.” It was just dumped there, and hung in the air, as if it were supposed to be some kind of huge thing.

  Troy smiled, going for charming.

  “Neat.”

  “I suppose. I’m a little miffed that she didn't trust me enough to tell me earlier but… I kind of get it at the same time. I haven’t told her about the crush I had on a guy in high school, either. We all have secrets, right?”

  Troy nodded.

  “Pretty much. Her being a mage won’t help you get on the team. Then again, you don’t need that kind of thing. You’re pretty solid, all on your own. It will be enough. Let me see what Detective Tran says on it, then we’ll run it by the Chief. It might be a few weeks.” Or sooner, if she was in, already.

  That the Chief was just making the offer was interesting. It probably increased the value to her, if there was a chance she might not get it. Troy waved at the screen.

  “The compound of The Children of Baphomet. This is telling me very little. Most of our current problems seem to be coming from them. Right now… I’m waiting for dark. We have a vampire coming in. It’s just a misunderstanding that’s already been cleared up. A warrant for a no show in court. The Judge fixed it all, when he learned that the guy couldn’t show up, due to being dead at the time. Then I need to make up a course for everyone here. Some protocols for the uniformed officers, if they meet up with something strange. It won’t be hard. It pretty much comes down to being polite, backing off and calling in help. Maybe some data on the most common groups, to get people familiar?”

  There was a slow stretch, her hands going over her head.

  “I’m off in a bit. Thanks for the recommend. Should I put my intent in writing, do you think?”

  “Always. Paperwork runs the world.”

  That and violence. Taxes, too. Not that he was going to forget duct tape. That was all about holding things together, though. Not making it run.

  The jokes in his head reminded him that he needed to go and get his checkbook, and all his pay stubs for the last year. Taxes for vampires weren’t a hard thing. You totaled up what you made, then you gave them ten percent of it. Across the board. On the good side, they didn't insist that you pay state or federal taxes. That made a huge difference when you were making millions of dollars per year. He was making about forty thousand at the moment, of which he got to keep about twenty thousand at the end of the year.

  Thankfully he had really low overhead and the rent on his apartment was cheap. That, plus the fact that Avery had been making all of his clothing for him. For free. That reminded him to call her himself, before the shop was closed up for the night. His phone came out so smoothly it felt like the thing had a mind of its own.

  Three taps and two rings later, he spoke.

  “Avery! How are things going there?”

  “Not too bad. A few people came in. This isn’t a hard place to run. No one came to kill me or anything, though half of the people did ask after Leslie and Nevi. I can’t tell if any of them were the ones that wish them harm. That meant I was kind of closed mouthed on their whereabouts. Operational security.”

  “That would be hard. Okay. I’m just checking in. If you need anything, let me know. Are you staying in Vancouver, or in town here? I don’t really use my bed, after all, if you need it.” It would be a pain trying to remain quiet enough for her all night but he could do it. She was stepping up to help others. His people. That meant he was going to do at least as much for her.

  “Thank you. I’ll be back home, tonight. I need to talk with Phillip. I hope… It’s time. I need to let him know that it’s over. Wish me luck?” There was a slightly quiet, wistful tone to the words, as if she truly feared what would happen. There wouldn’t even be shouting, at a guess. Phil Hart was a good kid. Smart enough to understand hard things, as well.

  “All of it you need. Talk to you tomorrow then? I know, it’s not needed but still part of the service. I can also get you a hot towel and if you want, a mint for your pillow.”

  There was a pleased sound then.

  “Talk to you then, Mr. Lopez.” There was a short pause. “Thanks.”

  Then the phone clicked.

  Troy was about to attempt to figure out what he should be really doing with his life when a shadow appeared in the doorway. It was still light out but Dunkirk the Vampire stood there anyway. Looking a bit miserable. Also, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. He had work boots on his feet that seemed to be old and worn.

  Troy smiled and waved at the man.

  “You came ready to do some community service work? Perfect.”

  The other man sighed, heaving enough that it seemed like over acting. That he bothered to do it at all meant he wasn’t that young. Close to a hundred years dead, at a guess.

  “Tabitha was freaked out. That a human brought me home? I had to explain that you were special. You know, being a cop and all that. We both went down hard, so… Um, you know, please don’t come and kill us in our sleep? We should run away, given you know where we live but that’s expensive. We finally got a place that’s ours, so selling, especially in the current market…”

  It was the kind of thing that happened to the very old, if they faked being human well enough. For his part, Troy figured that it was the constant breathing that he’d been doing. It wasn’t enough to really do the trick yet. Somehow, he needed to increase the amount of energy he was taking in. Like he did from the links to his hos
ts.

  Still, the man should have realized that he didn’t want to drink Troy’s life energy away. Even if he had more energy coming in and being circulated than a regular vampire would ever manage.

  “I spoke to the judge. Judge Jolle? He’s… Actually a pretty reasonable fellow. I mentioned that you were a vampire, and he not only rescinded the warrant but is giving you a pass on the ticket, for the hassle of being brought in. That means you’re in the clear and won’t be cleaning the streets all night for a month. Next time, just call that in first. It won’t get you out of tickets, or even going to jail, if you break the law but you shouldn’t have to move over it.” He didn't add in the part about him not being human. Not yet.

  “Seriously? That was nice of him, then. He… Um, knows? About me, I mean? Being a vamp?” There was a strained quality to his voice then, as if they weren’t totally open as a people now.

  “Yep. He even got that I’m a vampire. I’d be insulted but you were kind of out of it at the time, earlier.”

  The man went still, then stared at him, his eyes going red. It bloomed slowly, from the center, instead of flashing into existence over the entire eye all at once. It was a cool trick, actually.

  “I see. Sorry. We talked about that, didn’t we? I was… Yeah. Mornings, you know?”

  He did. Not that he had that issue anymore.

  “Anyway, you don’t have to stay all night or anything. Are you going to volunteer for the community picnic? We should have a table or something. The mages are setting one up. Doing free sodas. We could do hamburgers? I’ll check on that part. We have a meeting for that on Saturday. At noon, so…” The man wouldn’t be making it.

  Alan took the meaning of what he was saying very differently than Troy had meant it.

  “God. How old are you?” There was fear in his words, which wasn’t needed.