by D L Greeley
“I said breakfast is served. You need to wake up. You aren’t going to want to miss these, my own creation.” She stacked waffles up on a plate and placed it in front of me. I smiled to myself as a sense of dread crept into my soul. Her own recipe, beauty. “Whatever you do Alex don’t hurt her feelings. Just choke down as many as you can, if you have to and pretend to like them. Be polite.”
“I think I can handle this, thank you very much, Mai.” I stared at the plate, not knowing whether to expect bliss or botulism. It smelled wonderful, all heaped up with a short stack of six waffles and a handful of sausage patties. I looked up at Shelly, her pupils wide with excitement and anticipation, she hadn’t even sat herself down yet. I drizzled a little warm syrup over the buttered stack, warm syrup a very nice touch, and took a bite, Shelly watching me intently. “Ye Gods!” I took a swallow of the milk, she had poured for me. “What did I just eat? A work of art such as this must have a name.” Shelly beamed proudly and sat down. “These are known as waffles ala Shelly.”
“Shelly make good food,” Lucy grawrbled between bites, I chuckled. “Yes she does Lucy, excellent food.”
“Awww! Thank you, Lucy.” Shelly reached down to scratch Lucy’s back. As she did, Lucy shuffled a couple steps out of her reach, without removing her head from the bowl, of course. Dogs are talented like that. “Hey! What’s up with that?” Shelly looked at me. “Sorry, forgot to tell you. Lucy doesn’t like to be touched when she’s eating. It distracts her and she can choke.”
“Oh, poor baby, so you like the waffles, Mack?” Shelly asked fishing for more compliments as I was placing a second stack on my plate. “Is there something wrong with the sausage?”
“Hmm? Oh, no, the sausage is fine. I just kind of forgot it was there. I reckon I was concentrating on these absolutely divine waffles.” Shelly beamed again. “For me to FORGET about sausage is quite an accomplishment; it’s one of my four major food groups. So, what’s the secret here?”
“Sorry, trade secret. I could tell you but then I would have to kill you.” I must have looked really disappointed, because her face fell. “Uh! Don’t pout about it! Think of it as a challenge. I’ve seen this kitchen you’ve got here. Gordon Ramsey couldn’t ask for a better set up. I’ll bet if you think about it real hard, you can figure it out.”
“Mai?”
“Seriously? You want me to analyze waffles? Absolutely not! There is no poison in there, that’s all you need to know. Besides, she told YOU to do it. You might want to concentrate your energies on the mass of anger headed this way, right now. I see that as a more immediate problem”
“What?” I was having so much fun and so relaxed, around Shelly, I had let my guard down. I could now Sense the gentle pulsing of my proximity wards. Someone was running across my backyard at a pretty good clip, two humans, one male, one female and Mai was right, they were very excited and one of them, absolutely furious. There was no time to push into either of their minds. Without a scry crystal I have to be able to see them. “Shhhh!” I held my finger up to my lips. Shelly stopped laughing and froze at the look of intensity on my face.
“What?”
“Someone is headed up to my backdoor and they mean me harm. Go into my room and stay out of sight.”
“Casey! Check it out. Backyard approaching directly for the kitchen door.”
“I’m on it!”
He flew across the room and right through the wall. “How do you know they mean you harm?” Shelly looked dubious. “Don’t argue, do it now.” Shelly got up and carried a growling and squirming Lucy, into my bedroom. I could Sense she was scared but, I didn’t know what was coming, so I couldn’t reassure her. Darting into the living room, not bothering to slow down I did a one hand, one foot climb of the chimney, snatched the rod and gauntlet out of their charging alcoves. Executing a twisting back flip to turn myself around, I kept my momentum going back into the kitchen.
Charles looked up from his perch in the kitchen window “Hate to bother you old man, but some rather unimpressive looking humans are approaching the rear of the house. I’m not sure the full volley of artillery will be necessary.” Casey floated back in. “Chill Mack! They don’t look like much but they are sure hot under the collar about something.” There was a violent banging on my backdoor. “Shelly! Shelly! Are you OK?” It was a strangely familiar female voice. “Open up asshole or I’m kicking the door in!” came an unfamiliar man’s voice. Oh really! This ought to be good. Shelly came skittering back into the kitchen, “Shit! They’re home early!”
“Who?”
“My parents, Mack! Let them in.” I reached over, picked her up, spinning in place and planted her in front of the door. “Not a chance. This is your party. You answer the door and do it quick before your pop starts kicking.”
Shelly yanked open the door just as her father had started to brace for a running shoulder ram. That never works and it just messes up your shoulder, hurts like hell too. Would have been good for a laugh though. “Stop it! Keep your voices down! What is wrong with the two of you! You’re embarrassing me!” She spat indignantly.
“Shelly! Thank God! We were so worried. What are you doing here?” Her mother pulled her into a fierce embrace. Her father flanked them and tried to look menacing. I was unimpressed, it was enough of an effort to just lean against the countertop and not laugh at him. I let Shelly do the talking. They were a Joe average couple, white, lean but muscular, a little athletic, both autoworkers. Shelly’s pop works the third shift, her mum works the first now, as a supervisor. She doesn’t see much of them and needless to say, I do not approve.
“I’m fine mom. I left you a note. We were just sitting down to breakfast. What are you so upset about?” Shelly’s dad stepped around his family to square off with me. Oh Buddha, grant me patience. “We are upset because there was a message on the machine from Ms. Rodriguez trying to find out if we were aware the two of you were together ALL WEEKEND, DAY AND NIGHT! She said she saw you walking around the house half naked.” I knew that was going to happen. I quirked a smile. “And you assumed precisely what, with this secondhand information obtained from the biggest gossip in the neighborhood? Cathy, I’m surprised at you.” Shelly’s mother gave me a helpless look, her eyes indicating Randy was the problem here.
“You know exactly what I am thinking, pal!” Randy growled, poking me in the chest. My smile vanished, somebody’s about to lose a finger. “Alex keep your temper. He’s more scared than angry.”
“He should be; he just put his hands on me before I’ve finished my coffee.”
I leaned into him, nose to nose. “Say it! Say it!” He just stared at me.
“Easy Alex, no reason to hurt him, he panicked that’s all, perfectly understandable.”
“He’s poking me. Nobody pokes Alexander MacFade!”
“Yes, but you’re Dalton Walker right now, grow up and get over yourself.”
“Did you or did you not have sex with my daughter?”
“Daddy!” (Shelly)
“Randy!” (Cathy)
He continued to stare me down, his finger pressed into my chest. I looked to Shelly and back to him. An evil grin spread across my face. “You want to know what we were doing, all weekend? I’ll show you, mate!”
“Mack! No! You promised!” Shelly howled looking betrayed and more than a little panicked. “Sorry Kid, but things have changed. I don’t make a habit of breaking deals but this is turning out to be way more trouble than it’s worth. For the record, I am truly sorry.” I snatched Randy’s finger in an overhand death grip, pulled back, turning his wrist upwards and bent his finger inward just enough to put him on his toes. Pulling him along on his tip toes, into the garage, I released him. Shelly and Cathy were close in tow.
Shelly looked pale and a little terrified. Pulling boxes off shelves and sheets off the remaining disassembled grinders, I covertly winked at her. She relaxed, looking confused, but trusting. “As you can see the sex had in THIS room was so Earth shattering that it shook th
ese three machines apart, sorted the usable and un-usable parts, cleaning them in the process.” I walked over, put my arm around Shelly’s shoulders and pulled her tightly to me in a sideways embrace.
Laughter echoed through my head. “Mai, this is serious. These people think I raped their daughter. It’s in no way funny.”
“It’s a little bit funny.”
“NO IT ISN’T!”
Randy was speechless, looking at the grinders and boxes of parts, not quite able to process what he was seeing. He looked at Cathy for support. “Oh don’t look at me, Conan. You’re the one that wanted to come busting over here to, (she raised both her hands in the universal air quotes gesture) catch them in the act. I wanted to call her on her cell to find out what was going on but nooooooooo… Mr. Big Shot was gonna come over here and throw his weight around. Do you have any idea who this is? This is Dalton Walker, my Cane Fighting instructor from the Y,” her thick Georgia accent emphasizing the Y. “He could kill you with a tooth pick without breaking a sweat. What did you think this is for?” She pointed to the Spirit Stone, now a crooked top cane hooked casually over my wrist, in what is actually a quick draw position. “I am so sorry Dalton. If I had known your last name was Walker or that this was your house… I know you wouldn’t hurt a child if somebody put a gun to your head.” Seeing as there were children in my class. She said the last part scowling at Randy who was looking dumbfounded.
“It’s alright Cathy; you don’t see me other than in class because we both work weird hours. You couldn’t have known.” I released Shelly and bowed to her mother in the traditional style. “You thought your child was in danger, which is understandable and a good cause. Have you been practicing your throws and strikes? Your test is next week you know.” She walked over and took the cane out of my hand, giving it a few experimental swings. “I’m thinking about practicing a few right now.” She glared at Randy. “Don’t you have anything to say? Or are you gonna just stand there and look like a fool?”
“If the shoe fits,” I mumbled. Shelly jabbed me in the ribs with an elbow. “I believe the floor is yours, Randy,” I grunted, when I could breathe again. He pointed to the grinders and boxes of various parts. “What is all this?” He was clearly baffled. My brow furrowed as I spoke. “From what I was told, it was supposed to be a surprise for your birthday. The operative word in that sentence is ‘was’ because I am disinclined to participate in this project any further.” I stepped up to Randy, getting right into his face. I was grouchy and going to play it for all it was worth, especially because I could see 911 on his cell phone with a thumb over the call button. “You have insulted me sir; I no longer feel you’re WORTHY of such an effort!”
“Ah, the offended noble savage bit. Very good!”
“Thank you Mai. May I finish now?”
“Knock yourself out…yourself, not him.”
“Don’t think it’s me, he needs to worry about.”
“You may be right.” Cathy said still swinging the cane around. “This is wonderfully well balanced! Where did you get it?” Reaching over, I politely took it back. Randy looked relieved to see it out of her possession. “It was a gift, specially made just for me, one of a kind.” Technically, it’s true; my integrity is intact. “Now if you two wouldn’t mind. This room reeks of petrol and I am in my robe. Would you like to stay for breakfast? Shelly made her specialty waffles and there are plenty, Cathy?”
“She made Waffles ala Shelly? Wow, WE usually only get those on special occasions.”
Shelly stepped forward with her arms crossed. “It was a special occasion. According to popular opinion, I gave my virginity away last night. Even gift wrapped it for him.” Shelly spat the words at her father flashing the top of her thong. Her father’s eyes bulged and her mother chuckled and shook her head. “That’s alright, we have intruded enough. There is obviously nothing going on here and we had some bad information from a source we should have taken with a grain of salt to begin with. Shelly dear, when you finish up here can you please help me in the garden. The weeds and aphids have gotten out of control while we were away. Come along Randy.”
“Just a sec, Cathy.” Randy walked up to me and extended his hand. “No hard feelings? I was just trying to protect my little girl. I know I’m overprotective at times, been that way since we adopted her 10 years ago, guess it’s me, trying to make up for being gone all the time.”
“I understand, Randy.” I smiled warmly, accepting his hand and shaking it firmly. “Just a piece of personal advice?”
“Sure.”
“I am a man with lethal combat skills and an extraordinarily short fuse. The last man that touched me in such a way no longer has use of his finger. In fact, he no longer possesses that finger.” I could sense the tension in the room rise. Good, that’s what I wanted. I heard Shelly swallow hard and Casey was hovering just inches from us so he didn’t miss a word. “Cathy what’s the first rule of combat?”
“Discretion is the better part of valor.”
“Meaning?”
“Don’t start a fight unless it’s absolutely necessary and only if you know you can win.” I released Randy and patted his cheek. “Words to live by, mate.” The four of us have gotten along famously, ever since.
Chapter 11
I parked my bike in the municipal garage and I took the elevator up to Claire’s floor. I nodded to her personal assistant who gave me the go ahead so that she did not have to interrupt what was obviously a personal call. Claire was on the phone when I walked in and Chief of Detectives, Donald Martin was patiently waiting in one of her leather visitor chairs. “How’s tricks, Chief?” I whispered. “Don’t want to talk too loudly or mummy will send us to bed without supper.” This got a chuckle from the chief. I also received a dirty look from Claire and the words “I’m on the damn phone!” mouthed at me.
“I’m getting by Dalton. How’s the bike running?” Chief Martin, typical guy talk, I ask him how he’s doing, and he asks me about my motorcycle. No wonder men have intimacy problems. “Running like a top, old bean, wink wink, nudge nudge, say no more,” my best Eric Idle impression. Martin is a big Monty Python fan, having watched the originals when he was a child.
I got up out of my chair as Claire was hanging up the phone and went in for a peck on the check, which was deflected with a forearm and a head bob. “Not at the office.” I looked at Martin and winked, he smiled broadly.
“Right, because you and I are such a BIG secret.” I darted in quickly gave her a short kiss right on the lips, point made. She pushed me away blushing, which, in a light skinned black woman, I find very sexy. The chief chuckled at that, “That cat was let out of the bag a long time ago, lass.” The cat reference made Claire’s eyes dart to my face. My Glamour was in place, naturally. I gave her an “as if” look and winked. The chief knows a lot about my magical abilities, but no idea about my true nature, at this time.
I flopped down into a chair. “What’s the crisis, people?” Claire looked at Martin and Martin looked at her. Both were giving each other the “YOU tell him” look. They had both tensed up as soon as I asked the question. Feelings of fear and insecurity were bouncing around the room. “Mai, get a read on Martin and give me Sight”.
“Way ahead of you.” My Sight snapped on and the room burst into a tableau of colors and designs. “The chief is hesitant because it involves men on the force. What are we Looking for?”
“Filter out everything but malevolent magic and radio signals.”
“Done.”
My vision cleared except for a number of radiating lines coming from the three cell phones in the room and the lamp shade on Claire’s desk. “Now that’s interesting.” I held my phone up, pretending it was an advanced piece of equipment. As I said before, I trust the chief but he only knows so much.
Just before Claire started to speak I made a series of gestures to both of them. Holding my finger to my lips, I pointed to my ear, looked up at the ceiling, circled my finger in the air, then pointed to th
e lamp. The chief’s eyes narrowed as he examined it, finding the bug in short order. He was just about to remove it as Claire’s eyes filled with rage. I held my hand up to stop him. Plucking the bug free, I dropped it out the window, into the street.
I swept my eyes around the rest of the room, keeping the phone up to my face to hide the glow from the chief. “All clear.” I announced. Claire turned in her chair to confront Martin with an accusing glare. “What was that all about?” I could Sense right away he had nothing to do with it. The chief look as befuddled as she was. “Don’t look at me, lass. I don’t have a death wish. No one has issued a warrant, I would know it.”
“I.A?” I suggested. He shook his head, “No, it has to come down from the top for something like this. I know a lot of the IA guys. Most of them started their careers under my command. No, if this were official in any way, including the Feds, I’d find out about it. There is only one explanation. “Decker” We all said together. Claire looked even more steamed, now. “That little weasel… I’m going to…” Damn, she’s hot! I placed a calming hand on her knee. “No you aren’t. I’ll handle him. Back to the matter at hand, what’s got the two of you so rattled?” They looked pensively at each other. “Enough!” I broadcast a sense of safety to both of them. “Claire tell me what’s going on.”
“Police officers are disappearing.”
“What do you mean disappearing?”
“We lose radio contact with them and find them the next morning. They are always in concealed areas, like construction sites and the bodies are completely incinerated.”
“There isn’t even enough of them for a DNA match most of the time,” Martin added. That’s not a good sign. “The bodies are completely incinerated? You mean nothing but bones and teeth?” Claire gave me a knowing look. “No Dalton COMPLETELY incinerated. Everything including the bones and teeth just like that little girl last night.”
“Wizard’s fire!” hissed Mai.
“Sure sounds like it. We got another player in town?”