Naming Day (Jake Underwood Book 1)

by Michael Ruger

  “Look, Kevin knew all about Ben’s status. He kept him on because he trusted him and because of his affinity with the Court of Twilight and the night. He made a perfect bartender during the late hours when he is at his most keen and when most of his fellow Court members are most active. Likewise, during the day, he isn’t as sharp, eh?”

  “It’s a lot to take in. Even with seeing Elves, Trolls and Dwarves I always thought Vampires were just a bunch of stories made up by Victorian writers and Goth wannabes. He’s never given me any reason to doubt him and if Kevin trusted him and you trust him, there’s no reason I shouldn’t. I just wanted a good reliable bartender for the dayshift and you’re right about how good he is at night. I just never thought about why that might be so.” Bolan looked more disappointed than scared, certainly a step in the right direction.

  “Yeah, I can see that.” Ben said. “I would love to help you boss, but it just wouldn’t work. You could try Clancy. He fills in whenever we have someone call in sick or for vacations. You might be able to talk him into a more permanent shift. He’s a goblin so day or night would work for him.”

  “Right. I’ll give him a call a little later. Ben, I won’t keep you I know you need rest as badly as I do. I’ll see you tonight at 8:00, okay?” Bolan was obviously dismissing Ben, but Ben was either oblivious or simply didn’t care. He went behind the bar and disappeared into the employee area.

  Bolan waited until he was completely gone before he turned to me to ask me the question that I knew he had to ask.

  “Is he really okay?”

  “Bolan, I would, and have trusted Ben with my life. It’s long story for another time, but Ben is something of a legend among Vampires at the Court of Twilight. He is the example of vampire rectitude among them and he would rather die the final death than drink a single drop of human blood. Maybe one day, when I know you a lot better and I’m drunk as hell, I’ll tell you all about it. Maybe Ben will tell you if ask him, nicelly. Although I wouldn’t, Ben is humble and doesn’t like talking about himself. I will tell you this, there isn’t anybody at this bar that I trust more now that Kevin’s gone.

  “Fair enough. I can’t say I’m completely comfortable with it, but I can certainly work with it.”

  “Good. I came by to see if there were any problems last night and I can see that the place is still standing. I’m guessing that nothing came up that you and the staff couldn’t handle.” I motioned to him to take a seat at nearby empty table. As I slid into the booth, I noticed that the Sheriff’s man was unobtrusively watching us from where he was arranging his notes.

  “So how did it go?”

  “Pretty well. There were a few rough spots and it was busier than normal. You were right about the curious showing up. At least they came and spent some silver.”

  “What kind of rough spots?”

  “I couldn’t find the key to the liquor room. I think Kevin must have had it on him when he...ah…died. His key chain is missing and that includes keys to the private meeting rooms as well. Ben showed up early and he had a key to the liquor room and scrounging keys from all the employees we were able to make up a pretty complete ring that gets into most places.”

  “I’ll ask the Sheriff’s men about it. If they have the keys, I should be able to get them eventually. Any lock you can’t get open that you need to get open, just call for a locksmith to make a key. I assume you know enough to avoid disturbing any seals that you may find?”

  “Yes, Kevin was very careful to explain the seals and why we should avoid them. There aren’t and haven’t been many sealed rooms here, but the staff knows enough to leave them alone. Kevin’s office is sealed, but by the Sheriff. I think we got anything we got we need out of there before they sealed it.”

  “Good. Anything else?”

  “Oh a few of the staff pushing to see what is happening and a few who want to test limits. Nothing we can’t handle, although I am concerned about Critter. Inside the kitchen he reigns supreme but when it comes to dealing with others outside the kitchen he is more hesitant. He needs to be a little more forceful or some of the staff will walk all over him. I suspect that when he had trouble in the past he went to Kevin. Kevin had a way of making problems go away.”

  “Until he finds his feet, I’ll expect you to deal with any problems that he comes to you with. I know that Kevin wouldn’t have put you in your position if you couldn’t do it.”

  “Thanks. I guess we’ll find out.”

  “I hate to spring this on you, but there is pretty good chance that I might be hard to reach for the next few days. Something’s come up that I will have to deal with, if it’s an emergency, leave a message with my office and I’ll try to get back to you. But don’t have an emergency if you can help it. “

  “What about payday?”

  “Pay it out of the receipts, in cash and get everyone to sign or make their mark. Anything that is left, hold on to until I get back.”

  “Okay. You will be back, won’t you?”

  “I have no reason to believe I won’t, but if something happens just use your best judgment guided by intelligence and experience.” He grunted and I turned towards the table where Corey sat and I asked Bolan if he had given him any trouble.

  “No. He’s been pretty quiet. He asked a few questions and ordered a few scotches and a pot of coffee. He’s been here most of the night and seems content with those few questions and to observe.”

  With that Bolan turned back to his attempt to find a daytime bartender and I turned back to the table where Corey was sitting. I noticed that he was keeping an eye on me and when he saw looking his way, he made a small wave and called me over to his table.

  “Jake. Have a seat.” He motioned me into his booth.

  “Corey. You need a refresher? My treat?” Corey didn’t drink much, not like some cops I know, but you can’t sit in bar for hours without some drinking.

  “Naw. I’ll be leaving to go home in an hour or so. My shift is ending and the day shift will be taking over.” He looked hesitant and then dove in.

  “Jake, I need to ask you a few questions about this case. It’s a little weird, but I’m not sure who to trust, exactly.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I don’t have to tell you that there is a lot of heat on this case. The weird thing is, I can’t tell who is really running the investigation. First, there is that fuckwit, Crosswich. Officially, he’s in charge and seems to be giving orders and people are playing along, mostly. But then there’s Sergeant Bermuda.”

  “What about the good Sergeant?”

  “Did you know his official post is at the Master of Arms from the Court of Dawn?”

  I shook my head. I did not know that and was not comforted by the knowledge. Master of Arms is a nebulous post at the Court of Dawn. It basically carried whatever importance and clout that Lord Belsoumnde chose to give it. This could go all the way up to the 3rd circle of the court, maybe even the 2nd circle.

  “He’s been detached temporarily to this investigation. That’s not all, He isn’t reporting to Crosswich and neither am I. The Sheriff told me I was to ‘Assist Sergeant Bermuda with his inquiries and to keep it quiet, or else.’ He didn’t define what ‘or else’ is but you can bet it’ll be damn unpleasant.”

  “What did he tell Crosswich? I bet he loved having Bermuda in charge.”

  “That’s the thing, Crosswich doesn’t know. He thinks I’ve been detached to serve as a special aide for this guy. He doesn’t know that Bermuda is dogging his tracks or in Crosswich’s case he’s probably breaking a trail that Crosswich will never find.”

  “That is odd. I never really thought that Crosswich stood much chance of finding out anything, but like this, he’s getting blindsided. Still, couldn’t happen to a nicer fellow.”

  “Yeah, but there’s more. Even before Unglunblasch’s decapitated body was found Sergeant Bermuda was asking questions, hard questions, about you. Why do you suppose that would be?”

  I really didn�
�t like the sound of that. The implications of this began to settle in. Why did it seem like I had trouble coming from all directions at once? Cory was looking at me expectantly. “I don’t know.” I said.

  “Com‘on Jake! Don’t give me that crap! Spill! What are you into that would draw police attention from the Court of Dawn Master at Arm’s office?”

  I thought about it for a few minutes and considered what to say. Corey had been upfront with me. He had shared information he really probably shouldn’t have and I felt like I owed him. I don’t like being in debts to cops, even cops I like.

  “I really don’t have a clue what the hell’s going on Cory. I can’t imagine why the Court of Dawn is suddenly so interested in me after all these years. I’ll tell you this though; I have been getting a lot of weird vibes from both the Court of Twilight and the Court of Dawn.” I told him about the Naming Day ceremony and about my contacts with Jeryn Callisandra, but not what he wanted.

  “One other thing, I’m being watched. Or rather, my office is being watched.” “Yeah, Crosswich has a crew watching your office.” Cory sipped his coffee “I think he’s using this investigation as a chance to prove you are breaking the Compact. He really doesn’t like you.”

  “A crew? Just one crew? The reason I ask is because I am pretty sure that there are two separate groups watching my office. Could the other crew be Bermuda’s?”

  I could tell Cory was thinking about how to reply as he stared into his cup. ”Honestly, I ‘m not sure. Sure, Bermuda could have a crew watching you, but it doesn’t make sense. If he wanted you followed, he would just pick you up when you leave your apartment, why set up on your office?”

  “Good question. It’s another question I wish I knew the answer to. Maybe I’ll ask Sergeant Bermuda when I see him.” I was only half kidding. Talking to Sergeant Bermuda about this case would be like trying to herd cats through a minefield.

  “Be careful when you talk to Bermuda. He’s a sharp operator. After he asked for me, I asked around, quiet like, about him. It was weird, most of the guys had never heard of him and the ones who had seemed skittish. When I pressed them, they clamed up. Only Karris One Eye told me anything. He said that if Bermuda wanted something from me, he’d get it and if I was smart I’d just give it up now. He also said they if I didn’t want to be known as Corey One Eye I would keep my nose out of Sergeant Bermuda’s business.”

  “That’s ominous as hell. Do you suppose he plucked the eye out himself or did have someone do it for him? He’s got the build for it.” I smiled.

  “Sure, laugh it up. Karris wasn’t smiling, but you, just yuck it up.” Cory finished his coffee and began to gather his notes. “Look, Jake. Be careful. I don’t know If Bermuda’s gunning for you or not, but you can bet that something big is going on and it looks like you’re neck deep in it. If you really don’t know what is going, you better find out quick before it bites you in the ass.”

  With that, he grabbed his hat and headed toward the corridor that led to the Fey Realm.

  Chapter Eight

  My happy little chat with Cory left me edgy as hell. It seemed my situation was deteriorating rapidly and I decided that the time had arrived to go on the offense. I was tired of being buffeted by circumstance and the first step was to get a look at this surveillance that was on my office.

  The blocks surrounding my office offer plenty of cover for discreet observation but only for a short time. One of the key problems in conducting surveillance in the city is that very few people can just stand around watching for anything for a prolonged period of time. If you do, someone is going to notice. Marty is damn good at noticing such things. We sometimes play a game “spot the tail” where each of us sees if we can spot the other observing or tailing. Whoever loses buys the beer. Usually, it’s me.

  A van isn’t bad as a post to watch from, if there is a reason for it to be there but a work crew cover is better. You don’t need to feed a meter. Watching from a vacant loft or building isn’t bad either, but it leaves you in a situation where you may have difficulty reacting swiftly. When I arrived at my office block, I could see that Marty’s instincts were still dead on. I think I would have spotted them myself, but there is no guarantee of that. The work crew was good. They were actually doing work, but not too much work. Occasionally, I would see them do something that seemed strange or unrelated to what they should be doing but it was pretty seamless. I could only observe for a few minutes without letting them know that I was aware of them.

  The Americana building, where my office is, was built in the 60’s and it shows. The building is in good shape, but it definitely retains that ultra modern look that was so popular at the time and so dated now. I remember in 1963 when it was first opened it had a neon sign, long gone now. The recent renovation modernized most of the insides, although it was hell working through the construction crews.

  The elevator delivered me to my floor and I made my way into my office. Adriana offered me coffee but I figured I had enough problems already so I declined.

  “No calls, Adirana. I am only here to pick up a few things and then I’m gone for a week or so.”

  “Sure Boss. No problem. I rescheduled your appointment with that new client with Dave. It should be right up his alley since it’s a shrinkage problem at one of his stores.” The barely glanced up at me as I strode across the room.

  “That’s fine. Be sure to tell Dave if he works out deal with this guy and works the case himself to be sure to check the garbage bins. Some clever Joes think they can steal by tossing it out with the trash and Dave does hate to get his hands dirty.” Shrinkage cases were easy and good money. Employee theft was usually pretty easy to catch and you usually didn’t need proof that would stand up in court as most employers would rather terminate the employee than deal with the legal hassles of prosecution.

  Inside my office I quickly went to the window and took a quick look across the way. It only took a moment before a spotted the crew in the building across from me. They were making little effort to hide their efforts or to conceal their presence.

  Good old Crosswich. His arrogance and bigotry were going to be very helpful. He was constantly underestimating me just because he didn’t like me. I made a special effort not to offer him the same aid. I’d bet he probably told these mooks that they didn’t need to worry about me since I was a half breed exile with no skill or power. Something like “Him? No, he’s a punk, half breed, bastard with no training or talent. It won’t take long to catch him breaking the Compact. No way could he be successful without consorting with the Adversary. Yeah, we’ll find proof in his office. I’ll bet the place reeks of diabolic energy.” They’d probably try a break-in if they didn’t find what they were looking for by scrying.

  I concentrated for a moment and allowed my vision to wander. I turned my eyes to the walls and corners of my office. Yes, my wards were still there, but they could use strengthening. With my unfocused vision I could see the little pinpricks of probing that were coming from across the way. Most of this was passive stuff but there were a few subtle probes that snaked out across the empty space between the two buildings.

  I rolled back the carpet and revealed the chalk circle that I had empowered only yesterday. It was still clean and strong. I stepped into the center of the circle and drew the knife that I carried strapped to my wrist. Now the first thing you have to understand about warding ceremonies is that everyone should devise their own and personalize it to their own use. Magic isn’t something that comes mass marketed and preassembled like recipes in a cookbook. True, there are some books that actually contain useable rituals but most of them aren’t very effective because they are far too generic to be of much value. In my line of work, I am looking for very specific attributes to charge my wards. Over the years, I have honed the ceremony to the point that I find it very effective in regards to verisimilitude and illusion.

  I pointed my knife in the general direction of the rising and sun and said “Guardian of the east, attend
thy servent. Seal this place from those who would know my workings. Hermes lend thy aid in this endeavor and guard the eastern gate from all who would steal from this place.”

  I turned to the south and pointed with my knife. “Guardian of the South, attend thy servant, seal this place from those who would spy upon me. Coyote, bemuse and trick those who seek me harm.

  I faced west, the setting sun. “Guardian of the West, attend thy servant, seal this place from those who would observe my work. Sun Hou-Zi, confuse and mislead those who would thwart my will.”

  Finally, I turned to the north and spoke. “Guardian of the North, attend thy servant, seal this place from those who would learn my plans. Loki, son of Odin, befuddle those who would try to deceive me.”

  I lowered the knife and as I did a felt a trickle of power flow from the circle to the four wards. This trickle increased to a current and I could feel the wards becoming more potent and charged.

  That should keep the squad across the way at bay. There would be very little they could learn by remote scrying. If they wanted to learn anything from my office they would have to break-in. Without some evidence that I had actually broken the Compact they couldn’t legally enter. The wards would also discourage illegal visits.

  I sat behind my desk and checked my gun and made sure that I had few extra clips for both the Glock and the holdout gun. I also decided to open the safe and take along some extra cash. I had a Jeryn Callisandra’s retainer, a small bag of silver pieces minted under the current Lord of the Twilght court, Lord Evenstride. Moonstruck silver had a good value at both courts and would help if I had expenses that I couldn’t pay with the roll of greenbacks I slipped into my coat pocket.

  I didn’t know how long I was going to be in the wind, but however long it was, I had to be at the Court of Dawn in three days. I suspect that anyone who wanted to find me would know that. It meant I had a little over three days to find out what was going on do something about it before things went beyond my ability to affect them.