The Knight focused his growing irritation on the priest, "It is not against our customs to do so, however, what do you think you will be able to learn that we weren't?"
"I might help by providing weapon data and other clues. While I am not a forensic pathologist, I have plenty of experience in trauma care." Doc never flinched from the elf's gaze.
Ghost cut in, "May I ask why you are so anxious for me to name our suspects, Tó Coferal?"
The Knight shifted back to the monster hunter. He paused for a moment, visibly trying to calm his rising rage. "I would like to interrogate these suspects. I believe that we have methods you are unable, or unwilling, to use. Those methods work well, and it is our right under the Accords to deal with any attacks on our court committed by a non-signatory."
Agent Smith had been afraid that this would be the fae response. Ghost realized that his fears were correct. "I understand, and agree that it is your prerogative under the Accords to confront those who attack your court," the federal monster hunter began. "However, you do have to make sure you are confronting the correct enemy. The Accords also spell out consequences to the court if you attack non-signatories without provocation."
Ghost continued, careful to keep his voice neutral as he chose his words carefully, "Frankly, I believe your emotions might be too close to this matter for you to objectively evaluate the evidence. Your honor demands satisfaction, and your desire for revenge might blind you to the real culprits.
"Is there any possible way this could be a fae attack? Could the Unseelie court be involved?"
The Knight was darkly fuming as he considered his next words. Before he could speak, the Queen laid a hand on his forearm and spoke up, "Jonas Vanhof, you do not understand the Unseelie court as well as you might believe. It is unlikely that this attack was perpetrated by the Unseelie. The weapons and tactics were human. The video from the attack bears this out."
The Queen's soft voice grew older and brittle, "Is it possible that your lack of... experience leads you to consider those that the evidence does not support? Is it possible that you are too close to case, and that you may be subconsciously biased against the fae?"
Ghost shook his head. Before he could respond, the Seelie Queen spoke again. "I would remind you that, under the Accords, if a signatory interferes with another, grieved signatory in action against the grieved, that signatory forfeits all rights under the Accords, and can suffer severe sanctions."
O'Beirne let out a gasp as the Queen's words sunk in. He looked at Ghost, desperately trying to reign in the federal monster hunter. "Agent Vanhof," the Irish representative tried to make the DHS agent pause. "The Queen is right to have called on the Accords to remind everyone of the possible sanctions."
Ghost intentionally failed to take the hint. He was upset at the sanctimonious Knight, and the stiff-necked monarch. He was furious with the group of humans who had taken down the private club. And he was angry that he had just been surreptitiously threatened by the Seelie court.
Ghost tried to calm his voice and keep his expression neutral, but his words were sharp enough to cut paper. "Before we label a perpetrator, we will have to conduct a thorough investigation of all the suspects. We will find the correct perp, but we will not give you carte blanche to use your methods of extracting information. In this country, people are innocent until proven guilty."
The DHS hunter continued, barely pausing to breathe. "I will, however, ask the question again, aside from circumstantial evidence, why are the Unseelie excluded from consideration?"
The Queen replied, "We know this was not the Unseelie court because of the weapons used, and because the video shows a heavy human response. While the Unseelie might decide to try a power play, this was clearly orchestrated by humans."
Ghost raised the question again, "But what if we discover that it really was the Unseelie court behind the attack? How are you going to respond?"
The Queen's Knight shook his head angrily. "It was a filthy human group. The video and evidence bears that out. I do not understand your fixation on the Unseelie as suspects. Tell me who your primary suspects are, and I will get the truth from the perpetrators. And then we will show those who dare attack the Seelie what will happen to them." The Knight's eyes were wild with rage.
Ghost sat for a moment, stunned at the vitriol and accusations that had been bandied about. He slowly raised his empty hands in a placating gesture. The monster hunter cautiously chose his next words.
"Tó Coferal, I cannot, in good faith as a signatory to the Accords provide the names of our primary suspects." Ghost licked his suddenly dry lips. "I assure you that we will conduct a thorough and speedy investigation. At the end, we will provide you with the identities of the perpetrators. Will that satisfy your honor, at least temporarily?"
The Knight was momentarily speechless. He had expected the humans to go along, and their persistent denial was making him enraged. His honor, his Queen's honor, and the honor of the Seelie court was at stake, and these humans were standing in the way.
The Queen raised her hand, calling for silence. The sound of heavy, angry breathing was the only sound that the group could hear. Her eyes grew as cold as ice, and her words chilled those in the room. "For the time being, my Knight's honor, my honor, and my court's honor shall be satisfied. You are to investigate this savage attack against my court. When you are done with your honest investigation, and have proof against the perpetrators, you will turn that information over to myself, or to my Knight, as is mandated by the Accords.
"To accomplish this, you shall be given great latitude in what or who you investigate. My Knight, and his fellow knights, will provide you with every detail and every amount of full cooperation possible. I personally guarantee, on my honor, that you will have our full cooperation. Does that satisfy your needs, Jonas Vanhof?"
Ghost looked up and bowed his head slightly in approval. He spoke, "As signatories of the Accords, I hereby offer acceptance of your conditions, as stated. I would, however, like to add one addendum. My team will, in all likelihood, require a representative from the court as we approach other fae while investigating this attack. Will you provide a representative and safe passage while we are among your fae?"
The Queen looked at her Knight and raised a single, perfect eyebrow. The Queen's Knight nodded and said, "I will furnish a minder for you, while you are investigating this attack."
The Queen addressed the humans gathered at the table, "As we conclude this audience, I will offer one more... statement. As Signatories, you are bound by the codes within the Accords. We are also bound by these Accords. I am giving you forty-eight hours to find the killers and report to myself or my Knight.
"If, at the end of the forty-eight hours, you have not provided the names of the perpetrators, I will consider your delay as deliberately trying to hide the perpetrators, and thus contributing to the attack on my court, and we shall consider the Accords, themselves, broken. If you are the cause for the broken Accords, we will regain our honor through battle with you.
"In forty-eight hours you will provide the identities of those who massacred my court, or you will start the next fae war."
II
INVESTIGATION
11
HUMANS
SEELIE COURT, BURTON STREET SE, GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN
It was over an hour before the human agents emerged from the house. By then, Heavy was getting antsy. The big man kept walking around and pacing, often looking at the house as if he was calculating how to assault the place. Their assigned court guards would have been very nervous if they knew that he was mentally planning an assault on their Queen's Court. Meanwhile, Spooky monitored the audience with the Seelie court, hunched over and typing away furiously, keeping notes on the conversation.
The big heavy weapons expert let out a sigh when his team leadership reappeared from inside the Court. His shoulders visibly slumped, and he waited a few seconds to make sure they were ok. Ghost raised his right hand and made a small whir
ling motion with his index finger, telling the big man to climb back up into the truck.
Doc and O'Beirne climbed up into the back of the truck as Ghost walked around to the front passenger side. The DHS team leader looked through the open side door and watched as Boomer clambered into the driver's seat. Ghost removed his duster and hat before he climbed up into the truck and stowed them in the compartment behind him before pulling the side door closed.
Boomer turned the key and the monster engine roared to life. She dropped the transmission into first gear and looked at her team leader, "Where to, boss?"
Ghost said, "MCC. I've got to make a few calls." The lanky agent pulled out his secure phone and placed a call to Gretchen. He had a lot to discuss.
THREE LONG HOURS LATER, two government-issue Chevy Suburbans rolled to a stop beside the C-17 on the parking ramp. SAC Lewis climbed out of one and walked over to the stairs leading up into the large plane. As he arrived at the bottom of the stairs, Ghost stepped out of the doorway and walked down to greet the senior agent. Lewis and Ghost spoke briefly, and then Lewis gave the veteran monster hunter a set of keys, turned, and walked over to the second black SUV.
As that other SUV pulled away, the rest of Knightmare assembled on the tarmac outside the plane. Ghost addressed them all, indicating each agent as he mentioned them.
"As we discussed. Heavy, Scout, and Do-Right are with me in the nice shiny SUV. We are team Alpha. We will go meet with the SPH to see if they kicked over this hornet's nest."
He looked at the others, "Doc, you take Boomer, Spooky, Dancer, and Captaen O'Beirne in the Wunder Buggy. You are team Bravo. Go check out the crime scene and any of the evidence the Seelie will let us have.
"You will meet Tó Coferal at the club. Nudge him hard, but stay within the boundaries of the Accords. Listen to the Captaen. He's our liaison for a reason."
He slowly met each agent's eyes. "Any questions?"
A chorus of negative disclaimers and shaking heads confirmed his thoughts. "All right, then. Mount up. Good hunting." The tall monster hunter walked toward the black Suburban with his kit-bag in his hand. Heavy already had the rear lift-gate open and was stowing his massive weapon cases inside. As the team leader dropped his kit into the back of the black truck, he heard the roar of the Wunder Buggy fire up. There was a slight "chirp" from the tires as Boomer dropped the truck into gear and raced for the club. I didn't even know it was possible to bark the tires in an armored truck, the hunter thought. He shook his head, bemused at his team's crazy driver.
His team was soon on the road, headed downtown to the heart of Grand Rapids. He pulled up outside an older office building that boasted various law firms and offices. Finding a parking spot in the attached lot, he and the other three agents climbed out of the SUV. It was early fall, and the wind had a chill running through it. Ghost wore his hat and duster, walking cane in his hand to complete his ensemble. Other than the that, he did not look out of place in this area.
Do-Right was wearing a jacket over his open-collar shirt and khaki pants. The jacket was there to cover his duty weapon, and he would easily pass as a local business man or even a police detective. Scout was dressed in a polo shirt and slacks and had found a light jacket to cover his sidearm. Scout fit in with the rest of the group, looking natural on the streets of the city in the early fall.
Heavy, on the other hand, would stand out wherever he was. A tight black t-shirt and black BDU pants were covered by a black jacket. The fabric on his sleeves looked as if it would burst from pressure if the giant man flexed at all. As the wind caught his jacket, it revealed his sidearm holstered. If anyone was looking, they would also see what appeared to be handles of two tools sticking up out of the collar of his jacket. The large black man got stares from several bystanders. He simply smiled with his eyes hidden behind his sunglasses.
Raised brass letters running down the side of the building proclaimed this the "Federal Square Bldg" in block script, with the address "29 Pearl Street NW" posted over the entrance. All four men walked through the lobby doors and walked inside the building. Built in the early 1900s, the lobby welcomed visitors with expanses of dark wood and brass. Marble tiles were underfoot, and a wide staircase rose up and to the right. A small sign made of black wood and accented in brass listed the building's tenants, and Ghost pointed to the one they were there to visit—Society for the Preservation of Humanity.
All four gentlemen walked across to the stairs and began the trek up to the fourth floor, the top floor of the building. As the walked, Ghost thought about his briefing on the SPH and its founder.
The Society for the Preservation of Humanity had been founded by William DeVoer, Jr. in 1922. The wealthy businessman grew up the youngest of three in his middle class family. While they were not rich, the DeVoer's never went hungry. The senior William worked to raise his own cattle and manage the small family farm, but always encouraged his children to gain an education and make their own lives better.
All that changed when young William's mother began attending strange religious meetings. Wanting to keep his wife happy, the elder DeVoer encouraged his wife to study her new religion. Two years later, on the youngest DeVoer's birthday, his mother had invited several members of her religion into the house to help "convert" the rest of the family.
In his memoirs, the younger DeVoer remembered hearing his fathers screams of horror and pain as his mother drove the knife through the ribs and into his father's heart. Frozen in terror, he could only watch as two of her friends grabbed his sister, the eldest child, and held her for the child's mother to drive the same blade into her child's chest, driving the knife home multiple times.
His older brother had grabbed his arm and yelled for the youngster to run. He had given him a good shove and then reached up to the counter for a knife that was lying near the stove. His brother dove at his mother even as she drove her own knife down into his body. As the life was ripped out of his brother, William saw his mother clutch at the knife in her own breast. The two slumped to the floor, dead. William vaguely remembered the other cult members running away from the house.
In that moment, a deep-seated hatred for religion and the occult was born in young William. He was sent to live with his aunt and uncle, and there learned business and sales in his uncle's shops. At the age of seventeen, William left for college with an academic scholarship awaiting him.
After he graduated magna cum laude, William opened his own retail store. With a shrewd business sense and an almost preternatural luck, William was soon one of the wealthiest men in town. With the money and career he needed, DeVoer soon founded the Society for the Preservation of Humanity. The SPH was specifically chartered to hunt down and learn from or destroy the supernatural, specializing in the occult studies and eradication.
Over ninety years later, the man who was angry at cults had left a legacy of chasing down and eradicating any cults they found. William DeVoer left an impressive legacy of monster and occult hunting, and Ghost wondered if they hadn't overstepped their bounds.
Alpha team strode up to the secretary's desk, and she eyed the group warily. Ghost read the nameplate on her desk and flashed his biggest, most sincere smile and drew his badge. Opening the credentials, the DHS leader said, "Hello Betty, I am Special Agent Jonas Vanhof from the Department of Homeland Security. I need to see your boss. Is he busy now?"
At the mention of DHS, the secretary's smile faltered, and she cast about for what to say. "I'm sorry, Agent... Vanhof? Mister Lancaster is currently in a meeting and gave direction that he is not to be disturbed. May I tell him what this is regarding?"
Ghost still had his badge out and flashed it again, forcing a little willpower into it. His grin grew predatory. "I know that you think you are protecting your boss. This is not a game you want to play. I hold all the aces, and you don't even have a pair of twos. you can either announce us, or I will simply walk past you. If I have to go past you without being announced, you will not enjoy the consequences. Am I clear?"
Terror flashed in the older woman's eyes. She had never been threatened in such a calm and utterly terrifying manner. She quickly lifted the handset and buzzed her boss. Once he picked up, She quickly announced the federal agents, and winced at the string of cursing coming through the handset.
She nervously tittered as she hung up the phone. Her voice quavered as she told them to all go back through the office doors behind her. The tall fed smiled, thanked her, and strode onward. The other three agents walked past her without a word, although the giant black man flashed her a large, genuine smile as he strode past her.
Ghost opened the door into a spacious office space, richly appointed with soft, dark leather and wood. A massive mahogany desk sat before the door. The expanse of its top was covered with loose papers and files. They completely covered the top, and the only clear spot was around the large computer monitor. The brushed aluminum and black accents looked out of place on the old desk. A man was seated in an overstuffed executive chair that was again richly appointed.
Ghost broke the silence. "Mister Alistair Lancaster, I presume? I am Special Agent Jonas Vanhof from the Department of Homeland Security. We have a few questions for you." As he was talking, the DHS team leader drew and opened his credentials to show to the gentleman.
Alistair Lancaster was a rather portly gentleman. His dark gray suit jacket was draped over the back of his high-backed leather chair, and his tie was askew with the top button of his shirt undone. The current Director of the Society for the Preservation of Humanity was sweating profusely in the well air-conditioned office.
Lancaster's eyes grew wide as they read Ghost's credentials. When the strange runes around the wallet flashed a sickly green, the man's tan face flushed pale, and he stuttered. "You guys are from Section Twenty-Eight? My investigators have only been gone two days, and I was going to call you guys later this week. How did you guys hear about it?"
INCURSION: Faeblade (Knight's Bane Trilogy Book 2) Page 9