The Art of Madness

by A. J. Mayall

  Dorian nodded and walked into a precinct of averted gazes. He scowled and waited for Jack to join him, striding past desks and people. They entered The Pack’s office, then closed the door, the first time in days. They sighed with relief, taking it as a sign the whole thing was over with.

  Dorian stood, his deep voice resonating as he said, “Letting you know this comes from on high. Jack is on board. In fact, he’s got ideas that might help our little problem here. Didn’t think he had it in him, but turns out he’s more of a team player than I expected.” Dorian grinned and slapped Jack on the shoulder. He continued, “Also, Sam’s duties are being redistributed. Jack is the new Stygus liaison, and as I am currently ranking officer for this division, I’m in charge until Sam gets back, understood?”

  From the back of the room, a hand rose. Dorian nodded to the man.

  “Yes, MacKenzie?”

  Officer Stuart MacKenzie stood, his platinum blond hair shining a bit in the light, cut short and slicked back. Slight in stature, he had long been the brains on the technical side of things for The Pack.

  “Are you sure about this? I mean, he’s new. Nothing against ya, Jack,” he smiled to the Omega, “but after recent events, we’re all a bit skittish is all.”

  Dorian rumbled, “Doesn’t matter how I or any of you feel; like I said, this comes from on high. However, even if it didn’t, I can still stand behind him. Guy knows more than we gave him credit for. He’ll be a real asset to this team. Sam might be gone for a while, same with Lee and Cortez. This isn’t some stupid thing that’s going to blow over. Trust with them has been broken. What you did with Margaret wasn’t right or proper. I don’t care how far back she goes with us, or how deep she was involved with us; what you did was wrong to her and her husband.”

  Stuart sat, reaching for an office toy he kept on his desk for when he wanted to think through problems: a puzzle cube with rotating parts. The various squares were touch screens, and puzzles changed at regular intervals; if you didn’t solve it within a time frame, you may find yourself dealing with a whole new problem. He twisted and turned it during the rest of the discussion, until all six sides glowed blue, signaling its completion. He had been the Omega for years, elevated by Jack’s arrival. The upstart potentially demoting him to his old status infuriated him, but orders were orders.

  Jack turned to Dorian after he had finished going over the agenda for The Pack, the various cases and investigations they had to deal with, as well as their priority.

  “We ready to work together?”

  The Pack nodded, truly welcoming Jack in for the first time.

  Phoenix took an hour to return. Bags weighed down his arms as he grunted, forcing the door open with his left shoulder. He put the food and supplies on a set of desk chairs nearby. Hector waved, inviting Phoenix to see what had been built.

  McGee smiled as he turned the corner. “Looks beautiful!”

  The far back corner had been fitted with a green wall. An old desk, half broken, had been cut, sanded and placed. An office chair rested behind it. On old salvaged fliptop nearby, a selection of various backgrounds filled in the green-screen, the camera built into the front end of the desk, giving the on-screen illusion of sitting at some executive area.

  Phoenix walked to the desk area and sat, letting Hector set the backdrops, and test out the settings. After a moment of seeing their neighbor swipe and test, he got a thumbs-up from him.

  “Everything’s working fine, Phoenix. Thanks for the food! Also, everything folds up nice for storage.” He hopped around to the back and showed the detective the set of hinges and locking mechanisms screwed into the back. “You should be good to go for those television appearances.”

  “Damn, Hector! General Tso’s ain’t gonna be enough to pay you back, how much I owe ya? To have something like this done in a matter of hours is impressive to say the least.”

  Suzette walked in, adjusting her glasses and then the bun in her hair.

  “Ben from Club Enedium responded, you’ve got VIP access tonight. I know you knew the owner, but you never got VIP before. He was a bit stingy with you, especially after you helped him.”

  Phoenix gave a little hop and clapped his hands repeatedly. “Yes! Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes! You’d think after everything I did, especially after the main hub was compromised, he’d have at least given me something more than ten free passes and drinks.”

  “I’ll confirm with Ben.” She turned back to her desk and tapped away, swiping emails about. “The interviews will start at seven tomorrow; think you can be up by then?”

  “Sure can, if you wake me up,” he joked back. Suzette was not amused.

  “I’ll be here at six-thirty to open up, but I am not your damn mother. Wake your ass up and be presentable. You have eight appointments tomorrow in front of that green-screen. Got it, McGee?”

  “Yeah, yeah. But I still got tickets for tonight at Enedium, right?” He grinned like the Cheshire Cat.

  Suzette walked over and smacked him upside the head.

  “OW!”

  Hector laughed, “It is especially hilarious.”

  Dusk fell on Rouge Mal. Suzette DiMarco left McGee Investigations, a brisk wind whipping around her, making the strands of her hair dance about her face as she walked toward her scooter. Her gaze was deep in her bag; while searching for her keys, she failed to notice the two men on a stoop near the garbage bin. Then, one of them whistled at her.

  Suzette stopped immediately and rolled her eyes; whatever this was, she did not have the time to deal with it. She waved politely and gave a smile that made clear she wasn’t interested no matter what they were offering. One pushed himself off the wall and approached her. Suzette noted if movie thug stereotypes were true, she just met one. Caucasian, short brown hair, a couple of facial scars, and ripped jeans, the whole shebang.

  “Need any help, Miss?” the man said in a gravelly tone.

  Suzette knew he was trying to be intimidating. She met his gaze with her icy glare, her tone devoid of any emotion but annoyance, and said, “I never need help. If you’ll excuse me…”

  She tried moving forward and he stepped in front of her. His accomplice, a slightly shorter man who seemed far more nervous than he needed to be, moved in as well, blocking the way behind her.

  “Oh yeah? ‘Never’ is a pretty strong word.” He cracked his knuckles and stepped closer.

  Suzette eyed the alleyway for Hector, not seeing him or any of his neighborhood watch. She had hoped it wouldn’t have to come to this.

  “I’m asking nicely, please let me pass; I’m trying to meet my grandmother for dinner.” She looked behind her at the twitchy man, then back at the man speaking.

  “Heh, like Little Red Riding Hood off to see Grandma. I bet you’re looking for a pair of Big Bad Wolves, then. Maybe if you give us what’s in the basket, you can be on your way.”

  Suzette slowly slid her hand into her purse, her eyebrows rising a bit. “Please, you don’t want to do this. I’m no Red Riding Hood, okay?” She tucked her chin in a bit. This wasn’t her first run-in, but it never hurt to make the body language appear like you’re giving in. The men took a step in.

  The arms rise, the shoulders drop a few inches, the neck relaxes. Jackpot.

  Her hand gripped tight around the pair of brass knuckles she simply called “The Boys”.

  “Okay, I have my pocketbook here. Just don’t hurt me, all right?” She looked up a bit sheepishly at the man in front of her, then realized she’d seen him before. “Wait, aren’t you the guys who robbed Gen’s place?”

  “Thought we’d pay your boss a visit, but I think we’ll just leave him a message before we skip town and our bail.”

  “I oughta kick your ass for scaring Gen.”

  “Nah, Big Bad Wolf is gonna gobble up a nice bit of meat, I think.”

  Suzette smiled wickedly. “I was hoping you’d say that…” she hissed under her breath as he flung the purse at the man in front of her, making him put his
hands up.

  Suzette jumped at the man behind her, slamming her fist into his nose. The sound of bones cracking filled the alleyway. The man cried out, holding his face, bowing, doubling over, and turning as his eyes watered, blinding him. She smirked as he gave a painful sneeze, a spray of blood and mucus making a half moon shape on the pavement.

  She gazed over her right shoulder. Big Bad One was recuperating, and saw Two nursing a broken nose. She put her hands together, slipping the second of The Boys onto her left hand. A one-two to the stomach and the solar plexus knocked him back.

  Big Bad Two staggered to his feet, yelling, “Geht hehr! Behtch boke mah node!”

  He tried to advance on Suzette, who stepped in and screamed like a madwoman, fury in her eyes. She was a Valkyrie in that moment, her motion and speed directed by rage and persistence. She uppercut Big Bad One, and he stumbled back, dazed. She turned to face Two, hair in strings over her face, her shoulders heaving as she hunched over, breathing heavily through clenched teeth.

  “My, Grandma, what a big nose you have.” She marched toward the second attacker, who lunged. A quick duck and sidestep put her inside his punch, where a left jab to his broken nose made him wail like a siren, his hands going back to his face.

  She ordered, “ON. THE. GROUND.” He kneeled on the gritty pavement, nursing his nose as bolts of lightning went through his face. Suzette returned her attention to the first man, adjusting The Boys.

  He held his jaw, moving it left and right to make sure it wasn’t broken, in a haze of pain that clouded his vision red. He blinked back tears and saw the black haired woman standing in front of him, fists raised.

  “My, Grandma, what big ears you have!” She feinted with her right, forcing the street tough to block, and clocked him in the left ear with a hook. He spun and stumbled, soon kicked to the ground. She was upon him like a wild animal, punching left and right in the ears as he curled into a fetal position, pushing her off and kicking at her.

  “Stop! Lesson fucking learned!” he screamed at Suzette, who paused and shook her head.

  “My, Grandma, what big eyes you have!” The man cringed and covered his eyes with his hands. Suzette didn’t mind breaking a few fingers to get to what she wanted. She held him by the throat, standing over him while she rained blow upon blow at his hands until she heard a crunch. He quickly reached to the side, trying to grab a two by four off a nearby stoop.

  Amateurs.

  She looked over her shoulder at Two, who was still lying on the ground. She hopped to the side, stomping on One’s prone shattered hand. Another scream filled the alleyway as she stood up, twisting her heel on the fingers as she did so. She lifted a foot over the man’s head.

  “You think you’ve learned a lesson when I’ve not even started teaching. This isn’t a lesson for you. It’s a lesson for your smart friend over there.” She pointed to Two, who watched in horror. He reached for her ankle, thinking it would come down on his face. Shock ran through his body as she kicked it to the side and down, breaking the man’s elbow, her other foot still on that arm’s hand.

  It was about this time Hector turned the corner with a few of the watch, going slightly pale at the scene.

  “Suzette, are you okay? We heard yelling! Do you need help?” he bellowed, running toward her. He knew she had a temper and that she could defend herself in a pinch, but he didn’t know she was capable of something like this.

  “No need. Call the police. Tell them to bring an ambulance. Tell them it looks like a broken arm, possible broken ribs, a swollen face and missing teeth, and another guy looks like he’d been hit by a car or something.”

  Hector paused as he looked at the two of the men. “They don’t have all those injuries, though.”

  “Not yet,” she remarked with a playful smile, turning her attention to Big Bad One. “My, Grandma, what big teeth you have…” She brought her fist down with all her anger. Every bit of vitriol that spurred her antisocial behavior was poured into what she did to the jaw and teeth of the man under her.

  Hector moved to stop her and she balled a fist, pointing at him. “This is what happens what your watch isn’t around: folks get hurt in the alley. Now, go call the cops.”

  He nodded and hurried the others into the building.

  “I only got a few minutes before they show up, so I’ll do this fast and dirty.”

  Hector winced at the sounds and low, gurgling pleads for mercy, telling his guys not to intervene. He took his phone off the charger and dialed 911.

  “What is the nature of your emergency?”

  “Yeah, there’s these two guys, they tried to mug my neighbor. She fought back and now there’s screaming. Please send an ambulance!”

  “Is she hurt? Are the men still there?”

  Hector heard the sound of a scooter turning on. Then he heard a rev and it took off through the alley, ending in a loud crunch and a scream.

  A moment later, Suzette shouted, “He tried to run away!”

  Hector blinked. “The men are still here, please you gotta stop her.”

  “I thought you said she was being attacked.”

  “Was being attacked, now she’s just mad. Hurry! I think one of them might still be able to walk!”

  Officer Jack Hoffman was finishing his duties with Dorian when the call came over the radio. Attempted assault and battery turned ugly. Two men on a woman. HQ was getting the footage off a nearby security camera. Dorian flipped on the siren and they raced to the scene. A few minutes later, they found an ambulance tending to two tenderized men. One was unrecognizable, his teeth knocked out and his sockets cracked, dislocated jaw. The other was recognizable, one of the thieves who hit a bookstore recently, out on bail, stripped to his underwear. He had a tire tread bruise and full body lacerations.

  There was also an annoyed woman sitting there, leaning against a scooter.

  Dorian nodded to Jack, motioning to the woman. “Damn, you see that? Think she’s Stygus? I seen a few vampires tear a man apart like that. Could be one of us, too.”

  “Could be. I suppose as liaison, I’ll handle the interview. You handle the neighbor.” He smiled, looking over at the bored woman.

  Dorian smacked him, a smile on his face. “Damn, Jack. Really?” He shoved on the rookie, parking the vehicle.

  Jack headed to Suzette, pulling out his notepad. “Hello, Miss…”

  Suzette stated her name to him and rubbed her temples. “Am I free to go yet? I mean, open-and-shut case. Two muggers, one me, some self-defense and I’m late for a dinner date.”

  Jack held up his hands. “Hey, no arguments from me, but we have to make sure everything is documented. Security cam across the street caught the event. We’re just waiting for confirmation from HQ for that info. Do you want to press charges?” He looked her up and down, impressed more and more.

  “No, thank you. I’d rather go, if it’s all the same to you.”

  “Just a few more questions. How did you overpower your assailants?” He clicked his pen and took notes.

  “With ease and a bit of annoyance,” she curtly replied. She followed up, “Also, a bit of an anti-climactic feeling as well. Personally, I thought they’d put up more of a fight.”

  Jack liked what he heard. “I have to ask, due to the extreme nature of their injuries, are you Stygus? Omnus? If so, did you give appropriate warning before using natural defenses?”

  “I’m neither. I was a rowdy kid whose parents put her in martial arts classes to get her out of their hair.” She smiled smugly, looking him over. He had a real boy-next-door look she couldn’t stand.

  “What did you study? Jiujitsu? Bit of kickboxing?” he remarked off the cuff, making her groan.

  “Systema, Krav Maga, Savate, and Bartitsu,” she calmly responded.

  “Where are you going for dinner?”

  “I fail to see how that’s relevant.”

  “Well, I’d just like to know where I can invite you out.” Jack smiled. “I’m almost off shift, anyway. We were
heading back after a bit of business in the Asylum District. Heck, I don’t even work this kind of case. APB came across, we responded. We want to finish this, clock out, and go home. How about it?”

  “Officer…?” Suzette started, and then it was Hoffman’s turn to reveal his name. “Officer Hoffman, you seem like a nice guy, but I’m not the type of girl who goes after a man in uniform.” She paused a moment, looked at his partner, then to him. “Make you a deal, if I’m on the road in less than five minutes, I’ll have dinner with you.”

  She exited the alley in three. Hoffman had a dance in his step as he walked to Dorian who was finishing up the paperwork.

  “HQ called in, verifying the story. She was the intended victim. What info did you get?” he asked as he sent the necessary information to the precinct.

  “Just a name, and a phone number.” Jack grinned ear to ear.

  “What the hell did you need her phone number for?” He paused, then grinned back. “You dirty mutt, you! I knew you liked ’em rough, I knew it. So, is she one of us?”

  Jack shook his head. “Naw, just had parents who sent their problem child to self-defense courses with the least mainstream names.”

  “No shit…?”

  “That was 100% pure woman scorned.”

  “Damn, hope you know what you’re getting into, Jack.”

  Phoenix came running, seeing the police turning the corner away from the scene. Hector had called his line, telling him that Suzette had been attacked. He rushed around the corner into the alley, but didn’t find anyone there. When he searched for signs of her scooter, he realized she must have already driven off. He grunted under his breath, grabbed his phone and hit a contact he was hoping to avoid.

  After a moment, and a few rings, a lady’s voice rang out, clear as a bell.

  “This is Francesca DiMarco. Who is this?” she inquired.