The place they were looking for, the Tranquil Cactus, had thick shutters over the windows, an old sign that didn’t light up and a sign in the door that very clearly said they were closed. He nearly bought it, except that people were moving around inside.
The door was locked, which was legal enough. If you ran a place and wanted to keep the public out, that was fair enough. They hadn’t called first though, so it seemed a bit pointed, if it was just for them. So, making a face at his partner, Troy knocked. Probably a bit hard, considering it was on thick glass, but it did get a worried woman to come to the door.
She didn’t seem all that old at all. About thirty, give or take a few years. The energy coming off of her was a pure and bright silver, however. That meant she was a mage, since humans all looked pink or red to him. There were two other people inside with her, but the woman looked past them, in a very conspicuous fashion, then relaxed and actually smiled.
“Hi! We’re not open right now but we can probably take a few minutes to help you. What can I get you folks?” She guided them in but locked the door behind them. It was just a deadbolt, so wasn’t really going to stop them from leaving if they wanted.
Tran stared at it anyway, getting the flustered lady to explain, rubbing her hands down her rather homemade looking dress.
“Sorry. We’ve been having some creeps around here off and on. Bad people.”
Taking a guess, for no apparent reason, Troy tilted his head.
“Did they order chickens for a sacrifice by any chance?” It had to sound odd and he got ready to claim it was a joke, when the woman nodded, her blue eyes going wide.
“Yes! A lot of them. That means blood magic. The hard stuff, not just a bit to appease a god or superstition. We don’t do that kind of thing here. It’s against the rules. You aren’t with them, are you? She seemed worried and flared a bit with magic. The teen boy behind the counter, who probably should have been in school, and the older lady off to the side, didn’t do that, though there was a tight glowing sense of things in the lady’s hands. The kid clearly had a handgun in a paper bag near his side.
Detective Tran slowly and calmly got her badge out.
“Police. Those sound like people we’d like to talk to. In relation to some missing people. Not here.”
The slightly red headed lady reached out and touched her arm.
“Albuquerque? They said something about having been there.”
Which only made sense.
“Exactly. Close enough to count anyway. We’ve had two rituals here. The mage higher ups have reported that it’s a real ceremony, though they don’t know why it’s being done. High level though. It doesn’t leave any trace of the work, or life energy when they get done. I’ve seen two of the things. We can’t know if there were more than that. Uh…” He stopped, but shrugged a bit. “Some of the missing have been mages. Almost all of them that lived at the places targeted. Here in Lincoln it’s been a greater demon and a vampire. So that’s different. The rest seem to have mainly been humans. We aren’t totally certain on that last part, since people will hide what they are from the authorities, if they don’t know to trust them.”
Tran nodded, digging out some cards from her pants pocket.
“Is this were the mages collect in the area?” She made an effort to be conversational, which was a thing that Troy hadn’t been certain she could pull off. It was good to know, since it meant he could take her more places.
The lady in front nodded, a bit weakly, as if she wasn’t certain she should admit to that.
“We’ve told everyone to stay away for now, unless it’s an emergency. We meet here though. Sell ceremonial and private solo working materials as well. Even chickens can be ordered, but not like that. If it’s blood magic, then something bad is being summoned. That or created. You said it was master level work though? Who told you that?”
Troy grinned.
“Or we could go with names before you interrogate us? It will seem more civilized that way.” That got a smile, so he tapped his chest a bit. “Troy Lopez. Officer Lopez. This is Detective Denise Tran. You probably noticed that I’m a vampire. It isn’t hidden or anything. We’re basically the new Supernatural Division for the force here.”
He waited, half expecting the boy to shoot him, but was pleasantly surprised instead.
The lady in front, smiled.
“You mean you’re actually looking into real things? No one was certain if that would be happening. Then, we didn’t know that you had a master vampire with you. Lopez… Troy Lopez… Like the vampire line walker?” She was awfully certain of that point.
It got him to sigh, mournfully.
“Yes. Right now, I’m supposed to be a regular vampire officer though, so don’t spread that around? Anyway, names. Or not. We aren’t questioning you, but you seem to have info… That’s a good thing in my book.”
The lady blushed a bit. It left a tracery of heat on her cheeks. The veins showed first, then faded as the capillaries opened, warming her pale flesh. Under the silver energy she had inside and around her was a hot red. Life energy. He looked away as she spoke.
“Leslie Hampton. This is Nevi and Forest. Also, Hampton. My little brother and my…” She stopped and looked at them, one at a time. Then tilted her head. “Nevi is my great, great aunt. She’s a healing mage.”
Troy got that one, since a lot of them didn’t age like normal people. Something about the magic kept them young and healthy, or so he’d heard.
“Neat. Nice to meet you all. Now, can you tell us all about the people that have been coming here for those chickens? Everything you can think of, no matter how small or weird. If we don’t understand we’ll ask questions.”
Leslie went first, seeming to be in charge there, for some reason. Forest even relaxed enough to take his hand out of the paper bag that had the shape of a firearm to it.
“There were three of them that I saw here. A man and two women. From the way they spoke they weren’t alone. I didn’t go out to see if anyone was in the car with them, or even what they were driving.”
“I did.” That came from the boy, who sounded like every teen who wasn’t a young thug ever invented. “There was a second man. He was older. Not old, but… I don’t know, late forties? All of them were mages. Active too. I mean, loaded with weapons and warding spells. Ready to cast, as well. It was part of what was so freaky. No one walks around like that all the time. When you get scared or really upset, but not just to shop for supplies. They were in a white van thing.”
Two of the people sounded really familiar at least.
“Well, that’s got to be Heidi and Lars. Okay, we have the descriptions of the others. I don’t suppose you have a camera here?” That was a long shot, and a thing they wouldn’t even consider, even if they were being bugged by blood mages. Ones that had really wanted eighteen chickens.
Enough materials for three whole rituals.
After draining them all for data, Troy passed out more cards.
“I don’t sleep, so if you need help in the middle of the night, call nine-one-one, and then me. I can probably be here first, but that way we have a paper trail.”
The younger woman touched his arm. She didn’t send any power at him or anything. She also didn’t recoil from his cool flesh. Then, the day was warm, so he probably wasn’t that bad.
“Thanks, Officer Lopez. Can we pass the word about you, or is that secret?”
“About the vampire cop working that everyone can get in touch with and his majestic but understanding human partner? Sure. Pass out the numbers if it comes up. We’re the police for everyone in the area, not just one group.”
That got a smile from the older lady, a skeptical look from Forest and a snort from Denise.
“It’s true. It always was and is. This way you just know that if you have something strange going on that you might be believed. Might. After all, our job is to find the truth and make sure the laws are followed. We’re fair about it though. Don’t hesitate t
o call on us if needed. Better to take twenty calls about your lost cats than to not hear about the one thing we’re really needed on.”
It sounded a bit mean to Troy, saying it that way, but the others all nodded, as if it were what they needed to hear.
He didn’t say anything as they left, but Detective Tran did, about half a mile down the road.
“You wanted to do a stake out, right? Those folks were gearing up for a real fight. That isn’t what happens when you refuse to sell a few chickens. They were locked up at two in the afternoon. My bet is that someone is coming at them.”
Troy hadn’t gotten that at all, though it seemed right enough, when she mentioned it.
“Not bad. I can go and sit out back. Or on the roof. I’ll take my phone, but if you need me, text?” He didn't need to eat after all, and as long as he stayed away from the warding lines, which he couldn’t normally see, it would be fine.
His partner made a face.
“Nope. We both go and sit in a car for half a day, like good cops. We’ll take your car though. You have a luxury sedan with a mini-bar, right?”
“I have a car. It goes, most of the time. Very small. Also, inconspicuous and clean inside. Drop me at the street by Main and Second? I can meet you at the department… Probably before you get there. No more than a few minutes later. I need to change clothing.”
That got a strange expression with a single closed eye.
“Yeah, your Armani or whatever you’re wearing kind of gives you away. Sharp, but maybe something that looks right at a cowboy bar? Or at least like you could be out getting head from an old woman in.”
He nearly said that in that case he could wear the suit, but it just didn’t work with his vehicle.
“Jeans and a t-shirt?”
“That will work. Fifteen minutes from when we break off, in front of the station? I have some stuff in my locker.”
He hurried, as soon as she paused to let him off. Running into pain that was intense enough that he couldn’t really love it. The world stopped around him though. That part was kind of cool. Technically it was still moving, he was just about a hundred times faster than normal. Walking at a few miles per hour was impressive under those conditions. It took care not to destroy his door, or his clothing, as he changed. Even at that, there was going to be extra wear on the things.
Then, after making sure he had his wallet and ran a brush through his short hair, he drove, very carefully back in to work. Tran wasn’t outside, but the car they had checked out was in its space. He got out and waited, since she might not get that the little beater was his, otherwise. Then he waited, in the burning hot sun. It was getting later in the day, but in the spring, they still had hours of the burning orb left. It was nearly enough to make him want to move to the Antarctic for half the year. The sun bothered him, but six months of winter wouldn’t at all. Even in sub-zero temperatures.
Pain orb above him or not, Denise didn’t hurry properly and nearly twenty-five minutes later she came out. Dressed in a loose top that had a belt around it and a pair of jeans, along with green footie socks and white running shoes.
“That’s good.” She meant his car. “It’s almost like you picked it for undercover work. It’s a shame everyone seems to know all about you already. Let’s go? We can’t know when our friends will be back. If they are at all.”
He nodded, noticing that she actually had two cameras with her. Official ones. A still telephoto and a video cam. It was a good idea. One that probably showed why she was in charge of the department. He would have just climbed up on the roof of the building to wait. No nod toward evidence at all.
This time he got to drive, since it was his vehicle. That meant his rules applied. Tran wasn’t on his insurance, so that one was a no go. It reminded him to get her listed for that. If she needed to take off sometime, in his car, then they had to make sure it was all above board.
Troy drove like an old woman carrying farm fresh eggs on the way back. If that was noticed, it didn’t get commented on. When they got there, she waved to the other side of the road.
“In the parking lot over there? Behind the bushes a little. It’s conspicuous, but not as much as being right out front would. If anyone comes… Well, in the daylight we just send them away. At night, I dive for your lap and pretend we were doing something naughty. That will get most of them to back off. That or call the police. If that happens, well, I told Roy the plan. They’ll still have to come out, but should know to be circumspect about it.”
He got ready to sit and wait for hours. Possibly in stony silence. Instead, Denise started to chatter at him. About her daughter.
Min.
“She just got divorced about a year ago. Sweet girl. She has my looks.” There was a total silence after that, as he nodded rather carefully, his eyes straight ahead. Watching with a lot of focus.
Then there was a chuckle.
“So, you aren’t taking the bait on that? Good. Anyway, she has a little son. He’s four. Barty. I know, it’s the name of a fifty-year-old man, but she insisted. Her ex was named that.”
The long and rather dismal tale of her daughter and how she’d made the worse possible choice in life partners came non-stop for a while. Troy supposed he could have gotten bored or annoyed, but that kind of thing, learning about his partner’s life, was important. Even the stuff that he had no real need to know about. It was part of what would be shaping Tran’s reactions to things. By knowing about it ahead of time, there was a chance that he’d get what she’d be doing, at times. Not always, but enough to make it worth his time.
Then the topic changed to the weather, which was warm and sunny, and finally to the idea of the community picnic.
“I was shocked that you didn’t personally invite the people at the shop over there. You must be slipping. Little Miss Magic Pants there was certainly interested enough. I thought she was going to ask for your autograph for a while there. Even the older one looked impressed. I didn’t get the thing there though. That’s her aunt?”
“Great, great aunt. That probably means she’s pushing a hundred to one-twenty. Healing mages do that. I’ve seen older people that looked no more than thirty. That’s rare though. You basically have to work full time on healing for that kind of thing to happen. It was a test for us. You got that one.”
It was clear that she had. Enough not to overreact or claim that Leslie must be lying about it.
Tran nodded.
“When I was a kid, we came over on a boat. The real kind, you know? It wasn’t a metaphor or anything. When we got here, it was a lot like this. The Vietnamese community didn't trust the police. They didn't look like us, we didn’t speak the same language and where we came from the cops were all corrupt, so we didn’t trust them. It will be like that for a while with these folks now, I bet. They’ve gone it alone for so long that they can’t see us as being on their side. We haven’t been, really. All we can do is keep being there for them, just like everyone else.”
That made sense to him, even if it wasn’t a thing he’d ever thought about before. His error, no doubt.
Chapter ten
Stakeouts, as it turned out, were actually kind of boring. Tran kept herself from eating too much, with a good bit of work and refused to drink anything except water. The idea there was that doing more than that would force her out of the vehicle to go to the bathroom every few hours.
Troy didn’t have to worry about that. Instead he focused past the bushes and listened to what was going on inside the little mage shop across the way. It took a bit of focus to ignore the cars in the way, but that was a vampire ability. He could turn off anything he wanted, to prevent the world from becoming too intense. Really, it was so he could focus on the people he was hunting and not lose them, but the modern vamp didn’t mention that part of things.
The mages were rather normal, in what they were doing.
“Leslie is on the phone, talking to a woman who seems to need three pounds of silver wire. That and some rose qu
artz, for a project. I don’t know what that is. Neither of them have said. Forest is sweeping. It looks like he actually has a work ethic, so that’s good.” He wasn’t trying to do a minute by minute report or anything, but when things changed he kept Tran updated.
For her part, she wasn’t upset with him doing that, as far as he could tell.
“Good. I’ve never had ears inside on an op like this before. It pretty much is showing that they aren’t in with the bad guys, doesn’t it? There’s no talk about running, or anything. Just doing business and not opening the door to freaky chicken killers.”
The mages kept calling them blood fiends. It didn’t have the air of being a thing spoken with grudging respect, either. It was darker than that. Like they were actually scared of the people that had come in for supplies. They’d refused to help them, from the sound of it, and were worried that the blood mages were going to strike back at them, as an example to the others.
“It will probably be down to why the crew is in town. If they’re staying, then making an example of our three here just makes good sense. If they’re planning to be gone in a few days or weeks, then it would be the better plan to keep their heads down. Going after a well warded and defended shop, filled with people who can fight back, is a poor plan if the goal is just to see if your trick is going to work on a greater demon.” Or even on a master vampire.
The answer for both was going to end up being no. After all, Troy knew when to not be in his apartment, if nothing else. As soon as Darla called, she’d at least be given that much information. If she hadn’t taken care of the whole thing herself already. In that case… Well, then their job might be finished already.
You couldn’t keep mages locked up for long, after all. They were kind of slow, often taking half an hour or more to come up with a powerful spell. The thing there is that, even without their gear and pretty gems, they could blast down walls, walk through them, turn invisible or almost anything else you could think of. They weren’t weak at all. Thankfully, they were a people of laws, in the main.
Troy Ounce (Lopez Time Book 1) Page 14