by Charley Case
The footage was compiled from several angles, thankfully cut into one long shot that followed a figure through the Menagerie. The video quality was good for a closed-circuit surveillance system, but it was still grainy and tinged green from the night vision.
The figure was obviously a man, wearing a black hoodie and pants. The hood was pulled up, and he wore a ballcap under it, making it even harder to get a good view of him. When he reached to open a door, Finn could see that he was Caucasian, from the skin on his hand, but there were no distinguishing marks on what skin he could see.
Something that hit Finn as odd was the fact that the thief walked in an upright, confident manner, and not at all like someone who was trying to be sneaky.
He watched as the intruder walked from the parking lot to the front gate. The man spent a few seconds at the gate and apparently picked the lock because it swung open on silent hinges. He then strolled through the park as if he was just there to see the sights. He made a circuitous route, stopping a few times at various pens. He seemed at first like he was taking his time, but Finn noticed he would periodically look at his watch, then leave his current spot abruptly.
“Is he timing his route?” Mila asked from the kitchen, where she was putting sauerkraut and thousand island dressing into a bowl and mixing them together.
“I was just thinking that.” Finn looked over his shoulder and gave her a smile. “Good catch.”
The door to Danica’s room opened, and she stepped out wearing blue pajamas with little rubber ducks printed all over them. She was rubbing the sleep from her eyes, and her hair was fluffed out on one side where she had slept on it.
“Hey, guys.” She yawned hugely, hiding her gaping mouth with the back of one hand.
“Good morning, sleepyhead,” Mila laughed. “Want a sandwich?”
Danica stumbled her way into the kitchen and squinted down at the sandwich makings, staring at them as her brain caught up with what she was looking at.
After about ninety seconds, she nodded abruptly. “Yeah.”
Mila laughed again. “Okay, go sit on the couch, and I’ll bring them over when they’re done.”
Danica zombie-walked to the couch and plopped down beside Finn, putting her feet up on the coffee table. Penny hopped from the table to her lap, sitting up tall, and watching the security footage while patting Danica’s leg affectionately. Danica smiled and yawned again, leaning her head on Finn’s shoulder.
The man in the video continued to make his way through the various paths until he came to the kennels they had been in earlier that day. He went around the building to the back gate and again picked the lock in a few seconds. When he stepped into the hellhounds’ exercise yard, he had a small hitch to his step, but it was only evident when he pivoted to his right.
Finn found it odd that at no time did the thief even accidentally glance in the direction of any of the dozens of cameras he passed. It was as if he knew where each and every one of them was.
“This show sucks,” Danica said, combing her fingers through her blonde hair. “Is it some kind of documentary or something?”
Finn chuckled and awkwardly reached over to pat her head where it rested on his shoulder. “It’s not a show. It’s surveillance footage of a thief stealing a hellhound form Preston Meriwether’s Menagerie.”
That made Danica sit up.
She turned to him with wide eyes. “You guys are doing a job for Preston Meriwether? Holy shit! Was he as handsome as he is in his photos?”
“If you’re into bulls, he is,” Mila joked, putting the first two Reubens in the skillet. The sizzle of buttered rye filled the condo.
“Oh yeah. That’s so cool. I forget he’s a minotaur. His press photos are always done so well, and the concealment spell he uses doesn’t leave even a trace of his true form.” Danica smiled.
She leaned back into the couch with a renewed interest in the video.
The man opened the back door to the hellhound facility, and the footage cut to a view from an interior camera, showing him entering. He went to a small wall cabinet beside the garage door that led to the loading bay attached to the facility and pulled out a set of car keys. He then opened the garage door, hopped down the two-foot drop to the bay itself, and headed out toward the small parking lot.
When the man landed in the loading bay, Finn noticed him twist slightly, taking most of the drop on his left leg.
“That’s interesting,” Danica mused, flipping her bottom lip over and over with a long finger as she considered what she was seeing. “He has an injury on his right leg—probably in the thigh, from the way he doesn’t put a lot of flex into it.”
“Is that going to help us?” Finn asked. “This was two months ago, it would be healed by now. I don’t see how that could lead us to him.”
“Well…” The elf scooted up on the couch, making Penny lose her balance and hop to the cushion beside Danica. “Sorry.” She smiled at Penny before continuing her explanation. “He’s walking on it like it’s an old injury. See how when he walks normally, you can’t see a limp, but he is moving stiffer than a normal person? That tells me he’s been living with the injury for a long time. It’s probably an old wound that never healed quite right.”
Finn nodded. Now that she pointed it out, the man did move like he was used to the inconvenience.
“That’s at least something to go on,” he agreed.
The man walked up to a large box truck and used the key to get in and start it up. He backed the truck up to the loading ramp and climbed back inside the facility. He rolled a large cage, nearly six feet to a side, up to one of the pens, and then lifted the gate so that the opening of the rolling cage and the pen were lined up. He then, in an almost comical act, pulled a raw steak from the pocket of his hoodie and dropped it into the rolling cage.
The large hellhound sauntered into view. She was magnificent, even in the low quality of the video. She stood taller than the hounds they had seen earlier that day, and her black fur was almost shiny in the halogen lights.
Then it hit Finn that it wasn’t her fur that was reflecting the light, but the stone that covered her. It looked like obsidian, but in finer detail than any statue could obtain. Each hair of her fur was clearly defined, but obviously stiff. It was almost more than the eye could take—living stone that moved with the grace of the large beast.
Mila came in and put down two plates, a sandwich on each, then returned to the kitchen and grabbed two more before settling on Finn’s other side.
“Dig in while they’re still hot,” she said, lifting her sandwich and taking a crunching bite.
They all started eating and watched the end of the video in silence.
Once the hound was in the cage, the man dropped the gate and rolled the cage onto the truck. He took a few minutes strapping it down, then pulled the door closed on the box truck, went around to the front, and drove away. The cameras followed the truck to the back gate, where he once again got out and picked the lock, rolling the chain-link gate open before driving out of camera view. The video stopped, and the screen went black.
They sat in silence while they finished their lunch, each one of them thinking about what they had seen.
Finn was the first one done, and leaned back on the couch, taking a sip of his IPA. “Well, I don't really see how this helps us much. Hopefully, the notes on the ring will get us a scent.” He pulled out the manila envelope from where he had folded it up in his back pocket and squeezed the metal pins up that held the flap down and slid the notes out.
“Actually, I think I know that guy,” Danica said, wiping thousand-island dressing from her mouth with a paper towel, and setting her sandwich down.
Finn, Mila, and Penny all looked at her in surprise.
Mila was the first to speak. “How can you tell who it is? He never shows his face.”
“Well…” She cleared her throat and took a swig of Mila’s beer to wash down the rest of her sandwich. “I guess ‘know him’ is the wrong term. I
think I’ve seen him.”
“Who is he?” Finn asked.
“I think he’s the guy I told you about who died after he was attacked by wolves. Remember that the wounds were infused with magic? I thought it was someone trying to cover up something else, but hellhounds have about the same jaw pattern as a wolf, and they’re already magical. When something strange happens, most of the doctors in the hospital will stop by and take a look. Don’t ask, it’s a doctor thing. But I saw that the guy who had been mauled had a long scar on his right thigh, probably an old wound, like the guy in the video seems to be suffering from, and he was the same build. What are the chances that a guy with a bad leg steals a hellhound, then a guy ends up killed by some kind of magical dog, and has an old wound on his right leg?”
“Holy shit. Danica, you’re a lifesaver. Can we get in to see this guy?”
Finn was all smiles. The chances that one of the only people in the city who could put two and two together happened to be one of his few friends was just another sign that fate had put him here on Earth with Mila for a reason.
At least, he liked to think so.
“Sure. Phil is a good guy,” Danica said. When she saw the confused looks on their faces, she added, “Phil is the guy in charge of the morgue. I can give him a call.”
She got up and went to her room to get her phone, and the doorbell rang. Mila left her place on the couch to answer the door.
“Things are looking up, Penny. Maybe we can find this hound today.” Finn smiled and took another sip of his beer.
“Squeek sheir, chi chi.” She gave him a half-smile.
“Well, yeah. Obviously, the hounds killed him, but I think we can take care of a few hounds. Besides, it’s not like we need to deal with them. We can just call Anita and have her come and pick them up. Shit, we might have this thing wrapped up in time to get to karaoke at the Refinery.”
Penny gave him a knowing ‘ famous last words’ look but didn’t say anything.
“The bank guys are here to sign the paperwork for the condo,” Mila said, leading three people in business attire into the living room. “I’ll go get Simon and Becky.”
She walked out the door, leaving Finn and Penny staring at the small professional team, who stared back at the giant of a man and his pet lizard, lounging on the couch.
After a second, Finn held up his beer.
“You guys want one?”
Chapter Ten
The signing of paperwork and transferring of money took a couple of hours, but at the end of it, Finn was the owner of a new condo. Simon and Becky told them they would have movers over the next day to clear the place out, and then everyone shook hands.
Becky was beside herself but held it together until the door closed behind her and Simon. Finn and Mila laughed when they could hear her screams of joy in the hall.
Penny spent the rest of the day going over information on the ring and found what its particular magical “smell” was. She made notes for Finn on a small scrap of paper, her draconic runes completely illegible to anyone but Finn and herself.
As the dragon worked, Mila took a shower and a nap, while Finn excused himself to run an errand.
A week or so ago, he had given a favor to Mila for her help in finding the Helm of Awe. The favor was a little, black, metal card that bound him to her for one favor of her choosing. It could be anything, and he would be magically compelled to do whatever it was she asked.
An open favor like that was not something he gave away lightly; in fact, he had never given one to anyone in his entire life, but he trusted her to use it properly.
However, he felt that the favor was not enough to compensate her for all she had done for him since his arrival, and he liked to give gifts, so he was making his way to the market below Denver’s streets, headed to a leatherworker he’d found who made superior quality gear. Once there, he placed an order.
When he returned home a little after eight pm, he found Danica and Mila dressed to go out. Penny was sitting on Mila’s shoulder.
“Ready?” Mila asked.
“For what?” Finn frowned.
Danica came to the rescue. “Remember Phil, the guy at the morgue? He said we could come down now, but to hurry because the body will be moved to a funeral home tonight.”
“Let’s go, then.” Finn opened the door he had just come through.
They took Danica’s Forester so no one would have to climb into the back seat of the Hellcat; Danica said that she knew the way better anyhow.
At the hospital, she pulled into the employee parking lot close to the back of the main building, and let them in, using her badge on the security door. She led them down a couple of flights of stairs to a yellow and white tiled hall that smelled of bleach and…something else.
A set of double swinging doors with the word ‘Morgue’ painted in neat, white letters hung at the end of the hall.
“Okay, Phil is a little odd,” Danica warned vaguely before pushing her way through the doors.
Penny scurried down from Finn’s shoulder, climbing into her hammock attached to his weapons harness, and gave him a poke when she was ready.
The room beyond looked exactly like every morgue Finn had seen in a movie. Subway-style tiles in an off white, with three stainless steel tables in the center of the room, surrounded by racks of power tools best left to the imagination. The far wall was covered with about twenty small, stainless steel numbered doors, sealed with big latches of the kind that might be found on a walk-in freezer door. To the right was a half-wall with a window that went the rest of the way to the ceiling, enclosing an office.
Sitting at the desk in the office was a tall, thin man in a white lab coat. He had about two days’ worth of scruff on his chin and wore thick, black, horn-rimmed glasses, framed by shaggy, black hair that hung down around his neck. His hair was at that odd length that wasn’t long but wasn’t short either and looked unkempt. He was squinting down at his computer screen, moving the mouse in an erratic pattern, clicking the button like crazy.
Danica led them through the side door of the office just as Phil shouted, “I’m going to rip your kidney out and stitch it to your forehead, you piece of shit!”
“Not even a hello first?” Danica crooned, striking a pose that showed off her figure just a little.
Phil screamed like a little boy going through puberty, his voice cracking as he jumped up from the computer, brandishing the keyboard like a club. After a few panicked breaths, his shoulders slumped, and he dropped the keyboard on the desk, pressing a palm to his chest, and making a pained face.
“Holy shit, Dr. Meadows.” Phil gulped in air. “You really shouldn’t sneak up on a guy in a morgue.”
Danica had a slightly concerned look on her face but couldn’t help laughing a little. “Oh, Phil, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” She reached out a hand and put it on his shoulder in a move to comfort him. “Are you okay?”
Finn smiled at Mila, who was chuckling behind a hand.
Phil smiled, then laughed. “I almost shit my pants, but I’ll be okay.” He took a breath and quickly closed out the first-person shooter game he had been playing, then held out a hand to Finn and Mila. “Hey, I’m Phil. You must be Dr. Meadows’ friends, Finn and Mila, right?”
Finn shook hands with the gangly man. “That’s right. It’s nice to meet you, Phil. Care for a chew?” He pulled the box of Charleston Chew Minis from his pocket and shook the box.
“Um, yeah. Sure.” Phil seemed a little confused by the offer but took the small handful that Finn dumped out for him. He tossed one in his mouth and chewed it for a second before his face lit up and he smiled, revealing chocolate on one of his teeth. “Hey, these things are great.”
“They’re his favorite, he says they taste even better melted into his coffee,” Mila said, reaching out to shake hands as well.
Phil had the chews in his right hand, so he offered his left, making Mila switch. They shook awkwardly.
“Nice to meet y
ou. Dr. Meadows talks about you all the time.” He then dropped a couple of the chews into a steaming styrofoam cup sitting on the desk.
Finn felt a sharp talon in the small of his back, and he slipped a few of the chews inside his coat and felt Penny grab them before she let out a small coo of appreciation.
Phil took a sip of his melted-chew-flavored coffee and smiled like he had found the answer to cold fusion. “Holy shit. You’re on to something here.”
Mila glanced at Danica. “How much time do you spend down here? I thought you worked in pediatrics.”
Danica blushed ever so slightly. “I have lunch with him sometimes. It’s nice and quiet down here, and Phil’s got me hooked on Babylon 5, so we’ll watch an episode together during lunch.”
Finn watched Mila glance from Danica to the awkward guy, who was trying to drink the hot coffee/chew concoction a little too fast. When she glanced back at Danica, Mila’s face was filled with mischief.
He wasn’t entirely sure what she was thinking, but he had a pretty good idea.
“Really?” Mila drew the word out, the corner of her lip going up in a bit of a smirk, and her eyes sparkling.
Danica glanced at Phil, who had just spilled some of the coffee on his lab coat and was trying to wipe it off with a piece of paper from his desk, completely unaware of the conversation.
She gave a sigh of defeat and turned back to Mila. “Really,” was all she said, but for some reason that Finn couldn’t understand, that seemed to make Mila giddy.
Phil tossed the paper into the overflowing trash can beside the desk and turned back to the group, a cheery smile on his face. “You guys want to see the body?”
For some reason, that made Finn laugh. “I would love to, Phil. Thanks. I don’t suppose you have his belongings here as well, do you?”
“Yeah.”
He crossed the office to a metal cupboard and opened it with a small key that he fished from his pocket. On the shelves were about half a dozen plastic bags containing folded clothes and other belongings. Each space in the cupboard had a number that corresponded to one of the body lockers on the wall in the main room.