New Faces, New Cases

Picking up the department landline he contacted the chief to explain the nature of their case. Assured and trusting the team’s judgement, it didn’t take long to gain his approval. With the request being so out-of-the-blue nothing was promised, but since the TCPD nurtured a fairly civil relationship with the media, maybe a news conference could be organized in a couple days. Maybe less. He expected once the first reporter received word of the murders, its victims and the viscera missing from their bones, he or she would most likely trigger a stampede of journalists wanting dibs on the case. Meaning they’d get faster results due not only to the exposure, but the added competition between outlets as well. -And this wasn’t taking advantage of their sources either. There was a lot to gain from both sides. For he and Harper, the goal was an exchange of information. For the press: the possibility of running a top-selling story in their papers.

But such a momentous tactic of course came with a downside. The double homicide involved human victims, an issue all-too familiar in Twin City, and a subject always ripe for starting a storm with non-supernatural. As horrendous as the murders were, in the end they could only hope for an isolated incident. -That the brothers were simply at the wrong place at the wrong time, and this somehow wasn’t a crime of attrition perpetuated by one of the major mobs.

“I’d buy it,” he said, approving her angle on writing up the report. Avoid causing a panic; always a good rule of thumb. He flicked through another couple web pages describing the Quetzalcoatl, increasingly grateful to have Harper’s perspective in the case. There was plenty of mythos surrounding the name, but as she speculated, most of it seemed sensationalized from ancient times; particularly how sacrifices were done as a ‘means to an end’. Today the Aztecs were perhaps the most famously-known civilization to originate from Mexico, so Quetzalcoatl had to be incredibly dated as a supernatural itself. He didn’t know what sort of advantages, if any, this gave the snake-like being, with its name equated to that of an important deity, but what he did assume was the worst. And how all this information was relevant…who could say? Once again the need to know more about the victims strained them.

Dom listened closely to Harper even as she rambled slightly, and only spoke again after she caught up with herself. With all her distinct, thoughtful expressions and subtle motions, watching her think was fascinating at times. Just now was one such moment. “On the other hand, we’d probably have more resources working with werewolves and demons. They tend to sell out easy for the right price.” Waving a hand he quickly passed the other officer a sheepish look. “No offense.”


He then looked over the victims’ profiles again, gaze slowly tracing over their names for a second and third time. Papaqui. Could it simply be a coincidence that the brothers were from South America? Quetzalcoatl first made its mark on the world there…and in a very significant way he might add. And as Harper mentioned earlier, the chance of the pair unknowingly stumbling into Twin City was very low. “I could start making phone calls if you’re working on the report. See what comes up. Looks like there are about three Quetzalcoatl in the neighborhood. Four more downtown.”

She smiled when he gave her the approval for the write up. It was important to hit it just right. They had burned bodies here. Burned bodies that were offered to what seemed like an old being that used to be seen as a god. All they had left were bones which were obviously burned. If they said they had bodies, then they would have to provide them. A car fire was easy to handle than anything else. Or some random other fire they were in. The other tricky part was always deciding where they were found dead. But...she left it vague enough for the chief to be able to put in the pieces as he needed to to sell it to the public.

As she was typing up her report, Dom had made a very smart remark. Her golden eyes locked onto him. But, there was no denying that, as a whole, demons and werewolves were out for themselves. Maybe it was because she grew up in the Valentine, a family full of just those kinds of beings, where you held your tongue until the bitter end. If you told someone what happened, likely was you were going to get in trouble too. For watching the scene of the crime happen rather than putting a stop to it. But, her family was not like the most of the populous. What he said was true, they would spill the beans without a second thought if the price was right.

The short pause ended and Harper continued typing, shifting her gaze off of him. "Yeah, they will say something. Demons have a much looser tongue if you have the cash. Werewolves tend to be easier to..er....trick into telling the truth. You just need to be careful with either group." She shrugged, taking no offense in the slightest. It was simply business. "Yeah, I'll get this finished up no problem. Make the phone calls. If someone gives you a hard time, come get me. I'll have a word with them myself. We werewolves are pretty stupid. But that makes us pretty dangerous." At that, Harper let out a laugh, showing how absurd it was. "Not that I fear you dying over the phone. Would be impressive if that could happen."

As Dom did the phone calls, Harper continued with the report. It was pretty cut and dry. But as she continued, her mind started to wonder back to the werewolf and demon convo. More so with her family. If she had asked, would they give her information? If she asked her brother Kaleb, he would tell her if he found out anything. But then she would have to bring that up with Dom. She would have to explain how he got that information. She would have to explain who she was. No that wasn't a good idea. Maybe Westly? Westly was with Untamed. A lot easier to get information from without any shady business going down. Actually, if she asked her older brother, maybe this could help out in her favor. She knew Biran kept some kind of record going on. He wanted to keep the city safe...even if that meant renting a helicopter and shooting out the tires of a guy speeding. His justice was just a bit too extreme. But, maybe asking Westly would be a safeer route. If the sightings matched up near Untame's HQ.

Finishing up, Harper looked to Dom as he spoke to whoever it was he was speaking to. So not to bother him, she wrote down her question and slid it to him. A simply yes or no would help out.

'Are any of these Quetzalcoatls near Untamed?'

It was a long shot, but anything could be of help at this point. Any lead was better than none.

“Death by radio waves? Now that would be something,” he agreed with an amused grin, never the wiser to her thoughts. The idea still wasn’t as strange as their case, but it’d be a close second.

Tilting his head to balance the phone between his head and shoulder, Dom quickly scribbled something on Harper’s note before slipping it back over. A single ‘YES’ was written underneath her own script, accompanied by a question mark drawn beneath that.

The Untamed were a resident street gang with few numbers; barely holding a flame to the Rossi and Valentine in terms of power and influence. However, what distinguished them from the rest was their unique set of morals. Some locals described them as a radicalized neighborhood watch. But the police force, especially under the chief’s guidance, regarded them more as vigilantes. His unit was one of many that kept tabs on them. For the most part they acted indiscriminately of the law, doling out their own version of justice wherever they deemed to be injustice, and staying out of enough trouble to remain licitly afloat. However, this wasn’t always the case. Their leader was an eccentric one, and incredibly strong even by supernatural standards. Dom had never met him in person, but he knew the man took the form of some kind of monstrosity-

~ “Hello?” ~

“Hello, yes. This is…” His thoughts were interrupted by a voice on the other end of the line. Supposedly this was one of the Quetzalcoatl that lived downtown, and possibly close to Untamed, but of course he couldn’t confirm this by voice alone. Whether the serpents actually sounded like snakes with forked tongues, or had a unique speech pattern at all, was anyone’s guess. The person spoke normally as far as he could tell, and in the softer tones of a woman as well.

Presenting the case came with a whirlwind of issues. Either they hung up after the first few sentences, a typical response but not particularly helpful, or they didn’t answer at all. The team couldn’t associate this reaction with guilt either. Innocent or otherwise, most people would rather avoid talking to the police on such short notice, and bringing up homicide certainly brought out the worst of this sentiment. He thought about saving introductions until the very end but decided against it for the sake of solidarity. If anyone had any useful information on the incident, then he wanted them to believe they were on the same side. However, this one was different.

~ “Have I met human recently? Well, I did see-” ~

As she spoke he circled her surname in the file: Atenco. Flipping through the rest he realized more than half of their Quetzalcoatl shared a similar ID. Four out of seven to be exact, who all seemed to be concentrated in the same area. 
"I’m listening. Can you confirm this in person?” A scattering of hushed words could be heard in the background, although this time from a separate voice than the caller. Cautiously leaning forward in his seat, Dom wrote oman wrapped up their chat. “-Sure, I can call back tomorrow. Take care.”



“Hm…” He slowly lowered the receiver. “A couple days ago two figures wandered out of a vacant building downtown. Apparently they didn’t have a magical signature.” Dom passed Harper the file so she could check the address and the neighborhood. Watching her closely, he searched for some sort of recognition in her eyes. “It’s a few blocks from the untamed hideout, if that means anything to you."

She got her answer she needed from Dom. Pulling out her cell phone, she gave a quick text to Westly as Dom spoke over the phone with the person in question. It was a simple question: 'Are you free to talk right now?' There was a good chance that he was free to talk, but also a good chance he might not be free to talk. It was a fifty fifty shot with him. Not because Westly Himself was a busy man...just that he was best friends with Biran and Biran was a very busy man and kept Westly and the gang busy with random jobs here and there. Some worth wild jobs and some strange ones like playing in their band. Not that they weren't good. But that was besides the point.

Shortly after her text, he replied back in a series of texts:

'Are you okay?'  ..... 'Did someone hurt you?' ..... 'Did Biran do something stupid again?' ..... 'Harper call me when you get the chance.'

She had to shake her head at her oldest brother. He was a worrywart sometimes. Both him and Kaleb were with her. They had the right, but sometimes she needed to remind them that she was a grown woman and could handle herself. Most times. For now, she waited on Dom to finish up with his phone call before she made her own. The case was getting more and more interesting....if you really could call it that. Once the file was handed to her, Harper glanced it over. "I see...yeah that helps a bit. I have a brother that works in Untamed, actually. He might have some information that could help us out if something was going on close to the hideout. They might know something, then again they might not. But at the very least it's better than sitting here and waiting to call back tomorrow with these people. Give me a second."

Harper dialed her brother as she leaned back in her seat. On the second ring, he answered. ~"Harper, are you okay? What's going on? Is Biran there? I'll be there in like two seconds. You know he didn't mean it."~

She couldn't help but laugh at that. Westly, always looking out for Biran. He was a good guy, but not the subject of the matter today. "Actually, it has nothing to do with Biran today. I actually have a few questions if you can make the time to answer them. I'm working on a case here where two humans had been murdered. I wanted to know if either you could place them coming from a building by Untamed or if you could maybe ID some other people we have a possible lead on."

There was a pause on the line, but Westly answered back. ~"Oh...okay yeah sure I can do that. A building? Yeah just give me the address and I'll meet you over there. I'll do what I can. Are you sure you should be talking to me about this?"~

"Yeah, it's fine. I'll see you in a bit. I just need to talk with my partner in the matter." She hung up the phone and looked over to Dom. "Well, if anyone should be able to help, it's my brother.At least you don't have to pay him any money to get him to talk, ja? Or at the very least help us find some people who might be able to actually help us if he can't. He'll meet us there shortly if you want to go hit that place tonight before we call it a day."

It didn’t take long for him to consider her request, although the pause in-between was a few seconds longer than intended. For a peculiar case like theirs, important connections were indispensable. Any progress the team could make within the shortest time period would not only allow them to work more efficiently, but also reduce the chances of the culprit cutting town, or say perhaps, tampering with potential evidence. However, working with family always presented a factor of emotional bias. Harper seemed okay with the idea of using her kin as a resource, and in her position he’d probably do the same. Yet there were still obvious dangers to this method. If a double homicide was indeed perpetrated by a powerful supernatural, then for all they knew it was just as threatening now as it was then. He simply didn’t like the idea of anyone she cared about walking into a risky situation. But then again they’d be foolish to give up a possible lead. And especially one they didn’t have to fund, as she said.   
 
“Okay.” Dom laid the files down and shared an expectant glance with the other officer. He’d place his confidence in her, which was admittedly getting easier to do. The case forced a crossover between both the narcotics and homicide units, and so far she seemed to excel at them both. He wondered if either were beginning to catch her fancy. “Let’s get to it.”
 
He decided to drive to their destination this time. Their shift together had drawn them into early evening, and the city’s nocturnal dwellers were now coming alive. Bars began to catch their first wind of committed patrons for the day. Shops closed and reopened with new wears to suit the changing tastes of the crowds. Neighborhoods fell silent as people settled comfortably into their own homes, and restaurants welcomed flocks of families and couples for their own delicate pursuits. However, traffic appeared to grow sparse the closer the came to the hideout; as if there was some invisible barrier slowly whittling away at the public’s sense of adventure. Which no doubt was somehow due to the coaxing of their leader.
Past City Hall and through the -shopping district, they finally neared the block of the Untamed hideout about a quarter after dusk. -Give or take few minutes put aside to fuel up the squad car at the dispensary. No complaint about gas prices here.
 

“Here we are. Untamed,” he announced as they parked at the curb. After taking a moment to re-check the items in his belt, and also the documents pertaining to their case, Dom peered out the window to survey the building. It loomed over them a few stories tall, red-bricked and very lackluster from the outside, much like most buildings on this side of town. He couldn’t tell if it was a warehouse or a complex though. Maybe it had been both in its lifetime, but now rested quite uselessly next to an old lot. It might as well have had sketchy written all over it. “Where I’m from it’s usual to meet a girl’s family after the first date,” he started, employing some lighthearted banter while they waited, but a sudden movement from across the street caught his attention. A tall figure approached the car.

Agreeing to go out was easier than she thought. Dom wanted this case done as much as she wanted it to be. Not that they wanted it done in a rushed manner, but because they both wanted justice to be served where it was meant to be. Hopping in the car, Harper took shotgun and watched as the city started to fade into the darkness that was night time. Not that the city became dark, but just that more dark and dangerous things and beings came out around this time. It seemed as though most crimes happened about this time. One way or another. But that was another thing and this was now. Harper needed to keep her head in the game and try not to think too much about that and more about what was going on before her.

Before long, the car came to a stop. The werewolf girl felt a bit nervous, and to make matters worse, Dom had to make that comment. Turning her gaze to him, a slight blush touched her cheeks. "Well...normally that's true for me too. But trust me, it will take a few dates before you can see the rest of my family. Westly is tame....ish.." Ish was too true some times. He used to be a savage, a lot like their mother. But after something in his youth, he mellowed out a lot more to be this big marshmallow he was today.

Seeing movement outside, Harper got out of the car and peered into the darkness by the sketchy building. A wave came to her as she made out her brother's features. Ducking back into the car, she smiled to Dom. "Alright, that's Westly. I'll introduce you. He shouldn't bite." Closing the door, the female werewolf walked up to her elder brother and waved back. "Evening, Westly. Good to see you. Thank you for coming out on such short notice."

The older werewolf shrugged and smiled down at her as he spoke. "It's fine. I'm just relieved that this doesn't have anything to do with Biran. He's been strangely....busy."

Busy huh? What could he be up to? No that wasn't something she needed to worry about at the moment. She was on a job and there was someone she needed to introduce to Westly. Turning to Dom, Harper started the introductions. "Westly, this is Officer Bhatia. I'm working with him on a case. And Dom, this would be my older brother Westly Fairfax." Westly gave Dom a tooth grin as he stuck out his hand to shake the other male's. "Good to meet you Officer Bhatia. I hope you are keeping my baby sister out of trouble. She can be a handful. Real thick headed an stubborn at times. It runs in the family. Saved me every once in a while." Harper threw her brother a scowl before clearing her throat. "We're here on business, not to shoot the wind, Westly. Dom, if you could show him the pictures, we can get this going. I know you have things to do."

Westly nodded and turned to Dom. "Yeah, please ask me anything and I will try and do my best for you, officer. Harper said it has something to do with two humans? Otherwise the details weren't explained too much. I understand you can only say so much, but...anyways what I mean is I will help out as much as I can." The blond male waited on Dom to show any or all pictures or ask whatever questions.

Dom chuckled at Westly’s description of Harper and shook the other man’s hand in turn. “Of course. Thank-you for coming, Mr. Fairfax.” Even now as they all three converged on that lonely block, he couldn’t imagine her being the ‘baby’ of any family. Around the precinct, she gave the impression of someone who didn’t easily depend on others; a ‘lone wolf’, so to speak. Her pursuits were always a venture of self-sufficiency, chosen not in reflex or capital gain, but marked with personal sovereignty that many officers envied.
His thoughts inevitably trailed to Hana, and the very incorruptible way she chose to live despite her uncommon circumstances. But the memory was fleeting. With the formalities out of the way and dusk steadily descending, he presented the papers detailing the case.
 
“The nature of the case is choppy. Yes, our victims are both humans, but that’s not the only strange part.” The first pages he handed over were the crime-scene photos and abridged autopsy reports. Questions lingered in the same way as the unblemished skeletons. “Ever seen a corpse like this?” He paused to give Westly time to study them, during which he shot Harper a look that conveyed a silent sentiment: ‘let’s see what your lead can do’. Allowing a civilian to view confidential information about a case was never ideal. He didn’t doubt Westly’s integrity involving the case, but one mistake or slip and the story could traverse the public without their knowledge. Which is why if they were lucky, the revelation would remain on the TCPD’s time.
 

“Also-“ Dom turned back to Westly and passed him their suspect list. Four supernatural were shown to live in the immediate area excluding the previous caller; all of whom unknowingly led them to Untamed’s doorstep. “-We believe a supernatural called ‘Quetzalcoatl’ had something to do with the victims’ deaths. They’re snakes in some shape or manner, but we don’t have much information on their lifestyle in the city…Or what they’re really capable of for that matter…” he added with a slight frown, deflated somewhat by this fact. Whatever purpose the rare serpent served now was certainly leagues away from their previous gig. Nowadays they seemed to avoid the public eye; a move that was probably for the best given their history. “Our intention is to investigate directly, but going in blind presents some obvious issues. Anything you know about them could help.”