Stained Glass

Chapter 22

Binah and I returned to Strange Kitty, and walked right into a raging hurricane of conflict.

Jenner, Mason, Zane and Duke had their backs to the pool table, facing down Spotted Elk, Michael the Pathrunner, and a rag-tag collection of other people, some of whom I recognized from the convocation. The rest of the Tigers lounged, loomed, and leaned around the room. There was a heavy silence from their side of the clubhouse: this was their territory, and their leaders, and they were not impressed. Aaron stood off to the side in plain-clothes, rubbing the back of his hand nervously. Talya was seated at the bar, looking sullen in a sundress and sneakers, but Ayashe was notably absent.

“You can’t just assume control of this investigation with a band of vigilantes and destroy potential crime scenes without keeping us in the loop!” Spotted Elk was holding a space of his own in front of the bar, voice raised. He was turning hoarse, like he’d been shouting for a while. “That’s not how it’s done, that’s never been how it’s done, and it shouldn’t be how it’s done!”

“Then stop being such a panty-waisted wimp, get off your hands, and fucking do something.” Jenner had her arms crossed, boots planted.

“The FBI has already arrested one suspect who might be involved, based on the forensic evidence–”

“And they’re going to be too late.” Jenner switched to hands on hips. “It’s two weeks as of today, and you know as well as I do that every day that passes is another day for some son-of-a-bitch to be making more skin-flicks with our kids.”

Michael saw me first, glancing up and across to meet my eyes.

Spotted Elk took a step towards her, face flushed with rage. “You destroyed a key piece of evidence when you went charging in like a pack of wild animals. And now you think that you have the right to trample the changing grounds of the Ross family without oversight – a location which is, I might add, probably a crime scene – in the hope of ‘discovering’ something no one else has found? If Aaron hadn’t come forward… what are we going to tell the FBI if we destroy more evidence? That film could have been used to make mass arrests, Jenner. They could have found and arrested the man—”

“We found the man. He’s permanently arrested,” Mason rumbled.

“Only one is dead. His friends are still at large, and we have not even found one child,” Michael said. His calm voice pierced the hot tension like a flush of cold water. “John has the right of it.”

“I can’t believe this.” Jenner threw her hands up. “So what are you going to do? Tell the FBI the location of a changing ground?”

“I won’t break the covenant if we don’t have to.”

“No, John. You DON’T break the covenant.” Zane said. It was the first time I’d heard him speak up in one of these arguments. “Changing grounds are secret for a reason.”

“This is true,” Michael said. “We cannot release details of anyone’s territory, even when they are dead.”

Jenner sneered. “So in other words, you’re not going to do anything. You throw a tantrum when we offer to go, and you throw the book down when I suggest you go to the FBI. So what are you going to do?”

“We are living in America under American law!” Spotted Elk snapped. “Roving bands of hunters worked when this world was undeveloped, Jenner. It doesn’t work anymore. We need to leverage our allies and resources, or they will pick us off one at a time.”

“Or they’ll take us out all at once because we’re sitting on our asses and not doing anything useful,” Jenner replied. “You really think that the FBI and the cops aren’t tied up with the mob? You think the Vigiles are our friends? What makes you think that their money isn’t what’s bankrolling this shit?”

“Now wait just a second there,” Aaron said. No one but me seemed to hear him.

“Because I’m not paranoid beyond reason,” Spotted Elk replied.

“Witchhunters spent three hundred years chasing our asses down. You really believe that the Government arm of the Venator Dei is just going to make friends and let live?” Jenner’s eyes blazed. “You’d think being born into a tribe this lifetime would have taught you something about the authorities in this country.”

Spotted Elk’s expression darkened. “That was a low blow, and you know it.”

“I know it’s the truth. Me and my family saw plenty of what the Government had to offer in Vietnam.”

“Stop this now.” Michael held his hands up, and moved from his place. “I’ve heard enough.”

An uneasy silence fell. Spotted Elk ground his teeth, stepped back, and finally noticed me. Jenner followed his line of sight, and then turned back to Michael.

“Both of you make important points. It is true we cannot break the covenant and reveal the territory of any person, living or dead.” The Pathrunner spoke intently, but with authority. “The accord with Federal law only goes so far. Changing grounds are sacrosanct, unless they constitute a crime scene. And this one may very well provide clues or evidence for the Federal and state police.”

“Pathrunner, with all due respect—” Mason started forward.

“Wait.” Michael turned dark eyes on him, and the larger man fell back. “What we can do is appraise the changing ground and then report anything we find to Ayashe, who will relay it to her organization. The three most senior representatives from the primary Waw-Ropor are here already. I suppose a compromise can be made, if I, John and Jenner go to the changing ground and make our assessment together. If we find anything unusual, we can report it to the authorities.”

“So basically, exactly what we were going to do anyway, but you’re going to babysit us the whole time,” Jenner said. “Fine, whatever, but I want to stay here to plan a contingency with the club. I’m nominating that Mason to go in my place.”

“Suits me,” Mason replied. “Ain’t like I never been bushwhacking before.”

Spotted Elk looked less than thrilled, unable to meet anyone’s eyes as his lips twitched and his hands pawed restlessly in his pockets. “Very well. I accept this suggestion, but I need to go back to my home to get ready first.”

“The changing ground is a three-hour drive from here,” Michael said. “Take whatever you feel you need to prepare yourself. Let us aim to spend an hour there, to return by ten or eleven p.m.”

“About frigging time.” Mason rolled his eyes and pushed off from the edge of the pool table, shambling off into the house.

As the circle broke, I stepped forward. “Might I suggest you line your trunk with plastic and take good gloves?”

The Elders turned as one to face me, momentarily stunned.

“If there is evidence, and you do end up taking from the changing ground, you don’t want any oil or fibers to get on it.” I shrugged. “Besides that, magical objects are often triggered by skin contact.”

“We won’t be touching anything,” Spotted Elk said. “There will be no magical objects.”

I sighed. “A Spook disappeared there. It suggests something happened.”

“Cut Rex some slack. He’s a professional.” Jenner grinned as she joined me by my side. “Wanna go with them?”

“I have to work on something else tonight,” I said, fighting the instinctive urge to glance at Spotted Elk. He was still fidgeting nervously, deep in quiet conversation with Aaron. “Something relevant to the investigation.”

“And what would that be?” Spotted Elk said.

Admitting my plan to visit Moris Falkovich was almost certain to cause another childish fight as pointless as it was ridiculous. I’d been twisting the wrists of freaks like Falkovich since I was in highschool. If he had the kind of security I couldn’t manage alone, I’d tell Jenner before I admitted anything to John Spotted Elk.

I attempted a smile as the pleasant, cool certainty of impending violence settled through my body. “Research. One of my contacts has given me information that could result in a lead. With luck, we will make two breakthroughs in one night.”

“Good.” Jenner slapped me on the back. “About time someone took some initiative. You look into that, while Michael and me go out back and discuss the location of the changing ground. Won’t we, Michael?”

“You presume much.” Michael’s still face had taken a cold, arrogant cast.

“I presume you’re going to help your Elder find twenty-one missing children, yeah.” Jenner gave him a stiff little grin.

The Pathrunner grimaced, looking to Spotted Elk. When he saw that John and the other Fires were already heading for the exit, he turned on his heel and headed for the red door, his back straight, shoulders tense. Jenner followed him. Her hands were fisted by her sides.

“I see.” I drew a deep breath, and looked back at the rest of the Tigers. The majority of them were dispersing. Duke, Zane, Big Ron and the mechanic-looking man had moved to the side and were now in a tight huddle of conversation. The only person still interested in me was Aaron, as he pushed through the milling bikers with a smile.

“How was your meeting with Christopher?” He asked. “More productive than this, I hope?”

“In theory.” I crossed my arms instinctively. Binah was still riding on my shoulder, silent, her purring having died against the wall of tension. “He was charming, and he was able to tell me a lot about the church, but very little about the couple. The children didn’t even really come up.”

“Well, the police have already been through all that with him,” Aaron said.

“Not you, I assume?” I arched an eyebrow.

“Not a chance,” Aaron said. He shook his head. “Conflict of interest.”

When I got to the bedroom to get ready for my night’s outing, I took the chance to read through the written information my doctor had passed to me. The one on Falkovich was just an address. The other one, my trade for Celso, went into a bit more detail. As I began to read through it, my heart sank.

“GOD damn it!” With the luxury of privacy, I swore out loud and threw the slip down onto the floor, exasperated. Doctor Levental’s fighter was a man named Viktor Bravic. His opponent for the Saturday semi-final was Zane Salter.