"Hey detective…how are ya?" Mokuba said nervously, body bouncing.
"I'm good, Mokie. How's my favorite little snitch?"
Mokuba frowned. "Don't call me Mokuba…and I ain't a snitch."
I shrugged. "Then I'll take my business elsewhere."
"OK!" Mokuba shouted, grabbing my shoulder. He rubbed his nose violently. "I need the cash."
"Sure you do." I muttered.
It was a well know fact that Mokuba Kaiba was heading towards rock bottom. When your brother was a famous duelist, one of the richest men in the world, still rated as one of the sexiest men of all time…and was married to Tea…well, its hard to live up to that.
Granted, he'd managed pretty well, on the surface at least. Mokuba was a well known duelist. Not on par with his brother, but near Joey levels. In time, I imagine could very well become the King of Games. He just needs to focus…and maybe move away from trying to copy his brother's deck.
Why use cheap Blue Eyes wannabes when you can win with the Cyber Dragons?
Mokuba was also working a sweet job on the side, managing the Domino Kaibaland. Granted, Seto had set him up in that position, but still, it was a job that allowed Mokuba to do his own thing.
The women loved him to, if one bothers to glance at the tabloids. Already considered George Clooney's heir, he wined and dined supermodels and million dollar princesses on a nightly basis.
So, how had he ended up as my little snitch?
Well, as I said, it looked at first glance that Mokuba had it all. But juggling a job, a dueling career, dates, parties and his brother's expectations had caused Mokuba to go down the Brittney Spears Career Path…God rest her soul.
In this case, it was drugs. Lots…and lots of drugs.
Coke, weed, heroin, speed, X, stim, terb, yata (as both would leave you locked up for hours), and a healthy splash of Jack D. for color. These were Mokuba's bread and butter.
I'd found him a year back, half dead and high as a Satellite Cannon, laying near my doorstep. I'd dragged him inside, threw him in a bath tub and let him work it out of his system. Once he came to, I did what any person would do: I blackmailed him.
He could either become my snitch, giving me info for a few dollars, or I turn him in and sell the story to the papers. Reminding him what Seto would think when he found out, Mokuba jumped to first option.
And thus, here we were.
"I want to know about Duke." I said sternly, shoving a few bills in his hand.
"Only 5?"
"I just saved your life…I could always demand free info in exchange for not telling Seto…me and him are talking these days."
"Ok, ok!" Mokuba stammered, bloodshot eyes glancing back and forth. "Word is Duke hadn't made a lot of friends…plenty of people wanted to kill him."
"Inner circle?" I asked.
"Oh yea." Mokuba said. "You want confirmation for your gut feeling?" He asked, to which I nodded. "Everyone has motive. Serenity, Duke's wife…you know about her and Mai?"
"Yea…the party."
"Rumor says it was more then just the party. They say Serenity and Mai realized that they were into each other…Mai dumped Joey, but Duke refused to go along with the annulment. Would mean years before Serenity could get out…and if Duke ever caught her again, he could argue in court that she owed him…something about their prenup."
"I'm guessing that covers Mai's reason?"
"That, and the fact that she and Duke never got along. Duke never trusted her…felt she'd been evil once too often. She also badmouthed Pegasus…and you know how Duke loved to lick the grouped that Michael Jackson wannabe walked."
I nodded. I'd heard stories about that…seems Mai, later in life, was discovered to have post-tramatic stress disorder…thanks to Panik's duel. She'd been put on meds, but she still blamed Pegasus.
"What about Yugi Moto?"
"You found his business card at the murder scene, right?" It didn't surprise me he'd heard of that. "Duke and Yugi were always rivals when it came to card shops. And with Duke now the King of Games…listen, I like Yugi, but the kid developed a spine after him and the Pharaoh split. He got dark…"
"Joey?" I asked, currently my lead suspect.
"Don't act like you need help there. Joey hates Duke…blames everything on him because he let his wife think with her p…"
I glared at him. "and Joey never got the title, but Duke did." I didn't let him finish. "Tristan?"
"Again, obvious: Duke and Tristan were rivals…maybe he saw Serenity and Duke breaking up as his chance to finally tap her." Mokuba waggled his eyesbrows. "I can see his point of view."
I punched him in the gut.
"Damn!" Mokuba whimpered, curling up out of pain. "Man…ugh…" He took a few ragged breaths. "Didn't realize you had a thing for the girl, detective…bit old for you, don't ya think? 34 and 24…like Harold and Maude a bit much?"
I punched him again.
"She's a client, burnboy." I snapped, grabbing him by the hair and twisting his head up. "So watch you mouth. Now…what about Seto."
"Seto's clean…no word on him." Mokuba whimpered.
"You have the count of five to dish…1….4…"
"Ok, ok!" Mokuba shouted. "You know the rant my brother did? The reason is he ain't taking his meds." He pulled out a pill bottle, little drab pills with a W on them rolling around. "They deal with his problems…keep him mellow. Tea is about ready to leave him because of it, but he doesn't care. Says he needs to be on the ball…he said he had something planned…something big."
I frowned, taking the bottle. "And why do you have these?"
"If he ain't using them…"
"Not your normal drug…they keep you down…not high, Mokie."
Mokuba shifted. "Side effect…when taken with booze, they're like a Viagra shot." He frowned. "The junk I do…I need these to keep the girls happy."
I let him go. "That will replace the whale in my nightmares." I tossed him his pills. "Get the hell out of here Mokuba. Don't bother me until I need ya."
"Where are you going, Detective?" He called out as I walked away.
I didn't look back. "I'm gonna go catch a killer."
&
Author's Note: Next week's chapter is "The Denouncement" followed by "The Detective" which is the end of "Glory Days"
I will now open up the thread to all theories about the story. The ending is set in stone, so don't worry about posting an idea and I change my ending to avoid your guess.
I will only give you all one final clue: There is a reason for the title.
That said, after Glory Days is finished, we move to Diary of a Deckbuild: "Shadow of the Dragon", where we create a monster.
After that? I don't know. I have a few ideas, including a serial series I've had in mind for years, entitled "Marauder"
(We see a black screen)
??: It is a dark place.
(We see darkened street, filled with closed fruit stands.)
??: Creatures from our nightmares dwell here.
(We see a Wall Shadow slowly emerge, reaching out for a figure dressed in a brown cloak)
??: As does…their worst fear.
(A sword swings out, cleaving the demon in two. The screen fades, then goes to Egypt)
Freed, the Wandering Hero: For centuries, our allies to the south have guarded us.
(We see a tomb being cracked open)
Freed; But what should have been left hidden…man has uncovered
(Don Zaloog looks around, cocking his gun as he hears footsteps)
Freed: A dark evil has awoken
(We see the gravekeepers staring at a figure)
Marauding Captain: I hear you have a monster problem
(We see a great dark throne, a twisted figure upon it)
Marauding Captain: I have come to solve it.
bMARAUDER/b
IHis legend begins…2008/I
