Ch 48
Kaede headed to the Lenui Inn to pick up Mayu at the end of her shift. She was in town shopping and it was a shorter trip for her than to have Jeff come all the way from Kouta's garage to get her.
Parking on the lot, Kaede noticed there were three cars already here which was highly unusual. Even tourists walked through the town to see the sights and none of the locals would waste the gas, and just walk. One car meant an out of town visitor, which was not a common occurrence. The last time there were three cars here, it was when those men had come after her family looking to kidnap her.
Kaede parked behind the cars, blocking them in. If they were here for trouble, she didn't want them getting away. She got out of her car and walked slowly, looking in the Inn's windows. She did notice a gaggle of men at the bar that had Rachel's attention. She also didn't see Mayu.
Setting herself for the worst, Kaede threw both entry doors open ahead of her with her mind hands out. She strode in paying close attention all around her waiting for the assault. If these men came for trouble, they would get it, hard and fast.
Everyone in the pub did look when the door flew open. Kaede stopped mid floor and looked around. With a blank face and in a flat tone she asked, "Where's Mayu?"
Fred offered, "Think she's changin. Mayu ain't in trouble, is she?"
Mayu came out from the back room. "Mom, what's wrong?" she asked, looking confused.
"Kaede, everthin's fine," Rachel assured her. "These men from Edinburgh just came ta see ya. What's got yer radar up?"
Kaede breathed a sigh of relief. With a smirk, she said, "Last time there were so many cars outside, it got pretty messy round here."
Mayu went up to Kaede. "Mom, no one's causing trouble, ya kin relax."
Even if there men were here just to talk, Kaede didn't want Mayu hearing what they were going to talk about. "Aye, ready ta go?" she asked in return.
"Dame Kaede?" one of the men in the gaggle near Rachel asked. "We came to speak to you about an important matter and seek your assistance."
Kaede looked at Rachel. Rachel nodded. "They bin askin me, I ain't givin'em an answer on what ye'll do."
Kaede eyed the men. None were acting aggressive. If anything, they were looking like they wanted help. Kaede sighed and gave Mayu her car keys. "Drive yerself home, Mayu, I may be a bit."
Mayu beamed at Kaede. She got to drive with no parent in the car? YES! No way was she turning that down! "Thank ya, Mom. I'll be careful," she said and waved to everyone, then was out the door.
Kaede turned her attention to the men. "Lads, let's git a couple tables tagether and I'll hear ya out."
Rachel pointed out a corner to put tables together at. Kaede got herself a double shot, left the money on the register and went over to sit with them. "OK, what's up?" she asked as she settled in place.
The youngest man of the group who looked to be in his mid-twenties said, "We're the coalition for a free Scotland. We have backing, but we need someone of importance to lead us. We believe with firm backing, we can separate completely from England!"
Kaede face planted. A young idealist, great. Looking back up at him she asked, "How do ya figure, Lad?"
"If we're independent, we won't need to pay tax money to England, and we won't need one of the Queen's royals as a Duke in Edinburgh. We can have a true Scot watchin over our Parliament," He stated. "We kin make our own dealins with other countries."
"Bonnie Prince Charlie led his revolution from right here in Glen Finnen, on the flats down where the Highlander monument is," an older man stated. "It's only fittin we should begin here wit you, Dame Kaede, as our leader."
"Aye, everyone knows and respects ya," another added.
Kaede held up a hand and said, "Stop right there. I ain't leadin nay revolution, nor being the cause of a ton-a trouble."
"But, you'll be doin it fer all yer people!" the older man said.
"Everyone knows the power of the Witch," the young man pleaded. "Ya kin be our first Queen!"
Kaede shook her head. "I ain't no Queen, lads. Git that thought outta yer heads. Believe it or not, I do much fer our people, and one thing I know is, gettin people arrested or kilt fer a lost cause and splittin our people apart ain't what's best fer'em. I also doan do politics. As far as Prince Charlie's revolt, have ya read the history? Ya do know how that turned out, doan ya? Culloden ring a bell? The mass'o murders after Culloden? Charlie also was an English Noble, he weren't a true Scot."
"But... ya are!" the younger man said.
Casting him a sympathetic look, she said, "Nay lad, I was born in Japan."
"Your maiden name is McLeod."
"Aye, Me dad adopted me, that's why."
"You are a Scottish citizen."
"Aye, I'm a Japanese, American, Scot. I hold citizenship fer all three places," Kaede explained.
The young man blinked at her. "You kin do that?"
"I was born in Japan, so I'm Japanese lest I reject bein one. Same wit being American. I'm a naturalized citizen there, unless I decide ta reject it. An I live here, and have been naturalized as a citizen'o Scotland. Me passport's got all kinds a doodle markins in it ffom showin I claim all three countries as home."
"But, doan ya wanna see Scotland free?"
"I wanna see Scotland prosperous an at peace," Kaede stated. "We've got a nice home and friendly folks here. God help whoever wants to screw that up fer they'll find me comin after'em."
The young man shied back. "We thought fer sure ya'd help us."
"I will. I'll do me best ta keep ya from makin a horrid mistake," Kaede told him firmly. "Look, we're in a peaceful land, ain't got no big worries and we're safe. I ain't gonna support nothin that'll endanger that."
Seeing the disappointed looks aimed at her, Kaede added, "Lads, will ya stop an think. Who has the military? Our lads an Lasses are in the British military, there ta protect us. We got our own parliament ta make our own laws, We're all but independent already. Truth be told, we're more secure than if we were independent, cause we're part of the UK."
"But, it's the English Queen who rules here!" an older man stated.
Kaede frowned at him. "Ya do know Queen Elizabeth owns Scotland, doan ya?"
"What?" the younger man asked, wide eyed.
"Ya lads need ta study history," Kaede said in a grumble. "Ya do know what a Kingdom is, doan ya? One ruler who owns the land? Aye lads, the ruling monarch owns England an Scotland. It's been that way fer a very long time, and all the agreements back ta the Magna Carta only give nobles, then commoners the right ta have a say in the government. Nowhere, in any agreement, does the Monarch give up and rights'o ownership of the lands. Scotland has the same rights as England, Canada, an Australia. The right ta rule ourselves in Queen Elizabeth's lands. THAT is what the United Kingdom means. It's best ta leave well enough alone, Lads."
One of the men who had been quiet up to this point asked in an accusing tone, "So you support Queen Elizabeth?"
Kaede eyed him. Evenly, she said, "I'll support everyone who wants ta see the best fer me home. I already told ya that. Ya tryin ta imply somethin Lad?"
The man frowned and shook his head. "I though you might be agreeable to Scottish independence."
"IF it were fer the best, I would be," Kaede agreed. "It ain't. There's some nay very nice people in the world, and being part of a bigger Kingdom offers us protection and help defendin ourselves if the need arises. Ya gotta look at the whole picture Lad, not just some perfect ideal."
He got up. "Sorry to have wasted your time, Dame Kaede."
"Long as ya learned something, twasn't a waste'o time," Kaede replied. "Think hard fore ya do."
Kaede watched the men file out, then headed over to the bar. She needed another drink. She hoped she had stopped those numbskulls from attempting to make Scotland completely independent. Yes, the thought would be nice - if they lived in a vacuum, but there was the rest of the world to contend with and being part of the United Kingdom did protect Scotland. Scotland wasn't that big. It definatly wasn't the US who did break free of British rule, or Australia or Canada who both were still technically in the UK.
After the disillusioned men left, Kaede sat at the bar to talk with Rachel for a bit and have another drink to give time for Mayu to get home by road.
Casting her a smirk, Rachel said, "Mayu looked happy ta take yer car."
"She doan get much time behind the wheel," Kaede agreed. "It's usually Kouta er Jeff who drives. She does drive careful, so it's OK. I wanted to git her outta here anyway in case those men were trouble."
"I'm hopin the trouble's gone," Rachel said in a weary tone.
"Aye, sister," Kaede agreed. "Bowing outta a certain job, I'm not seein where any more could come from. I'm thinking it's time ta refocus on just bein a mom." Kaede then perked up, feeling another Diclonius, or rather, elf close by. She turned and looked at the door.
The door burst open and an elf Kaede recognized rushed in. "Annette?" she asked.
Annette's hand rushed out at her, Kaede caught them with hers. In her mind Kaede heard, "Kaede you have to help us! Jacques sister Claire and her friends have been kidnapped!"
"When was this?" Kaede thought back.
Looking frantic, Annette thought, "Last week. The police have not found anything! They were attacked outside a store, thrown in a delivery van, and no one has seen them at all, not a trace of them!"
Close enough to her now, Kaede put her hands on Annette's shoulders. "Calm down," Kaede said aloud as well as in her thoughts. "Sit down an tell me what ya know." Kaede got the young woman on a stool and told a confused looking Rachel, "Members of Annette's family have been kidnapped. Looks like trouble just woan leave us alone."
Rachel got Annette a grape wine cooler then asked, "Want me ta call someone?"
After her nay so pleasant notice she was quitting, Kaede really did not want to get British intelligence involved. She knew she'd have to eat some crow before they would give her any information. She'd also have to get back on the payroll. "Let's see what we got first."
Annette told Kaede what she knew. Claire and her friends went shopping in Valence, the closes 'big' town to their farming community. They never came home. Their father had called into the police station there to find four girls had been taken by unknown men outside a store. It was then both the police and their father knew it was Claire and their friends who'd been taken. The store owner only saw a glimpse of the van, not enough to give any information on it. As of yet, no bodies had turned up and no ransom had been asked for.
It was this last part that made Kaede nervous. When one of their kind was taken, the kidnapped person was not just 'kept'. If there was no ransom demand, then the perps weren't after money. They had targeted those girls to do something with them. Kaede's own experiences told her whatever that was, was most likely going to hurt them bad.
Despite not wanting too, Kaede needed to go to Southern France and help get those girls back. Until she got there, there were things Annette's family could do.
"What is your family doing about it now?" Kaede asked mentally.
"We don't know what to do! The police said wait for word. We wait, we worry, what can we do?" came Annette's frantic thought.
Kaede looked at her squarely and thought, "They were kidnapped in Valance, so send people out to drive around Valance. You can sense each other, correct? Drive the streets in a pattern, search every street, sense for the presence of another. If you sense one who you do not know where they are, then you have found one. If none are found, then continue your search out of that town in an ever widening circle. Search every road, every place that's off the road, every area there is no road. Get a map of the area and fill it in where your family knows she is not. When you find her, watch where she is and wait for me."
Annette nodded vigorously. "Yes, we can do that!"
"Good, call home and tell them to start. You are staying at the castle with us tonight."
Annette smiled and plowed into Kaede to hug her tight. "Thank you! I will call now!"
Kaede returned Annette's hug and patted her back. To Rachel, she said, "I'm takin'er home. There are kidnap victims we need ta find." She went to reach in her pocket.
Rachel waver her hand. "Doan worry bout payin, just go git those girls back."
"Thanks, Rachel," Kaede replied and lead Annette out the back.
Rachel watched them go, then let out a sigh as she cleaned a few dirty glasses. She had the feeling Kaede was going to be a trouble-magnet her whole life. That was the fate of super-heros.
.
Kaede didn't stop to think about Annette not having powerful Mind hands. They walked to the top of the hill, out of sight of the Inn. Kaede motioned for Annette to follow and jumped off the hilltop to land on the next hill. She didn't sense Annette coming. Turning, she looked to see Annette running and bouncing down the hill.
Oops.
Kaede jumped back down in front of Annette, who was breathing hard in her attempt to keep up. She held up her hands to stop Annette. Turning, she guided Annette to hold onto her from behind. Once Annette was holding her tight, Kaede jumped up to the hilltop. Annette was strong enough to hold on, so Kaede bounded her way home over valleys and fields.
On Kaede's back, Annette was amazed at Kaede's strength. Some of her long jumps had to be covering a whole kilometer! She knew Kaede was strong, but this was ridiculously strong to be able to travel like this using only her mind power.
In no time at all, the castle was in sight. On the hill before the flat the castle was on, Kaede did another long jump. Kaede came down close to the curtain wall and bounced up in the air again to fly over the castle and come down in the courtyard. Kaede again slowed herself before landing gently on the ground.
In bodily contact with Kaede, Annette thought to her, "That was amazing! How'd you get so strong?"
Kaede frowned at her. "You really have no strength at all?"
"Normal, yes. To harvest and crush the grapes, carry baskets and roll wine casks."
Kaede patted her arm as they separated. She'd been hoping that when Claire and her friends were found, she'd have many elves to help her get them out. By what Annette was telling her, they couldn't even stop the bullets that were going to be shot at them.
SHIT!
Kaede waved to have her follow inside. This was going to be tough. At least they would be able to help find out where Claire was taken. After they knew, Kaede was going to be on her own getting them out. Well, that wasn't really anything new.
.
"Focus!" the amplified voice commanded. "Sense the balls coming and stop them!"
Claire had a large bruise in her thigh from a ball striking it. Another was on her ribs that made it hard to breathe. She was scared. It was hard to stand, and with an arm that felt broken, she couldn't let herself hang by her arms either. "I CAN'T!" she wailed back. "You're killing me! Please, no more!"
"The next one is aimed at your right knee," the voice intoned.
"Mercy, please!" She blubbered her plea out.
PHOOM.
Jerking her knee to the side, causing her left leg to crumple, the ball slammed into the wall behind her to bounce back. She got her right leg back under her to stop herself from falling and avoid a painful jerk at the end of her arms.
"You cheated," the voice announced.
PHOOM.
She tried jerking to the side again, terrified of getting hit. The ball impacted her left hip. She heard and felt the crack. Wailing out in pain, she drew up all her will and managed not to crumple in place. Squeezing her eyes shut against the pain, she was feeling light headed. If she passed out, she jut knew another jerk on her arm from falling to hang by them would tear her arm right off.
"Just get it over with and kill me," she croaked out.
"Maybe we will if you cannot perform. First, let's show you how we kill," the voice said.
The light went out.
Hearing something rolling, Claire saw a small flashlight coming closer. It stopped a few meters away. The flashlight went out and a TV screen flashed into being. On the screen, she saw a friend. Nina Yves was hanging by her arms, head down. Her blond hair was rough cut short. Her face dripped blood on the floor. A disembodied voice said, "Stand up, this is your last chance!"
Nina didn't move. A pole appeared with a hook on it and pulled her legs out to remove any support to for her arms. Limp, Nina remained hanging by her arms. She let out a weak groan, but didn't move. The many dark bruises on her body were clearly seen now.
The voice said, "Try to get a reaction from her."
Another pole appeared with metal nubs on the end. A cattle prod. It was jammed in her belly. Nina's body jerked with the shock. The prod was then put under an armpit. Her body jerked again.
"Nothing," a man called. "If she's not dead, she's close. Can we have her now?"
"Do what you want with her. After you've raped her to your satisfaction, bring her head to the control room."
"Just her head?"
"Yes, incinerate the rest."
The screen went blank. The voice explained, "I suppose you know she was still alive, right up until her head was cut off. That did make her react some. Her eyes, well the one good eye, and her mouth flew open. She even twitched her limbs until she expired. The nerves in her body were gone. Most likely she was in so much pain, she no loner felt those jabs, but she knew what was happening to her. If you want that to happen to you, the guys are waiting."
"You are a monster!" Claire spat with sneer.
"And you are a test subject. Be a good test subject, or a dead one."
She heard the TV get rolled away.
Gritting her teeth. Death by total humiliation and torture. Claire knew that was her fate unless she figure out how to do something to withstand these sadistic tests.
The sound of her chains moving came to her ears. Her arms were lowering. They came down almost to hang at her sides. "Can I sit?" she asked.
Only silence replied.
Her legs were shaky, her left leg hut like hell as did her left hip. Easing herself down on he right leg was hard, but she managed it. Her arms were now out to her sides. Sitting cocked on her right butt cheek to keep pressure off her left hip, the pain wasn't getting any less, but it also wasn't worse. The pain also kept her from bringing out her mind hands so she could free herself.
She was able to allow herself to finally pass out.
.
Kaede sat at the table in a little used room holding Annette's mind hand. On Annette's other side, Inari held another one. Both for a show of support and to communicate. Across the table from Inari was Duncan. Nana sat in the middle across from Annette, Amanda sat across from Kaede, Cameron sat across from Kouta on Kaede's other side.
"No word from Claire or her friends has come in since Annette arrived here," Kaede told the group. "Claire's family, and the families of those other girls are looking for them. Driving around and trying to sense where they are."
"I fear they have been taken for experiments," Inari said. Annette, knowing from Inair's mind what these experiments were, gasped in shock.
"Aye, those things were done to us," Kaede said. "We were treated like lab animals. Worse that lab animals, actually."
"A grid search pattern?" Cameron asked.
"Aye."
"If there was any of them left in Japan, they might be the ones who have them," Duncan said.
"They can't get to us, so they went after farmers," Kaede agreed. "Think they took them back to Japan?"
"No," Amanda said firmly. "If you steal something and you're caught, you don't go back to your previous hide out. You find someplace far away. Some place the investigators won't suspect."
Kouta spoke up. "The first thing we need to do is protect whoever's going. Like Cameron, the ones kidnapped were affected by shocks from tazers. I highly recommend very conductive clothing. Like a copper suit."
"Copper chain mail, "Cameron said. "We can make it and it will provide protection against shock."
"We can do that while we're waiting for word from the Fourniers on where those girls are being kept," Duncan said.
"When we know, we need all the intel on that place we can get before we go in," Amanda said. "Ground and air recon. We'll need drones."
"Get away transport and cover fire as well," Duncan added. "I doubt whoever has them has any plans of letting them leave alive."
"This is horrible!" Annette thought and sobbed.
"You wonder why I am so strong," Kaede thought to her. "Fighting evil like this is why. This will be bloody with no surrender offered or accepted. It will be a fight to the death with no mercy by anyone."
Annette bowed her head and cried. Kaede put an arm around her and held her close. She felt bad for Annette. She felt worse for those who were captured. Simple farm girls, never knowing the horrors humans could commit, were now most likely experiencing the worst humanity could offer. She would make those bastards pay.
"Let's hope it isn't what we think," Duncan said. "We also prepare for the worst. I'll get the copper wire to make the mail suits from the contractors building the hotels. It' easy to list that as building expenses. Amanda, we're going to need those drones and a path to sneak into southern France. Cameron, can you hack into places over the internet?"
"I can. I can hide our IP as well. What am I looking for?"
"Unusual activity. Any mention of testing or experimenting from places that don't normally do that. You may have to get creative in figuring out what to look for."
Cameron got up. "I will get started. I'll be in our room."
Annette gazed a Kaede with her teary face. "Please, save them."
Kaede cast her a tiny smile and thought back to her, "If we can. I will promise you this. If it is like we think, not a single guilty one will survive. THAT I can promise you."
.
Pierre knew something bad would happen from humans knowing about them! Kids today, they refused to listen to common sense! Instead of caring for the grape arbors to ensure they had a good harvest, everyone in the community was driving around the countryside, searching for their missing girls!
Jacques came in escorting an inspector. The Inspector greeted him and looked at the map Pierre was blacking parts out on.
"Bonjour monsieur Fournier, que faites-vous de votre carte?" The inspector asked.
Pierre pointed to the map and said, "We are searching for our kidnapped daughters. You are not finding them!"
"Monseieur, we are doing the best we can with the information we have. I cannot tell you to not search. All I can say is your search will most likely prove fruitless," the inspector told him. "If you find them, please, do not attempt to grab them back. Let us handle it."
Jacques almost blurted out Dame Kaede would be handling it. In her call, Annette said specifically that the fact Kaede was coming was to be kept a secret.
Pierre only huffed. "We will alert you when we find them. Maybe then you can do something."
"We are searching and investigating. Any word about them is being scrutinized," the inspector assured him. "We have found a witness that saw the van. It was a rental, and matches one that was rented that day. The man who rented it is being held and questioned. We are making progress."
"Who is it?" Jacques asked.
The inspector turned to him. "We cannot give out any information on an ongoing investigation, Just know that we will find the women who were kidnapped."
.
Boris waited in Peter's apartment for him to return. He knew the drill when a suspect was taken in. If the suspect didn't crack, like he was sure Peter wouldn't, he was let go and watched. It was the second day, so he slipped into the apartment and waited for Peter to get home. He had his gear on, a plastic hat to keep any hairs from falling out and be found by police, blue neoprene gloves, shoe covers and a silenced pistol that had been stolen two years ago, under his coat. He wanted to sit down, but leaned against the wall, waiting. No sense in leaving fibers that might be found by a forensics team.
It was getting dark outside by the time Peter came home and went for the phone.
"Did you tell them anything?" Boris asked.
Peter spun to see him standing at the hallway to his bedroom. "Of course not! There is no need to cleanse me," he said in the strongest voice he could muster up. He also reached behind himself to open the drawer under the phone.
Boris pulled his pistol and shot him in the stomach. Peter grunted and pulled out his own gun. Boris got a better aim and shot him in the head before Peter raised his gun. Peter collapsed to the floor.
Walking over to the dead man, Boris fired into Peter's head once more to be sure, then dropped the gun on his body.
"Sorry. You know, and the police found you. That means you have to be cleansed," Boris told him. Going to the door, he peeked out to be sure the hallway was empty. Locking the door behind him, he removed the gloves, shoe covers and plastic hat and made his way out of the building.
.
Duncan and Amanda were in his office, searching for the best way to get to Southern France.
"If this is a worst case, people experimenting on Diclonius, then they can't know we're coming," Duncan said with a frown. "That means taking my plane is out. I'd have to register the flight."
"Kaede's got her boat. Valance is on the Rhone river, we could just sail right in," Amanda said.
Duncan eyed her. "After we sail around France and Spain then into the Med to get to that river."
"I didn't say it would be fast," Amanda said with a shrug.
"Many things could happen while we're taking at least two or three weeks to get there. Not to mention there has to be a float plan that if someone was looking, they would find," Duncan countered.
Amanda threw her hands up. "Duncan, no matter how we go, we will have to show our passports! We can't hide our presence completely. Not in today's world. Even going to Africa on that get-the-aliens trip, Cassandra had to put in a flight plan. We just used her so Kaede could be snuck in. Use me as the pilot, and we can fly there."
"That's what we'll have to do," he agreed in a grumble. "That also means a car rental where we have to show ID."
"I like the boat idea," Amanda said with a wry grin. "I heard Kaede's yacht is nice."
"This isn't a vacation," Duncan reminded her.
"The yacht will fit more people," Amanda said.
"We can't waste time on this," Duncan retorted.
Cameron walked in. "I have information," she said and sat down by Amanda. "Three days ago, Peter Rollov was arrested in connection with the kidnapping. The computer files said he rented the van used. He refused to speak, so the police let him go with his phone tapped and a watch on him. Today, he was found dead in his apartment, shot three times. The gun used was by the body. Forensics is looking for evidence, but no prints are on the gun. This was a professional hit to silence him."
"So, they still have nothing," Duncan said.
"True. In the police records, I found the rental company the van came from, so I hacked into them. Peter only had the van one day, and returned it to the same place. He had possession of the van for seven hours. I am concentrating my efforts on a radius within a four hour drive from where he turned the van in. That is assuming, these men found the girls, rented the van, immediately kidnapped them, then delivered them and returned the van."
"Find Kaede and Annette, have them let the families know where to concentrate their search at."
Cameron nodded, got up and left.
"Doesn't stay for small talk, does she?" Amanda noted.
"Its' her way."
.
Pierre was out mixing the fertilizer and having the younger children fertilize the fields on thier day off from school. The inspector and his partner rolled up in their car and got out. Once their kids were on thier way with their sacks, the Inspector asked, "Have you heard any word on your missing girls?"
Pierre waved a finger at him. "We are now searching within four hours drive from where they were taken! That is as far as that van went after it grabbed them."
The inspector frowned. "How do you know that?"
"The van was only gone seven hours from the rental place, THAT is how we know!"
"How do you know THAT?" the inspector asked again. They had just figured that out. How did Pierre already know it?
"You are not the only ones looking for our girls. Annette went to get someone who can DO something!" Pierre said firmly.
"Mr. Fournier, who else is searching for those kidnapped girls?" he asked firmly.
"Dame Kaede Kikumura WILL find our girls and bring them home!. Now excuse me, I have work to do!"
The inspectors looked at each other.
"That name sounds familiar," the partner said.
"Let's go look her up in the database."
Returning to the office, they looked up Dame Kaede and tried a couple spellings on that last name. Nothing came up. The Inspector then called Paris to see if they had anything on the name. He waited fifteen minutes, then a female voice came on.
"This is Inspector Le Blanc. Why are you asking about Kaede Kikumura?"
"This is Inspector Durand of the Valance station. We believe she may be here, searching for some girls that have been kidnapped. Case 20/22766."
"She's THERE?" the woman squeaked. "Are you sure? She has pink hair and red eyes, she wears a wool cap."
"We have not seen her. We just found out she's here looking for…"
Le Blanc cut him off. "Find her! Have her picked up and removed from the country! That woman is … a wrecking ball! She leaves bodies and fills hospitals with the wounded in her wake! If you don't know where she is, follow the trail of bodies and get her out of the country."
"But, if she can help find the missing girls…"
Again, he was cut off by Le Blanc. "Here, she went looking for three men accused of murder and terrorism. She did find and kill them, along with seven others dead, sixteen in the hospital, and got a whole section of the city in an uproar. She is the LAST person you want roaming your streets."
"Who is she?" he managed to get out without being interrupted.
"We keep tabs on her. Her name is Dame Kaede Kikumura, maiden name, Kaede McLeod. McLeod himself is bad enough, she's ten times worse. Do you remember the aliens that had their bases destroyed? SHE is the one who did it. Many call her the Witch, she carries no weapons, she kills and destroys with a look. If you don't get her out, she will cause mayhem and chaos in your city."
Inspector Drurand was stunned. It was that Kaede that was here? It sounded like he'd soon have a war on his hands. "Thank you, Inspector, I will take appropriate action." he said and hung up the phone. This case had turned into more than just a routine kidnapping.
The moment he got off the phone, he had an APB out for Dame Kaede Kikumura with a description and instructions to 'report and observe only'.
.
Jacques was driving out past Saint-Pe'ray when he felt something. He'd just gotten on a road into the mountains when he swore he felt the presence of another elf. He slowed down and searched around him. The feeling faded. He turned around and went back slower. He got the feeling again of a presence. Pulling over, he got out of the car and focused, trying to find a direction. Closing his eyes, he focused hard, Feeling for the direction the presence was in. There was more than one. They were to his left, the downhill side of the road.
Going over to the downhill side, he saw another road go to a large house on the hillside. Yes, the feeling was coming from that house. Going back to his car, he got on his phone and called his dad. He'd found them!
