One
Ian stalked around the interior of what was once Kenneth Irons' mansion, talking to the fire.
"Father...I don't want to harm her..."
"I know, young Nottingham, but harm her you must."
"I cannot."
"DO NOT BE INSOLENT, CHILD!" Came Kenneth Irons' striking voice. Ian blanched, but otherwise did not move from his position by the hearth.
"I am NOT being insolent Father! I am being nothing more than what you made me to be! I am her Guardian! I will NOT be the one to take her life!"
The flickering image of Kenneth's face distorted with his visable anger. "IAN! Do NOT disobey me!"
"I do not disobey you, Father...I disobey your spirit...Your prying ways always dug underneath my skin. It always grated on my nerves...and now that I have the chance to be free of you without fear of the repercussions...I shall be free. And I shall accompany her in whatever risks she may take, necessary or unneccesary. Now be gone, Father. I must think..."
Irons gave a frustrated cry as his visage disappeared into the smoke in the oversized fireplace and Ian Nottingham took his place in the chair before the flames, next to the table which supported his former master's hand, suspended in some sort of preserving liquid...
*****
*NEXT DAY*
"Hey, Pez. Rough night?" Jake McCartey inquired as a sleepy Sara Pezzini barged into the door to the office.
"Very. Got a visitor last night that I wasn't too happy to see..." She replied
"Ooh...a visitor, huh?" Came a feminine voice from the doorway. Pez looked up to see Vicki Po blocking the doorway.
"Hey Vick...whatcha got for me?"
Vicki nodded. "Okay." she plopped a set of photos on the desk in front of Pez and Jake leaned in intently. Pez rifled through them, taking in every detail she could see of the crime scene. "Victim, James Sehon. Age, thirty-one. No known relatives at this time, EXCEPT, for a daughter in Pennsylvania. She's on her way here as we speak."
"So...how'd he die, Vick?"
"I'm gettin there, that's the best part..." Sara looked up from the pictures and gazed at her friend worriedly before turning back to them and staring intently once more. "He was stabbed to death."
Sara held up a picture and wagged it slightly in front of Vicki's face. "Duh, Vick. I can see that. Give me the details."
Vicki chuckled. "All right. The thing is, he was run COMPLETELY through with some sort of a double-edged sword."
Pez waited for the coroner to go on. When she didn't, Pez looked up at her again and noted the undecided look on her face. "Vick...? what's the kicker?"
Vicki was startled out of her daydream.
"You all right, Vicki?" Sara watched her friend intently.
"Yeah. Uh...the kicker, Pez, is that...I couldn't even get a solid carbon dating on the bits of iron left in the guys chest..."
"So...that means it's old?"
"If I had to guess, yeah. VERY OLD. The marks went WAY off the charts, Pez. Be careful on this one, all right? I've got a bad feeling about it."
Pez squinted at her friend and then nodded. "Okay, Vick. I will. Promise."
Vicki nodded in return as she backed out of the doorway. "Okay then. I'd best be getting back downstairs."
"Well, I've got an idea on who to talk to first..." Pez stated, standing up from where she had been sitting. She grabbed her her leather jacket and shouldered it before grabbing her motorcycle helmet.
"I'll walk you to the front door, Pez."Vicki shrugged. "I don't have anything better to do."
"Oh, okay...Vick..." she turned back to Jake. "McCartey, You seen Danny this morning?"
"No, but...uh, he did call...said he'd be in late." Jake smirked. Pez shook her head.
"All right. Have him call me on my cell when he gets in."
"Deal, Partner." Jake sat back down in his chair dejectedly and Pez sighed.
"Hey, Pez..." Vicki whispered once she and Sara were outside the doors of the precinct.
"Yea, Vick?"
"Your visitor...anyone I know?" she lifted an eyebrow.
"Oh yeah. You remember tall, dark, and *PSYCHO*, right?"
"Walks through walls?"
"That's him!"
"Ah...go Pez!" Vicki grinned evilly. "Hey, Sara. Next time you see him, you tell him to pay ME a visit, OK?"
Sara chuckled.
"Your funeral, Vick!" Vicki laughed in reply and gave Pez a wave as she walked back into the building. Sara pulled her helmet over her head, mounted her Buell, and sped away towards Vorschlag Industries. It was time to pay a visit to Ian Nottingham...
Ian stalked around the interior of what was once Kenneth Irons' mansion, talking to the fire.
"Father...I don't want to harm her..."
"I know, young Nottingham, but harm her you must."
"I cannot."
"DO NOT BE INSOLENT, CHILD!" Came Kenneth Irons' striking voice. Ian blanched, but otherwise did not move from his position by the hearth.
"I am NOT being insolent Father! I am being nothing more than what you made me to be! I am her Guardian! I will NOT be the one to take her life!"
The flickering image of Kenneth's face distorted with his visable anger. "IAN! Do NOT disobey me!"
"I do not disobey you, Father...I disobey your spirit...Your prying ways always dug underneath my skin. It always grated on my nerves...and now that I have the chance to be free of you without fear of the repercussions...I shall be free. And I shall accompany her in whatever risks she may take, necessary or unneccesary. Now be gone, Father. I must think..."
Irons gave a frustrated cry as his visage disappeared into the smoke in the oversized fireplace and Ian Nottingham took his place in the chair before the flames, next to the table which supported his former master's hand, suspended in some sort of preserving liquid...
*****
*NEXT DAY*
"Hey, Pez. Rough night?" Jake McCartey inquired as a sleepy Sara Pezzini barged into the door to the office.
"Very. Got a visitor last night that I wasn't too happy to see..." She replied
"Ooh...a visitor, huh?" Came a feminine voice from the doorway. Pez looked up to see Vicki Po blocking the doorway.
"Hey Vick...whatcha got for me?"
Vicki nodded. "Okay." she plopped a set of photos on the desk in front of Pez and Jake leaned in intently. Pez rifled through them, taking in every detail she could see of the crime scene. "Victim, James Sehon. Age, thirty-one. No known relatives at this time, EXCEPT, for a daughter in Pennsylvania. She's on her way here as we speak."
"So...how'd he die, Vick?"
"I'm gettin there, that's the best part..." Sara looked up from the pictures and gazed at her friend worriedly before turning back to them and staring intently once more. "He was stabbed to death."
Sara held up a picture and wagged it slightly in front of Vicki's face. "Duh, Vick. I can see that. Give me the details."
Vicki chuckled. "All right. The thing is, he was run COMPLETELY through with some sort of a double-edged sword."
Pez waited for the coroner to go on. When she didn't, Pez looked up at her again and noted the undecided look on her face. "Vick...? what's the kicker?"
Vicki was startled out of her daydream.
"You all right, Vicki?" Sara watched her friend intently.
"Yeah. Uh...the kicker, Pez, is that...I couldn't even get a solid carbon dating on the bits of iron left in the guys chest..."
"So...that means it's old?"
"If I had to guess, yeah. VERY OLD. The marks went WAY off the charts, Pez. Be careful on this one, all right? I've got a bad feeling about it."
Pez squinted at her friend and then nodded. "Okay, Vick. I will. Promise."
Vicki nodded in return as she backed out of the doorway. "Okay then. I'd best be getting back downstairs."
"Well, I've got an idea on who to talk to first..." Pez stated, standing up from where she had been sitting. She grabbed her her leather jacket and shouldered it before grabbing her motorcycle helmet.
"I'll walk you to the front door, Pez."Vicki shrugged. "I don't have anything better to do."
"Oh, okay...Vick..." she turned back to Jake. "McCartey, You seen Danny this morning?"
"No, but...uh, he did call...said he'd be in late." Jake smirked. Pez shook her head.
"All right. Have him call me on my cell when he gets in."
"Deal, Partner." Jake sat back down in his chair dejectedly and Pez sighed.
"Hey, Pez..." Vicki whispered once she and Sara were outside the doors of the precinct.
"Yea, Vick?"
"Your visitor...anyone I know?" she lifted an eyebrow.
"Oh yeah. You remember tall, dark, and *PSYCHO*, right?"
"Walks through walls?"
"That's him!"
"Ah...go Pez!" Vicki grinned evilly. "Hey, Sara. Next time you see him, you tell him to pay ME a visit, OK?"
Sara chuckled.
"Your funeral, Vick!" Vicki laughed in reply and gave Pez a wave as she walked back into the building. Sara pulled her helmet over her head, mounted her Buell, and sped away towards Vorschlag Industries. It was time to pay a visit to Ian Nottingham...