His True Love

Disclaimer: I deny any ownership of any adult or adolescent transformed shadow warrior chelonians.

Chapter Twenty Five – Obtaining Information

SARA:

 Raph looked like he was in a complete sour mood when he came to pick me up from the school. Fact is I don't think I had ever seen him this irritated before. He looked as if something had crawled in under his shell and started to burrow into the soft skin for a nice long stay and it was going irritate the hell out of him until it decided to move on.

" Hi ya grumpy" I greeted him.

He didn't respond other then to glower menacingly at me.

" Good day for you?" I asked arching an eyebrow.

" I'm not in the mood for small talk," Raph snapped sharply.

 " Fine how about we just talk?" I asked the look he shot me then said that idea was pretty much out of the question. I gave an indifferent shrug fine if he wanted to talk to me he would whenever he pleased. Poking and prodding would only make him more irritable if such a thing were possible. I had all ready learned that sometimes with Raph it was far easier to let him talk when he pleased to do it.

As we neared the alley we used to head down the sewers I heard someone calling my name from behind me.

" Sara…"

I turned to see who was calling me as Raph quickly slipped into the shadows of the alleyway " Just don't be forever" he muttered to me.

I narrowed my eyes at his retreating back. First he shows up all out of sorts then he decides that I couldn't tie up his precious time with a little chitchat. I felt my own temper rise at his oafishness. I would take just as long as I liked and if he had to wait for me then so be it! Would serve him right he didn't want to talk I might as well get some conversation somewhere. I figured if he had a reason to not be held up that would be one thing but since he wasn't talking he better not be expecting me to jump to obey that was for sure.

I saw Candace ' Candy' was another woman who worked the streets she seemed to know everyone who lived or worked the streets as well as all their secrets. She was a freelancer like myself, and older then I was, a little on the heavy side but that didn't seem to keep clients away from her.

One thing I could say for Candy was she looked out for a lot of the younger street kids when and where she could. She wouldn't stop them from doing what they had to, to get by one of her mottos being " we all have to make a living in life." But she would look out for them give them advice or help them out where she could. Playing an almost motherly role to many of them.

She knew a lot of secrets and she knew how to keep them.

" Hey Candace you starting early or just heading home?" I wondered.

Candy laughed a bit " No I'm heading home worked the morning shift had some stuff to do before I headed back." She admitted.

I smiled the morning shift five until eleven was some of the best time and best money a call girl could make on the streets. It was often far easier for a guy to tell his significant other that he had an early morning meeting or had to go to work early then tell her he was working late. Woman usually suspected that I have to work late excuse if used too many times.

" A little late to be heading back after working the morning shift" I said probing gently.

" Yeah tell me about it. I am wiped out!" she agreed congenially, " But I saw an old friend who asked me if I could get her some stuff and drop it by the place she was staying at." She paused for a moment " Shay and her guy are leaving town tomorrow but needed this favour done quick."

My brow furrowed I was sure I had heard the name Shay somewhere " I know that name" I muttered more to myself then to her.

" No reason to Sara, she left New York before you started working the streets unless that is you heard her name on the job somewhere."

" That must be it," I agreed but I highly doubted it " I just can't place it."

" She was a street girl one of my brood. She came looking for me and needed a favour quick I didn't see any harm in doing it for her."

No Candy wouldn't see any harm in it me, I personally felt that street kids if they were going learn the streets and have it do them any good whatsoever they ought to take whatever life threw at them and take some responsibility for things. Candy felt the kids had it hard enough and needed bailing out.

" She wanted some stuff to calm an excitable critter down. When I dropped off the stuff she showed me it and damned if it weren't the strangest thing I have ever seen…" Candy was saying.

Suddenly without warning Raph had yanked Candace into the alley and back far from the street. He had her pinned against the wall of the building when I entered.

" Let her go! Just what the hell is your problem any ways?" I demanded of Raph sharply.

He didn't even bother pulling this sort of a stunt on my clients. I also knew the boys weren't supposed to be seen, not that Raph really seemed to worry too much about the rules mind you.

" Where is Shay?" He hissed sharply his tone dark and menacing, he had his head ducked down a bit so I doubted that Candy could see his face but she probably could see the hand that held her were missing a few digits and the wrong colour to be human.

" None of your business you damned freak. Let me go!" Candy raged at him.

I saw Raph tense at her words I had learned he didn't care for the word freak. Candace had unwittingly said a very bad thing around him.

" Raph!" I fumed irked at him for getting so anxious as to pull Candace away over talk about an old street kid what was it to him? " Just let Candy go now," I ordered. He was really going get on my bad side if he kept this attitude of his up.

" Sara you don't get it. Shay is Ramiela's mother and Ramiela is missing and Candace knows where Shay is and possible from her excited critter talk knows where Ramiela is too. And I want to know!" Raph informed me in short clipped tones.

Candace squirmed a little in Raph's tight grip " I'm not telling you a thing" she declared.

Raph reached up with his free hand taking off his hat and Candy gasped as she saw his face for the first time.

" You? Are you the critter's father?" she stammered slightly in surprise.

" No I happen to be her Uncle. You might want to protect your old friend but I have a niece who needs protection more right now" Raph told her his eyes narrowing to slits. " Either you tell us where Shay is or you are coming with us," he announced.

I glanced from Raph to Candy now understanding why Raph had been in a sour mood and also why he had suddenly gone after Candy. Candy might be the only chance of the boys getting Ramiela back they most likely had run into dead ends on any other avenue they had to begin with. Candy obviously was the answer to every thing.

However Candy never was one to divulge other people's secrets and after Raph's behaviour around her I wasn't even sure if I could get an answer from her on the subject.

" Candy what you don't realize is what your friend Shay is calling an excitable animal or critter is actually an intelligent, thinking reasoning sentient being. She is only a seven year old girl who is full of love and laughter." I tried to explain to her, she wanted to protect street kids maybe appealing to her motherly instincts was the way to go. " Don't continue to protect Shay when you could devastate an entire family through your silence" I pleaded.

" I'm not in a mood to be kept waiting and I am not that patient at the best of times" Raph growled.

" Raph stop it! Let Candy go and back off for a moment" I glared at him looking him right in the eye begging him to ease up for a moment and most of all to shut his mouth for a change. Intimidation wouldn't work here, especially if Candace felt that Raph and his family might harm Shay for taking Ramiela.

Raph let her go but didn't back off he stood nearby waiting for Candy to make any move or better yet to start talking about all she knew.

Candy just looked at me in stubborn silence " A friend of yours Sara?"

" Yes he is, and he is part of a big family that loves that little girl" I stated.

Candy shrugged and tossed her brown hair back " What it to me Shay ain't going to hurt her none."

Obviously I would have to try a different tactic. " You look out for the street kids and the homeless helping them out when you can. Ramiela's family looks after them too. Haven't you heard stories?"

" I have heard a few things around, not that I believe them" she admitted warily " the kids and some of the others talk of shadows that once in a while come alive and save them from bad situations."

" Yeah well my family are the shadows and we see it as part of our job" Raph grumbled crossing his arms over his plastron. " Now maybe since we helped you out, you can have the decency to do the same."

" Not many people get to see them this close and personal Candy. Ramiela's family have been looking out for me protecting me from Red."

Candy knew about my problems with Red her sole bit of advice to me when all the trouble with Red had started was " drop the charges before he kills you. I've seen to many girls disappear never to see them again."

That was something I couldn't do then or now.

" Look you owe her family big for helping out your kids when you aren't there to do so. The least you can do is tell him what you know" I declared firmly " they are good people who just want to be left alone to live their life just as we do. Ramiela belongs with her family."

Candy shook her head stubbornly refusing " That all depends on what they intend to do to Shay doesn't it? I know Shay."

" That all depends on what she has done to Ramiela. If my niece is unharmed Shay might get off with a warning" Raph replied evasively.

" Well the kid hasn't been hurt and she is in good hands," Candy stated emphatically.

Raph curled his lip ever so slightly I could tell he had probably reached the end of what little patience remained to him " If Ramiela is in good hands what the hell does Shay need something to keep her calm for?" he wondered.

Then in a fast blur of motion he pinned candy back to the wall this time a sai was at her throat " What did you give Shay?"

It seemed Raph was going for answers his way.

" An injected drug." Candy gulped uneasily staring at the weapon.

I groaned at those words. It couldn't be good for Ramiela.

" Our physiology is different from humans. Now spill the beans and fast before I decide to spill your blood" Raph demanded quickly.

Something in Raph's straightforward attitude and menacing behaviour must have been enough to convince Candy for spill she did in a way that just wasn't normal for Candy.

She told us where Shay and her guy was, what the plans were for the critter they had found and most of all she told us about the drug she had given to Shay to keep Ramiela quiet and behaved for them.

Buzz was a new drug on the street made of various things and injected into the blood stream. It was reported to give a calm mental state with a strange mental euphoria connected with it.

Because it was new not a lot was known about it but typically there all ready had been a few cases of overdose and there were rumours that it had dangerous and unpleasant side effects to it. (A/N I have no idea if such a drug as Buzz exist that's just something I made up folks.)

Raph sneered, " Bout time you spat with the goods. Now move it you are coming home with us because I can't let you go to warn Shay." Raph hissed.

I glared at Candace as she looked towards me for help I didn't give a damn if my friendship with her was over or not anyone who could jeopardize the life of a child to protect an adult wasn't someone I wanted to associate with.

I only hoped that Shay hadn't administered any of the drugs to Ramiela. I had a feeling it would not go well for Shay if she had used it. Worst of all I feared what a drug like Buzz could do to the turtle child.

TBC