stakeout chapter 7
Sunnydale City Hall
Sunnydale, CA
September 24, 1998
Thursday 8:45 PM
The Honorable Richard Wilkens was not a happy camper.
Not that he was much of a camper to begin with. Dirt and bugs and germs tended to interfere with the enjoyment of a fieldtrip.
However, the news he was receiving from the Sunnydale Chief of Police made him long for a quiet walk in the woods, maybe with a shotgun to blow up bunnies with.
Wilkens sat behind his desk, fingers steeped, watching the chief finish his oral presentation; material this sensitive was never put to paper, which had a nasty habit of appearing where it would be least convenient.
After the chief finished speaking, Wilkens sat for a minute, watching a bead of sweat trickle from the man's forehead. The chief was nervous enough delivering bad news, but having the Mayor sitting there motionless, watching you, eyes blinking every ten seconds or so, was... slightly terrifying.
"Let's review, shall we?" Wilkens smoothly stood and walked around the desk, sitting on the front edge, arms crossed, three feet in front of the still-standing chief. "Sheriff Greer has formed a unit to deal with supernatural beings, and so far he has been successful?" The chief nodded. "He hasn't been able to connect anything to me, but we both agree it's only a matter of time?" The chief nodded again, abet reluctantly. "And we can't fight this unit publicly because the Sheriff's the lead law enforcement officer in the county and he has highly embarrassing information about us that he could release to the media?"
The chief finally spoke. "Sir, the local media is under our control..." The chief's voice trailed off as he saw annoyance flash across the Mayor's face.
"Of course the local media is under our control, that's why we've been able to operate for so long. But we don't have much control over the Los Angeles or San Francisco newspapers, do we?" Wilkens' voice was still at normal levels, but the look on his face suggested that silence would indeed be golden, if not beneficial to one's health.
The Mayor continued where he left off. "So the only thing to do is deal with the Sheriff and his unit covertly, hidden from the public view. This is something that has to be dealt with using intelligence, finesse, and subtlety. In other words, *not* a job for you." The chief flinched but kept silent. "For now, do not interfere with them. If you come across any information let me know, but that is all. Understood?" Wilkens asked sternly. The chief nodded.
"And give the wife and kids a big hug for me, will ya?" Wilkens smiled warmly, the mercurial change in personality not surprising, but still disconcerting. "Dismissed, Chief."
Wilkens watched as the chief walked through the double doors and closed them behind him. After a moment Wilkens stood and looked toward the dark corner next to the large cabinet. "Alan?"
As the deputy mayor stepped into the light, Wilkens sat behind his desk again, falling deep into thought. As Alan Finch waited patiently in front of the desk, Wilkens snapped out of it.
"You told me that there was a group of beings here doing some sort of surveillance, correct?"
"Yes sir. Humans, demons and vampires are all involved. From what we've discovered, they seem to be preparing for some type of competition," the deputy mayor replied.
"Hmmm. Interesting. And we sent the boys out to find out what is going on?" Wilkens was referring to his group of men used for 'special projects'.
Alan nodded. Wilkens sighed.
"Too many cooks spoil the broth, Alan. Sunnydale Police, Sheriffs, the boys, and now this group. Pretty soon there's going to be more spooks in the pot than broth." Spooks was a slang term for spies and secret agents, although in this case the literal version of the word could apply to some of the beings in questions.
Wilkens pinched the bridge of his nose, then looked up smiling. "Alan, call the boys back in. We need to talk about the beings in this town. I just thought of something so elemental, I could just kick myself for not coming up with it sooner."
Alan nodded, his eyes dropping as his mind came up with that image. Considering some of the things he had seen the Mayor do, it was not a difficult task.
"Sir, may I ask what your plan is, so that I may prepare?" Asking Wilkens for information wasn't always a good idea, but with the Mayor in such a good mood, it wasn't much of a risk.
Wilkens was still smiling as he stood. "It's simple, really. What does any conscientious city official do when there is a special interest group that needs his help?"
Wilkens paused for a moment.
"Establish a liaison."
end stakeout chapter 7