12.08.98; 04:32; Destine Mansion:
Elisa parked her car in the courtyard of the large mansion, looking around to the front-passenger seat.
"You should stay here." she told the person sitting there. "Demona will be mad enough for that I'm here."
"Then let her be." Chavez replied, going out of the car.
Elisa nodded and went out of the car herself, looking through the courtyard by herself.
Dark was maybe the best way to describe it.
When both had reached the door, shortly starring on the creepy head 'decorating' the door, Elisa rang the doorbell.
Some seconds nothing happened and Elisa was just going to put the bell again when the door opened, slowly, nearly reluctant.
"I wanted you to come alone human." Demona's icy voice told them.
"When I heard of who called I decided to come with her Miss Destine." Chavez replied, even when she knew that it was directed on another human. "So do you let us come in or shall I come back with a search warrant?"
The not so surprising reply was a loud snarl together with the up lightening of two blood red eyes in the shadows, which let Elisa and Chavez at once grab after their guns.
"Demona," Elisa began, calming down. "you asked after me, sure for a reason, so please let me help."
Demona hesitated a second, but finally Elisa could hear a sigh and the door was opened completely.
"Come in," the demon ordered them, having her back already turned to her newest guests. "and close the door behind you."
Elisa was the first to step in and looked around in the floor while Chavez closed the door behind her.
The first thing Elisa discovered beside Demona's back was Shade, sitting on the foot of the steps, studying the newly arrived watchful.
"Hey." Elisa greeted the beast.
Shade let out a loud growl in response which made Elisa stare on her. For all the six months she knew her, Shade had been mostly lethargic, but when she saw her now Elisa had no doubt that on one word of Demona she would go for her throat.
"Why have you called us." Chavez asked Demona from the door, ignoring the beast.
Demona leaned against the wall in the floor studying both police officers.
"Nearly two hours ago my granddaughter heard someone knocking on the door." the immortal explained "It was no one outside but... I'll show you."
With this Demona turned around walking through a door.
When Elisa and Chavez followed her, they entered a room which Elisa recognized as living room, as she recognized someone sitting there on an armchair.
"Asrial?" Elisa asked the caramel skinned gargoyle, who was maybe the last member of the clan she had guessed to be here anyway. "What are you doing here?"
"Making a visit," Asrail explained "together with my brother."
"Goliath?" Elisa guessed, still having problem by this sort of definition of a person.
"No," Asrial answered "Thersities."
Elisa nodded, still not knowing why especially this gargoyles had come here.
"This is it?" Chavez asked Demona whom she had followed to the dinner table, showing on the box.
Demona nodded.
"What is in it?" Elisa asked, following Chavez to the table.
"Why don't you look yourself?" Demona asked, sounding annoyed.
Elisa starred on her while Asrial gasped.
"Sister!" she exclaimed, but didn't come much further since Chavez had followed Demona's suggestion and moved to the box, touching the opening with one hand.
When continued to lift it, Maria Chavez was studied by all four females in the room, including Shade.
Having opened the box and taken a quick look in it, Chavez pulled her hand back quickly, placing it before her mouth while the box closed itself.
Elisa was surprised by this since she knew Chavez had seen a lot of things during her years on the streets and wasn't so light to shock. While her captain tried not to puke her evening meal, Elisa took the box by herself and risked a look inside.
What she saw let her wish she had eaten nothing today... and the weak before and while she worked not to vomit she heard how Chavez began to speak.
"Any ideas who sent this to you?" Chavez asked Demona.
"Lucifia." the gargess replied "Who else knows where I live and holds a grudge against me?"
"Macbeth, a new hunter," Chavez counted, "someone hired by Thailog...."
Demona's snarl stopped her, but instead to her, the demon's blood red eyes looked to Elisa.
"YOU FOOLISH HUMAN DARED TO TELL HER?!" she asked furiously, obviously not happy that her life story became known to the world.
"Mother!" This angry voice made everybody in the room turn around, discovering Darlene standing in the entrance of the door.
"We heard you from above." she stated more calm "Please no more trouble tonight, at least for Lana."
Demona's eyes lasted for one second in her daughter's, but then she nodded.
"Could you help us then Miss Anderson?" Chavez asked her.
"I'll help as good as I can." Darlene promised, deciding not to see how her mother stabbed Elisa with thousand angry glares when Chavez mentioned her family name.
"Good," Chavez replied, knowing that she definitely would get more help from this family member than from Miss Destine. "so what happened."
Darlene sighed, beginning to tell.