Wolf and Cub

By DJ Clawson

Chapter 7 – If I Die Before I Wake

"Get this," Jigen said, reading from the guidebook in his lap. "The Admiral's Arms was a famous pub in Paris in the 19th century. It was said to be a big hangout for thieves and criminals. There's even still supposed to be some bullet holes in a supporting beam from where a man was shot with a pistol."

"So it still exists?" Fujiko said. She had taken up her position sitting on Lupin's bed, stroking his hair while he dozed.

"Well, the pillar does. But the rest of it was renovated in the early 70's. Now it's a discotheque called Shades."

"Typical...," Lupin wheezed. "No respect ... for culture."

"You like nightclubs!" Fujiko said.

"Grandpa was married ... in that bar. Disco music should never ... be played there."

"Despite Lupin's objection to its present condition," Goemon said, "it is our only clue."

"If it is that," Jigen said skeptically.

"First," Zenigata said thoughtfully. "One. Is there an apartment complex above the bar?"

"Probably. This is a city. Are you saying it's an apartment number?"

"It might be." Zenigata scratched his forehead under his hat. "There's only one way to find out."

Jigen stood up to leave with him, but Lupin interrupted him. "Jigen," Lupin said as loudly as he could, which was just above a whisper. "Don't hurt him."

"Are you crazy? Lupin, he stabbed you! This is not a time for the kiddy gloves!"

"Yes – but ... it's complicated. Just ... please don't." He was trying to shake Jigen's arm to drive the point home, but he had to give up in exhaustion.

"All right, all right," Jigen said, and gave Lupin a playful knock on the head. "I'll just make sure Zenigata does his thing. Not that it's ever helped him catch a Lupin before."

"Hey!"

While Goemon and Fujiko stayed back with Lupin, Zenigata and Jigen went to the club. The noise leaked onto the street, nearly shaking the cars that were parked there – but that wasn't why they were here. There was a doorway to the apartments.

"Hey, Zenigata," Jigen said, gesturing to a wall with buttons to buzz in. The names of the apartment owners were written beneath the numbers. Apartment one was 'LeBlanc.'

"That's the name of the noble." He got a look from Jigen. "The noble Lupin bought his mansion from." He pulled out his gun. "Let's go."

While the club was built up beneath them, the apartments themselves had fallen into complete disrepair. They could hear the music through the floors as they approached the door with a 'one' plaque hanging at an angle from a nail. "Interpol!" Zenigata said, banging on the door. "Open up!" No response. "All right. We're coming in!" He slammed on the door, opening it with the force of his shoulder. The door swung open and he stepped over what looked like a ton of envelopes. "Put your hands up!"

But no one was there. In fact, it looked like no one had been there in a long time. The apartment was filled with antique furniture and dust.

"Zenigata," Jigen said, gesturing down. Zenigata picked up his feet and noticed he was standing on a pile of unopened mail. It had obviously been shoved through the mail slot at some point. "No one's here." He put down his gun.

"Crap," Zenigata said, raising his fists in the air. "Crap crap CRAP!"

"Hey, I wanted to catch this guy as much as you did." Jigen did what he did best – sat down on the couch and lit a cigarette. "But he isn't here."

"He's still getting mail, though," he said, and picked up a pile. It was a lot of junk mail, and some bills addressed to a LeBlanc – just the last name, not anything else. One thing caught his eye. "There's a bill here from a township of Deauville. And here's another one." He opened it. "A water bill." There were redirection notes all over it. "There's a lot of stuff from Deauville. Ever heard of it?"

"I think it's on the coast. Near the tunnel to England."

"So, a couple hours from here?"

"Probably."

There was nothing else of note in the apartment. He grabbed the interesting parts of the pile and shoved them in his coat. "Are you up for a drive?"

It was already getting late when they returned to the hospital. Goemon was sitting at the foot of the bed, obviously awake and aware of his surroundings, but Fujiko had fallen asleep in her chair.

"Goemon," Jigen said. "We're going to drive to a town called Deauville to look for Lupin's father. Now this may all be a wild goose chase, but it's worth it to try."

"Someone must stay with Lupin," Goemon said simply.

"I can have a team of men in the room," Zenigata offered.

"Lot'll good that'll do us," Jigen said.

"I can stay with him," Fujiko offered, picking her head up.

"What are you gonna do? Seduce him to death?" Jigen said.

"Hey! I don't need this from you!" Fujiko shrieked. "I was trained to be an assassin you know! Zenigata, you used to be on my case – tell him it's true."

"Uh – it's true," he said, but he didn't want to get between them.

"You were chasing Fujiko around? Really?"

"Are we going to argue all day or are we going to find Lupin's father?" Goemon interjected, standing up and readying his sword.

"Maybe then I could get some sleep," Lupin said suddenly, making them all turn around.

"Lupin!" Zenigata cried.

"You just like ... saying my name, don't you?"

"Don't flatter yourself." He turned to the others. "I need to talk to Lupin while he's awake."

He eventually convinced the others to leave. This left him alone with Lupin, who was looking a little dazed but still fairly awake. "Am I under arrest?"

There was silence in the night, except for that horrible beeping from the heart monitor. "Eventually. Have you ever heard of Deauville?"

Lupin frowned. "It's a town, isn't it? North of here. Coastal."

Zenigata sighed and took the stack of envelops out of his pocket and put them on the bed. "We found these in what we think was your father's apartment. It's our only lead so we're gonna go up there."

"Interpol is paying you to chase him?"

"They let me chase you." He took of his hat. "I want to know what happened."

"Did you ever think to tell them you had a tip I was in the Bahamas or something? You could probably ... be there for a few weeks ... before they noticed."

"Lupin," he said.

"Fine. Oi." His smile faded. "So my father and I never exactly got along ... And by that I mean, he was a rapist and a murderer ... who tried to kill me ... when I was fifteen."

"Why?"

"He thought I was an imposter ... who took his inheritance. When grandpa disowned him... he lost his place in the will and I became his heir. Even after we straightened it out ... we had our differences. I didn't even want to deal with him ... when he called me. It was – I think it was two weeks ago. I'm losing track of time. How long have I been here?"

"Three days."

"I had surgery, right?" He picked up this device that was strapped to the railing of his bed. "I push this button for morphine. Life would be great if I wasn't injured."

"So he brought you out with the diamond heist," Zenigata said, trying to stay on track. "Why did he want to talk to you?"

"He thinks I'm a sham. That I ruined the family business. I'm not ... serious enough." He closed his eyes. "He's dying, you know."

"What?"

"Of cancer. In his lungs. And syphilis, but he won't admit to that."

"Is that why he called you?"

"I don't know. I don't understand my father." He opened his eyes again, but wasn't looking at Zenigata. "It just came out during the heist... like it was no big deal. And then he went back to yelling at me – and I was yelling at him - ... and I don't know what happened ... We said a lot of bad things to each other. The cancer thing ... hadn't really hit me." He swallowed, and looked painful. "We fought ... and he hit me – so I hit him. I didn't mean to."

"And he stabbed you."

"Yeah." He trailed off, and looked almost as if he was falling asleep for a second, before he caught himself. "He's not a bad guy ... Don't hurt him."

"What do you take me for?" Lupin the Second actually sounded like a pretty bad guy, but this wasn't the time or place to point that out. This was not what it was about. Zenigata saw Lupin fumble for his morphine buttons. He took it out of Lupin's shaking hands, pressed it, and put it back on the railing for him.

"Thanks, Pops," Lupin gasped, as if his own chest was weighing him down.

"You need a doctor?"

"Nah, I'm just tired," he said. "Do me a favor ... and I'll let you cuff me. I know ... how much you like that."

"Very funny. What do you need?"

"Just stay with me ... until I go to sleep." His speech was getting slurred. "'ncase my father comes ..."

"Sure." He lowered the lights, and held Lupin's hand until he was fast asleep.